t 



Griffiths : Pyrexomycetes 441 



isolated. Often one may find in the field the top and bottom of 

 an ascus separated by twice Its original length, and the two parts 

 connected by a string of spores imbedded in their matrix. The 



4 



rupture of the ascus is brought about doubtless here as in many 

 other ascomycetes by the tension within it, for the gelatinous 

 material with its contained spores occupies two or three times its 



■ 



original volume when set free by the rupturing- of the ascus. 



This w^as cultivated on dead stems of Salsola kali tragus with 



i 



the species of Sordaria described above. It developed in rather 

 small quantity in eight weeks' time. 



Trematosphaera caryophaga (Schw.) 



Perithecia superficial with their bases slightly sunken in the 

 thin, black, carbonaceous crust which covers the nut more or less 

 uniformly, rough, black, carbonaceous, brittle, hemispherical, with 

 papilliform ostiolum, 350// in diameter, asci evanescent, subcylin- 

 drical with filiform paraphyscs, io-12/iX 55-75/^ • spores biseria'te, 

 oblong, narrowed and round at the ends, slightly inequilateral or 

 curved, 3-septate with a darkened band surrounding the middle 

 septum, 4-6// X 10-16/^. PL 366./. 12-1^. \ 



This species described by Schweinitz, Syn. N. Am. Fungi, 

 no. 1594 Trans. Amcr. Phil. Soc. Phila., 215, 1831, has been 



I 



included by Messrs. Ellis and Everhart, North American Pyreno. 

 207, w^ith T. nudcaria (DeNot) Sacc, published in Micr. Ital. 9 : 

 462, /. 4\ but a very little study of the specimens from dif- 

 ferent localities is necessary to convince one that the American form 

 growing on decaying shells of hickory nuts, is very different from 

 the European form growing on olive pits. Had I but one speci- 

 men I might consider the species variable enough to produce the 

 differences which are observable ; but the Pennsylvania specimens 



M 



J 



all their characters, even to the coloration of the spores. The 

 main differences are those of size which are brought out in my 



figures (10 and \\y pL 



The European 



species is larger throughout than the American^the perithecia 

 measuring about 525 fi, the spores 6-8 ft x 1 8-2 i //. I have been 

 unable to get out complete asci from the European specimens at 

 hand (Roumegucre Fungi Select! Gallici, no. 4783). The' colora- 



