MYCOLOGIA 



Vol. XII 



January, 1920 



No. 1 



PHOTOGRAPHS AND DESCRIPTIONS OF 

 CUP-FUNGI— VIII. ELVELA INFUE&b ft 

 AND GYROMITRA ESCULENTA,w 



There seems to be considerable confusion and diversity of 

 opinion among students of Ascomycetes as to what constitute the 

 real differences between 1 Elvela infula Schaeff. and Gyromitra 

 esculenta (Pers.) Fries. 



Schaeffer published two plates (159 and 160) in his illustra- 

 tions of fungi which, although they received no specific names in 

 the text, were labeled in the index Elvela infula and Elvela Mitra 

 respectively, the latter being distinguished from the former by its 

 more rugose hymenium. In 1800, Persoon, in his " Commen- 

 tarius," retained the name Elvela infula in the same sense as 

 used by Schaeffer, but Elvela Mitra was changed to E. esculenta 

 since E. Mitra had been previously used by Linnaeus for an en- 

 tirely different species. 



In 1849 Fries established the genus Gyromitra on Elvela escu- 

 lenta, this genus being distinguished from Elvela by the fact that 

 the hymenium is gyrose with elevated ridges, essentially the same 

 character used by Schaeffer in separating the species. 



Rehm retained the genus Gyromitra for Elvela esculenta but 

 also included Elvela infula in the genus, as had been previously 

 done by Quelet, citing both plates (pp.) under each species, which 

 would indicate, according to Rehm, that Schaeffer had mixed the 



1 The generic name has been variously spelled, Elvela, Elvella, and Hel- 

 vetia. In the present paper the original spelling is adopted. 



[Mycologia for November (11 : 289-337) was issued December 13, 1919] 



Fred J. Seaver 

 (With Plate i) 



1 



