MYCOLOGICAL NOTES. 
BY C. G. LLOYD, 
No. 12. 
CIMCINNATI, 0. DECEMBER 1902. 
200.—THE BOVISTAE. 
We have classed the Bovistae as a subtribe of the Eycoperdeae 
(see Genera of Gastromyeetes, p. 11). They are the “tumblers” of 
the puff ball world. They differ essentially from the true Tyeoperdae 
in their habits (see Myc. Notes, p. 85). When ripe they break away 
from the place of growth and disperse their spores by a method entirely 
different from that of the Eycoperdae. Nature has provided them 
with peridia and capillitia specially suited for this method of spore 
dispersion. 
The Peridium. —The peridia of the genera Bovista and Myce- 
nastrum when young consist of two layers, an outer thin layer called 
the cortex, and an inner firm layer that is permanent and generally 
referred to as “the peridium.” In Catastoma the outer peridium is 
thick. Details regarding the nature of the peridium layers will be 
found under each species. 
Color of the Spore Mass. —The immature gleba is white. 
As it ripens it passes through various shades of olive (or even yellow) 
to a dark brownish purple, almost black. If a specimen be collected 
and dried when it begins to ripen, the gleba will retain to a large ex¬ 
tent the color it possessed when collected, hence the color of the spore 
mass of various specimens as found in collections is of no value in de- 
.termining the species. 
Sterile Base. —All species of Bovistae as far as we know are 
devoid of a sterile base. For a long time this was the main character 
used to define the genus. 
The “Bovista” of Fries’ conception was in brief a puff-ball 
without a sterile base. According to our present views the absence of 
sterile base is only one of the characters of the genus, hence in Bovista 
of Saccardo, Massee, Fries, we find species that we refer to Mycenas- 
trum, Catastoma, Calvatia and even Eycoperdon. 
Capillitium. —The capillitium of the Bovistae is strongly cha¬ 
racteristic. It consists of separate , usually branching threads. Each 
thread is distinct and complete in itself and has no connection with the 
peridium or columella. Each genus of the Bovistae has its peculiar 
type of threads (.see figures in the plates of various species of Bovista, 
Mycenastrum and Catastoma). In Bovista lateritia (see plate 4, fig. 
6,) the threads are very long, slender, branched, interwoven, and it is 
not possible to float out “separate threads” as can readily be done with 
most species of the genus. (See note page 7, Gastromyeetes Genera). 
The first impression in examining the threads in this species is that 
they do not belong to the Bovista type. The threads of Catastoma (see 
113 
