Vol. 4 No. 8 



August, 1904 rr^^^fto ^^ 



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NOTES ON THE VARIABILITY OF HYPOTHELE 

 REPANDA 



By Howard J. Banker 



The species under discussion, Hypothclc repanda (L.) Paulet, 

 has been more generally known as Hydnuni repanduDi L. The 

 plant is easily recognized, being a fleshy mushroom- or toadstool- 

 like plant, but with the underside of the cap formed into fine 

 teeth or prickles instead of with plate-like gills as is the usual 

 case in mushrooms. The color varies from nearly white through 

 cream and buff to reddish buff The flesh is white and brittle. 

 The taste is mealy, at first mild, but soon producing a tingling 

 sensation in the back of the throat. The spores are white, sub- 

 globose to ovoid, usually apiculate, smooth, and with from one 

 to several small, highly refractive spots, or guttulae ; these often 

 appear like small warts, but are evidently inside instead of outside 

 of the spore-membrane, though often associated with small pro- 

 tuberances or with pits in the spore-wall. The plant grows on 

 the ground in mixed woods, usually where it is damp. It is 

 fairly common and is widely distributed both in Europe and 

 America. Besides its cosmopolitan character, it appears to be a 

 species of large range of variability. In fact, so great a degree 

 of variation does it exhibit that several attempts have been made 

 to split it into distinct species, but as yet without very great 

 success. 



The first of these attempts was made in 1774 by Jacob C. 

 Schaeffer in his Iconcs Fuiigonim, in which he divided the original 

 species into two based on color, namely, Hydiiioii ritfisciiis {op. 

 [Vol. 4, No. 7, of ToRREYA, comprising pages 97-112, was issued July 21. 1904.] 



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