HEMITRICHIA 297 



or reddish, metallic, changing to a deep brown in older specimens, 

 often with lavender or rose tints; hypothallus dark brown, common 

 to a cluster of sporangia; stipe 0.1-1 mm. tall, brown, hollow, the 

 cavity filled with spore-like cells ; peridium evanescent above, breaking 

 away until only a shallow disk-like calyculus remains, or sometimes 

 persistent as four or five lobes where sporangia have been crowded; 

 capillitium concolorous, somewhat elastic, forming a loose net, with 

 bulbous thickenings and free ends more or less frequent, threads 

 3-5 ju wide, marked with three or four spirals, these often obscure on 

 the inside of curves and sometimes elsewhere, and projecting on the 

 outside of curves to form pointed protuberances; spores pallid, globose, 

 nearly smooth, often marked with very fine papillae appearing like 

 concentric stippling under an oil immersion objective, with occasional 

 larger warts, 6-8 ix. 



Mr. Lister placed this species in Arcyria because of the indistinct- 

 ness of the spirals in parts of the capillitium, the somewhat elastic 

 capillitium and the persistent calyculus. In our material the spiral 

 markings are usually quite distinct and present on the greater part of 

 the capillitium. Since a persistent calyculus and a somewhat elastic 

 capillitium characterize some hemitrichias as well as arcyrias it seems 

 that the present species, while undoubtedly a border form, may best 

 be retained in Hemitrichia. 



Uncommon. Nova Scotia to Ontario and Washington, south to 

 Mexico; Europe, southern Asia, Japan, Fiji. 



5. Hemitrichia imperialis Lister 



Trans. Brit. Myc. Soc. 14 : 226. 1929. 



Sporangia clustered, short-stalked or sessile, cylindrical, curved, 

 0.8-1.5 mm. tall, pale copper colored, fading to dull tawny yellow; 

 sporangium walls more or less persistent, nearly smooth or marked 

 with transverse wrinkles below; stalk nearly black, attaining 0.3 mm., 

 filled with spore-like cells; capillitium of sparsely branched, flexuose 

 threads, 4-4.5 n broad, unattached to the sporangium walls and with 

 few free ends, marked with three or four prominent, sinistrorse, 

 smooth or spiny spiral bands; spores pale copper colored or dull yellow 

 in mass, smooth or marked with a few faint scattered warts, 6.5-7 /x. 

 Plasmodium milk-white. 



Obviously close to H. stipata. 



Japan. 



