100 FETCH : 



/ Sphaerostilbe gracilipes Tul. 



This species was recorded for Ceylon by Berkeley and 

 Broome in Fungi of Ceylon, No. 1210, from Thwaites 27. 



The specimen in Herb. Peradeniya bears Stilbum conidio- 

 phores, either scattered or* fasciculate. They are black, 

 becoming gray or ochraceous at the apex, up to 3 mm. high. 

 The stalk is up to '2 mm. broad, and irregularly flattened, 

 twisted, and sometimes longitudinally ridged. The head is 

 sub translucent, narrow-ovoid, and bears hyaline, narrow-oval 

 spores, 4-5 x 2 [x. 



With these are perithecia, either scattered, or in rows in 

 cracks in the substratum. The perithecia are superficial, 

 black, minutely rugose, globose, 0'3 mm. diameter, with a 

 cylindric, or conico-cylindric, ostiolum, 0*2 mm. high and 

 0*15 mm. diameter. The wall of the perithecium is 

 leathery, not carbonaceous, parenchymatous, the outer layers 

 purjile-brown and the inner hyaline. The asci are clavate, 

 with a very long tapering pedicel, thick-walled at the apex, 

 eight-spored, spores biseriate, 200 x 30 \i.. The spores 

 are elliptic, thick-walled, hyaline, continuous, 22-30 x 

 14-15 tjL. 



It is evident that this is not Sphierostilbe gracilipes. It 

 would appear to be a Ceratostomella, though the ostiolum is 

 somewhat short. 



Probably the same species was collected by Beccari in 

 Ceylon, and was described by Cesati as Sphaerostilbe. incerta. 

 His description is " Perithecia libera, globosa, fuscella ; ascis 

 cylindraceis octosporis, sporidiis oblongis, 10-12 X 5. 

 obtusis, endochromate granuloso, non septatis. Conidiophora 

 rigida, fuliginea, subulata, capitulum ochraceum sphsericum 

 gerentia, conidiis minutis, ellipsoideis, hyalinis, vix 1*5 

 longis constans." As Cesati's tmit was 2 jx, this gives 

 20-24 X 10 [JL for the ascospores, and 3 p. for the 

 conidia. 



There is no specimen of Sphssrostilbe incerta Ces. in Herb. 

 Kew, and I have not seen the type. But Thwaites 27 may be 

 known as Ceratostomella incerta, whether it is identical with 

 Cosati^'s species or not. 



