JOUKNAL OF MYCOLOGY. 
[VOL. II 
•ib 
SYNOPSIS OF THE NORTH AMERICAN HYFO- 
CREACEAE, WITH DESCRIPTIONS 
OF THE SPECIES.* 
HY .7. B. KLI.,1S AND B. M. KVKHHART. 
FAMILY IIYFOCREACE^, DE NOTARIS. 
Simple, or compound. Ferithecia siibcarnose, or ceraceo-membran- 
aceous, never carbonaceous, bright colored, opening by a subcentral osti- 
olum. Stroma, when present, soft, waxy-carrose, or occasionally cot¬ 
tony. Sacc. Syll., II,p. 447. 
SUB-FAMILY I, IIYPOUREOIDEAi. 
Uen. I, Claviceps, Tul. 
1. Claviceps PURPUREA (Fr.), Tul. Ann. Sci.Xat., 1853, XX,Tab.8. 
The ascigerous form of this species, which grows from the Sclerotium 
(ergot), often found in heads of rye, and in various other species of the 
order Graminece^ has not, so far as we are aware, been met with in this 
country, through its Sclerotium, or condensed mycelium ( Sclerotiu'm 
clavus, D. C ), is very common. 
This species is characterized as follows: Heads sphairoid, tubercu- 
lose from the prominent perithecia, borne on short fluxuous stems ; asci 
narrow, linear, 8-spored; sporidia filiform, continuous, attenuated 
toward each end, hyaline. 50—7(1 .u long. Fusarium fieterosporum, Xees. 
and Oidium abortifaciens, B. and Br. are considered to be the conidia of 
this species. 
2. Claviceps microcephala ( VVallr.), which differs from C. pui- 
purea, principally, in its smaller size ( stem filiform, 10—10 millim. long, 
head globose, rufous, .05 millim.), grows from the ergot of Phragmites 
communis, which, however, also produces the first-mentioned species. 
. Both these may be raised by cultivation of their sclerotia, which may be 
lightly covered with earth, kept properly moistened in a flower pot. 
Gen. II, CoRDYCEPs, Fries.—S troma vertical, entomogenous, or 
occ£^^ionally mycogenous, clavate. Sporidia filiform, hyaline, separating 
into joints. 
A. extomogenh:. 
X. stroma simple, head rounded, or elliptical. 
3. CORDYCEPS ENTOMORRHIZA (DickS.) 
Carnose; head subglobose, fuscous; stipe slender, simple or double, 
subcompressed, 2 inches long, and over; asci cylindrical; sporidia 
filiform, hyaline, breaking up into cylindrical joints, or sections, 7 — 8 /< 
long. 
Growing from larvre of insects, ('arolina (Ravenel). 
* The arranjfOTiient here adopted is that of Cooke, in ({r(>villea, Vol. XM. p. lO'.i. 
