226—RAFINESQUE’S “ PIPE DREAM.” 
In looking over some old journals, I ran across Rafinesque’s 
announcement of his book on fungus. While I feel that Mycology is 
to be congratulated on the fact that the book was never issued, I 
reproduce the “announcement” as a curiosity. 
It was very “prior” (1808), and I realize that I thus place 
for ready reference material for the modern ‘ ‘ priorist ’ ’ busily 
engaged in digging up old names for new combinations to which may 
be affixed their own. 
In our opinion, the modern priorist, who cannot with the aid 
of a vivid imagination, find herein a new combination to supplant 
almost any name in use now, will not be very enterprising. 
“ The second work I mentioned will be named, an essay on the 
natural history of the mushrooms or fungusses of the United States of 
America. It is intended to be a complete treatise of all the plants of 
that class which have been discovered in the United States, in which I 
shall consider them as forming a distinct class from the other acoty- 
ledonous plants, instead of only a tribe; and the different divisions of 
Persoon, in his Synopsis fungorum, will be considered by me as so 
many different orders or tribes. I shall describe in this work nearly 
eight hundred and fifty species or varieties of American mushrooms, 
of which one-half will be new orders, and most of them elucidated by 
plates; name all the places and situations where they are found in the 
United States, and give the complete and accurate description and 
history of the new ones, not forgetting to enlarge on their fructifica¬ 
tion, principally for the new genusses, of which I shall have eighteen 
at least, besides the three already described in the annexed essay. Of 
these I will give you the names, etc., viz.: 
Astrycum, (multifidum, quinquefidum, dimidiatum, etc.), this 
genus belongs to the tribe of the licoperdoideous; it does not open, and 
the seeds are dispersed in the centre. In New Jersey and Penn. 
Piesmycus, (violaceus, nigrescens, etc.), of the licoperdoideous 
tribe likewise, but coriaceous, with seeds pulverulent and attached to 
numerous interior threads, etc. In Penn. 
Dycticia, (clathroides) akin to clathrus, but without volva. 
Found in Delaware. 
Acinophora, (aurantiaca) akin to tulostoma, but bearing berry¬ 
like seeds. In Penn. 
Colonnaria, (urceolata, truncata, etc.), divided into four pillars, 
united at the top, which bear the seeds in the margin. Found in 
Penn. 
Cerophora, (clavata, globosa, pyriformis. thamnioides, dicho- 
toma fastigiata, minuta, etc.), is a fine new genus, akin to hydnurn , 
but the fructification is in horn-like terminal papillas. Found in dif¬ 
ferent states. 
Diearphus, (rubens) very curious mushroom, with two sorts of 
fructifications, something like the thelephora uppermost, and hydnurn 
underneath. I found it in Penn. 
Priapus, (niveus) singular mushroom, which has the form of a 
phallus , and the fructification of the hydnurn. In Yirg. 
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