I have several times found this plant growing in rotting sod, but its occurrence 

 in such profusion suggests an interesting question. No one had observed it in 

 this locality previously, which with a plant of such distinction would indicate ex- 

 treme rarity. How are we to account for its immediate appropriation of the entire 

 field when the sod was broken up? The conditions were undoubtedly favorable for 

 its development, but the vast numbers of plants produced so quickly seem hard to 

 explain. 



I have observed the same problem in regard to other species of fungi. Three 

 years ago about three acres of woodland which form part of my collecting ground 

 at Asheville was burned over in the late spring. In the fall of the same year the 

 whole tract was covered with fine specimens of Armillaria robusta which I had 

 not observed in that place before and which has not occurred there since except 

 sparingly. It could have been gathered by the bushel and persisted for weeks. 

 For some reason the burned ground was favorable to its growth, but how did it 

 secure such complete possession so quickly? 



CYTIDIA TREMELLOSA. 



LEGEND. We have had in hand, for a number of years, a tremelloid plant that we collected in 

 Louisiana and which we have been unable to have determined. We have always supposed that it be- 

 longed to the Tremellaceae, but could not satisfy ourselves as to the nature of the basidia, and we were, 

 therefore, unable to determine it generically. We recently sent it to Rev. H. Bourdot, who has made 

 special study of the structure of the resupinate fungi and is expert in that line of work. He informed 

 us that it belongs to the genus "Cytidia, Quelet." As we had no specific name for it, we have given 

 it one in keeping with the custom in these matters. We do not know anything at all about resupinate 

 Thelephoraceae, nor the species, and hence it is evident we are specially qualified to find "new 

 species." We hardly think that it has a specific name, however, for it is quite evident that had it 

 been named in American mycology, it would have been classed as a Tremella, and we have worked 

 over pretty thoroughly the Tremellaceae of America. We have reproduced the structural characters 

 from Rev. Bourdot 's letter, together with a diagram showing the structure. 



Fig. 512 



Cytidia tremellosa. 

 Natural size: fresh and dried specim 



5 '6 



