ORDER MYCELIA STERILIA 601 



Epicoccum, which forms httle black dots on leaves and stems and other 

 plant parts. These consist of short, stout conidiophores radiating from 

 small black sporodochia. The dark conidia are spherical, and slightly 

 spiny or reticulately marked. In the latter case the spore is apparently 

 many-celled (Goidanich, 1938), the reticulate lines marking the edges of 

 the walls of the separate cells. E. oryzae Ito & Iwadara is reported by 

 Iwadara (1934) to be the cause of injury to rice grains, producing pink or 

 red lesions. Some of the other species are also parasitic but some seem to 

 be saprophytes. (Fig. 203A.) Exosporium (Phaeophragmiae) forms similar 

 sporodochia and very short conidiophores from which arise the obclavate 

 or ellipsoidal conidia each with several transverse septa. Some species ap- 

 pear to be parasitic and some merely saprophytic. Spegazzinia (Phaeo- 

 dictyae or perhaps more properly Staurosporae) occurs on leaves, stems, 

 and other plant debris and most species are probably saprophytic. The 

 author (1907) showed that two kinds of conidia are produced on the small 

 black sporodochia. The commoner kind is very long-stalked, the conidium 

 consisting of four somewhat rounded spiny cells united at a common 

 central point to which the conidiophore is attached. The second kind has 

 very short conidiophores and the conidia are square, except for rounded 

 corners, being divided into four cells by diagonal septa. They are smooth. 

 The conidiophore is attached to the edge of one of the triangular cells 

 making up the conidium and arises directly from the sporodochium and 

 not, as described by some authors, from the long-stalked conidia. The 

 spiny conidia of the long-stalked type germinate by bladder-like out- 

 growths from which radiate many germ tubes. The smaller type of 

 conidium gives rise to a single germ tube from each cell of the conidium. 



Another fungus sometimes ascribed to this family and sometimes to 

 the Melanconiaceae is Hainesia lythri (Desm.) von Hohn. This is para- 

 sitic upon strawberry leaves, fruits, and roots (Fragaria sp.) and many 

 other plants. It has a perfect stage, Pezizella oenotherae (C. & E.) Sacc. 

 This is rarely observed. Much more abundant are the two fruiting stages: 

 Hainesia, usually assigned to this family, and Sderotiopsis concava (Dum.) 

 Shear & Dodge, belonging to Family Sphaeropsidaceae of the Imperfect 

 Fungi. According to Shear and Dodge (1921) the former has been de- 

 scribed under seven generic names in four families while the pycnidial 

 stage has been described under four genera in two families. Part of this 

 multiple naming has been due to incorrect identification but in part this 

 is the result of the different appearances of the fungus in various media 

 and stages of development. 



Order Mycelia Sterilia. This order is made up of 20 genera and 400 

 or more species. This exceedingly heterogeneous group does not at all 

 consist of closely related species. Any nonsporiferous mycelial structure, 

 whether sclerotium, rhizomorph, dense or loose mass of mycelium, etc. is 

 placed here. The presence of clamp connections in some species shows 



