COMATRICHA 133 



black, shining, even, about one-half the total height ; hypothallus 

 not continuous, dark brown ; columella black, rather slender, 

 terminating in two or more large branches just below the apex; 

 capillitium exceedingly dense, dark fuscous or black, the flexuous 

 threads anastomosing in a close network, with abundant free 

 pallid extremities ; spores in mass, blue black, by transmitted 

 light fuscous or dark violaceous brown, minutely warted, 9-10 /n. 



Easily recognizable at sight by its sooty color. Entirely unlike 

 any of the preceding. The type of the capillitium is that of C. 

 pulcJiella, but it is very much more dense and entirely different 

 in color. The sporangia are widened above, and fairly truncate ; 

 the total height about 6 mm. Found on the bark of fallen twigs 

 of Abies, Larix, etc. Distributed by Ell. and Everh. under this 

 name as an exsiccata. 



Washington, Oregon, Vancouver's Island. 



n. COMATRICHA FLACCIDA (Lister] Morgan. 



1894. Comatricha flaccida List., Morgan, Jour. Cm. Soc., p. 51. 

 1894. Stemonitis splendens, \zx.flaccida List., Mycetozoa, p. 112. 



Sporangia semi-erect, close crowded in tufts an inch or two 

 in diameter, ferruginous, from a dark brown hypothallus, sessile 

 or short stipitate ; columella weak, crooked, percurrent, gen- 

 erally enlarged irregularly at the apex ; capillitium of few, 

 slender, brown branches which anastomose sparsely and irreg- 

 ularly as in C. irrcgularis, and present when freed from spores 

 the same chenille-like appearance ; spore-mass ferruginous 

 brown ; spores by transmitted light bright reddish brown, 

 minutely warted, S-io p. 



An entirely distinct species, entirely unlike ^. conjlncns, with 

 which Lister associates it ; color different, habit different, struc- 

 ture different, and spores different. The conjoined columellae 

 of which Mr. Morgan speaks, as also the membranous apical 

 attachments of Lister's figure, are not in evidence in any of the 

 specimens before us. 



Apparently rare. Ohio, Washington, Oregon, on logs of 

 coniferous trees, Colorado. 



