20 FUNGUS-FLORA. 



Forming very minute point-like spots up to -J mm. across, 

 surrounded by radiating mycelium, globose-discoid ; fertile 

 hyphae branched, septate, interwoven ; asci fasciculate, cla- 

 vate, apex truncate, 8-spored; spores irregularly biseriate, 

 elliptical, exospore delicately reticulated, brown ; paraphyses 

 filiform, scanty. 



On dung of horse and sheep. 



There is a very delicate spreading mycelium, from which 

 thicker ascus-bearing branches are given off here and there : 

 the asci are more or less parallel and form a hymenium, and 

 mixed with a few very slender paraphyses ; there is no trace 

 of excipulum, and the hypothecium consists of loosely inter- 

 woven hyphae. The coloured spores with a reticulated epi- 

 spore, suggests affinity with the Ascoboleae. 



HYSTERIACEAE. 



Ascophore erumpent, innate, or superficial ; horizontally 

 elliptical or linear, or vertical and laterally comjuTssed ; tex- 

 ture carbonaceous or membranaceous ; dehiscing by a narrow 

 slit running the entire length of the ascophore, black or 

 blackish-brown ; asci 4-8-spored; spores hyaline or coloured, 

 continuous or septate ; paraphyses usually present. 



The constant features of the present group are the black, 

 elongated ascophore dehiscing by a longitudinal, narrow 

 slit; hence the disc is almost persistently conceale<1. In 

 some genera the ascophore is narrowly elliptical and slightly 

 convex, in others it branches in a stellate manner ; in others 

 again the ascophore rises vertically and is at the same time 

 laterally compressed, resembling in miniature a mussel or 

 oyster shell, standing on its hinge, and with the slightly 

 gaping opening uppermost. When the ascophore is vertical 

 or superficial, it is rigid and carbonaceous; when developed 

 beneath the epidermis, as in Hypoderma, it is membranaceous. 

 Secondary or conidial forms of reproduction are known in 

 but few species. 



Hysteriaceae are allied on the one hand to the Discomy- 

 cetes, and on the other hand to the Pyrenomycetes. The 

 genera Colpoma and Triblydiella among the Discomycetes 

 differ mainly in the lung slit running the entire length of 



