146 ENDOSPOREAE [STEMONITIS 



from a well-developed silvery or purplish hypothallus. 

 Columella reaching to near the apex of the sporangium, rigid. 

 Capillitium of purplish-brown threads, the principal branches 

 springing at distant intervals from the columella, at first 

 almost simple, suddenly branching to form a smooth superficial 

 net with rounded variously shaped meshes 20 to 70 p 

 wide. Spores pale reddish-purple, nearly smooth, or 

 minutely and closely warted, 7 to 9 p diam. — Torrend Fl. 

 Myx., 141. Stemonitis Morgani Peck in Bot. Gaz., v. 

 33 (1880); Mass. Mon., 86; Macbride N. Am. Slime- 

 Moulds, 118. S. maxima Mass. {non Schwein.) I.e., 74. 

 S. Bauerlinii. Mass., see Rex in Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil. 

 1890, 36 ; Mass. I.e., 79 (1892). S. acuminata Mass. I.e., 78. 

 S. fenestrata Macbr. I.e., 119. 



Var. 1. — Webberi Lister : sporangia stiff, erect ; superficial 

 net complete, with meshes 80 to 100 p wide. — S. Webberi Rex 

 in Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil., 1891, 390 ; Macbr. I.e., 120. 



Var. 2. — flaccida Lister : plasmodium white or pale yellow ; 

 sporangia weak, adhering to each other ; capillitium lax, 

 scarcely forming a superficial net ; membranous flakes of 

 sporangium- wall always present. — Comatricha flaccida Morg. 

 Myx. Miami Valley 51 (1894); Macbr. I.e., 133. Stemonitis 

 Tubulina Alb. & Schw. Consp. Fung., 102 (1805) ? Dermo- 

 dium fallax Nees Syst., 109, f. 103 (1816). Jundzilla Tubulina 

 Racib. in Hedw., xxvi. Ill (1887). 



PI. 121. — a. b. c. sporangia ; d. capillitium of specimen from Texas quoted by 

 Rostaflnski ; e. capillitium with membranous expansion, from Cuban specimen quoted 

 by Rostaflnski ; /. capillitium of S. Morgani Peck ; g. sporangia of var. flaccida ; 

 h. capillitium of same, with a persistent flake of the sporangium-wall ; i. spore. 



The typical form of this species does not appear to be common in 

 Europe ; it is plentiful in India, America, Australia, and the Pacific 

 Islands, from which regions there are numerous specimens in the 

 Strassburg, British Museum and Kew collections, which were classed 

 under S. fusca until Rostaflnski detected the specific characters and 

 gave the name of S. splendens. The capillitium in this species exhibits 

 wide differences, but the spores are remarkably constant in colour, 

 size, and in the minute, evenly distributed warts, which are sometimes 

 scarcely apparent even when magnified 1,000 diam. The evanescent 

 sporangium-wall appears to be at first continuous with the super- 

 ficial net of the capillitium and is not merely attached by short spines 

 projecting from the net as in S. fusca. This character is illustrated by 

 a remarkable form described by Dr. Rex (in Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil., 

 1890, 36) under the name S. Bauerlinii Mass.,/. fenestrata. He records 

 the appearance of successive growths of the Stemonitis at considerable 

 intervals of time on a limited area of a decaying log, apparently from 

 one original source. Through the courtesy of Dr. Rex the gatherings are 

 represented in the mountings in the British Museum. In mounting (a) 

 the sporangium-wall is persistent, forming a sheath perforated by circular 

 or oval openings 10 to 20 p wide, or in other words the superficial net is 

 expanded to form a perforated wall to the sporangium. Mounting (6) 



