=Peridium= turbinate, broad and depressed above, plicate underneath and
contracted into a short and pointed or sometimes elongated and tapering
base; mycelium fibrous. Cortex of long slender spines, mingled with
smaller spinules and warts, gray brown or blackish in color; the longer
spines first fall away, leaving a reticulate surface to the inner
peridium. Subgleba occupying one-third to one-half of the peridium; mass
of spores and capillitium greenish-yellow, then brownish-olivaceous; the
threads mostly simple, some of them thicker than the spores. =Spores=
globose, even or very minutely warted, 3.5–4.5µ in diameter.
Growing on the ground in woods. =Peridium= 1–2 in. in diameter and 1–2
in. in height. This is _L. gemmatum_, var. _hirtum_, of Peck’s United
States species of Lycoperdon. _Morgan._
New York, _Peck_, 46th Rep.; Maryland, _James_; West Virginia, New
Jersey. Occasional. On ground and decaying wood. _McIlvaine._
Edible. Same habit and quality as L. gemmatum.
(_g_) _Cortex of stout spines which fall away, etc._
=L. excipulifor´me= Scop.—_excipula_, a receptacle. =Peridium=
turbinate, depressed above, plicate below and contracted into a more or
less elongated base. Cortex of large stout spines, convergent above,
becoming smaller downward, which at length fall away, leaving a
tomentose surface to the inner peridium. Subgleba occupying one-half or
more of the peridium; mass of spores and capillitium greenish-yellow,
then brownish-olivaceous; the threads about as thick as the spores,
scarcely branched. =Spores= globose, minutely warted, 4–5µ in diameter.
=Peridium= 1–2 in. in diameter and 1–4 in. in height. _Morgan._
Growing on the ground in meadows and woods. Pennsylvania, North
Carolina, _Schweinitz_; Canada, _Saccardo_.
(_h_) _Cortex of long spines, etc., which fall away, etc._
(Plate CLXIX.)
[Illustration:
LYCOPERDON PEDICELLATUM
With magnified spores. (After Morgan.)
]
=L. pedicella´tum= Pk.—_pediculus_, a little foot. =Peridium= ¾-1½ in.
in diameter, globose or depressed-globose, sessile or narrowed below
into a stem-like base, whitish or cinereous, becoming dingy or
smoky-brown with age, echinate with rather dense spines which are either
straight, curved or stellately united and which at length fall off and
leave impressions or obscure reticulations on the surface; capillitium
and spores greenish-yellow, then dingy-olive, columella present.
=Spores= smooth, pedicellate, 4–4.5µ in diameter, the pedicel three to
five times as long.
Ground and decaying wood in woods and bushy places. Croghan, Center,
Brewerton and Catskill mountains. Autumn. Oneida. _Warne._
The pedicellate spores constitute the peculiar feature of this species.
It is one which suggests the name and which enables the species to be
easily distinguished from all its allies. The spore is terminally and
persistently attached to the pedicel, as in some species of Bovista. The
plant is sometimes sessile, but usually it is narrowed below into a
stem-like base. In the immature state it has a rough, shaggy appearance,
but the spines shrivel with age so that it appears less rough when old.
The pitted surface of the denuded peridium affords a mark of distinction
from L. echinatum. L. pulcherrimum B. and C. is evidently the same
species, but the name here adopted has priority of publication. _Peck_,
32d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Growing on the ground and on rotten wood in woods. New York, _Peck_;
Alabama, _Atkinson_; Ohio, _Morgan_; Wisconsin, _Trelease_.
(Plate CLXX.)
[Illustration:
LYCOPERDON EXIMIUM.
With magnified spores. (After Morgan.)
]
=L. exi´mium= Morgan—_eximius_, excellent. =Peridium= obovoid, with a
fibrous mycelium. Cortex white or brownish, composed of long slender
spines, often curved and convergent at the apex, which at length fall
away from above downward, leaving a pale smooth surface to the inner
peridium. Subgleba small, occupying scarcely more than a fourth part of
the peridium; mass of spores and capillitium greenish-yellow, then
brownish-olivaceous; the threads mostly thinner than the spores, much
branched. =Spores= oval, even, 5–6×4–4.5µ, usually furnished with a
short pedicel.
