COMATRICHA 1 65 



slender, free or sometimes uniting to form an imperfect surface- 

 net in the lower half. Spores pale lilac-brown, marked with 3 to 

 5 prominent, dark warts or clusters of warts on the hemisphere, 

 otherwise smooth or faintly warted, 6-7 n diam. (Plate 15, 

 FIG. 8.) 



Var. similis Lister, Mycetozoa ed. 2. 158. 1911. 



Similar to the typical form but the sporangial wall evanescent 

 early and not apparent, and without the silvery sheath on the 

 stalk; capillitium with an uneven surface-net below. 



Type locality: France. 



Habitat: On dead wood. 



Distribution: Common and abundant throughout North 

 America; var. similis not so common. 



Illustration: Lister, Mycetozoa ed. 3. pi. 125, figs. a-c. 



When the spores are observed in water under a cover glass, the 

 dark warts will be seen more distinctly on the edges of the spores 

 as they roll around; this character identifies all phases of the 

 species, as it is not found in any other species of the genus Coma- 

 tricha. Var. similis is well marked, and a constant form. From 

 C. subcaespitosa the latter is distinguished by the longer stalks 

 and the spore-characters. 



13. Comatricha pulchella (Bab.) Rost. Mon. App. 27. 1876. 



Stemonitis pulchella Bab.; Berk. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 6: 431. 1841. 



Plasmodium watery white (Lister). Total height 0.7 to 1.5 

 mm. Sporangia scattered, inversely obovoid or cylindrical, 

 stalked, lilac or rufous brown; sporangial wall evanescent. 

 Stalk black, 0.2 to 0.5 mm. high, rising from a circular, mem- 

 branous hypothallus. Columella reaching nearly to the apex of 

 the sporangium. Capillitium a network of flexuose, anastomos- 

 ing, brown threads, springing from all parts of the columella, 

 looped at the surface, with few ends. Spores pale lilac-brown, 

 minutely but distinctly warted, 6-8 yu diam. 



\'ar. fusca Lister, Jour. Bot. 35: 215. 1897. 



Sporangia as in the typical form, but with more rigid, pur- 

 plish brown capillitium and pale grayish brown spores. 



Var. gracilis (Wingate) Lister, Mycetozoa ed. 2. 156. 1911. 

 Comatricha gracilis Wingate; Ellis & Everh. N. Am. Fung. no. 2094. 1888. 

 (N. Y. B. G. no, 7603, type material.) 



