ASYMMETRICA-DIVARICATA 279 



rapidly, more conspicuously furrowed, and bearing more abundant sclero- 

 tia, occasionally up to 200m in diameter. Heavier sporing than above but 

 with structural details essentially the same. 



Colonies on malt agar growing more restrictedly, in some strains, spread- 

 ing broadly in others (fig. 74B), plane, consisting of a dense layer of larger, 

 yellow to very light brown sclerotia overgrown by a loose network of inter- 

 lacing hyphae; conidiophores arising mostly from the substratum, com- 

 monly 500/x or more in length by 3.0 to 3.5m, bearing large asymmetric, 

 usually divaricate, penicilli; conidia delicately roughened but in size and 

 form as described by Turfitt; sclerotia rarely exceeding 250/i in diameter, 

 more commonly about I50fx. Colonies in reverse in reddish shades ap- 

 proximating coral-red (Ridgway, PI. XIII). 



The type strain was isolated by Turfitt from acid soil collected in 

 London. 



Two additional strains duplicating the type have been examined. The 

 first of these, NRRL 2082, was received in February 1944, from Dr. 

 Jackson W. Foster, Merck and Company, as an unidentified Penicillium; 

 the second, NRRL 2081, was isolated from a sample of soil sent by Dr. A. 

 G. Kevorkian from Nicaragua, and differs from the above only in pro- 

 ducing more abundant yellow-encrusted sterile hyphae surrounding the 



sclerotia. 



In describing Penicillium pulvillorum, Turfitt (1939) called attention to 

 the soft character of the sclerotia in his species and contrasted these with 

 the hard structures typical of P. raistrickii Smith and P. thomii Maire. 

 While there is a marked difference between the sclerotia of these species, it 

 is not as pronounced as Turfitt's description would seem to indicate. In 

 our experience, the sclerotia of P. pulvillorum, while not hard and gritty, 

 are, nevertheless, quite firm and withstand considerable pressure without 

 collapsing. They are quite variable in form and dimensions, and appear 

 somewhat intermediate between the rounded, very hard sclerotia of P. 

 raistrickii and the small, less definitely organized cellular masses seen in 

 P. soppi. In form and texture, the sclerotia of P. pulvillorum are sugges- 

 tive of the perithecia of certain species such as P. hrefeldianum or P. 

 javanicum; but confirming Turfitt's observations, no evidence of ascospore 

 formation has been seen. 



Penicillium soppi Zaleski, in Bui. Acad. Polonaise Sci.: Math, et Nat. 



Ser. B., pp. 476-477, Taf. 51. 1927; see also Thom, The 



Penicillia, pp. 344-345. 1930. 



Colonies on Czapek's solution agar somewhat restricted, attaining a 

 diameter of 3.0 to 3.5 cm. in 10 to 12 days at 24°C., consisting of a close- 

 textured basal felt with loose surface overgrowth up to 500^ or more deep, 