=Peridium= ¾-1½ in. in diameter and about 1 in. in height. This species
is readily distinguished by its large oval spores. _Morgan._
Growing on the ground in sandy soil. South Carolina, _Prof. Geo. F.
Atkinson_; Alabama _U. and E._
(Plate CLXX_a_.)
[Illustration:
LYCOPERDON CURTISII.
(After Morgan.)
]
=L. Cur´tisii= Berk.—in honor of Rev. M.A. Curtis. =Peridium= globose,
with a very short rooting base and a slender fibrous mycelium. Cortex
consisting of a pale yellowish farinaceous layer, covered by a coat of
soft, fragile white spines, curved and convergent at the apex; after
maturity it soon disappears, leaving a pale smooth surface to the inner
peridium. Subgleba small, but distinct, convex above and definitely
limited; mass of spores and capillitium greenish-yellow, then pale
olivaceous; the threads long, simple, hyaline, two to three times as
thick as the spores. =Spores= globose, even, 3.5–4µ in diameter.
=Peridium= ⅜-¾ of an inch in diameter. This is _L. Wrightii_, var.
_typicum_, of Peck’s U.S. species of Lycoperdon. The peculiar
characteristic of the species is the hyaline threads of the capillitium;
although they are of large diameter, yet the walls are very thin and the
threads collapse in drying. _Morgan._
General. Growing gregariously and sometimes cespitosely on the ground,
in meadows, pastures and even in cultivated fields.
This being L. Wrightii, var. typicum Pk., and being edible, it is hardly
necessary to repeat the old axiom: Things which are equal to the same
thing are equal to one another.
(_i_) _Cortex of minute spinules, granules, etc._
=L. molle= Pers.—_mollis_, soft. (_L. muscorum_ Morg.) =Peridium= 6–16
lines broad, globose or depressed-globose, narrowed below into a
stem-like base, furfuraceous with nearly uniform persistent minute weak
spinules or granular warts, sometimes with a few larger papilliform ones
toward the apex, whitish, sometimes tinged with yellow, when mature
brownish or olive-brown, nearly smooth, subshining; capillitium and
spores dingy-olive; columella present. =Spores= minutely rough, 4–4.5µ
in diameter.
Among mosses, especially Polytrichum, in old meadows and pastures.
Albany, Summit and South Corinth. Autumn.
_Peck_, 32d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
West Virginia, Pennsylvania. On ground in woods and grassy places in the
open. _McIlvaine._
L. molle is of frequent occurrence but not abundant. Though exceedingly
soft, it holds its body in cooking and is well flavored.
(Plate CLXX_b_.)
[Illustration:
LYCOPERDON TURNERI
With magnified spores.
(After Morgan.)
]
=L. Tur´neri= E. and E. =Peridium= obovoid, somewhat depressed above,
plicate underneath, with a mycelium of rooting fibers. Cortex white,
often gray or brownish above, consisting of minute spinules with
intermingled granules; these after maturity dry up and are quite
persistent, forming a minutely scabrous coat on the olive-brown shining
surface of the inner peridium. Subgleba broad and shallow, scarcely
occupying more than a fourth part of the peridium; mass of spores and
capillitium greenish-yellow, then brownish-olivaceous; the threads with
the main stem about as thick as the spores, and long tapering branches.
=Spores= globose, minutely warted, 4–5µ in diameter, mostly with a short
pedicel.
=Peridium= 1–2 in. in diameter and 1–2 in. in height. A very pretty
puff-ball with a silky shining coat. _Morgan._
New York, _Peck_, 49th Rep.; West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey.
Ground in woods. August to October. _McIlvaine._
Not frequent though general. It is good but must be young.
[Illustration:
Photographed by Dr. J.R. Weist. PLATE CLXXI.
LYCOPERDON PYRIFORME.
