SPOROTRICHUM. 



[ 609 J 



STAMENS. 



SPOROTRICHUM, Link.— A genus of 

 Mucedines (Hypliomycetous Fungi), grow- 

 ing on decaying vegetable substances, dung, 

 &c. The forms referable to this genus, ac- 

 cording to the character, include a very he- 

 terogeneous assemblage; indeed, the charac- 

 ter, ^yhich omits the nature of the original 

 attachment of the spores, is worth nothing. 

 Fries has separated a genus Trichospo- 

 RUM, including a number of species with 

 distinctly acrogenous spores; this includes 

 S. nigrum and S. geocliorum of the Brit. 

 Ilora. The remainder are placed by him 

 among the Sepedoniei, under Sporotrichum 

 and another genus which he calls Physo- 

 spora. These genera are very obscurely 

 known, so much resembhng myceha with 

 detached conidia scattered on them. 



BiBL. Berk. Brit. Flor. ii. pt. 2. p. 346 ; 

 Fries, Summa Veg. p. 492. 495. 521 ; Gre- 

 ville, Sc. Crypt. Flor. pi. 108. figs. 1, 2. 



SPUMARIA, Pers.— A genus of Myxo- 

 gastres (Gasteromycetous Fungi), the pendia 

 of which are divided internally'into chambers 

 by ascending folds, which in S. alba are 

 either sessile and pass above into torn white 

 laminae, or are stipitate and divided, and 

 form corniculate peridioles bursting above ; 

 the latter is probably the perfect form. The 

 whole plant looks at first like white froth ; 

 it grows on grasses, &c., generally at a little 

 height from the ground. 



BiBL. Berk. Brit. Fl. ii. pt. 2. p. 309; 

 Greville, Sc. Crypt. Fl. pi. 267 ; Sowerby, 

 Fungi (Reticularia), pi. 280 ; Fries, Summa 

 Veg. p. 449. 



SPUTUM. — TVe omitted to notice under 

 Expectoration the occurrence of fibri- 

 nous casts of the smaller bronchi and pul- 

 monary air-cells in the expectoration of 

 pneumonia. They are best seen on mixing 

 the s]3uta with water, forming dichotomous 

 cylinders with rounded enlargements. They 

 consist of fine filaments, and are mostly co- 

 vered with granule-cells ; and are generally 

 met with between the third and the seventh 

 day. 



BiBL. Remak, Diagnost. u. Pathognet. 

 Untersuch., t^c. abstract in Edinb. Monthly 

 Journ. 1847. vii. 350. 



SPYRIDIA, Harv. — A genus of Cerami- 

 aceae (Florideous iVlgse), containing one 

 British species, 5. filamentosa (fig. 698), 

 having a dull-red, cyhndrical, filiform, much- 

 branched frond, consisting of a chambered 

 tube, the articulations of which are short, 

 and the walls of which are composed of small 

 angular cells. It arises from a broadly ex- 



panded disk. The branches are clothed with 

 setaceous ramules. The favellcB are stalked. 



Fig. 698. 



Spyridia filamentosa. 



Fragment with a favella and ramules. 



Magnified 25 diameters. 



gelatinous, and lobed, surrounded by a few 

 ramules, and contain two or three masses of 

 spores. The tetraspores occur attached to 

 the ramules. Antheridia have not yet been 

 observed. 



BiBL. Harvey, Brit. Mar. Ala. p. 166. 

 pl.22D. ^ ^ 



SQUAMELLA, Bory, Ehr.— A genus of 

 Rotatoria, of the family Euchlanidota. 



Char. Eyes four, frontal; foot forked. 



S. oblonga (PI. 35. fig. 29). Carapace 

 depressed, elliptical, or ovate-oblong, hya- 

 line ; toes slender, long. Aquatic ; length 

 1-216". 



S. bractea. Toes short and thick. Aquatic. 



BiBL. Ehrenberg, Infus. p. 479. 



STACHYLIDIUM, Link.— A genus of 

 Mucedines (H^-phomycetous Fungi), nearly 

 related to Botrytis, distinguished apparently 

 only by the subpedicellate spores. Fries 

 states that these are developed within a fu- 

 gacious veil (?). BoTRYOSPORiuM dijfusum, 

 Corda, is included here by most authors. S. 

 bicolor and S. terrestre, having quaternate 

 sporiferous branches at the upper joints of 

 the erect simple filaments, grow upon decay- 

 ing herbaceous plants and rotten sticks. 



BiBL. Berk. Brit. Flor. ii. pt. 2. p. 341; 

 Fries, Summa Veg. p. 490; Greville, Sc. 

 Crypt. Flor. pi. 257. 



STAMENS.— The fertilizing organs, pro- 

 ducing the POLLEN, surrounding the pistil 

 in perfect Flowering plants, or occurring in 

 the centre of the barren flowers of the 

 monoecious and dicEcious genera. Stamens 

 present a great variety of interesting points 

 for examination under a simple microscope 



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