North American Fungi. 21 



which at maturity detaches itself and hangs suspended from the apex 

 filled with the ripe spores, then by its gradual contraction expelling 

 them ; mouth a stellate fissure of several rays, the margins elevated- 

 Capillitium originating from the hyphae of the sacculus, similar to and 

 continuous with them ; the threads long, slender, hyaline, much 

 branched and interwoven, after maturity soon broken up and disap- 

 pearing ; spores large, hyaline, variable in length. 



Plants very remarkable both in their structure and substance. The 

 rooting base is sunk in the soil and connected immediately with it, 

 and is developed above into the peridium ; the peripheral cords 

 expand upward into the outer peridium with little change of substance, 

 but in the inner peridium the hyphag are thicker and more abundant 

 and are interwoven into a tough membrane. The extensible gelatin- 

 ous element prevails throughout every part of the plant, even in the 

 threads and spores, being most abundant in the mycelium and outer 

 peridium. A bright colored stratum of loosely woven hyphae lies 

 between the inner and the outer peridium : when the latter bursts 

 this colored layer is torn apart in such a way that one portion lines 

 the inner surface of the segments, the other covers the inner peridium. 

 The little sac detaches itself when the outer peridium is thrown off, 

 it then gradually contracts its volume, forcing out the spores through 

 the fissured apex, the fine tender threads becoming dry are crushed 

 into fragments and expelled along with the spores. 



1. M. lutescens, Schw. Peridium subglobose, with a thick 

 entangled rooting base ; outer peridium dull red, thin, smooth and 

 shining when dry, swelling greatly and paler when wet, with a scarlet 

 lining, bursting into 5 or 6 segments which roll inward and hang about 

 the base of the peridium or fall away. Inner peridium globose, bright 

 scarlet fading to yellowish and pallid, apical fissure about 6-rayed, the 

 bright color quite persistent on and within the margins; sacculus 

 thin, soft, flexible, white or yellowish. Mass of spores and capillitium 

 compact, white or yellowish, the threads very slender, branched, 

 hyaline, evanescent : spores varying from globose or oval to oblong 

 and cylindric, 10-25 mic. in length by 8-10 mic. in breadth. See 

 Plate II., A. 



Growing on the ground in the woods. New England, Hitchcock ; 

 New York, Schweinitz ; Pennsylvania, Schweinitz, Ran, Gentry; 

 Carolina, Curtis, Ravenet, Atki?ison ; Texas, Drummond. Inner perid- 

 ium y 2 -i inch in diameter when moist ; a dry specimen with the 

 outer peridium entire will more than double its diameter when soaked 