]
=L. calyptrifor´me= Berk.—hood-shaped. =Peridium= about 6 lines high,
3–4 in. broad, ovate or subconical, sessile, whitish, furfuraceous with
minute warts or spinules; capillitium and spores olivaceous or
yellowish-olivaceous. =Spores= smooth, 4µ in diameter.
Moss-covered rocks. Very rare. Adirondack mountains. August.
I have met with this very small and rare species but once, and then but
two specimens were found. In these the apex was compressed or laterally
flattened, instead of papilliform, as required by the original
description of the species; but in all other respects they agree well
with the specific characters. The plant is very distinct from all our
other species by its small size and ovate or conical shape. _Peck_, 32d
Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
(_k_) _Cortex of minute spinules, scales or granules. Lignatile._
=L. pyrifor´me= Schaeff.—pear-shape. (Plate CLXXI, p. 602.) Plant 6–15
lines broad, 10–20 lines high, generally cespitose, obovate, pyriform or
turbinate, sessile or with a short stem-like base, radicating with white
branching and creeping root-like fibers, subumbonate, covered with very
minute subpersistent, nearly uniform warts or scales, often with a few
slender scattered deciduous spinules intermingled, pallid dingy-whitish
or brownish; capillitium and spores greenish-yellow, then
dingy-olivaceous, columella present. =Spores= smooth, 4µ in diameter.
Edible, but not well-flavored.
_Decaying wood and ground_ both in woods and cleared fields. Very
common. July to October. _Peck_, 32d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Common the world over. Growing on logs, stumps, ground containing
decaying woody matter. So dense in its clusters at times as to present
an impervious surface. It is slightly acrid to taste and smell when raw.
Edible. Tender and of second-class flavor when young; white inside;
intensely bitter when slightest tinge of yellow is visible. One too old
will embitter a whole dish. A little lemon juice or sherry improves it.
(Plate CLXXII.)
[Illustration:
LYCOPERDON SUBINCARNATUM
With spines and pits magnified.
(After Morgan.)
]
=L. subincarna´tum= Pk.—pale flesh-color. =Peridium= 6–12 lines broad,
globose, rarely either depressed or obovate, gregarious or cespitose,
sessile, with but little cellular tissue at the base, covered with
minute nearly uniform pyramidal or subspinulose at length deciduous
warts, pinkish-brown, the denuded peridium whitish or cinereous,
minutely reticulate-pitted; capillitium and spores greenish-yellow, then
dingy-olivaceous, columella present. =Spores= minutely roughened, 4–5µ
in diameter.
Prostrate trunks, old stumps, etc., in woods. Common. August to October.
_Peck_, 32d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
New York, _Peck_, Rep. 24th, 32d; Pennsylvania, _Gentry_; Ohio,
_Morgan_; Wisconsin, _Brown_.
_B_. PERIDIUM VERY SMALL, GLOBOSE, ETC.
(_l_) _Cortex a thin coat of minute spinules, etc._
(Plate CLXVIII.)
[Illustration:
LYCOPERDON SEPARANS
With magnified spores.
(After Morgan.)
]
=L. Wright´ii= B. and C.—in honor of Charles Wright. =Peridium= globose,
depressed-globose or lentiform, 6–24 lines in diameter, generally
sessile, white or whitish, echinate with deciduous sometimes crowded
stellate spines or pyramidal warts, when denuded smooth or minutely
velvety; capillitium and spores dingy-olive, columella present. =Spores=
smooth, 4µ in diameter. Edible.
Ground in pastures and grassy places. Very common. July to October.
This is another very variable species. The typical form is a small one,
minutely echinate and having the denuded peridium smooth. The plant
often occurs much larger and more coarsely echinate with stout angular
spines or pyramidal warts, which fall off and generally leave the
surface of the peridium velvety.
Var. _typ´icum_. Small, 6–9 lines broad, globose, minutely echinate, the
warts quickly falling off and leaving the peridium smooth. (L. Wrightii
B. and C.)
Var. _sep´arans_. Larger, 10–24 lines broad, subglobose or lentiform,
echinate with coarse substellate spines or pyramidal warts, which at
length fall off and leave the peridium smooth or velvety. (L. separans
Pk.)
