KEY TO ORDERS AND FAMILIES 



funnel form; perithecia mostly 

 coriaceous Coryneliaceae 



y. Perithecia reduced to locules in a stroma 

 (x) Thallus absent 

 m. Stromata mostly carbonous or mem- 

 branous, not attached by a stipe- 

 like point 

 n. Stromata subcarnose, attached by a 

 stipe-like point 

 (y; Thallus present 

 Asci in a hysterothecium, i. e., a perithecium with 

 a cleft-like ostiole, typically oblong to linear, 

 rarely vertical 

 1. Hysterothecium imperfect, dimidiate-scutate, but 



the ostiole a cleft 

 5. Hysterothecium more or less elongate and 

 rimose, or rounded and stellately cleft 

 (i) Hysterothecium elongate, rimose, rarely 

 vertical 



(a) Thallus absent 



(b) Thallus present 

 (2) Hysterothecium round to linear, ostiole more 



or less stellate or lobed ; thallus present 

 or absent 

 Asci in an apothecium 

 1. Apothecia closed at first, then open, disk-shaped 

 to cup-shaped, rarely elongate 

 (i) Thallus lacking 



(a) Apothecia sunken, then erumpent, usually 



opening by lobes, rarely by a cleft 

 X. Apothecia opening by stellate or irregular 

 lobes or by a cleft 

 (x) Apothecia dark, brown or black 

 m. Apothecia mostly carbonous or leath- 

 ery ; hypothecium thin 

 n. Apothecia mostly membranous or 

 horny; hypothecium thick 

 (y) Apothecia white or bright colored, 

 typically waxy 

 y. Apothecia usually opening circularly, 

 mostly leathery or horny, brown or 

 black Dermateaceae 



(b) Apothecia typically superficial and open- 



ing circularly, usually waxy or fleshy 

 but often carbonous, gelatinous or leath- 

 ery 



X. Asci disappearing early; spores and pa- 



raphyses forming a mazaedium Caliciaceae 



y. Asci persistent ; mazaedium lacking 



54 



Hysteriaceae 

 Graphidaceae 



Arthoniae 

 Pezizales 



55 

 58 



58 

 61 



65 



70 



