ASYMMETRICA-FASCICULATA 505 



Mary J. Cox, represents a heavily sporing and strongly fasciculate strain. 

 The species is regarded as closely related to P. martensii of the same author. 

 Penicillium aurantio-virens is characterized particularly by its reduced 

 sporulation upon malt agar, by the production of conspicuous halos of 

 diffusible orange-red pigment in the agar surrounding the growing culture, 

 and by the yellow coloration of its vegetative mycelium, particularly upon 

 malt agar. 



Penicillium brunneo-riolaceum Biourge (Monogr., La Cellule 33: fasc. 1, pp. 145- 

 147, Col. PI. II and PI. IV, fig. 21. 1923) as known from Biourge's description and 

 type culture received from the Centraalbureau in February, 1946, and now maintained 

 as NRRL 2137, represents a form approximating P. aurantio-virens Biourge in cultural 

 and structural details. Thom, in 1930, placed this species in the Fasciculata upon 

 the basis of small tufts of conidiophores. Such structures are commonly observed 

 in P. aurantio-virens and constitute the primary basis for transferring this species 

 from the Lanata (where Thom assigned it in 1930) to the Fasciculata. 



Penicillium flavido-marginatuni Biourge (Monogr., La Cellule 33: fasc. 1, pp. 150- 

 152; Col. PI. Ill and PI. IV, fig. 24. 1923) was described in terms which seem to relate 

 it to P. aurantio-virens of the same author. Thorn's notes, made from Biourge's type, 

 in general confirm such relationship (1930, pp. 315-316). Re-examination of this 

 culture, now maintained as NRRL 880, shows penicilli appearing mostly monovertic- 

 illate or as fragmentary biverticillate-asymmetric structures. The culture can no 

 longer be regarded as satisfactorily representing Biourge's species. A culture bear- 

 ing this name, received from the Centraalbureau in March 1946, is lighter sporing and 

 equally unsatisfactory as type material. 



Occurrence and Significance 



Penicillium cyclopium Westling and P. martensii Biourge appear to be 

 world-wide in distribution and to be fairly omnivorous in the substrata 

 upon which they grow. They are frequently isolated from stored grain 

 and various cereal products. They are often encoimtered growing upon 

 pomaceous and stone fruits as a secondary rather than a primary parasite. 

 They are not infrequently encoimtered in soil platings, and they have 

 appeared several times among the molds isolated from deteriorating mili- 

 tary equipment in both temperate and tropical areas. Penicillium puberu- 

 lum Bainier and P. aurantio-virens Biourge are apparently less common in 

 nature, but apparently occur upon similar substrata. 



Members of the series are quite active biochemically. Alsberg and 

 Black (1913), studying the possible relation between pellagra and moldy 

 maize, succeeded in isolating from a Penicillium, identified by Thom as 

 Penicilliimi puberulum Bainier, an undescribed metabolic product which 

 they named penicillic acid, C8H10O4. Its toxic character was demon- 

 strated and its properties described but its constitution was not determined. 

 Raulin's medium, modified in different ways, was used as a substrate. 



Ahnost 20 years later Birkinshaw and Raistrick (1932) re-examined the 



