trichia] trichiaceae 207 



yellow ; mass of spores and capillitium orange-yellow ; spor- 

 angium-wall membranous, thickened with delicate irregular 

 striae. Capillitium consisting of long cylindrical elaters 7 to 

 8 jjl diam., smooth or with scattered spines, thickened with 

 four to five spiral bands 1 /j. broad, the intervals 1 to 2 p., 

 crossed by slender ridges running parallel with the length of 

 the elater and connecting the bands ; the ends of elaters conical, 

 terminating in a smooth point 3 to 8 ^ long. Spores yellow, 

 the wall reticulated with narrow deep bands forming a 

 net with three to five meshes to the hemisphere, 13 to 

 15 [j. diam. including the border of 1*6 to 2 fj. width. — 

 Schum. Enum. PL Saell., ii. 207 (1803) ; Macbr. X. Am. Slime- 

 Moulds, 214. Lycoperdon favogineum Batsch. Elench. Fung., 

 Cont. 257 (1786). Clathrus turhinatus Huds. Fl. Angl., ii. 632 

 (1778) ? Stemonitis favoginea Gmel. Syst. Xat.,ii. 1470 (1791). 

 Sphaerocarpus chrysospermus Bull. Champ., t. 417, f. 4(1791). 

 Trichia nitens Pers. Obs. Myc, i. 62 (1796). T. ovata Pers. 

 I.e., 61 ? T. turbinata Sow. Engl. Fung., t. 85 (1799) ? 

 T. chrysosperma DC. Fl. Fr., ii. 250 (1805) ; Rost. Mon.. p. 

 255 ; Mass. Mon., 189. 



PI. 159. — a. sporangia ; b. two spores and part of elater ; (Freiburg, Germany). 



The species of Trichia with reticulated spores are separated from each 

 other by somewhat arbitrary lines, owing to the inconstancy of the dis- 

 tinctive characters. The descriptions under the several names are here 

 given from the specimens named by Rostafinski in the Strassb. Herb. ; 

 they represent well marked centres, but in this abundant and widespread 

 genus forms are of frequent occurrence which take an intermediate 

 position. The character of longitudinal striae connecting the bands 

 on the elaters is met with to a greater or less extent in each member 

 of the group. In extensive gatherings of the present species on old 

 pine stumps in the Black Forest, the elaters are nearly regular in 

 breadth, usually 8 y«. diam., but some measure 7 p- and some 6*5 fl ; 

 the connecting striae are almost always but not invariably distinct ; 

 the spores have mostly unbroken bands without pits, and show a border 

 '2 p. diam. ; in some parts of several gatherings the bands are broader, 

 broken and pitted, and so shallow that the border is reduced to a 

 slight thickening of the spore-wall ; but in all these specimens a 

 considerable part retains the character of T. favoginea in the narrow 

 and even bands on the spores and broad elaters. American gatherings 

 show similar variation ; sometimes, with spores having regular reticu- 

 lation and narrow bands, the elaters are only 6 p- diam. Between T. 

 favoginea and T. affinis, T. affinis, and T. persimilis and T. 

 persimilis and T. scabra, intermediate forms frequently occur. 

 The length, branching, and markings of the elaters vary much 

 with different conditions of development. A gathering of 

 Hemitrichia chrysospora List, has been found at Lyme Regis of the 

 Trichia form with free elaters ; an abnormal form of T. scabra 

 has occurred with the capillitium consisting of a dense network of the 

 extreme Hemitrichia type with no free elaters. T. affinis and 

 T. scabra, when exposed to severe changes of temperature, at 

 the • time of their fruiting, have developed elaters with the 



