HEMITRICHIA 261 



seven or eight faint spirals, the interspaces narrow, dull red in color, 

 and 2.5 /x in diameter; spores yellow, delicately warted, 10-10.5 fx. 



This is doubtless a very rare species. In the description we have 

 followed Dr. Rex, /. c, as being more to the point for American 

 forms. It is not improbable that the American material may after all 

 be distinct, as discrepancies, if one may judge by descriptions, are not 

 few. Lister, who had a slide from Dr. Rex, considers the European 

 and American forms the same. 



In outward appearing, plasmodiocarpous phases of this species very 

 closely resemble forms of Licea or Ophiotheca, and are in consequence 

 often wrongly labeled. 



Toronto ; Montana — Anderson. To be looked for north and west. 



3. Hemitrichia ovata (Pers.) Macbr. 



1796. Trichia ovata Pers., Obs. Myc, I., p. 61, and II., p. 35. 



1863. Trichia abietina Wigand, Pringsh. Jahr., III., p. 33, Tab. ii.. Fig. 11. 



1875. Hemiarcyria luigandii Rost, Mon., p. 167. 



Sporangia crowded or sometimes closely gregarious, subglobose 

 or turbinate, shining yellow, sessile, the peridium thin, iridescent ; cap- 

 illitium a tangle of sparingly branched yellow or ochraceous-yellow 

 threads, rather slender, 3-5 fx, marked by one or two prominent spiral 

 bands forming a loose somewhat irregular spiral, the free ends not 

 infrequent, inflated and rounded ; spore-mass yellow or yellow-ochra- 

 ceous, spores by transmitted light pale yellow, distinctly and sharply 

 spinulose, but not netted, 10-11 jx. 



A rare and beautiful species, distinguished well by the small size, 

 about .5 mm., by the thin iridescent peridium, as by the microscopic 

 characters of the capillitial threads. 



There is no doubt that this is Persoon's Trichia ovata. His de- 

 scription is accurate in all that pertains to external features, and 

 Rostafinski, Jpp.j p. 41, explicitly says that he saw in Persoon's 

 herbarium specimens of the species bearing the name cited. Just 

 why Rostafinski did not here adopt the older name is not clear, nor 

 is there excuse for abandoning Wigand's name were Persoon's invalid. 

 According to Lister, Trichia nana Mass., from Maine, is the same 

 thing. Persoon, /. c, gives a synonymy which, in the nature of case, is 

 unverifiable, the specific characters being microscopic. 



