The American plant seems heretofore to have been collected 
only in New Mexico.(*) There is a specimen in Ellis’s collection from 
E. A. Wooten, New Mexico. 
SYNONYMS. 
Spegazzini, a South American botanist, has beautifully figured the plant and 
called it a new genus and a new species, Chlamydopus clavatus. He was the first 
to show the volva at the base of the plant. We think the genus is valid, but there 
is no reason for the new specific name, save lack of knowledge of Klotzsch’s plant. 
Miss White adopts Spegazzini’s name, illustrating the weakness of the attempted 
use of “priority rules” without knowing the facts. 
Morgan illustrates as “Tylostoma Meyenianum” a plant that cannot be 
Klotzsch’s species, and is probably Tylostoma obesum, and does not belong to the 
genus Chlamydopus. 
Specimens in our Collection. 
Washington, C. V. Piper. 
237—QUELETIA. 
This genus consists of a single known species described by 
Fries (1871), from specimens sent from France and named for Dr. 
Quelet, a French writer of mycology. It may be likened to a huge 
Tylostoma, having the same rust-colored gleba and the stipe inserted 
into a “socket” at base of peridium. The peridium does not have 
a definite mouth, but breaks irregularly after the manner of a Calvatia. 
Were it not for this character, it would be difficult to say how it differs 
from Tylostoma save in its size. 
238—QUELETIA MIRABILIS. 
(Plate 10.) 
Plants from 3 to 7 cm. in diameter, stems 8 to 15 cm. long. 
Cortex apparently a thin white coat that breaks up into granular 
particles and mostly disappears, very much the same as that of Bovista 
plumbea. Endoperidium firm, hard, brown, cracking open irregularly 
when mature. Stem long, (f), ragged and shreddy externally. It is 
inserted into a socket at the base of the peridium, like the stems of 
the little Tylostomas. Spore mass, dark rusty brown. Capillitium 
light colored, under a microscope almost transparent, tubular (J), 
branched, thick, usually with blunt ends and rarely at all tapering. 
Spores globose, coarsely warted, 5-6 mic. 
Our good friend, Dr. Wm. Herbst, of Trexlertown, Pa., is 
fortunate in being the only collector to have ever found the plant in 
this country, and its occurrence with him was most mysterious. On a 
pile of spent tanbark at an abandoned tannery, a short distance from 
(*) I presume the specimen sent Berkeley by Wright from New Mexico was correctly 
determined, as it is evident from Berkeley's remarks under Tylostoma angolense that he was 
familiar with Klotzsch’s plant. 
(f) None of Ur. Herbst’s specimens that we have seen have a thick, obese stem, as origin 
ally illustrated by F'ries, and copied by Engler & Prantl, and Miss White. 
(|) That it actually consists of little tubes can be demonstrated by shaking in alcohol and 
watching under a microscope as the alcohol dries out. Tittle bubbles of alcohol can be seen run¬ 
ning through the tubes. 
135 
