MYCOLOQICAL NOTES. 



BY O. G. LLOYD. 



No. 25. 



CINCINNATI, O. AP^lLi, 19O7. 



NEW NOTES ON THE GEASTERS. 



Among the first pamphlets we issued was "The Geastrae,'' which 

 was published four years ago. At that time we had had no opportunity 

 to study the history of Geasters in the museums of Europe, but de- 

 pended chiefly on advice from Rev. G. Bresadola in our treatment 

 of names and synonyms. We have since seen and studied practically 

 all the "type" specimens of the genus that exist, and we have found 

 very little that we would wish changed, and that little has been noted 

 from time to time in Mycological Notes. Our pamphlet was nat- 

 urally devoted to the most common species of Europe and America, 

 and a few other forms have since come to our notice that should be 

 recorded, also a few additional notes on the species already considered. 



GE ASTER TRIPLEX (Plate 94). Unexpanded plant, acute. 1 



Exoperidium recurved, often the 

 fleshy layer forming a kind of cup 

 at the base of the endoperidium 

 (see Fig. 144). Endoperidium 

 sessile, globose, with a definite, 

 even mouth. Columella prominent, 

 persistent. 



This plant is reddish brown, and 

 is in our opinion the same as Geaster 

 saccatus, only a giant form. Usually 

 Geaster saccatus and Geaster triplex are 

 very distinct (in size), but intermediate 

 plants (such as Fig. 76 of the Geastrae 

 pamphlet), are often hard to refer. At 

 Cincinnati 1 have gathered Geaster 

 saccatus many years and never found 

 a form approaching Geaster triplex. In 



Fig. 144. the woods of Michigan my experience 



is just the reverse, all Geaster triplex 

 and no Geaster saccatus. In Samoa both forms occur, and many intermediate 

 specimens are hard to refer. Geaster triplex was figured from Java by Junghuhn. 



lUnexpanded plants of Geaster triplex are always acute in varying degrees as shown in 

 our plate 94 and I do not feel it is practicable to separate those with a distinct ' beak under 

 a separate name. Not only do they shade into each other in all degrees but the different forms 

 can not be known from expanded specimens. 



309 



UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 



AT LOS AMGELE3 



