IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 
107 
SECOTIUM AGARICOIDES, A STALKED PUFFBALLS ' 
BY HENRY S. CONARD. 
Last autumn a considerable number of specimens of that odd fungus, 8ecotium 
agaricoides, were brought to our laboratory. It seems desirable to record the 
following observations: 
Secotium was found in October (1911) in three localities. One was a potato 
field in Marshall silt loam soil, which was then occupied by a crop. The fungus 
was confined to an area of about thirty feet in diameter. Another patch about 
SIX feet in diameter was near the edge of low timber, on ground that had been 
cleared during the preceding winter, but had long been more or less browsed 
and trampled by cattle, horses and hogs. The particular spot occupied by the 
fungus appeared to have had some brush burned over it. The third spot was 
in an open grazing pasture in a valley. The fungi occupied an area about ten 
feet in diameter. The field was lightly grazed by cattle, and largely overgrown 
with ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiaefolia). The two latter localities are on the 
Miami silt loam. 
Specimens from the first locality vary from 55 mm. to 24 mm. tall by 53 mm. 
to 25 mm. in diameter. Mostly more or less globular in shape, many are de- 
pressed, and a few elongate or even umbonate. The proportions run about thus: 
Height. 
Width. 
Proportion of height to 
width. 
55 mm. 
41 mm. 
1:0.74 
54 
51 
1:0.94 
25 
42 
1:1.68 
29 
37 
1:1.27 
of 20—39.1 
39.9 
1:1.02 
Mean— 35.58* 
39.17t 
1:1.10 
Most of the specimens were sessile, but a few are prolonged below into a 
tapering stipe, buried in the ground. The surface of some is smooth, of others 
squamose. As the larger and older ones are squamose, this is probably the 
normal mature condition. The surface is white when young, becoming dull 
brownish with chestnut brown scales. None of these specimens had dehisced, 
but many had the peridium loosened from the stipe at base. There was evident 
in some specimens a tendency for the columella to become slander in the middle 
of the fungus, and even to disappear. , 
The other two localities are within about a quarter of a mile of each other. 
Both were found on the same day, and the collections were not kept separate. 
These specimens show variations in size and shape about as described above. 
For example: 
Height. 
Width. 
Height: Width. 
73 mm, 
42 mm. 
1:0.57 
67 
32 
1:0.48 
45 
44 
1:0.98 
22 
38 
1:1.73 
Av. 20—46 
42.25 
1:0.92 
Mean — 45.16* 
39.42t 
1:0.87 
'^Secotium agaricoides (Czern) Holl. = C. Warnei Peck. 
* Average of 7 measurements between 30 and 40 mm. 
t Average of 23 measurements between 30 and 50 mm. 
