Examined by the writer from New Hampshire (R. H. Howe, Jr.), Illi- 
nois (C. P. Clinton, for whom determined originally by the writer as Cla- 
donia macilenta ), Iowa, Minnesota and Washington (Bruce Fink), Tennessee 
(W. W. Calkins, who determined as Cladonia macilenta). New York (Caro- 
lyn W. Harris), Mexico (J. G. Smith and named Cladonia mitrnla by T. A. 
Williams), Newfoundland (A. C. Waghorne and called Cladonia macilenta 
by Dr. F. Arnold). H. Willey lists the species from Massachusetts, and 
Wainio’s distribution adds Ohio, New Mexico and Jamaica. The above lists 
of localities would indicate quite a general North American distribution, but 
the plant is little known since it is generally confused with the next. Known 
in all the grand divisions. 
Dr. Wainio gives three forms, of which only the first, a clavata (Ach.) 
Wainio, is at all common. Ours all seem to belong to this form, which 
should stand for the species 
Cladonia macilenta Hoffm. Deutschl. FI. 126. 1796. Primary thallus 
persistent or finally dying, composed of laciniate, lobate-laciniate, cren- 
ate or rarely subentire, small or medium sized squamules, which are 1-4 
mm. long and 1-3 mm wide, flat or somewhat involute, scattered or clus- 
tered: sea-green, whitish sea-green or olivaceous above, white below or 
darker or rarely yellow toward the base of the squamules; the margin 
and lower side sometimes sorediate. Podetia arising from the surface 
of the primary thallus, short or elongated, rather slender, subcylindrical or 
clavate, 5-42 mm. long and 0.5-3 mm. in diameter, cupless, simple or 
sparsely branched: apices obtuse or impressed, sterile or terminated by 
imperforate, clustered or scattered apothecia: erect, esquamulose, squamu- 
lose toward the base or rarely entirely squamulose: often corticate toward 
the base and below the apothecia, white or sea-green. Apothecia small or 
more commonly middling sized, o. 5-2.5 mm. in diameter, solitary or some- 
what densely clustered, convex, immarginate or having a thin margin, scar- 
let. Hypothecium pale. Hymenium red above and pale yellowish below. 
Paraphyses usually simple, more or less thickened at the pale or reddish 
apex. Asci clavate or cylindrico-clavate. Spores irregularly arranged. 
Plate X. Figs. 2a and 2b. 
On earth, dead wood, and on soil over rocks. Found especially in rather 
dry, open places. Examined by the writer from Newfoundland (A. C. Wag- 
horne), Canada (J Macoun), Iowa and Massachusetts (Bruce Fink). In all 
these the spores were irregularly arranged, though some of the plants were 
unbranched forms, otherwise appearing more like Cladonia bacillaris. 
J. Macoun gives many localities in British American, but doubtless part of 
the material is Cladonia bacillaris instead. T. A. Williams lists from 
Nebraska and the Black Hills. Whether he studied the spore arrangement 
sufficiently, I am not able to say, but suspect not, as American workers have 
not usually recognized Cladonia bacillaris . H. Willey records from Massa- 
chusetts, and says “We have also C. bacillaris Nyl. differing only in yield- 
ing no reaction with iodine.” This statement follows after saying of C. 
macilent.a, “podetia yellow with iodine.” Willey is here following 
