268 THE ASCOMYCETES 



thread-like and septate, and the cells separate into cylindrical ele- 

 ments. In this order Nannfeldt assembled Ostropa and Robergea, 

 formerly placed among the Hysteriales, \^ibrissea from the 

 Geoglossaceae, Apostemidium, variously placed among the 

 Geoglossaceae, Mollisiaceae, and Helotiaceae, and Stictis and 

 Schizoxylon from the Stictidaceae. Durand (1908) placed Apos- 

 temidium among the Geoglossaceae. None of the species are 

 known to possess conidia, with the possible exception of Schiz- 

 oxylon sepincola and members of Apostemidium. 



LITERATURE CITED 



Durand, E. J., "A monograph of the Geoglossaceae," Ann. My col., 6: 387- 



477, 1908. 

 Nannfeldt, J. A., "Studien iiber die Morphologic und Svstematik der 



nichdichenisierten operculaten Discomvceten," Nova Acta Regiae Soc. 



Sci. Upsalensis, Ser. I\", 8: 1-368, 1932. 



Pezizales (Operciilates) 



The Pezizales consist of 2 families, the Pezizaceae and Elvella- 

 ceae. Seaver (1942) divided the Pezizaceae into 8 tribes: Sphae- 

 rosporeae, Ascoboleae, Aleurieae, Humarieae, Lachneeae, Oti- 

 deeae, Sarcoscypheae, and Pezizeae. The characteristics used as 

 bases for separation are shape, color, and surface markings of 

 spores and size, consistency, and nature of apothecia— whether 

 stipitate or sessile, and whether hairy or smooth. These 8 tribes 

 contain 39 genera. The Elvellaceae are constituted of 5 genera, 

 distinguished primarily on the shape of the hymenial portion. 



The Pezizales are all saprophytic. Their fructifications vary 

 in size from barely visible disks, such as those in Streptotheca, 

 Ryparobius, and Fyronevia conflnens, to stipitate structures 8 to 

 10 cm tall, as in Morchella crassipes, M. esciilenta, and Urmila 

 geastei', or even considerably larger, as in Diirandioviyces phil- 

 lipsii. The disks are discrete in nearly all species. In Morchella, 

 however, the hymenial surface is alveolate, being compounded 

 of many disks laterally united, and in Elvella it reposes saddle- 

 wise or variously convoluted at the top of the stipe. 



The asci typically have 8 spores, but those of species of Strep- 

 totheca, Ryparobius, and Theotheca are polysporous, containing 

 16, 64, or more ascospores. 



