ASYMMETRICA-LANATA 421 



II. Colonies showing ropes of hyphae or poorly defined fascicles at the margin. 



P. lerreslre series 446 

 (in the Funiculosa, p. 445) 

 III. Colonies showing conidiophores aggregated into definite tufts or fascicles. 



The Fasciculata 467 



Penicillium camemberti Series 



(Camembert-type cheese molds) 



Outstanding Characters 



Colonies floccose, cottony, deeply lanose, at first pure white and at ma- 

 turity remaining white or becoming pale gray-green depending upon 

 the species, reverse and agar uncolored or nearly so. 



Conidiophores arising from the substratum or from the loose aerial felt, 

 variable in length up to 500 to 600/x by 3.0 to 4.0yu in diameter, with walls 

 more or less roughened. 



Penicilli asymmetric, irregularly branched and variable in pattern, with 

 metulae and sterigmata commonly arising at different levels, bearing 

 conidia in tangled chains to form an irregular brush up to 100 to 150m 

 in length. 



Conidia at first elliptical, becoming subglobose at maturity, smooth- 

 walled, comparatively large, about 4.0 to 5.0/x in diameter. 



Series Key 

 (See General Key to Lanata) 



Members of this series regularly occur upon and are responsible for 

 the production of soft cheeses of the Camembert type, including Camem- 

 bert. Brie, and Neufchatel. Their natural habitat outside the cheese 

 industry is not known. Strains in our possession, and those reported in 

 the literature, have been obtained from cheese samples or from the ripen- 

 ing rooms where such cheeses are matured. 



Whereas all members of the series appear to be closely related, two well- 

 defined species are recognizable upon the basis of their cultural charac- 

 teristics, namely: Penicillium camemberti Thom and P. cascicolum Bainier. 

 Of these species the former is characterized by the production of pale 

 gray-green conidia, whereas the conidia of the latter are uncolored and are 

 almost indistinguishable from the background of floccose, white mycelium 

 when viewed superficially. The two species likewise differ in physiological 

 and biochemical characteristics as revealed in cheese manufacture, further 

 emphasizing their identities as separate species. IMembers of the series 

 have been widely studied because of their role' in cheese manufacture. 

 Many names have been used and species descriptions published for several 

 of these. All of them, however, seem to fall into either one or the other 



