XXIX. ON THE DISTRIBLTION OF THE NORTH 

 AMERICAN HELVELLALES. 



Lucien M. Underwood. 



The Helvellales with mostly a stalked ascoma open from the 

 commencement of its development, form a somewhat natural 

 group of fleshy fungi, with a few outlying members which are 

 allied to several other discomycetous families and genera. 

 Probably the most iamiliar form is the morel which is known 

 in many parts of the country as " the spring mushroom," and 

 in certain parts is even called " the mushroom" to the exclusion 

 of other species of edible fungi. Several other species of the 

 order are edible, but in this country little attention is paid to 

 these delicacies and few of the possibilities of the group have 

 been tested. The main object of the present paper is to show 

 how little is known of the distribution of the group even among 

 mycologists. 



Three well marked families constitute the order. Of these 

 the Geoglossaceae are mostly slender, stalked, club-shaped 

 or capitate fungi varying in consistency from fleshy to gelatin- 

 ous or waxy. Their asci open by means of a terminal pore. 

 Most of the species are small, an inch or two high, and grow 

 in various situations, more commonly on old decaying wood or 

 leaves in rather moist places. In color they vary from black 

 to light yellow or even white. Superficially they resemble the 

 club-fungi ( Clavariaceae) with which group, indeed, Fries 

 united some of them as late even as 1838. x Some of the black 

 forms also resemble some species of Xylaria, but the woody 

 character of the latter genus will readily distinguish them. 



(1) Epicrisis Systematis Myoologici, 582-5S4. 1836-1838. 



