CRIBRARIACE.E 203 



United States. British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Montana, 

 Maine, Pennsylvania, South Carolina; Europe, Tasmania. 



Order LICEALES 

 True capillitium none or rarely scantily developed (except in genus 

 Alwisia) ; pseudocapillitium present or absent, when present, of tubules 

 or perforated plates which sometimes fray out into threads; spores 

 pallid or brown, rarely dark. 



KEY TO FAMILIES OF LICEALES 



a. Sporangium wall membranous, often falling away between net- 

 like thickenings; sporangium and spores clotted with plasmodic 



granules Cribrariacejs 



a. Sporangial wall not netted; plasmodic granules lacking b 



b. Sporangia separate, sometimes more or less plasmodio- 



carpous Liceace^e 



b. Sporangia densely massed, usually forming a pseudo- 



aethalium; or fructification a true aethalium c 



c. Sporangia closely appressed, but with walls entire; individual 



sporangia dehiscent at apex Tubiferace^; 



c. Fructification either a true asthalium or a pseudo-aethalium in 

 which the sporangial walls disappear at maturity; dehiscence 



typically irregular " 



d. Pseudocapillitium thread-like or of perforated, frayed or 



fragmentary plates; spores ochraceous or umber ReticulariacEjE 



d. Pseudocapillitium of colorless branched tubes; spores 



pinkish or pallid Lycogalace*: 



Family CRIBRARIACE.E 



Sporangium wall membranous, dotted with microscopic plasmodic 

 granules; continuous or more typically with net-like thickenings in the 

 upper portion, the remainder fugacious; capillitium entirely absent. 



The distinctive character of this family is to be found in conspicuous 

 dark granules found both in the plasmodium and in the fructifications. 

 The place of capillitium is taken, except in Lindbladia, by the net-like 

 thickenings of the peridium wall, left when the thinner portions of the 

 wall disappear, and serving to hold the spherical central mass of 

 spores while permitting their gradual liberation. The plasmodium is 

 often brilliantly colored— violet, purple, blue, green, brown or black. 

 The species occur more commonly on coniferous wood. 



KEY TO THE GENERA OF THE CRIBRARIACE^ 



a. iEthalioid, the net lacking 1. Lindbladia 



a. Sporangia separate, stalked or very rarely sessile; net present b 



b. Main threads of net short, connected by numerous expanded 



no d es 2. Cribraria 



b. Main threads of net parallel, extending from base to apex, con- 

 nected by delicate filaments 3. Dictydium 



