42 Mycetozoa of North America 



Plasmodium watery gray (Lister). Sporangia erect, cylindri- 

 cal, obovoid, or subglobose, 0.3 to 0.6 mm. diam., stalked or ses- 

 sile, or forming elongate and branched plasmodiocarps, rugulose 

 or wrinkled, white; sporangial wall with rather evenly distributed 

 deposits of lime-granules. Stalks stout or slender, 0.1 to 0.4 mm. 

 high, ochraceous yellow, rarely orange-brown, usually enclosing 

 white lime-granules, but sometimes almost free from lime, con- 

 nected by a yellowish or white hypothallus. Capillitium a per- 

 sistent network of firm, hyaline threads, with expansions at the 

 axils; lime-knots white, varying in size and shape, either scattered 

 through the capillitium, or in the stalked forms for the most part 

 confluent in the center of the sporangium, and forming a clavate 

 columella, which is either free or continuous with the apex of the 

 stalk. Spores purplish brown, spinulose, 7-10 m diam. 



Type locality: Germany. 



Habitat: On leaves and herbaceous stems. 



Distribution: Ontario, *Oregon? 



Illustration: Lister, Mycetozoa ed. 3. pi. 44. 



Stalked phases of this species may resemble Craterium aureum 

 superficially, but the persistent capillitium is diagnostic. P. Gil- 

 keyanum from Oregon, is probably a sessile form of P. mtitahile. 



14. Physarum roseum Berk. & Br. Jour. Linn. Soc. 14: 84. 1873. 



Plasmodium maroon-red (Lister). Total height about 1 mm. 

 Sporangia gregarious, globose, 0.3 to 0.4 mm. diam., nearly 

 smooth, bright purplish red, stalked; sporangial wall membranous, 

 with innate clusters of purplish red lime-granules. Stalk erect, 

 slender, subulate, rugulose, translucent, concolorous. Columella 

 none. Capillitium a loose network of slender, pale lilac threads, 

 with large, irregularly branching, purplish red lime-knots. Spores 

 reddish lilac or reddish brown, minutely spinulose, 7-10 /x diam. 



Type locality: Ceylon. 



H.VBIT.VT: On dead leaves. 



Distribution: Florida. 



Illustration: Lister, Mycetozoa ed. 3. pi. 27. 



Distinguished from P. pidcherrimum by the more reddish 

 color; the translucent stalk; the loose capillitium, with angular, 

 branching lime-knots; and the absence of a columella. It is 

 smaller than P. Newtoni; the wall is much smoother; the color is 

 brighter; and the capillitium is not firmly attached to the spo- 

 rangial wall. 



