CiEPHALOTHECIUM 109 



is the most active of the soil fungi in ammonification; it liberated 

 57 per cent of the nitrogen in dried blood as ammonia within 12 days 

 in one experiment. It is also very active in decomposing cellulose. 



Fig. 60. C ephalosporium Acremontuni. 



On the other hand, it has no diastatic action at all. This common 

 soil fungus is also a common contaminant and, owing to the abun- 

 dance of the spores and its propensity to grow rapidly and spread 

 over a plate, it may be very troublesome in the laboratory. 



Cephalosporium. In this genus the conidio- 

 phores are short erect branches of aerial hyphae 

 and are non-septate. The conidia are borne one by 

 one at the tips of the conidiophores but successive 

 conidia push them aside and they form into small 

 balls. These balls of conidia are held together by a 

 secretion of sticky material. Conidia are colorless 

 or nearly so and in most species are elongated or 

 elliptical. C ephalosporium Acremonium is the best 

 known species. Certain species of Cephalosporium 

 are pathogenic to man, being among the organisms 

 capable of causing mycetomas. See page 210. 



Cephalothecium. Cephalothecium roseum, often 

 called Triothecium roseum, is a fairly common 

 bright pink mold. It may be readily identified by 

 its clusters of two-celled conidia formed in clusters 

 at the ends of short conidiophores. The cell closest 

 to the conidiophore is the smallest. It occurs widely upon a great 

 variety of substrates, fruit, wood, paper, soil, and is weakly patho- 

 genic to some plants. 



Fig. 61. Conidio- 

 phores and co- 

 nidia of Cephal- 

 othecium roseum. 

 Many of the 

 conidia have be- 

 c o m e scattered. 



