il and May.

_Verpa. Swartz._

Verpa means a rod. Ascospore smooth or slightly wrinkled, free from the
sides of the stem, attached at the tip of the stem, bell-shaped, thin;
hymenium covering the entire surface of the ascospore; asci cylindrical,
8-spored. The spores are elliptical, hyaline; paraphyses septate.

The stem is inflated, stuffed, rather long, tapering downward.

_Verpa digitaliformis. Pers._

[Illustration: Figure 417.--Verpa digitaliformis.]

Digitaliformis is from _digitus_, a finger, and _forma_, a form.

The pileus is bell-shaped, attached to the tip of the stem, but
otherwise free from it; olive-umber in color; smooth, thin, closely
pressed to the stem, but always free; the edge sometimes inflexed.

The stem is three inches high, tapering downward, furnished at the base
with reddish radicels; white, with a reddish tinge; apparently smooth,
but under the glass quite scaly; loosely stuffed. The asci are large,
8-spored, the spores being elliptical. The paraphyses are slender and
septate.

Figure 417 represents several plants, natural size. The one in the
righthand corner is old, with a ragged pileus; the vertical section
shows the pithy contents of the stem. The plants are found in cool,
moist, and shady ravines from May to August. Edible, but not very good.

_Gyromitra. Fr._

Gyromitra is from _gyro_, to turn; _mitra_, a hat or bonnet. This genus
is so called because the plants look like a hood that is much wrinkled
or plaited.

Ascophore stipitate; hymenophore subglobose, inflated and more or less
hollow or cavernous, variously gyrose and convolute at the surface,
which is everywhere covered with the hymenium; substance fleshy; asci
cylindrical, 8-spored; spores uniseriate, elongated, hyaline or nearly
so, continuous; paraphyses present. _Massee._

_Gyromitra esculenta. Fr._

[Illustration: Plate LIV. Figure 418.--Gyromitra esculenta.]

Esculenta means edible. This is the largest spore-sac fungus. The
original name was Helvella esculenta. It is bay-red, round, wrinkled or
convoluted, attached to the stem, irregular, with brain-like
convolutions.

The stem is hollow when mature, often very much deformed, whitish,
scurvy, frequently enlarged or swollen at the base, sometimes lacunose,
frequently attenuated upward, at first stuffed; asci cylindrical, apex
obtuse, base attenuated, 8-spored; spores obliquely uniseriate, hyaline,
smooth, continuous, elliptical, 17-25x9-11u; paraph