ASYMMETRICA-DIVARICATA 303 



The type culture of P. guthdosum, NRRL 907, as maintained in this laboratory, now 

 produces colonies that are almost white and essentially sterile, but are still character- 

 ized by the production of very abundant exudate. A strain received from the Cen- 

 traalbureau under this name and isolated by them in 1937 conforms fairly well with 

 the original description but fails to show any marked difference from other strains 

 diagnosed as P. janthinellum. In view of the great cultural variability that char- 

 acterizes members of the series as isolated from nature, and in view of their tendency 

 to become less highly colored and less heavily sporulating in continued laboratory 

 culture, we believe P. guttulosum should be regarded as a synonym of P. janthinellum. 



Penicillium glauco-roseum Demelius (Verhandl. Zool. Bot. Gesellsch. Wien. 72: 

 72, fig. 3. (1922) 1923) also is believed to be synonymous with P. janthinellum. The 

 original description emphasized the presence of rosy crystals and granules in the 

 fruiting structures and the irregular character of the penicillus, the latter character 

 being responsible for its placement in the P. janthinellum series by Thom in 1930. In 

 1928, Thom assigned to this species a strain (NRRL 908) isolated from Virginia soil. 

 This has been maintained in culture, and when examined in the current study fails 

 to show any distinguishing characters to separate it from P. janthinellum. Unlike 

 many representatives of this series it has consistently maintained its capacity to 

 produce colonies with reverse in bright purple-red shades. The production of rosy 

 crystals and granules by Demelius' culture suggests a possible relationship to P. pur- 

 purogenum and related forms in the Biverticillata-Symmetrica. No authentic culture 

 was obtainable and its proper placement could not be definitely established; but, if 

 primary emphasis is placed on the character of the penicillus produced, her descrip- 

 tion would seem to require assignment with P. janthinellum. 



Penicillium rivolii Zaleski (Bui. Acad. Polonaise Sci.: Math, et Nat. Ser. B, pp. 

 471-473; Taf. 50. 1927) was described by Zaleski in terms which clearly ally it with 

 P. janthinellum as considered by Thom in his Monograph (1930). Examination of 

 his type strain (NRRL 906 = Thom No. 5010.20) in culture at that time confirmed this 

 placement. However, the species was regarded as valid since the original description 

 and Zaleski 's figures were satisfied reasonably well by the type. The examination of 

 many additional cultures belonging to the P. janthinellum series since that time, and 

 more particularly during our current study, leads us to conclude that P. rivolii repre- 

 sents merely one cultural aspect of the extremely abundant species, P. janthinellum. 



Penicillium proprium Morotchkovsky (Bui. Sci. Recueil Biol. Univ. Kiev. 2: 78, 

 fig. 7. 1936) is believed to represent some member of the P. janthinellum series. 

 The author's description follows: Colonies round, woolly or floccose, radiately wrink- 

 led, at first cream white, at length gray; reverse uncolored or yellowish; conidiophores 

 slender, unseptate, 350 to 400 by 1.5 to 2.7^; creeping, arising from a floccose mass, 

 simple or producing two or three divaricate branchlets or metulae at the apex; metu- 

 lae 10.5 to 13.6 by 1.8 to 2.5m; sterigmata in two's, three's or four's, sharp pointed at 

 the apex of the branchlets or sometimes arising directly from the conidiophore below 

 the apex; 6.0 to 8.0 by 1.5 to 2.0/*; conidia globose, 1.8 to 2.5/* in diameter, smooth or 

 scarcely noticeably punctulate, in chains showing connectives; coremia none; odor 

 slightly moldy. Habitat: In rotting sugar beet roots, 1929. The culture has not 

 been seen by us. Comment: The description with the divaricate character of the 

 penicillus as shown in his figures and with the sharp pointed sterigmata would put 

 this close to the P. janthinellum series. 



