1917] FITZPATRICK—RHIZINA UNDULATA 2S5 



in considerable numbers on the lower surface of the fruit body, and 

 serve to attach it to the substratum. Representatives of this 

 genus, therefore, are not easily mistaken. 



Rhizina undulata was apparently first described by Schaeffer 

 (26) under the name Elvela inflata. This writer published a 

 colored figure of the plant which illustrates well the more evident 

 characters of the species. Fries (16) later described the fungus 

 as Rhizina undulata, and discusses it under this name in Systema 

 mycologicum (17). In accordance with the international rules of 

 botanical nomenclature the writer designates the species by this 

 name, but it has more commonly been referred to in recent litera- 

 ture as Rhizina inflata. The plant has been described by many 

 writers and has frequently been figured. Excellent colored plates 

 are given by Boudier (2). On account of the fact that the fungus 

 is parasitic on the roots of certain trees its morphology and life 

 history have received considerable attention (Tubeuf 28). 



Hartig (19, 20, 21) discusses at some length the structure of 

 the mature fruit body. He made no attempt to study its develop- 

 ment. More recently Weir (30) has published photographs of 

 apothecia with notes on the parasitism of the fungus. None of 

 these workers describes other than the mature condition. 



Material and methods. — The apothecia used by the writer 

 in these investigations were collected in July 1914 in a small pine 

 wood north of Beebe Lake near the Cornell University campus at 

 Ithaca, New York. Due to favorable weather conditions the 

 fruit bodies were developing in great profusion, and dotted the 

 ground throughout a considerable portion of the wood. Although 

 no attempt was made to obtain corroborative evidence as to the 



Transverse 



parasitism of the species, it was noted that the fruit bcx 



cases were firmly attached to the roots of living pines. 



sections through pine rootlets will be noted in the accompanying 



plates. In fact, the voungest fruit bodies were obtained 



more 



superficial 



which the young fruit bodies were being differentiated. In this 



immature 



obtained easily. Mature apothecia were available in such abun- 

 dance that several quart jars of material were preserved for class 



