254 



THE LOWER FUNGI— PHYCOMYCETES 



1. Dicranophora Schroter (Jahresb. Schles. Gesell. Vaterl. Culiur, 

 64: 184, 1886). 



Mycelium imbedded in or creeping over the substratum, giving 

 rise to erect, sparingly septate sporangiophores bearing sporangia 

 and sporangiola (Fig. 89); sporangiophore simple or branched, 

 when simple terminated by a single large many-spored spo- 

 rangium; several such sporangia sometimes formed on a single 

 sporangiophore as the result of cymose branching ; sporangiophores 

 usually provided with lateral branches, which divide repeatedly 



Fig. 89. — Dicranophora fulva Schroter. (a) Sporangiola. (h) Spore from 

 sporangiolum. (c) Sporangiophore bearing one sporangium and several spo- 

 rangiola. (d) Sporangium. (After Schroter 1893.) 



in a dichotomous fashion, the ultimate branchlets being ter- 

 minated by small few-spored sporangiola; large sporangium 

 provided with a central, conical columella, and containing many 

 small ellipsoidal spores unusually variable in size; sporangiolum 

 containing only one or two large reniform spores and lacking a 

 columella; zygospores globose, naked, formed from very unequal 

 gametangia. 



When the sporangiolum falls away the tip of the sporangio- 

 phore is seen to be provided with two or three incurved claw-like 

 projections. These have been erroneously regarded by various 

 workers as constituting a columella. Their true nature is eluci- 

 dated by Vuillemin (1907: 33). 



