HISTORY. _ As has been established by Professor Fischer, the plant was 

 first called by St. Hilaire, Foetidaria coccinea. 10 He gave no figure of it and as 

 the genus Simblum had been well illustrated no one had any idea what was re- 

 ferred to under the "new genus" Foetidaria, 11 until Fischer decided from other 

 evidence what the plant probably was. Schlechtendal named it Simblum sphaero- 

 cephalum and gave a very fair illustration, although I do not think any phalloid 

 has such a volva as he shows. When Gerard found the plant on Long Island 

 he gave a good illustration of it and called it Simblum rufescens. Cragin found 

 it in Kansas, and as everything he found was new, it was Simblum rufescens var. 

 Kansensis. 1 have seen a figure of the type specimen of "Simblum pilidiatum, 

 Ernst," and it is certainly the same plant. 



LATERNEA COLUMNATA (Plate 92). The genus Laternea 

 differs from Clathrus in having the arms (usually three to five) dis- 

 posed in a columnar manner, united at the top but not forming a net- 

 work. 18 Laternea columnata is a very common plant in our Southern 

 States, particularly in Florida. How far north it extends I do not 

 know, but I think the record of Clathrus cancellatus from New York 

 was based on this species (Cfr. Myc. Notes, p. 150), and Rafinesque's 

 reference "Pennsylvania" surely was. I should be glad of any authen- 

 tic records of its occurrence in stations in any degree northern. It is 

 found also in the West Indies and South America. West Indian plants 

 that I have seen are more slender than the American plant, but those 

 from South America 19 seem the same in every particular. It is doubt- 

 ful if the plant occurs in New Zealand. 20 



We do not give any description of Laternea columnata as our 

 plate is the best description we can give. The plant is red and exceed- 

 ingly fetid. In Florida it is known to the natives as "Dead Men's 

 Fingers." 



Since this page has been in type we have received from C. E. 

 Pleas, Florida, a fine photograph of Laternea columnata, better than 

 those we present on our plate (92). We regret that it was received 

 too late to be inserted here, but we will not fail to reproduce it in >ur 

 next article on the phalloids. Good photographs of phalloids are what 

 are particularly needed to make the subject plain. 



HISTORY. Bosc gave a good figure of this plant in 1811 from specimens 

 collected in the southern United States and called the plant Clathrus columnatus 

 Turpm proposed the genus Laternea in 1822 for a three-columned plant (Laternea 



JO prof. Fischer very sensibly refrained from juggling it, the plant being well established 

 under Schlechtendal's name. My friend Prof. McGinty. has no such scruples, ami proposes lor 

 t the new combination " Simblum coccineum. St. Hilaire, McGinty." There does not st-em to 

 have been any specimen sent to Europe by St. Hilaiie, nor even a crude figure, and all that can 

 be known of it is by working backward, a favorite method with modern name jugglers 



n When " rules " are made for the naming of cryptogamic plants, I hope proper consid- 

 eration will be given to that large element of new species" makers who do not know when 

 their plants belong to old and well-known genera. 



i There are a number of species of Clathrus that have the lower arms disposed in a some- 

 what columnar manner, but developing into a network above. 



19 Rev. J. Rick, Brazil, writes me that " many forms" of the species occur with him. 



hioh i At KCW . th .u re is a s l )ecime ". collected by T. Kirk, at Lynt 

 roke; an ?n I e ap ,P e - arance ' bein * an obese form o f I-aterne 

 >ronen and in such condition that I am not at all sure 



ton Downs, New /i-aland, 

 a columnata, but it is so 



2 9 8 



