116 ENDOSPOREJE. [COMATRICHA. 



apices of the component sporangia ; columella brown, slender, 

 capillary, aggregated, but for the most part individually free ; 

 capillitium loosely interwoven into a common mass ; mass of 

 spores brown. 



Hob. On decorticated pines. Germany. 



This description applies to S. splendens, y.flaccida ; but without the 

 character of the spore -markings, which could not be discerned by the 

 older authors, no certain conclusion as to the species can be arrived at. 



7. S. fluminensis Speg., in Ann. Soc. Cient. Argent, xii., p. 255 

 (1881). Hypothallus very thin, broadly effused, mucedmous, 

 black, rather shining ; stem erect, rather rigid, black, shining, 

 O5 to 1 mm. long, 0*6 to 0*7 mm. thick; smooth when moist, 

 rugulose when dry, subcontorted, extending into the sporangium 

 as a columella, not reaching to the apex ; sporangium cylindrical, 

 rarely subclavate, rounded at both ends, 0*8 to 1*2 mm. long, 

 0*2 to O3 mm. thick, black, opaque, wall persistent for a long 

 time; capillitium arising from the columella, forming a rather 

 dense network, the superficial meshes equal to or twice the 

 diameter of the spores, with uncinate incurved tips ; spores 5 to 

 8 fj. diam., smooth, smoke-brown. 



Hab. On old bark and moss. Brazil. 



This description applies to a small form of Comatricha typhoides. 



SPECIES EXCLUDED FROM THE GENUS. 



S. cequalis Mass. = Comatricha obtusata Preuss. 



S. affinis Mass. = Comatricha typhoides Host. 



S. atra Mass. = Comatricha typhoides Host. 



S. Carlylei Mass. = Comatricha typhoides Eost. 



S. Friesiana de Bary = Comatricha obtusata Preuss. 



S. laxa Mass. = Comatricha laxa Eost. 



S. longa Mass. = Comatricha longa Peck. 



S. pulcliella Bab. = Comatricha pulchella Eost. 



S. subccespitosa Mass. Comatricha obtusata Preuss. 



S. tenerrima Berk. & Curt. = Comatricha pulchella Eost. 



S. typhina Mass. = Comatricha typhoides Eost. 



S. Virginiensis Eex = See note under Comatricha 



typhoides Eost. 



Genus 16. COMATRICHA Preuss, in Linnsea, xxiv., p. 140 

 (1851). Sporangia cylindrical, ovoid or globose, gregarious or 

 scattered ; sporangium-wall evanescent (subpersistent in C. 

 typhoides], stipitate, the stalk extending within the sporangium as 

 a columella for half its length or more, branching above, and 

 continued into the crisped or flexuose capillitium, which consists 

 of numerous threads rising from all parts of the columella, 

 combined into a more or less uniform network, not forming 

 a superficial net. 



