Murrill : Dark-Spored Agarics 



271 



since 1801, when Persoon extended his former use of this name 

 to include the juvenile form as figured by Schaeffer in his plate 

 308. The plant is widely distributed and very abundant, often 

 occurring in one spot in such large numbers that it is practically 

 impossible to count the dainty little caps. It may be looked for 

 throughout the season from early summer until late autumn and 

 often appears on the soil in greenhouses during the winter. The 

 species strongly suggests Coprinus, both in its mode of expanding 

 and in blackening with age, when the black spores are mature. 

 The microscopic structure of the hymenium is also similar to that 

 of Coprinus; and Lange has transferred it to that genus. Buller, 

 however; criticizes him for so doing and advances several good 

 reasons why it should remain in Psathyrella, 



2. Psathyrella leucostigma Peck, Bull. Torrey Club 22 : 490. 



1895 



Pileus submembranaceous, campanulate, 8-12 mm. broad; sur- 

 face striate, bluish-white when fresh, changing to sepia-brown 

 when dried, the apex remaining whitish; lamellae crowded, lead- 

 colored when young, becoming black with age, whitish on the 

 edges; spores ellipsoid, black, 12. 5-15 x 7.5ft; stipe slender, flexu- 

 ous, hollow, white, 2.5-4 cm. long, about 2 mm. thick. 



Type locality: Kansas. 

 Habitat : On wet ground under trees. 

 Distribution : Known only from the type locality. 

 The type specimens, collected by Bartholomew in July, do not 

 appear to be either at Albany or in the Ellis Collection. 



3. Psathyrella tenera Peck, Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 47 : 



144. 1894 



Pileus thin, campanulate, obtuse, 6-10 mm. broad; surface moist 

 or subhygrophanous, reddish-cinereous when moist, paler when 

 dry, slightly rugulose and atomate ; lamellae broad, adnate, plane 

 or but slightly ascending, subdistant, at first pallid or subcinereous, 

 then umber and finally blackish, white on the edges ; spores nar- 

 rowly ellipsoid, 12-16 x 8-10 fx; stipe slender, glabrous, stuffed or 

 hollow, white, with a white, floccose mycelium at the base, 2.5-4 

 cm. long, scarcely 1 mm. thick. 



Type locality : Pierrepont Manor, Jefferson County, New 

 York. 



