The Moreh and Puff -Balls of Madison. 117 



sessile or on a long stipe. Peridium straw color or dull buff, nearly spine- 

 less or with sharp, dark spines, often united in clusters by their tips, fur- 

 furaceous with a more or less evanescent mealy coating through which the 

 inner layer appears glossy. Spores purple-brown, coarsely granular, round, 

 4.5 to 6.5 //, nearly stalkless or with pedicels 2 to4/< long. — PI. 3, f. 2. — 

 Eatlier frequent on the ground in bushy woods, or occasionally on decay- 

 ing wood. Eeported by Bundy, and occurs from Wisconsin (Lajiham) in 

 Hb. Curtis as L. saccatum. The more spinose form is var. liirtellum Pk. 



Though easily recognized in most of its forms, this is one of the most 

 perplexing of our species. Berkeley and Curtis as well as Dr. Winter, who 

 examined some of our specimens, have considered the plant to be L. sacca- 

 tum Fr. As saccaUim is understood by Bouerden (Bot. Zeitung, 1857, 596), 

 and Winter (Rabenhorst's KryptogamenFlora, i, 901), this determination is 

 unimpeachable; but L. saccatum of Fries and the Flora Danica (PI. 1139), 

 has a flaking j)eridium sinailar to that of L. bovista and L. cyathiforme, 

 whereas our i^lant possesses a persistent peridium opening by a terminal 

 pore. Recognizing this, Winter {I. c.) admits that Bouerden appears not to 

 have possessed the true species of Fries, yet does not hesitate to follow him. 

 The real saccatum, which occurs in New York, is certainly very distinct. 



Figures: — Palmer, Mushroons of America, pi. 8, as L. saccatum. Exsic- 

 catae: — Ravenel, Fungi Carolin., iv, no. 73, in part, as L. gemmatum. 



13. Lycoperdon constellatum Fr. Subgiobose or more commonly 

 in the form of an oblate spheroid, sojnewhat pinched-in at base, one to two 

 inches in diameter. Peridium straw-color, gray or copper, at first with 

 deciduous brown spines clustered by their apices, and intervening low 

 brown warts that persist as a prominent reticulum, or, ultimately falling, 

 leave the peridium minutely facetted, somewhat resembling " hammered 

 work " in metal. SjDores nearly as in the last, 5 to 6.5 /^ Old capillitium 

 brown. — PL 3, f. 4. — On the ground in bushy woods. 



Though more depressed than L. umbrinum of the Flora Danica (pi. 1800), 

 which is the prototype of L. constellatum, our plant agrees so well Avith 

 the descriptions, that I have followed Peck in referring it to that species. 

 According to Dr. Winter, it nearly- resembles L. CKjiricum Bouei'd. 



14. Lycoperdon rimulatum Pk. in herb. — Depressed globose, pinched- 

 in and radicating at base, sUghtly umbonate at apex, three-fourths to one 

 and one-half in. in diameter. Peridium tawniy flesh-color, thin, glabrous, 

 rimulate with anastomosing furrows. Spores red-purple, rough-warty, 

 5 to 6.5 // ; their pedicels 2 /i or in immature specimens, as much as 15 // long. — 

 PI. 3, f. 3. — On the ground in open wood pastures; September; also col- 

 lected at River Falls {King). 



An interesting plant, related to the constellatum gi-oup in its spore chai'- 

 actei's, but differing from our other species of tliis group in tlie absence of 

 a spinose or mealy coating, the outer peridium merely cracking along the 

 grooves as in L. caelatum. I am indebted to Mr. Peck for the name employed, 

 which he has applied to immature specimens in his herbarium, from Ohio 

 {Moi^gan) and New York. 