Var. _atropunc´tum_. Larger, 10–15 lines broad, subglobose, pure white,
warts or coarse spines brown or blackish at the tips.
This species is generally gregarious, but sometimes it forms tufts of
several individuals closely crowded together. It sometimes occurs in
cultivated grounds and stubble fields. The under surface is occasionally
plicate as in the long-stemmed puff-ball. In the var. separans the warts
or spines are crowded at their thickened bases and slightly attached to
each other, so that they come off at maturity in flakes or patches. When
the denuded surface of the peridium is velvety, it is usually of a
darker color than when smooth, being subcinnamon, reddish-brown or
dark-brown. _Peck_, 32d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Ground in grassy places. July to frost. _McIlvaine._
I have found var. separans in December, under snow.
Edible. _Peck_, Rep. 32.
The edible qualities of L. Wrightii and varieties are good.
=L. calves´cens= B. and C.—_calvesco_, to become bald. Subglobose, at
first rough with warts which soon disappear, leaving the surface
slightly velvety, 1¼ in. broad, bearing short rootlets at the base.
=Spores= globose, smooth, having at first only a slight stalk (pedicel),
dingy-ochraceous, 3–4µ.
Nearly related to L. Wrightii.
Connecticut, _Wright_, New York, ground in open woods. Bethlehem,
_Peck_, 22d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
(Plate CLXXIII.)
[Illustration:
LYCOPERDON PUSILLUM.
(After Morgan.)
]
=L. pusil´lum= (Batsch.) Fr.—small. =Peridium= ¼-1 in. broad, globose,
scattered or cespitose, sessile, radicating, with but little cellular
tissue at the base, white or whitish, brownish when old,
rimose-squamulose or slightly roughened with minute floccose or
furfuraceous persistent warts; capillitium and spores greenish-yellow,
then dingy-olivaceous. =Spores= smooth, 4µ in diameter.
Ground in grassy places and pastures. Common. June to October. _Peck_,
32d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, North Carolina. Common. Spring
to autumn on ground in grassy places. _McIlvaine._
Grows where almost nothing else will, and where I have despaired of
finding a meal of fungi, I could always find the ubiquitous L. pusillum.
=L. oblongi´sporum= B. and C.—oblong-spored. =Peridium= subglobose, with
a slender mycelial cord. Cortex a thin, whitish, furfuraceous coat,
drying up into minute persistent granules on the pale-brown surface of
the inner peridium. Subgleba nearly obsolete; mass of spores and
capillitium olivaceous, then brown; threads much branched, the main stem
about as thick as the spores, the branches tapering. =Spores= elliptic,
even, 5–6×3–4µ, sometimes with a minute pedicel.
Growing on the ground in dense woods. Wisconsin, _Trelease_. =Peridium=
⅜-1 in. in diameter. This pretty species, previously known only from
Cuba, is indistinguishable from L. pusillum when immature, the spores
affording the only really characteristic feature. _Morgan._
(Plate CLXXIV.)
[Illustration:
LYCOPERDON
CEPÆSFORME.
(After Morgan.)
]
=L. cepæsfor´me= Bull.—onion-shaped. =Peridium= globose or
depressed-globose, plicate underneath, with a cordlike root. Cortex at
first a thin, white, minutely furfuraceous coat, this soon becomes
rimulose and at length breaks up into small scales and patches, which
finally disappear from the pale or pale-brown surface of the inner
peridium. Subgleba nearly obsolete; mass of spores and capillitium
greenish-yellow, then pale-olivaceous; the threads very much branched,
the main stem thicker than the spores, the branches long and tapering.
=Spores= globose, even, 3.5–4µ in diameter, often with a minute pedicel.
=Peridium= ½-1 in. in diameter.
Growing on the ground in meadows and pastures.
New York, _Peck_, 51st Rep.
Good.
