234 CLASS ASCOMYCETEAE 



with a convex veil. The ascospores are elhpsoid and one- or two-celled 

 (Mitrula) or long elliptical to filiform and several to many septate. They 

 are hyaline to smoky to dark brown in color. The fruiting bodies vary 

 from a few millimeters to five or more centimeters in height. They are 

 mostly found on rotten wood, decaying leaves, moss or soil, usually where 

 plenty of moisture is available. Several genera have bright-colored spore 

 fruits (e.g., Mitrula, Spathularia, etc.) while those of others are black 

 (e.g., Geoglossum) . The following genera are worth mentioning: Mitrula, 

 spore fruit clavate, bright-colored, ascospores hyaline, ellipsoid; Micro- 

 glossum, similar but with ascospores elongated and many septate; Geo- 

 glossum, clavate, black, smooth, and dry, ascospores dark, many septate; 

 Gloeoglossum, similar but viscid and gelatinous; Trichoglossum, similar to 

 Geoglossum but beset with spines or setae; Spathularia, fan-shaped, 

 bright-colored, ascospores hyaline, many septate ; Leotia, spore fruit capi- 

 tate, gelatinous, spores narrowly ellipsoid; Cudonia, capitate, leathery, 

 ascospores filiform, multiseptate. Eleven genera and about forty-one 

 species were recognized by Durand (1908) in his excellent monograph of 

 the family. Nannfeldt (1932) believed that this family is related to the 

 stipitate Helotiaceae. (Fig. 81.) 



Family Phacidiaceae. The apothecia of this family arise in a well- 

 developed stroma which encloses it below and above, and which is often 

 lenticular in vertical section. These stromata may be superficial or buried 

 in the tissues of the host plant. Possibly as a result of the protection 

 afforded by the stromatic envelope the excipulum is not strongly devel- 

 oped. The stromata may be rounded or elongated. In the former case 

 the stromatic cover often splits stellately at maturity to reveal the 

 apothecium, while in the elongated forms a longitudinal slit is formed. 

 There may be but one apothecium in each stroma or several. In the 

 latter case each apothecium may be elongated more or less, even when 

 the stroma is isodiametric. The asci are clavate, with hyaline, filamentous 

 paraphyses. The ascospores are shot off as in the Pezizaceae when the 

 mature hymenium is exposed by the opening of the stromatic cover. 

 They are elongated and sometimes needle-shaped, one- to many-celled, 

 hyaline or colored. They often have a gummy outer layer. Asexual repro- 

 duction is known for many species. These conidial forms usually belong 

 to the form family Leptostromataceae of the Fungi Imperfecti. Some 

 species are saprophytic but perhaps the majority are parasitic upon leaves 

 or twigs. The genus Hypoderma is sometimes placed in a separate family, 

 the Hypodermataceae, but the author follows Nannfeldt in uniting the 

 two families. Some authors unite these with other families to form the 

 order Phacidiales. 



Phacidium possesses a circular, stellately dehiscing stroma with a 

 single apothecium. Some species are found on the needles of conifers. 



