306 



Mycologia 



rocks in thick madrone forest at a depth of two inches. Not 

 easily detected, owing to the color, which resembles the dead dry 

 madrone leaves. Harkness describes the plant as minute, up to 

 one centimeter. Dr. Gilkey describes it as 7-10 cm., which is, I 

 think, an error in printing. Very few tubers reach this size. It 

 is noticeable that the hairs protecting the apical opening to the 

 simple cavity disappear as the plant matures and the opening is 

 enlarged. The same arrangement is seen in another Gene a re- 

 cently collected. 



Gcnea arenaria Hk. described from a single collection made by 

 Harkness. Collected subsequently by Prof. Gardner in the vicinity 

 of Berkeley and appearing occasionally among other species in the 

 collections made in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Not abundant, but 

 widely scattered. Habitat favored is the moist clay soil well under 

 large live oaks, plants appearing singly and among other species on 

 the surface of the soil, but well covered with leaves. Ascocarps 

 light brown, very irregularly folded, sharply verrucose ; cavities 

 are very complex owing to the folding of the tissue. Plants attain 

 a size of 2-3 cm. in favorable seasons. Very difficult to see in the 

 ground, as the color often blends with the debris on the surface 

 where it appears. Care is necessary in collecting to avoid damage 

 to specimens growing close to the surface of the soil. A faint 

 brown mycelium is evident around the base of the plant, but is 

 very much localized. 



Genoa Harknessii is widely distributed and very common early 

 in the season. Ascocarps small, black and more or less simple and 

 globose to occasional specimens very complexly folded. Sharply 

 verrucose to the touch, appearing in groups on the surface of the 

 soil well under leaves, under all kinds of shrubs, abundant in old 

 trails and roads overgrown with Baccharis sp. Plants are often 

 missed or damaged unless care is taken to avoid the soil surface 

 with the excavating implement. It has been found here on the 

 surface of the ground without leafy covering, on the edge of a 

 hard-beaten road under madrones. Also found in leafy humus 

 under Arctostaphylos sp. 



This species has a very distinguishing feature in its earlier stages 

 in the presence of a white floccose mycelial covering, enveloping 

 the entire plant, and with hyphal threads penetrating the chambers. 



