[Vol. 3 

 322 ANNALS OF THE MISSOUKI BOTANICAL GAEDEN 



tifications grow which become large by early winter. The 

 collections which I have studied, made during fall and early 

 winter, have been in vegetative rather than in fruiting stage. 

 On the other hand, some specimens of Septobasidiiim in 

 herbaria have no scale insects on the portions of twigs bear- 

 ing the fructifications of Septohasidium, but I can not say 

 as to whether these fructifications made their start on clean 

 twigs or on scattered scale insects which they have com- 

 pletely overgrown and destroyed. 



Key to the Species 



Fructification having the hymenial layer or membrane raised above the 

 substratum and supported on scattered pillars composed of parallel 

 hyphae close together side by side 1 



Fructification having the hymenial layer supported on pillars but with the 

 pillars less regular in form than in the above and composed of loosely 

 interwoven and curving hyphae. Known from Cuba 10. S. cirratum 



Fructification lacking supporting hyphal pillars, with hyphae extending 

 from substratum to the hymenial region without noteworthy consoli- 

 dation 5 



1. With erect or suberect paraphyses or hyphal branches at the surface of the 

 hymenium 2 



1. With surface of hymenium composed of longitudinally arranged and inter- 

 woven paraphyses or hyphal branches 3 



1. Structure of surface of hymenium not published; probasidia 20x15-20/*, 

 persistent at the base of the spore-bearing organs; spore-bearing organs 



horseshoe-shaped, 35xlO/Lt. In Cuba 1. S. pedicellatum 



1. Structure of surface of hymenium not published; fructification black, shin- 

 ing, very thin. In Guadeloupe 9. S. atratum 



2. Fructification %-% mm. thick; probasidia 12x7-9/*; spore-bearing 



organs 20-25 x4i7^-5At 2. S. Schweinitzii 



2. Fructification 1-1^ mm. thick; probasidia 26x11/*; epore-bearing* 



organs hook-shaped, up to 50x8/t. In Mexico 3. S. tropicale 



2. Fructification 1-1% mm. thick; probasidia 13-25x10-13/*; spore-bear- 

 ing organs straight, up to 60x11/*; spores 13x5%/*. In Jamaica.... 

 8. S. jamaicaense 



2. Fructification not shining, velutinous, aniline-black, becoming fuscous 



in the herbarium ; probasidia 15-20/* in diameter 7. S. PatouillardU 



3. Fructification glabrous, shining 4 



4. Varying from avellaneous and wood-brown to cinnamon-brown; proba- 

 sidia 12-20x8-15/*; spores 17-22x4-5/* J^. S. pseudopedicellatum 



4. Vandyke brown when in vegetative condition, olive-brown when fertile; 



probasidia 11-15x9-10/*; spores 12x3-3% /* 5. S. castaneum 



4. Olive-brown darkening to dark neutral gray; probasidia and spores 



unknown. In Nicaragua 6. S. sublilacinum 



5. Fructification divided into many narrow, sinuous divisions, better shown 



toward the margin 6 



5. Fructification not divided but with surface reticulated with obtuse veins; 



at first drab or Front's brown then Chaetura-drab 13. S. retiforme 



5. Fructification neither divided nor veined 7 



