Sporangia gregarious, of medium size, globose, cernuous, stipitate; the stipe long, slender, tapering upwards, dull brown in color; hypothallus none; the calyculus variable, sometimes well developed, as in C. aurantiaca, sometimes rudimentary or represented only by irregular, node-like ribs; the network delicate, the meshes small, few-sided; the nodules large, prominent, brown, irregular, with several radiating, free, projecting threads, beside the single continuous filaments which pass from node to node; spore-mass pale, ochraceous; spores nearly smooth, colorless, 5–7 µ.

This seems to be the most common Cribraria in the Mississippi valley. It is generally distinguished by the scant calyculus and the beautiful richness of its clear delicate net. The stellate nodules especially above, emit filamental rays in all directions, but are, notwithstanding, united by single, unpaired threads only. The calyculus is often entirely absent, and this has been supposed the typical condition; but, on the contrary, there often may present itself a cup as distinct as in C. aurantiaca. See, for this variation, Bot. Gaz. XIX., p. 398. The rather large sporangia, .6–.7 mm., the nodes joined by single threads, the remaining radiant threads, many or few, but very short—these seem to be the most distinctly diagnostic characters, and these are sufficiently constant to separate this species easily from C. intricata on the one hand and C. tenella on the other. Mr. Lister considers this merely a form of the next species.

Abundant on rotten logs of every sort, especially oak; common on the lower side of rotting pine planks in wooden walks along the streets everywhere. N. A. F., 2095, seems to belong here.

Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska.

8. Cribraria intricata (Schrad.) Rost.

Sporangia gregarious, globose, large, .7–1 mm. in diameter, nut-brown or olivaceous, erect, stipitate; stipe long, slender, purplish brown, flexuous; calyculus variable, sometimes occupying one-third of the sphere, when it is delicately costate, concolorous with the stipe, and passes over to the net by a distinctly toothed or serrulate margin, sometimes represented by irregular ribs or costæ only; net well differentiated, the threads delicate, transparent, yellow, connecting large black nodules, running from one to the other in pairs or sometimes three together, free ends not numerous, the meshes few-sided, often triangular; spores in mass, dull olivaceous, under the lens pallid, nearly smooth, 6–7 µ.

A very rare species, if indeed it occur in this country. At least the form figured by Rostafinski, Tab. II., Fig. 27, and Massee, Pl. 1, Fig. 11, has not come to our notice. The parallelism of the net threads is a touch added by Rostafinski; Schrader does not mention it. Lister makes this species include the preceding. The form described in Bull. Lab. Nat. Hist. Ia. II., p. 119, is C. dictydioides.

Reported from New York, New England and Pennsylvania.