(Plate CLXXV.)
[Illustration:
LYCOPERDON COLORATUM.
(After Morgan.)
]
=L. colora´tum= Pk.—colored. =Peridium= 5–10 lines broad, globose or
obovate, subsessile, radicating, yellow or reddish-yellow, brownish when
old, slightly roughened with minute granular or furfuraceous persistent
warts; capillitium and spores at first pale, inclining to sulphur-color,
then dingy-olive. =Spores= subglobose, smooth, about 4µ in diameter.
Ground in thin woods and bushy places. Sandlake and Catskill mountains.
July and August.
_Peck_, 32d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
New York, _Peck_, 29th Rep.; New England, _Morgan_; Ohio, _Morgan_;
Wisconsin, _Trelease_.
(Plate CLXXVI.)
[Illustration:
LYCOPERDON ACUMINATUM
With spores. (From Morgan.)
]
=L. acumina´tum= Bosc.—pointed. =Peridium= globose, then ovoid, with a
mycelium of fine white fibers. Cortex a white soft delicate continuous
coat, drying up into a thin furfuraceous persistent layer on the surface
of the inner peridium. Subgleba obsolete; mass of spores and capillitium
pale-olivaceous then dirty-gray; threads simple, hyaline, two to three
times as thick as the spores. =Spores= globose, even, 3µ in diameter.
Plate II, fig. 8. =Peridium= ¼-½ of an inch in height.
Growing on the mosses of old logs and about the base of living trees.
New York, _Peck_; North Carolina, _Curtis_; South Carolina, _Ravenel_,
_Atkinson_; Ohio, _Morgan_; Costa Rica, _Oersted_.
[Illustration]
GENUS X.—=BOVISTEL´LA= Morg.
(Plate CLXXVI_a_.)
[Illustration:
SECTION BOVISTELLA
OHIENSIS.
]
Showing cellulose and definitely limited subgleba and the free threads
of the capillitium. (From Morgan.)
Mycelium cord-like, rooting from the base. Peridium subglobose, with a
well-developed base; cortex a dense floccose subpersistent coat; inner
peridium thin, membranaceous, dehiscent by a regular apical mouth.
Subgleba cellulose, cup-shaped above and definitely limited, persistent;
capillitium originating within the tissue of the gleba; the threads
free, short, several times dichotomously (two-forked) branched, the main
stem thicker than the diameter of the spores, the branches tapering.
=Spores= small, globose or oval, even, pedicellate.
A puff-ball of moderate size, growing in fields and open woods.
_Morgan._
=B. Ohien´sis= Ellis and Morg. =Peridium= globose or broadly obovoid,
sometimes much depressed, plicate underneath, with a thick cord-like
root. Cortex a dense floccose coat, sometimes segregated into soft warts
or spines, white or grayish in color; this dries up into a thick
buff-colored or dirty ochraceous layer, which gradually falls away,
leaving a smooth, shining, pale-brown or yellowish surface to the inner
peridium. Subgleba broad, ample, occupying one-half the peridium, a long
time persistent; mass of spores and capillitium lax, friable, clay-color
to pale-brown; the threads .6-.8 mm. in extent, three to five times
branched, the main stem 6–8µ in thickness, the branches tapering.
=Spores= globose or oval, even, 4–5µ in length by 3.5–4µ in breadth,
with long hyaline persistent pedicels.
(Plate CLXXVII.)
[Illustration:
BOVISTELLA OHIENSIS.
Natural size.
]
Growing on the ground in old pastures, in fields and open woods.
_Morgan._
This species of puff-ball is made the type of the new genus Bovistella
by Mr. Morgan.
GENUS XI.—=CATAS´TOMA= Morg.
