18 
IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 
species, yet the disposition has been as a whole fairly 
satisfactory. Wainio has seen fit to remove the latter 
variety from the species, placing it with Cladonia rangi- 
formis, and this appears surely to be an improvement. 
The former variety Wainio has also removed from the 
species under the name, Cladonia crispata. This species as 
viewed by Wainio seems to be well represented in Europe, 
where there are quite a number of varieties. However, in 
America, we have as yet only two of the varieties, and 
there is room for doubt as to whether it is best to consider 
these forms as distinct from Cladonia furcata. Indeed^ 
our Cladonia crispata infiindihulifera seems very near to 
Cladonia furcata paradoxa, and further study is necessary 
to decide whether Wainio’s view is the best one. But 
though there may be some doubt as to the best disposition of 
the puzzling Cladonia crispata, the study of the Minnesota 
Cladonias has brought to light one new variety within the 
two species, two others not previously known in North 
America, and still another known only through a single 
specimen collected many years ago by Tuckerman. 
We may now consider Cladonia gracilis. The species 
has been abused in being subjected to the “splitting pro- 
cess” by European workers, but Wainio has succeeded in 
bringing order out of the chaos of names, and one who has 
learned to use his Monograph finds comparatively little 
trouble in applying his revision to our American forms of 
the species. The present writer thought years ago that 
Cladonia gracilis was the most difficult of alFouECladonias, 
but further acquaintance with Cladonia fimbriata gives 
that species first place as a difficult one. 
It now appears plainly enough that much of the difficulty 
with Cladonia gracilis was really due to an attempt to fol- 
low Tuckerman, who included Cladonia verticillata with 
the above species. Then, too, Cladonia gracilis sympliycarpia 
has been parceled out by Wainio to Cladonia cariosa and 
Cladonia suhcariosa. Tuckerman gave his variety this de- 
scription, “cups obsolete and apothecia confluent,” and this , 
diagnosis was wholly inadequate so that no one could 
