l, sessile, or attached by
a very short stem; closed at first, then expanding until nearly plane;
disk yellow, smooth; asci clavate, 8 spored; spores hyaline, smooth.

Gregarious or scattered. Found on half-decayed branches.

_Helotium aeruginosum. Fr._

THE GREEN HELOTIUM.

AEruginosum means verdigris-green. Gregarious or scattered, staining the
wood on which they grow to a deep verdigris-green; ascophore at first
turbinate and closed, then expanding, the margin usually wavy and more
or less irregular; flexible, glabrous, even, somewhat contracted, and
minutely wrinkled when dry; every part a deep verdigris-green, the disc
often becoming paler with a tinge of tan color; 1-4 mm. across;
stem 1-3 mm. long, expanding into the ascophore; hypothecium
and excipulum formed of interlaced, hyaline hyphae, 3-4u. thick,
these becoming stouter and colored green in the cortex; asci narrowly
cylindric-clavate, apex slightly narrowed, 8-spored; spores irregularly
2-seriate, hyaline or with a slight tinge of green, very narrowly
cylindric-fusiform, straight or curved, 10-14x2.5-3.5u. 2-gutullate,
or with several minute green oil globules; paraphyses slender, with a
tinge of green at the tip. _Massee._

Massee calls this Chlorosplenium aeruginosum, De Not. It is quite common
on oak branches, staining to a deep green the wood upon which it grows.
It is widely distributed, specimens having been sent me from as far east
as Massachusetts. The mycelium-stains in the wood are met more
frequently than the fruit.

_Bulgaria. Fr._

Bulgaria--probably first found in that principality.

Receptacle orbicular, then truncate, glutinous within, at first closed;
hymenium even, persistent, smooth.

_Bulgaria inquinans. Fr._

THE BLACKISH BULGARIA.

[Illustration: Figure 440.--Bulgaria inquinans. Two-thirds natural
size.]

Inquinans means befouling or polluting; so called because of the
blackish, gelatinous coating of the cap.

Receptacle orbicular, closed at first, then opening, forming a cup, as
shown on the right in Figure 440; disk or cup becoming plane; black,
sometimes becoming lacunose; tough, elastic, gelatinous, dark-brown, or
chocolate, almost black, wrinkled, and rough externally; stem very
short, almost obsolete; cup light umber; sporidia large, elliptical,
brown.

This plant is quite plentiful in some localities near Chillicothe. It is
found in woods, on oak trunks or limbs partially decayed.

CHAPTER XIII.