262 MR. F. CURREY ON THE FRUCTIFICATION OF COMPOUND SPHvERI^. 



3. PoRONiA. — Stroma between vertical and horizontal, suberoso-fibrous ; perithecia collected in a mar- 



ginate disk. Sporidia black. 



4. Hypocrea. — Stroma horizontal, sessile. The genus is intermediate between Cordyceps and Nectria, 



and differs from Hypoxylon precisely as Cordyceps does from Xylaria*. 



5. Hypoxylon. — Stroma horizontal, sessile, homogeneous, discrete from the matrix, covered at first 



with a floccose furfuraceous veil. Sporidia opaque. Intermediate between Xylaria and Sphteria. 



6. DiATBYPE. — Stroma formed (in part at least) from the matrix: perithecia sunk in the stroma; necks 



of the perithecia elongated and often prolonged into a beak. Sporidiai pellucid, simple, not opaque 

 or bilocular, as is common in the Hypoxyla. 



7. Valsa. — Pei'ithecia circinating with long converging necks; ostiola connate or united into a disk. 



8. Nectria. — Stroma none. Perithecia pallid, free, but often seated on a tuberculate mycelium of a 



variable nature, membranous, flaccid, brightly coloured. Sporidia 8 in an ascus, pellucid (very 

 often, I may add, uniseptate). 



9. SPH.ERIA. — Perithecia carbonaceous, blqck, superficial and bicorticate, or immersed and then of a 



thinner texture ; papillate, sometimes beaked. Asci octosporous, mixed with paraphyses, sporidia 

 normally septate or cellular, but often simple, ejected like powder. 



Div. I. Cordyceps. 



1. S. (Cordyceps) Gunnii, Berkel. Decades. The asci produce long filamentous sporidia, 



which probably eventually break up into joints, as is the case with other Sphcerice of 

 this division: the sporidia have an alga-like appearance, with an undulating or 

 horned outline ; the transverse divisions are sometimes vei-y indistinct ; each division 

 measures about 0-0002 inch. Tab. XLV. fig. 1 represents an ascus x 225 diameters ; 

 and fig. 2 a somewhat smaller ascus ruptured, with the sporidia protruding, x 450. 

 The undulating outline may be caused by the shrinking of the fruit in drying. 

 Robin, in his ' V^g^taux Parasites,' describes the spores as " courtes, tronqu^es, 

 cylindriques." 



2. S. (Cordyceps) mllitaris, L. ; Pr. S. M. p. 323. The asci produce long sporidia, which 



break up into minute joints. Tab. XLV. fig. 3 a shows an ascus X 220 ; and b a 

 portion of some of the filaments with the joints into which they divide, more highly 

 magnified. 



3. S. (Xylaria ?) plleiformis, Berkel. Tab. XLV. fig. 4, ascus and sporidia, and free 



sporidia, X 325. Sporidia uniseriate, dark reddish brown, irregularly almond-shaped, 

 0-0003 inch long. 



4. S. (Xylaria) pedtjnculata, Dicks. ; Sow. t. 437. Tab. XLV. fig. 5, ascus with sporidia, 



and free sporidia, X 225. Sporidia biseriate or uniseriate, clear brown and granular 

 at fii'st, eventually quite black, almond-shaped or elliptical, at or before matui-ity sur- 

 rounded by a gelatinous envelope, 0-0015 to 0-0018 inch long. 



5. S. (Cordyceps) entomorrsiza, Dicks. ; Fr. S. M. p. 324.. Tab. XLV. fig. 6, X 225. 



* Fries remarks (/. c), that Hypocrea is hardly distinguishable from Cordyceps, except by its stroma, but that the 

 sporidia are often uniseptate. I may add, that in many species of Hypocrea the sporidia consist of squarish or sub- 

 globose hyaline bodies, 1 6 in each ascus, exhibiting a marked departure from the fruit of any other division. 



t This description of the sporidia, although correct for a good mauy of the species, is by no means universally 

 applicable, as will be seen by reference to the figures here given of the fruit of I)iatry])e lanciformis, quercina, &c. 



