1^6 Cincinnati Society of Natural History. 



mose very irregularly, forming a ragged network with large 

 irregular meshes, and long free extremities ; the capillitium 

 of adjoining columellas being much entangled, and often con- 

 fluent or grown together. Spores globose, very minutely 

 warted, brown, 7-9 mic. in diameter. 



Growing on old wood and bark of Oak, Willow, etc. The 

 component sporangia 5-10 mm. in length. The early appear- 

 ance is much like that of species of Stemonitis, but the 

 mature stage is a great mass of spores with scanty capillitium, 

 as in Reticularia ; the columellas, however, are genuine and 

 not adjacent portions of wall grown together. Arthur Lister 

 calls this Sirmonitis sploidetis, var. flaccida. 



IV. STEMONITIS, Gled. Sporangia subcylindric, elon- 

 gated, stipitate, standing close together on a well-developed 

 common hypothallus, the wall very thin and evanescent. 

 Stipe brown or black, smooth and shining, tapering upward, 

 entering the sporangium and prolonged nearly to the apex as 

 a slender columella, the stipe shorter than the columella. 

 Capillitium arising from numerous points of the columella 

 throughout its entire length ; the threads immediately branch 

 and anastomose to form an interior network of large meshes, 

 they then spread out next the wall of the sporangium into a 

 superficial network of smaller meshes. vSpores globo.se, 

 brown or violaceous. 



In this genus there are two distinctly differentiated series 

 in the capillitium, the one an interior supporting network of 

 large meshes, the other a superficial network of smaller 

 meshes; sometimes the superficial network disappears or is 

 wanting toward the upper ]iart of the capillitium, there is 

 then an approach to Comatricha. \'ery minute scattered 

 branchlets usually connect the superficial network with the 

 wall of the sporangium. 



>^i. DicTVNNA. Threads of the capillitium arising from 

 numerous points of the columella, immediately branching 

 several times and anastomosing to form the interior network 

 of large meshes ; the superficial network consisting of small 

 irregular and unequal meshes, varying from smaller than the 

 spores to two or three times their diameter. 



