198—STIPITATE AND SESSILE GEASTERS. 
With the development of our knowledge of the Geasters some 
things that were obscure to us at first are readily comprehended. At 
the time we wrote the pamphlet we could not understand why Geaster 
rufescens was always included in the “sessile section”, while the mu¬ 
seum specimens are more or less stipitate. We have received fresh 
specimens from Mr. Caldwell of Rugby, Tenn. that clearly explain the 
apparent discrepancy. When the plants are fresh the inner peridia 
are .sessile, but as they dry the fleshy layer draws away from the inner 
peridium leaving it more or less stipitate. 
Fig. 61. 
Geaster minimus. 
(Young.) 
Fig. 62. 
Geaster minimus. 
(Fresh.) 
Fig. 63. 
Geaster minimus. 
(Dry.) 
Mr. Holden of this city recently brought us a fine lot of little 
Geasters that we did not at first recognize. They were sessile, as 
shown in the accompaning cut. We laid the plants to one side and 
when they were dried they were discovered to be the typical Geaster 
minimus, just as we have always known them from our dried speci¬ 
mens. Geaster minimus is therefore a “sessile species” when fresh, 
though it is decidedly pedicellate when dry. 
199—LYCOPERDON CRUCIATUM=L. MARGINATUM. 
We contended (see Mycological Notes, p. 83), that Dr. Hollos 
was wrong in referring E. cruciatum to L. marginatum as the latter 
is described as having purple spores. Prof. Patouillard writes us that 
he has studied the original specimen of Vittadini of marginatum and 
that it is cruciatum as Dr. Hollos claims. This exemplifies one of 
the beauties of “priority” investigations. Formerly we called the 
plant T. separans the name known in this country, and then we became 
convinced and succeeded in convincing Prof. Peck that it was L. cru¬ 
ciatum of Europe as Berkeley had always called it. Now we have 
an authoritative statement that it is marginatum of Vittadini. There 
is no telling when another old-new name may turn up and awaiting 
its advent we shall continue to call it L. cruciatum. Had Vittadini 
described the color of the spores as correctly as he depicted the plant, 
we would however be willing to make another change and call it by 
the name he gave it. 
112 
