224 



Mycologia 



Found by. Ellis at Newfield, N. J., on loosened pieces of bark, 

 on dry, decaying oak limbs lying on the ground. Reported by 

 Rehni (41) from Heidelberg, Germany, on the young, lower 

 branches of oak. Only the American material has been ex- 

 amined by the writer. In the present state of our knowledge 

 there is no reason to assume that the species is parasitic. The 

 material distributed by Ellis 4 bears on the label of the packet the 

 statement that the fungus is parasitic on old Dichaena strumosa 

 Fr. on Quercus coccinea. An examination of the specimen leads 

 the writer to feel that the presence of the Dichaena on the bark 

 is merely incidental, and that there is no reason for assuming 

 that the Caliciopsis is parasitic on it. The label accompanying 

 the type material makes no reference to a parasitic condition or 

 to Dichaena. Moreover Ellis makes no such reference in the 

 published descriptions of the species (9, 10, 11). Only a very 

 small amount of material has been available for examination, 

 and the writer has not seen the species in nature. In as far as 

 he is aware only the two collections made by Ellis at Newfield, 

 N. J., in 1877 and 1883, are known for America. 



Rehm (41) discusses this species under the name Caliciopsis 

 ephemera (Zwackh) Rehm, though stating that he examined 

 North American material 4 of Hypsotheca subcorticalis and found 

 it to be identical with Calicinm ephemerum Zwackh. 5 Since the 

 description of Sphaeronema subcortical C. & E. antedates that 

 of Zwackh (57) by five years, it is clear that the specific name 

 applied by Zwackh cannot be maintained. Rehm, however, 

 states that Zwackh in his description of Calicinm ephemerum 

 cites Stilbum rugosum Fries and Coniocybe Beckhausii Korber 

 (26) as synonyms. The papers of Zwackh and Korber are 

 both unavailable to the writer, but according to Rehm, Korber 

 failed to find asci in Coniocybe Beckhausii. A citation of the 

 place of publication of Stilbum rugosum Fries is not given by 

 Zwackh (57), Rehmi (41), or Saccardo (45), and apparently an 

 error has occurred in the publication of this name. Professor O. 

 Juel states in a letter to the writer that no specimen bearing this 



4 E. & E. N. A. F. 2nd series No. 2123. 



5 Lichenes exsiccati No. 477. 



