CRATERWM 105 



species in his Trichia auiea. Rostafinski shows that Fries's synonym, 

 C. mutahile, is founded on a mistake. The earlier specific name is 

 therefore on Rostafinski's authority adopted. 



Not common. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, 

 Iowa. 



3. Craterium leucocephalum (Pers.) Ditmar, 



Plate VIII,, Fig, 5, 



1791. Stemonitis leucocephala Gmelin, Syst. Nat., II., p, 1467. 



1801, Arcyria {!) leucocephala Persoon, Syn. Fung., p, 183, 



1801. Craterium {1) leucocephalum, Persoon, Syn. Fung., p, 184, 



1813. Craterium leucocephalum (Pers.) Ditmar, Sturm, Deutsch. Flora, 



Pilze, p. 21, PI, 11, 



1889. Physarum scyphoides Cke, & Balf., Jour. Myc, V., p, 186. 



1896, Craterium convivale (Batsch) Morg., Jour. Cin. Soc, p, 86. 



Sporangia gregarious, short-cylindric or ovate, pure white above, 

 brown or reddish-brown below, stipitate, dehiscence irregularly cir- 

 cumscissile, the persistent portion of the peridium beaker-shaped ; stipe 

 short, stout, expanded above into the base of the peridium with 

 which it is concolorous ; hypothallus scant ; capillitium white or some- 

 times, toward the centre, brownish, the calcareous nodules large, con- 

 spicuous, and persistent; spore-mass black, spores violaceous-brown, 

 minutely spinulose, 8-9 jx. 



Distinguished by its white cap from all except the next, from 

 which the markedly different form serves as the diagnostic feature. 

 In some gatherings, curious patches of yellow mark the otherwise 

 snow white cap and sides ; these are mere stains, or sometimes definite, 

 crystalline, flake-like bodies, standing out in plain relief on the spor- 

 angial wall, or lurking in the larger nodules which are massed along,- 

 the axis of the cup to form the pseudo-columella here strongly devel- 

 oped, Mr, Lister calls attention to these yellow flakes, and regards 

 them as diagnostic, European specimens show the capillitium yellow, 

 sometimes throughout! 



The nomenclature question is here somewhat difficult. Fries heads 

 his list of synonyms with Peziza convivalis Batsch, Batsch simply 

 described Micheli's figure! Now there is nothing in Micheli's figure 

 (PI. 86, Fig, 14) to enable one to say with certainty which craterium 

 Micheli had in mind, if craterium at all. Nor does Batsch help the 



