MYCOLOQICAL NOTES. 
BY G. G. LLOYD, 
No. 13. 
CINCINNATI, 0. FEBRUARY 1903. 
214—CATASTOMA. 
The genus Catastoma until the last few years has been confused 
with Bovista, though it is different. The capillitium threads in Catas¬ 
toma are short, thick, uniform, almost simple, (see plate 6, fig. 6) 
widely different from Bovista threads. The exoperidium is not a thin 
cortex as in Bovista but a thick layer. At maturity this layer breaks 
in an irregular circumscissal manner, part remains as a cup in the 
ground, and part remains attached as a kind of cup to the inner peri- 
dium. The inner peridium with this portion of the exoperidium still 
attached at the top becomes loose and is rolled over the surface of the 
ground. It opens by a little mouth opposite th.e portion to which the 
fragment of the exoperidium is attached, hence the mouth opens in 
that part of the inner peridium that is the base in the growing plant. 
With specimens of the loosened plant the top is naturally taken for the 
bottom, and we have shown them in our illustration with the mouth up. 
We have in this country three species of Catastoma, or rather I 
think two, for Catastoma circumscissum and Catastoma subterraneum 
are small and large spored varieties I think of the same species. 
KEYaTO THE SPECIES. 
Spores short-pedicellate.,.C. pedicellatum. 
Pedicels none or minute, spores 4-5 mic.C. circumscissum. 
Pedicels none or minute, spores 6-8 mic.C. subterraneum. 
215—CATASTOMA PEDICELLATUM. 
(Plate 7.) 
Peridium depressed globose from 1-3 cm. in diameter. Spores 
globose, coarsely warted, 8-9 mic. in diameter, with a pedicel 5-7 
mic. long. 
This is our Southern species. We only have it from Florida 
but Ravenel distributed it from South Carolina. The exoperidium is 
thinner than in the two following species and sometimes disappears 
entirely from the inner peridium. We have a number of specimens 
with the exoperidium still intact (see plate 7, fig. 6). They were no 
doubt gathered and dried immature. 
SYNONYMS. 
This plant was distributed by Ravenel (No. 15) as Bovista nigrescens. Its 
subtropic nature would leave us to infer that it occurs in other tropical countries, 
but we are unable to identify by the descriptions the names under which it has 
been probably called as “Bovista.” 
Specimens in our Collection. 
Florida, Mrs. Delia Sams, Theo. L. Mead, C. G. Lloyd. 
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