60 ACROTHECIUM PENNISETI 
in glucose agar and can be picked up and transferred to culture 
tubes. 
(a) Germination of conidia and growth of fungus in distilled water. The 
spores readily germinate in distilled water. Fresh spores begin to give out 
germ tubes aiter one or two hours from placing in water (Plate II, fig. 3a; and 
Plate LI, figs. 6—10). Germ tubes protrude either from one end or from both. 
The tube is swollen at the base, hyaline and sparingly septate in the beginning. 
Sometimes two germ tubes come out from two points in one extremity 
(Plate IT, fig. 6) or a single germ tube which at once bifurcates. The hyphe 
elongate, branch and anastomose, and form a net-work of mycelium which 
only sometimes produces spores in water. These spores are smaller in size than 
those produced in culture tubes. In hanging drop cultures either a very few 
or none at all germinate. Probably this has something to do with the supply 
of oxygen. Frequently no spore formation takes place in closed culture tubes, 
but when a little of the culture is placed on a slide with a drop of distilled water 
and is incubated, a free production of conidiophores and conidia results. This is 
probably due to a combination of free supply of oxygen and moisture together 
with a lesser amount of food. Sometimes, instead of the formation of conidia 
the tip of the conidiophore grows out into a hypha (Plate I, fig. 7). 
(b) Morphology of the fungus in culture. In ordinary nutrient glucose 
agar the fungus grows profusely. In the beginning the aerial mycelium is pale 
but it gradually changes to light pink and then to greyish brown. With the 
increased growth of the fungus the medium turns dark brown. The submerged 
and creeping hyphe are hyaline to light greyish brown in colour. The 
mycelium is septate with cells up to 7°5 w in diameter, and goes on branching 
and anastomosing and producing a large number of conidiophores at right 
angles to the main hype or at their tips (P’ate II, figs. 4—6). 
The conidiophores are deeper in colour but in diameter generally they are 
of the same size as the sterile hyphe. There is not much difference in the 
characters of the conidiophore as formed in culture from those already described 
on the host. They generally bear 2—5 conidia at their tips (Plate II, figs. 4—6) 
but sometimes only one and occasionally more than 5 are seen. In the begin- 
ning a small bud-like projection appears, this soon increases in size; septa 
develop and thus a conidium is formed. At first one appears, then another, 
and so on, till a group of 2—5 is formed. 
Frequently, on some media, a second set of conidia is formed below the tip. 
on the sides of the conidiophore, and often the conidiophore, after producing 
a group of conidia at the tip, resumes its growth, and produces another group, 
while the first group either remains adherent_or gradually gets detached, In 
