r in open woods.

_Scleroderma. Pers._

Scleroderma is from two Greek words: _scleros_, hard; _derma_, skin.

The peridium is firm, single, generally thick, usually bursting
irregularly, and exposing the gleba, which is of uniform texture and
consistency. There is no capillitium, but yellow flocci are found
interspersed with the spores. The spores are globose, rough, usually
mixed with the hyphae tissue.

_Scleroderma aurantium. Pers._

THE COMMON SCLERODERMA. EDIBLE.

[Illustration: _Photo by C. G. Lloyd._

Plate LXIV. Figure 474.--Scleroderma aurantium.

Natural size, showing a section of a young specimen.]

[Illustration: Figure 475.--Scleroderma aurantium.]

Aurantium means colored like an orange. This is usually called S.
vulgare. The peridium is rough, warty, depressed, globose, corky and
hard, yellowish, opening by irregular fissures to scatter the spores;
inner mass bluish-black, spores dingy. The plant remains solid until it
is quite old. It is sessile, with a rooting base which is never sterile.

I have followed Mr. Lloyd's classification in separating the species,
calling the rough-surfaced one S. aurantium, and the smooth-surfaced S.
cepa.

In labeling it edible I wish only to indicate that it is not poisonous,
as it is generally thought to be; however, it cannot be claimed as a
very good article of food.

It has a wide distribution over the states. The plants in Figure 475
were found on Cemetery Hill, Chillicothe, and photographed by Dr.
Kellerman. Found from August to November.

_Scleroderma tenerum. Berk._

[Illustration: _Photo by C. G. Lloyd._

Figure 476.--Scleroderma tenerum.]

This species is often regarded as a small form of S. verrucosum, but it
always seemed strange to me that this rather smooth plant should be
called "verrucosum" when its frequently near neighbor, S. aurantium, is
very verrucose.

S. tenerum is a very widely distributed species in the United States,
somewhat constant as to form and quite frequent in occurrence. Mr.
Lloyd, in his Mycological Notes, gives a very clear photograph of a
plant that is quite local in this country and which he thinks should be
called S. verrucosum of Europe.

The plant differs very widely from the one we find so commonly which by
many authors has been called S. verrucosum. Some have even called it
Scleroderma bovista.

The plant is nearly sessile, somewhat irregular, peridium thin, soft,
yellowish, densely marked with sma