Seaver: Hypocreales of North America 65 



The perithecia and spores of Nectria athroa Ellis & Everh. are 

 a little smaller than the average of this species but this may be 

 due to immature specimens. In other respects this is a typical 

 specimen of the above species. 



20. Nectria episphaeria (Tode) Fries, Summa 

 Veg. Scand. 388. 1845 



Sphaeria episphaeria Tode, Fungi Meckl. 2: 21. 1791. 



Perithecia gregarious or scattered, superficial, subovoid, for the 

 most part bilaterally collapsing when dry, smooth, blood-red, 

 perithecial wall composed of rather coarse cells, perithecia vari- 

 able but ranging from 150-250 mic. in diameter; asci cylindrical, 

 60X5 mic, 8-spored; spores obliquely i-seriate, broad-fusoid, 

 4-6 X 9-12 mic. (mostly 5 X 10), i-septate, hyahne {pi. 4. f. i, 

 2;pl.5.f.i8). 



On old fungi of various kinds, especially sphaeriaceous fungi. 



Type locality : Mecklenburg, Germany. 



Distribution: New York to California and Canada to Nica- 

 ragua. 



Illustration : Tode, Fungi Meckl. 2 : pi. 11. f. 8p. 



ExsiccATi: Ellis, N. Am. Fungi 46P, 46^ (b) ; Ravenel, Fungi 

 Am. Exsicc. j^o; Smith, Central Am. Fungi 4. Other specimens 

 examined: Alabama, Carver ^0^, Earle; California, Harkness; 

 Connecticut, Thaxter; Kansas, Kellerman & Swingle; Louisiana, 

 Langlois; Maine, White; New Hampshire, Farloiv; New Jersey, 

 Ellis, Brown, Small; New York, Peck; North Dakota, Seaver 

 (various collections) ; Nicaragua, C. Am., Smith; S. Carolina 

 Ravenel 5^1. 



Distinguished by the broad-fusoid spores as well as by the 

 habitat and manner of collapsing. 



This species very closely resembles the preceding and is con- 

 sidered by most writers as scarcely distinct. The habitat and 

 manner of collapsing are usually given as the distinguishing char- 

 acters. From our own studies the species would seem to differ 

 in the spore characters as well. In the present species the spores 

 are broad-fusoid and approximately twice as long as broad, 

 while in the preceding, Nectria sanguinea (Bolton) Fries, they 

 are narrow-fusoid or approximately three times as long as broad. 

 This difference is shown in the camera lucida drawing of the two 



