voi>. 1.] Reed. — Tivo Neiv Ascomycetous Fungi. 147 



After the asei have formed, a dense fine hair-like hyaline 

 growth develops about the ostiole and projects obliquely down- 

 wards into the perithecial cavit^' between the asci, lining the 

 entire canal and ostiole. 



The asei (Cf. Fig. 4, PI. 15) when they first arise from the 

 subhymenial layer appear like club-shaped projections from the 

 perithecial wall. The protoplasm within is one mass at first, 

 but it very soon divides to form the eight ascospores. As the 

 ascospores grow the asci bulge and enlarge like small balloons, 

 forming a distinct stalk, the eight oval spores showing very 

 distinctly through the delicate thin walls of the ascus. There is 

 an enormous number of asci in each perithecium and they are 

 continually forming, as may be seen in the cross section, where 

 they appear in all stages from those just budding to the ripe 

 ascus with its eight spores. Hence, though the asci are con- 

 tinually ripening, the perithecia are always crowded with them 

 and it may be this pressure which assists in bursting the walls of 

 the asci, causing the escape of the ascospores out through the 

 ostiole. The asci are 23-40 /^ long by 10-18 i^ wide. 



The ascospores are hyaline, thick-walled, one-celled and 

 3.5-7 /A wide by 10-13 ^ long. They vary somewhat both in 

 size and shape, some being elliptical and others broadly oval. 

 The spore contents are granular, with a broad Irregular equato- 

 rial band of very refractive liodies, which appear like oil di-ops, 

 yet do not give the ordinary reactions for oil (Cf . Fig. 5, PL 15) . 

 The outer part of this equatorial band lying next the wall is 

 protoplasm which stains deeply with eosin or hfematoxylin. 



The spores are discharged in vast numbers, when the fresh 

 fronds with ripe perithecia are placed upon moist glass slides. 

 After a day the slides are covered with whitish dots, one under 

 each perithecium. The spores are surrounded by a whitish 

 gelatinous substance when ejected. 



The freshly discharged spores germinate readily in a moist 

 chamber, both in fresh and salt water. In three days they form 

 long germ tubes, especially when only slightly moist. In germ- 

 inating, the spore becomes swollen, the walls appear thinner, the 

 bands of refi-active bodies disappear or grow thinner, and the 

 mycelium projects either from the end or the side adjacent to the 



