236 PRACTICAL BOTANY 



D. CLEISTOCARPOUS ASCOMYCETES 

 ETJROTIUM ASPERGILLUS GLAUCUS 



I. Keep a slice of dry bread under a bell-glass, until it 

 becomes mouldy. Even a superficial examination of it will 

 show in most cases that more than one kind of Mould is present. 

 Among the rest the most prominent will probably be one which 

 bears roundish, white or pale green heads closely aggregated, 

 and borne on stalks of about one-sixteenth of an inch in length : 

 this is the conidial form of Eurotium Aspergilhts glaucus, 

 and the branches bearing the heads are styled the conidio- 

 phores. 



Shake some of these gently with the point of a needle : numer- 

 ous minute powdery bodies (the conidia) will be liberated, and 

 will float away as a fine cloud. 



II. From a pure patch of this green Mould remove a small 

 portion with a needle, avoiding mechanical roughness as much 

 as possible : lay it on a slide, moisten with a single drop of 

 alcohol, then add water, and cover gently with a cover-slip. 

 Examine it under a low power, and observe 



1. The stalked conidiophores, with large, mop-like heads. 



2. Attached to these, the colourless tangled mycelium from 

 which they spring. 



3. The innumerable detached conidia which will be found 

 thickly distributed throughout the preparation. 



Having selected one of the largest of the conidiophores, 

 examine it in detail under a high power, noting especially 



I. The robust stalk, usually without septa : its wall is clearly 

 defined, and the protoplasmic contents granular and vacuo- 

 lated. 



