NATURAL HISTORY BULLETIN. 28 1 



clavate; sporidia elliptical, violet then brown, reticulate, 10 

 to 12 by 22 to 25 microns; paraphyses very slender, often 

 branched. 



Habitat — Found growing on horse dung on which Lasiob- 

 o/us was abundant in a culture in the laboratory. 



These plants which are from 1 to 2 mm. in diameter were 

 found growing sparingly on the material described above. 

 When growing they appear as small, spherical, shining dots 

 but removed from the substratum, they are found to be pyri- 

 form, the lower part of the plant being immersed. The 

 sporidia of this species are similar in size to those of Ascobolus 

 furfuraceus Pers. but are easily distinguished by their surface 

 markings. The sporidia of Ascobolus furfuraceus are marked 

 by a few branching reticulations which are for the most part 

 longitudinal while in Ascobolus glaber they may extend in 

 any direction and are very much more numerous, giving the 

 entire surface of the sporidia a roughened appearance. 



Ascobolus immersus Pers. 

 Plate PVI, fig. i. 



1801 Ascobolus immersus Persoon, Syn. Fung., II, p. 677. 



1823 Ascobolus immersus Fries, Syst. Myc. , p. 164. 



1833 Ascobolus immersus Link, Handbk. , III, p. 164. 



1871 Ascobolus immersus Cooke, Handbk. of Brit. Fung., II, p. 728. 



1887 Ascobolus immersus Phillips, Brit. Disc, p. 292. 



1889 Ascobolus immersus Saccardo, Sylloge Fung. , VIII, p. 523. 



1897 Ascobolus immersus Engler-Prantl, Pflan. Farnil. , I, p. 193. 



Immersed or partly immersed, very small, about 1 to 2 mm. 

 in diameter, appearing hemispherical or pyriform, yellowish 

 brown, coated externally with numerous hyaline, septate, 

 flexuose hairs; hymenium shining; asci very large broad, and 

 clavate, when mature, much elongated and exserted; sporidia 

 very large, elliptical, or oblong-elliptic, violet, then brown, 

 each inclosed in a hyaline membrane, nucleus visible when 

 young, when mature marked with longitudinal, branching, 

 reticulations, 50 to 60 by 20 to 32 microns;paraphyses filiform, 

 simple or branched. 



