HEMIASCOM YCETES 



147 



whose membrane is hyaline in youth, but appears brownish in age. 

 Hyphal ends swell to conidia. Lateral outgrowths of hyphae form new 

 conidia which push aside the previous ones so that finally a tuft of as 

 many as 30 conidia is formed (Fig. 91, 1). The conidia are quite variable 

 in size ; in general the earlier ones are larger than the later. They germi- 

 nate with germ tubes which, with liberal nourishment, grow into mycelia 

 or, with poor nourishment, form new conidia (Fig. 91, 2.). 



After a time, the conidia are gradually replaced by asci (?). The 

 hyphal ends swell as in conidial formation, abjoint, and change into 



Fig. 91. — Ascoidea rubescens. 1. Conidiophore and conidia, o. 2. Conidium, a, 

 germinating under unfavorable conditions, cutting off conidium, b. 3, 4. Conidial and 

 ascigerous hyphae, a, conidia; b, ascus discharging spore mass, /, while the second ascus, 

 c, forms within the wall of the first; d, e, ascus fundaments. 5. Ascigerous hyphal tip; 

 ac, evacuated ascus walls; d, youngest ascus fundament, e, spore in the gelatinous sheath, /. 

 (1, 3, 4 X 80; 2 X 120; 5 X 540; after Brefeld, 1891, and Tavel, 1892.) 



multinucleate asci. After many nuclear divisions, its contents divide 

 into numerous small, uninucleate, cucullate spores which at first are joined 

 in pairs. Corresponding to the variable size of the ascus, they are also 

 indefinite in number; however, they are distinguished by a remarkably 

 regular form, similar to that of Endomijces decipiens. Like the Mucor 

 spores, they are embedded in a finely granular, strongly swelling inter- 

 mediate substance. At maturity this expands greatly with water absorp- 

 tion, pushing from the strongly swelling sporangial tip like a screw, and, 

 together with the imbedded spores, is liberated as a vermiform mass 



