Harper: Identity of Cantharellus 
263 
very common in frondose woods elsewhere in Michigan and 
Wisconsin. Other collectors may not have this experience 
however. 
Atkinson and others are undoubtedly right in considering Fries’ 
plant a variety of Clavaria pistillaris and it should be placed in 
a group with that species. Fries recognized the similarity of the 
two but probably placed the plant in the genus Craterellus because 
of the depressed pileus. The hymenium is usually continuous 
to the apex. Schaeffer’s figures (290), are supposed to represent 
this form but they appear to us more like small forms of Cantha- 
rellus clavatus. 
Plate 95 shows the common forms of the plant as found at 
Neebish: (A) a form with the hymenium nearly smooth and the 
margin obtuse and even; (E) a form with a wrinkled hymenium 
and margin of the pileus crenate; (B) a very small plant; (C) the 
extreme form in old plants with the hymenium very rugose and 
pitted; (D) a wrinkled pileus with slight umbo in the center. 
The plants are spongy and soon become hollow. The base of the 
stem is often bulbous. The colors are reddish-brown like Clavaria 
pistillaris, but the hymenium is often dull violet with yellowish 
tints above and on the pileus. The spores are 6-7 X 10-12 /a; 
basids club-shaped, I2X6 o/a; sterigmata io/a long. The spores 
of Clavaria pistillaris are in our specimens ovate, 4-5 X 8-1 1 /a. 
The flesh of our plants is not nearly as solid as that of Clavaria 
pistillaris. The two forms, however, run together. Hard’s® illus- 
tration of Clavaria pistillaris (fig. 396), appears like an inter- 
mediate form, and Craterellus corrugis Peck,® must be something 
similar. Forms of Clavaria pistillaris with the apex pinched in 
are well known. 
A letter from Mr. C. G. Lloyd confirms both of the above iden- 
tifications. Mr. Lloyd has examined Persoon’s type of Merulius 
clavatus at Leiden and a co-type specimen of Fries’ Craterellus 
clavatus at Kew. He has also seen a type specimen of Fries’ 
Craterellus pistillaris at Kew and Peck’s specimens at Albany. 
8 Hard, Mushrooms, f. 396. 1908. 
9 Peck, Bull. Torrey Club 26: 69. 1899. 
