226 The Philippine Journal of Science wis 



feathery columns of white hyphae grow up, apparently, from 

 the mycelium in the interior of the comb. As these columns 

 increase in length the central portions become denser and in 

 seven to ten days the separate columns have metamorphosed 

 into the Xylaria-hke structures. The outermost hyphae remain 

 as a tomentose covering while the tips, especially in the larger 

 type, are frequently composed of a mass of loose white hyphae. 

 The sparse growth of hyphae which covered the comb under- 

 goes a similar change and comes to have the appearance of a 

 loose black net. 



In two cases combs were placed in earth in brick flower pots, 

 the combs being covered by a layer of earth about 2 cm deep. 

 In the first case the pot was left uncovered. The structures 

 produced were of the larger type and curled around the soil 

 without appearing at the surface. In the other case the pot 

 was placed under a battery jar. The Xylaria-\ike structures 

 produced were mostly of an intermediate type but there were 

 a few threadlike forms about 10 cm in length which were 

 covered by a loose layer of conidiophores. The conidiophores 

 grew out perpendicular to the axis of the fruit body and ter- 

 minated in club-shaped four-lobed heads on which numerous 

 rows of spores were borne. The entire head formed a some- 

 what flattened spherical structure. The spores were catenulate 

 and from 4 to 5 ^ in diameter. These spores are similar to the 

 conidiospores ascribed to Xylaria furcata Fr. 9 Similar coni- 

 diophores were also produced on some sclerotia grown on agar. 

 These sclerotia were obtained by taking a few hyphae from a 

 developing sterile form and transferring them to agar in test 

 tubes. In a few days these produced other sterile sclerotia 

 from 6 to 10 cm in length and from 3 to 7 mm in diameter. 

 By transferring hyphae from these to fresh tubes, before the 

 sclerotia had turned black, other sclerotia were again produced. 

 This process was repeated six times without any apparent dimi- 

 nution in the vigor of the growth. As some of these sclerotia 

 dried out they became covered by a loose layer of conidiophores 

 similar to those previously described. The entire structure of 

 these fertile forms agrees quite well with the description which 

 Petch gives of the Xylarias grown by him in pots except that 

 his stromata were smaller, never being more than 1 cm in length. 



In one jar simple conidiophores were produced on sclerotia 

 grown on combs. These formed a dense covering around the 



"Petch, T., Termite fungi: A resume, Ann. Bot. Gard. Peradeniya 5 

 (1913) 303-341. 



