272 THE NORTH AMERICAN SLIME-MOULDS 



This species, common throughout the northern world, is distinguish- 

 ed from its congener, the following, not only by the episporic char- 

 acter, but generally by its different peridium and more sombre colors. 

 It never shows at maturity the brilliant golden yellow fluff that hangs 

 in masses about the open and empty vases of T. favoginea, a fact not 

 unnoted by Batsch, and rendering his figure and description so far de- 

 terminable. 



The episporic network shows all degrees of perfection or imperfec- 

 tion, and the elater also varies somewhat both in the apices and dis- 

 tinctness of longitudinal striae. The several synonyms listed seem to 

 have taken origin in a recognition of some of the more pronounced 

 variations. In any event the American form T. abrupta Cke., 

 with bifid apices, belongs here, and European specimens seem to show 

 the identity of forms described by Karsten and De Bary. 



Not rare. New England, Canada, New York, Pennsylvania, 

 Ohio, Alabama, Missouri, and west. 



7. Trichia favoginea {Batsch) Pers. 



Plate IV., Figs. S, 5 a, S b. 



1786. Lycoperdon favogineum Batsch, Blench. Fung., p. 257, Fig 173, a, b. 

 1791. Sphaerocarpus chrysospermus Bull., Cham, de Fr., Tab. 417, Fig. 4. 

 1794.. Trichia favoginea (Batsch) Pers., Rom. N. Mag. Bot., I., p. 90. 

 1875. Trichia chrysosperma (Bull.) Rost., Mon., p. 255. 



Sporangia closely crowded, cylindric or prismatic by mutual pres- 

 sure, obovoid, sessile, olivaceous yellow, smooth and shining; the perid- 

 ium thin, opening above somewhat stellately, persistent; capillitium 

 golden yellow, escaping entirely from the peridia, and forming woolly 

 masses above them, the threads long, even, beautifully sculptured, 

 bearing spirals about four, usually smooth and connected by light 

 longitudinal ridges, the apices short tapering, about equal to the 

 width of the elater, 6-7 /x; spores concolorous, by transmitted light 

 paler, but still bright yellow, the episporic net conspicuous, the bands 

 narrow and high, not pitted nor fragmentary, in form irregularly 

 globose, 12—14 /x. Plasmodium yellow. 



A common and beautiful species recognizable at sight, after the 

 peridia break, by the aggregate capillitium constantly in evidence 



