ASCOBOLUS 83 



2. Ascobolus immersus Pers. Obs. Myc. 1: 35. 1796. (Plate 



7, fk;. 5.) 



Ascobolus macrosporus Crouan, Ann. Sci. Nat. I\\ 7: 173. 1857. 

 Ascobolus gigasporus De-Not. Comm. Critt. Ital. 1: 360. 1863. 



Apothecia minute, scattered or thickly gregarious, but not 

 usually crowded, at first immersed or partially immersed in the 

 substratum, expanding and becoming subturbinate, not exceeding 

 12 mm. in diameter, externally greenish-yellow, becoming 

 brownish, pilose; hymenium plane or more often convex, similar 

 in color to the outside of the apothecium; asci comparatively few 

 to each plant, very large, clavate, at maturity projecting half 

 their length above the surface of the hymenium, 3-10 appearing 

 at one time and easily visible with the hand-lens as several black, 

 spike-like protuberances, reaching a length of 500-600 m and a 

 diameter of 90-100 /x, 8-spored but often with only a part of 

 the spores developed; spores very large, 2-seriate or irregularly 

 disposed, broad-ellipsoid and each surrounded by a hyaline, 

 mucilaginous envelope, at first hyaline, then violet, finally brown, 

 becoming sculptured, 20-35 X 50-70 m; spore-sculpturing taking 

 the form of sparse reticulations, consisting of one to several 

 anastomosing bands which extend from one end of the spore to 

 the other or diagonally across its surface; paraphyses very 

 slender, scarcely enlarged above and embedded in a greenish- 

 yellow mucilaginous substance. 



On dung of various kinds, especially after it has weathered 

 for a long time. 



Type locality: Europe. 



Distribution: New York to Colorado and Bermuda, prob- 

 ably throughout North America; also in Europe. 



Illustr.\tioxs: Ann. Sci. Nat. IV. 7: pi. 4, f. B, 5-8; Ann. 

 Sci. Nat. V. 10: pi. S, f. 17; Rab. Krypt.-Fl. T': 1112, /. 4-5; 

 Bull. Lab. Nat. Hist. State Univ. Iowa 6: pi. 31, f. 1; Bull. 

 Torrey Club 39: pi. 11, f. 20-25; Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. HI. 15: 

 pi. 17, f. 33; E. & P. Nat. Pfl. 1^: 192,/. 154, D-F. 



3. Ascobolus glaber Pers. in Romer's Neues Mag. Bot. 1: 115. 



1794. 



Apothecia scattered or gregarious, at first subglobose, be- 

 coming short-cylindric, finally expanded and more or less discoid, 

 tapering below into a stem-like base, reaching a diameter of 

 0.5 to 1 mm., externally greenish-yellow, smooth; hymenium 



