258 



COMPARATIVE MORPHOLOGY OF FUNGI 



and some relatives (like Aspergillus herbariorum) a helical ascogonium is 

 formed, from whose stipe springs an antheridium which climbs along the 

 helix. At times the antheridium may also be lacking (Oltmanns, 1887). 

 In some species of Sordaria (as in PeniciUium crustaceum) antheridium 

 and ascogonium coil helically (Nichols, 1896). In some other forms as 

 Chaetomium spirale, C. globosum (C. Kunzeanum var. chlorinum) (Vallory, 

 1911), Sordaria fimicola (Fimetaria fimicola), S. merdaria (F. merdaria) 

 and Podospora hirsuta (Pleurage hirsuta), as in Aspergillus flavus and A. 

 fumigatus, only an ascogonium is formed which develops in an unknown 

 manner to ascogenous hyphae (Dangeard, 1907). Only for Sordaria 

 macrospora (Pleurage macrospora), Sporormia intermedia (Dangeard, 



Fig. 172. — Sordaria macrospora. 1. Elongate ascogonium with sheath hyphae. 

 Sporormia intermedia. 2. Young perithecial fundaments, the upper showing an antheri- 

 dium. (After Dangeard, 1907.) 



1907) and S. leporina (Delitsch, 1926) has a new, peculiar relationship 

 been determined. In the former the ascogonium is not coiled but ver- 

 tical (Fig. 172, 1) and divided into several short multinucleate cells. 

 In the latter a typical ascogonium is no longer formed. A hyphal cell 

 becomes barrel shaped (Fig. 172, 2) and is septate in three dimensions to 

 a small node. At times before it is septate, a hyphal branch approaches 

 it and anastomoses with it, but details of the process, as those of 

 Sordaria macrospora, are unknown. 



According to the structure of the mature fructifications, the Sord- 

 ariaceae may be divided into two tribes, the Chaetomieae and Sorda- 

 rieae ; in the former the perithecia are generally covered with a thick felt of 

 spiral or forked hairs, which the latter lack; these differences, however, 

 are quantitative. 



