u8 



work of hyphae in which the algae are suspended. The center is 

 filled with rather loosely united hyphae extending in a longitudinal 

 direction. The stem in cross-section presents the appearance of an 

 effort having been made to increase the transverse diameter by 

 separating the central elements, thus increasing the resistance to lat- 

 eral tensions rather than to longitudinal which is doubtless what is 

 required in a plant like S. coralloidcs. 



Only a few species occur in the territory. They grow upon soil, 

 more rarely upon rock ; they are found in the North and in elevated 

 areas in the East ; very rarely in the tropics. With us the most com- 

 mon form is S. corattoides which is also the only species which is 

 generally spore-bearing. 



PLATE 9. 



SPHAEROPHORUS CORALLOIDES Pers. 



1. Portion of thai lus natural size, showing the terminal globose apo- 

 thecia (a) . 



2. Vertical section of apothecium (diagrammatic), magnified. 



3. Section of apothecium. 



a, upper portion of thecium above which the free maturing spores^ 

 lie; b, lower portion of thecium consisting of the narrowed spore- 

 sacs; c and d, dark colored hypothecium. 



4. Longitudinal section of a smaller thalloid branch. 



5. Spore-sac with immature spores, and paraphysis. 



6. Spores; a, immature; b, mature. 



Family 2. CLADONIACEAE. 



In general the representatives of this family indicate a much 

 higher specialization than those hitherto described As far as the 

 apothecia are concerned they indicate a closer relationship to the 

 Lecideaceae than to the Caliciaceae ; the disk is open and convex, 

 the spore-sacs are not gelatinized as in the first family, the apothecia, 

 without exception, are borne upon stipes or podetia, in which re- 

 spect they show an undoubted analogy to Caliciaceae. It is, there- 

 fore, necessary at this point to indicate the essential differences be- 

 tween a stipe and a podetium, and also to discuss somewhat more 

 fully the differences between primary and secondary thalli. From 

 the standpoint of morphology the Cladoniaceae form, perhaps, the 

 most interesting family. 



