Tribal Alliance 3. — Eycoperdae.—True Puff Balls. — 
Peridium flaccid. Plant normally attached to place of growth. 
Peridium opening by a definite mouth, 
Spores pedicellate . . .Bovistella. 
Spores without permanent pedicels .... Lycoperdon. 
Peridium rupturing irregularly and falling away in pieces, 
• • • .Calvatia. 
TRIBE 5. — ANOMALAE.—Not allied to the previous tribes 
or to each other. 
Gleba of permanent cells, forming a thin layer adhering to the 
peridium ... .... Gall ace a. 
Peridium double. Spores fusiform subhyaline . . Castoreum. 
Gleba composed of separate peridioles containing the spores 
.. . .Arachnion. 
Gleba surrounding a hard central core. . . . Mesophellia. 
Young plant enclosed in a gelatinous volva Mitremyces. 
Australian Species of Lycoperdaceae. 
THE GENUS PODAXON. 
Stalked plants, the stem continuous to the apex of the plant 
forming an axis for the gleba. Peridium usually cylindrical, dehiscing 
by breaking away at the base. Gleba a mass of spores and capillitium 
surrounding the axis. 
The genus Podaxon grows only in hot sandy countries and is 
most abundant in Africa though known from every continent except 
Europe. In the United States it occurs only in the arid regions of the 
West. Many species of Podaxon have been described but are better 
referred to as descriptions of separate collections than of species. The 
characters are based on the color of the gleba, size and shape of spores, 
and abundance or scantiness of capillitium, but all of these characters 
vary in the same species I think. 
PODAXON AEGYPTIACUS (Plate 25, fig. 1, 2 & 3).— Pileus 
short cylindrical 3 to 5 cm. long. Gleba very dark, almost black, but 
with a reddish tinge. Capillitium abundant deeply colored. Spores 
dark color, subglobose or ovoid, 10-12 mic. 
This little plant, the smallest of the species, was first described 
from North Africa. Its occurrence in Australia is based on some speci¬ 
mens received from R. T. Baker, Sydney, collected by R. H. Cambage 
at Bourke.* 
PODAXON MUELEERI (Plate 25, fig. 4 & 5).—Plant about 
20 cm. high. Gleba light olive color. Capillitium abundant, cobwebby, 
almost hyaline. Spores olive. 
* At Kew there is a poor specimen, from “Sutton River” on which the record of “Podaxon 
Indica” in Cooke’s Handbook is based. Podaxon Indica is a very bad name and has no excuse to 
exist, not even priority. Linnaeus called a plant from India Lycoperdon pistillaris and the plant 
is now in his herbarium. Fries designated the Linnaean plant as Podaxon pistillaris, to which 
genus it belongs. Sprengle compiled it and changed the name arbitrarily to Mitremyces indicum. 
It has no relation to the genus Mitremyces and there was no reason to change the specific name. 
Most authors have used the specific name pistillaris. A few modern authors use the name Podaxon 
indica which made a “new combination” but apparently that is the only reason for its use. Ac¬ 
cording to my views based on the type, Podaxon pistillaris differs from Podaxon aegyptiacus in 
having scanty subhyaline capillitium. 
O 
