Report of the Botanist. 67 



is generally about one inch in diameter, and obovate, pyriform or subturbinate 

 in shape. To the naked eye it appears to be smooth, or only mealy, or mi- 

 nutely papillose ; but under a lense it is seen to be covered with minute, 

 granular, or branny warts. These, in all the specimens that I have seen, are 

 persistent. The character of the warts and the different color of the peri- 

 dium enable this species to be easily distinguished from the preceding one, 

 to the smaller and smoother forms of which it otherwise approaches. 



* * /Spores olive-tinted or brown. 



a. Plant shaggy or echinate. 



Lycoperdon Wrightii B. c( : C. Wright's Puff-ball. 



Peridium globose depressed-globose or lentiform, 6' '—24'' in diameter, gen- 

 erally sessile, white or whitish, echinate with deciduous sometimes crowded 

 stellate spines or pyramidal warts, when denuded smooth or minutely velvety ; 

 capillitium and spores dingy-olive, columella present ; spores smooth, .00016' 

 in deameter. Edible. 



Ground in pastures and grassy places. Very common. July — October. 



This is another very variable species. The typical form was a small one, 

 minutely echinate and having the denuded peridium smooth. The plant often 

 occurs much larger and more coarsely echinate with stout angular spines or 

 pyramidal warts which fall off and generally leave the surface of the peridium 

 velvety. This larger form was published in the Twenty-sixth Report' of the 

 N. Y. State Museum under the name Lycoperdon separans, but it is impos- 

 sible to keep the two forms distinct. The larger ones sometimes have the 

 denuded peridium smooth and there are other forms intermediate in the size 

 and roughness of the peridium. I have therefore modified the specific descrip- 

 tion so as to include both forms. 



Another puff-ball occurs which is probably a variety of this species but of 

 which I have seen only immature specimens. It is of a purer white color and 

 has the warts or spines tipped with black. For the present I have placed it 

 with this species as a variety. It is probable that L. calvescens B. & C, is 

 merely another form of this species differing simply in having a stem-like 

 base. The following are the characters of the varieties noticed : 



Var. typicum. Small, 6 / '-9 // broad, globose, minutely echinate, the warts 

 quickly falling off and leaving the peridium smooth. (L. Wrigktii B. & C.) 



Var. separans. Larger, 10 '-24' broad, subglobose or lentiform, echinate 

 with coarse substellate spines or pyramidal warts which at length fall off and 

 leave the peridium smooth or velvety. (L. separans Pk.) 



Var. atropunctum. Larger, 10' -15 ' broad, subglobose, pure white, warts 

 or coarse spines brown or blackish at the tips. 



This species is generally gregarious, but sometimes it forms tufts of several 

 individuals closely crowded together. It sometimes occurs in cultivated 

 grounds and stubble fields. The under surface is occasionally plicate as in 

 the Long-stemmed puff-ball. In the variety separans the warts or spines are 

 crowded at their thickened bases and slightly attached to each other so that 

 they come off at maturity in flakes or patches. When the denuded surface 

 of the peridium is velvety it is usually of a darker color than when smooth, 

 being subcinnamon, reddish-brown or dark-brown. 



