300 



United States Species of Lycoj)erdon, 



Section II. PROTEOIDES. (Emended.) 



Peridium opening hy a small apical aperture, persistent. Co- 

 lumella generally present. 



In this section the species are more numerous than in 

 the preceding, and the plants are generally more abund- 

 ant but of smaller dimensions. The peridium persists 

 for a long time and, as its aperture is very small, its capil- 

 litium and spores are not so soon dispersed. In some 

 species larger deciduous warts or spines are interspersed 

 among smaller and more persistent ones, in others all the 

 spines are nearly equal and persistent, in a few all are 

 deciduous. 



Subsection A. Spores purple-tinted, intermingled with short 

 fragmentary slender filaments. 



Ltcoperdon constellatum jBV. 



Reticulate Puff-ball. 



Peridium subglobose or obovate, sometimes depressed, 

 10''-18^' broad, echinate with rather long stout crowded 

 brown spines which are either straight curved or stellately 

 united and which at length fall off" and leave the surface 

 reticulate with brown lines ; capillitium and spores brown 

 or purplish-brown, columella present; spores rough, 

 .0002'-.00025' in diameter. 



Ground in dense shades and groves. Oneida, Warns. 

 Rare. Autumn. 



I am not aware that this species has been found in any 

 other locality in this country. I have seen the dried 

 specimens only, but Mr. Warne informs me that the fresh 

 plants do not differ essentially in color from the dried 

 ones. These are of a cervine or dull-brown color closely 

 resembling the hue of the dead and fallen leaves among 

 which they appear to have grown. They are ^bout an inch 

 across and very rough or shaggy with crowded stout 

 spines. When these have fallen the surface is reticulated 



