Chapter XIV 

 POLYVERTICILLATA 



Colonies typicall}^ produce trailing aerial hyphae and ropes of hyphae; 

 conidiophores arise as short septate branches; penicilli are typically poly- 

 verticillate and visually symmetrical, producing compact masses; conidia 

 are strongly elliptical, often adherent in long chains and not forming a 

 slimy mass. 



The Polyverticillata represent a very limited group of uncertain relation- 

 ship: morphologically they seem to be somewhat intermediate between 

 Penidllium on the one hand and Scopnlariopsis on the other. Biourge 

 put them in his section Anomala along with Penidllium hrevicaule, or 

 Scopnlariopsis, with which he reported them as sharing the biochemical 

 character of emitting arsene when arsenic in any form was present in the 

 substratum. Bainier regarded them as a section, or subgenus, in Peni- 

 dllium, to which he assigned the name Synpenicillium. This had been 

 given bj^ Costantin, in 1888, as a generic name for the species subsequently 

 discussed by Bainier as P. costantini in 1906. Thaxter, apparently from 

 the literature, regarded some of them as species of Gliodadium. 



Over a period of years we have seen several strains in culture which 

 comply closely enough with descriptions given by Bainier to justify a belief 

 that a fairly homogeneous series of polyverticillate forms exist in nature. 

 We are not certain, however, as to the correct genetic or natural relation- 

 ships of these forms. The conidial structures developed, while usually 

 large and complexly branched, are at least strongly suggestive of many 

 Penicillia. At the same time, the very short, thick conidiophores, the 

 closely compacted cellular elements of the penicillus, and the not infrequent 

 development of inverted and appressed cellular elements, or branches, 

 toward the base of the conidiophore are strongly suggestive of species such 

 as Scopnlariopsis costantini (Bainier) Dale (1914). Furthermore, the 

 conidia, while strongl}^ elliptical, are somewhat flattened or truncate at the 

 basal end. The Poly\^erticillata may, in fact, belong more with Scopu- 

 lariopds than with Penidllium. We believe it expedient, however, to 

 recognize these forms as constituting a fourth major section within the 

 latter genus. Workers encountering them will be immediately struck by 

 the penicillate pattern of their conidial structures, hence will seek to locate 

 them within the genus Penidllium. 



Bainier (1906 and 1907) described four species which would seem to be 

 assignable to such a polyverticillate section. Unfortunately, his descrip- 



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