This plant is fond of sandy localities and very common in many 
places. It develops under the ground and is of slow growth. Young 
plants received from W. N. Suksdorf grew in clumps, (see fig. 10) 
Fig. 8. 
Geaster hygrometricus (unexpanded.) 
Fig. 7. 
Geaster hygrometricus (as it grows,) 
Fig. 9 . 
Geaster hygrometricus (section, unexpanded.) 
Fig. 10. Fig. 11. . 
Geaster hygrometricus (unexpanded, caespitose plants.) Geaster hygrometricus (spores magnified.) 
but that this is exceptional, or usual, we do not know. The young plants 
are liable to be taken at first for a species of liypogaeal fungi, or on 
examination under a microscope for an undeveloped Scleroderma. The 
genus Diploderma was based on unopened specimens of this plant and 
Cycloderma on unopened specimens of other Geasters. The general 
resemblance of the spore glass to that of a Scleroderma is close, for the 
large rough spores are very similar, and the capillitium is so relatively 
scanty, that when a piece of gleba is pressed on a glass often only spores 
can be seen. The capillitium however can be readily floated out by 
method described in foot note on page 7 of “Gastromycetes Genera.” 
The plant ripens in late summer or fall of the year, and the thick 
outer peridium splits into segments, sometimes as few as four, some¬ 
times as many as twenty. They are strongly hygroscopic and in moist 
weather recurve and standing on their tips lift up the inner ball. In 
9 