Puff-balls growing just beneath the surface of the ground and connected
immediately with it by filamentous threads, which issue from every part
of the cortex; after maturity, when the peridium breaks away, the lower
part of the outer coat is held fast by the soil, while the upper portion
which has attained the surface remains, covering the inner peridium like
a cap or inverted cup; consequently the apparent apex at which the mouth
is situated is the actual base of the plant as it grows. The capillitium
threads are similar to the densely interwoven hyphæ, which form the
inner peridium and are evidently branches of them radiating from the
interior. It is plain that the affinities of these plants are closest
with Tylostoma and Astræus, but the needs of a systematic arrangement,
according to more obvious characters, causes us to place them next to
Bovista. _Morgan._
(Plate CLXXVIII.)
[Illustration: CATASTOMA CIRCUMSCISSUM.]
Showing method of growth, breaking away and turning over. Section of
same showing origin of the threads of the capillitium. (After Morgan.)
=C. circumscis´sum= B. and C. (Plate CLXXVIII.) =Peridium= subglobose,
more or less depressed and often quite irregular; cortex thickish,
fragile, usually rough and uneven from the adhering soil, after maturity
torn away, leaving the lower two-thirds or more in the ground; inner
peridium depressed-globose, subcoriaceous, rather thin, pallid, becoming
gray, minutely furfuraceous, with a small regular basal mouth. Mass of
spores and capillitium soft, compact, then friable, olivaceous, changing
to pale brown; the pieces of the threads short, unequal in length,
flexuous, hyaline, 3–4µ in thickness. =Spores= globose, minutely warted,
4–5µ in diameter, often with a minute pedicel.
Growing in heavy clay soil in old lanes and pastures, especially along
the hard-trodden paths.
Maine, _Blake_; Ohio, _Morgan_; Kansas, _Kellerman_; Nebraska, _Webber_.
Inner peridium ½-¾ in. in diameter.
This is Bovista circumscissa B. and C., of Berkeley’s Notices of North
America Fungi. It grows in great abundance with us some seasons, right
in the hard-trodden barn-yard, and along the lane to the cattle pasture.
Arachnion album Schw. usually keeps it company. _Morgan._
I have not seen this acrobatic species. Study of its unique habit
suggests the query: Is not the turning over of its spore-filled portion
a substitute for an original but lost power of growing right side up?
GENUS XII.—=BOVIS´TA= Dill.
(Plate CLXXIX.)
[Illustration:
BOVISTA MINOR AND SECTION.
(From Morgan.)
]
Mycelium fibrous or sometimes filamentous. Peridium subglobose, without
a thickened base; cortex a thin fragile continuous layer, shelling off
or disappearing at maturity, except sometimes a small portion about the
base; inner peridium thin, membranaceous, becoming papyraceous,
dehiscent by an apical mouth or opening irregularly. Capillitium
originating within the tissue of the gleba; the threads free, short,
several times dichotomously branched, the main stem much thicker than
the diameter of the spores, the branches tapering. =Spores= small,
globose, or oval, even, brown. _Morgan._
Small puff-balls growing upon the ground in fields and woods. One grows
underground.
=B. pi´la= B. and C.—a ball. =Peridium= globose or obovoid, with a
stout, cord-like root. Cortex a thin, white, smooth, continuous coat,
breaking up at maturity into minute scales, which soon disappear; inner
peridium thickish, tough, rigid, becoming brown or purplish-brown,
smooth and shining, a long time persistent, and finally with age often
fading to silvery-gray; dehiscence taking place at length by an
irregular, torn aperture at or about the apex. Mass of spores and
capillitium very firm, compact and persistent, at first clay-colored,
pale brown or olivaceous, at length dark or purplish-brown; the threads
rather small, .6-.8 mm. in extent, three to five times branched, 12–15µ
thick, the ultimate branches rigid, nearly straight, tapering to a fine
point. =Spores= globose, even, 4–5µ in diameter, sessile or with only a
minute pedicel.
Growing on the ground in woods.
=Peridium= 1½-2½ in. in diameter.
This Bovista is remarkably tough, it maintains its shape firmly and
persists a long time; it breaks away from its root and rolls about over
the old leaves before the wind, even till the following season.
_Morgan_.
West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, in fields and woods on ground.
June to October. _McIlvaine_.
Edible. _Trelease_.
When young and fresh it is excellent.