ASCOMYCETES EUASCI PERI SPORI ALES 



273 



Poisonous properties. This species is abundant and often causes serious 

 trouble; it certainly renders the hay nearly worthless to be fed to animals. 

 It often, no doubt, gives rise to a stomatitis such as is described for other 

 fungi. 



HYPOCREALES 



Perithecia spherical or ellipsoidal, with an ostiolum ; stroma when present 

 variously colored, reddish, yellow, never black or hard. 



Fig. 95. Various species of Cordyceps. 1. C. ophioglossoides. 2. C. militaris, a 

 Stroma on a caterpillar (c). 3. Stroma on a fruiting form of Elaphomyces_ granulatus. 

 3. Ascospore x 200. 4. Conidiophore x 350. 5. Conidia of C. opkioglossoides. 6. C. 

 cinerea on a beetle (c). 7. C. Taylori on a caterpillar (c). a in all figures sterile, b 

 fertile part of the Stroma. 1 and 6 after Lindau. 3-5 after Brefeld. 



HYPOCREACEAE 



Simple or compound; perithecia somewhat coriaceous, never black; bright 

 colored, opening by a subcentral ostiolum, stroma soft, waxy, or occasionally 

 cottony. A very numerous family containing many species. Contains the genera 

 Nectria, of 250 species, some being parasitic upon trees ; the Gibberella and the 

 Hypocrea upon barks of trees, etc., Cordyceps, parasitic upon various insects, 

 C. militaris being found upon Lepidotera, the conidial stage of which is Isaria 

 farinosa, the C. Ravenelii upon the larvae of the June beetle; Polystigma 

 rubrum, parasitic upon the plum; Epichloe typhina, the so-called Cat-tail 

 fungus found upon various species of grass, especially timothy and orchard 

 grass. Contains also the Gibberella Saubinetii, a parasite on wheat, which is a 

 stage of Fusarium roseum described later in this work. 



