163 



The following Schweinitzian species, apparently referable to the 

 Trichosphmriem, are doubtful : Sphmria setosa, Schw. Syn. N. Am. 

 1533; Sphmria cladosporiosa, Schw. Syn, N. Am. 1530; Sphmria 

 inconstans, Schw. Syn. N. Am. 1564; Sphmria aggregata, Schw. 

 Syn. N. Am. 1561. These are not in the Herbarium at Philadelphia, 

 but specc. in Herb. Berk., examined by Cooke, were without fruit. 



FAMILY. MELANOMMEiE. 



Stroma none. Perithecia superficial, generally of firm texture, 

 woody, corky or carbonaceous, seldom coriaceous or exceptionally sub- 

 membranaeeous, mostly glabrous, but sometimes bristly or surrounded 

 by a conidiophorous or sterile subiculum. 



ROSELLINIA, Ces. & De Not 



Schema Sferiacei, p. 53. 



Perithecia typically superficial, but also with their lower part 

 more or less sunk in the matrix, coriaceous or often er carbonaceous 

 and brittle, spherical or ovate, black, bare or bristly ; ostiolum distinct. 

 Asci cylindrical, 8-spored. Sporidia elliptical, oblong or fusiform, one- 

 celled, brown or black. Paraphyses filiform. 



A . Perithecia large, seated on a subiculum. 



R. aquila. (Fr.) 



Sph&ria aquila, Fr. S. M. II, p. 442. 

 Sphcsria byssiseda, b. Tode. Meckl. Fungi II, p. 10. 

 Rosellinia aquila, de Not. Sferiacei Ital. p. 21. 

 Exsicc. Fckl. F. Rh. 964, 1061. Rab. Herb. Mycol. 648. id. F. F. 1616. Rehm Asc. 538. 

 EH. N. A. F. 181. Sydow M. March. 1248, 1550. Speg. Hong. Sud. Araer. No. 59. 

 Plowr. Sph. Brit. 61. 



Perithecia gregarious or crowded, sometimes confluent, globose, 

 with a distinct, black, conic-papilliform ostiolum, dark brown, with a 

 thin, brown, tomentose coat at first, but finally bare. Seated on a loosely 

 felted, thick, purplish-brown, cottony subiculum by which they are at 

 first nearly enveloped, but which, finally, to a greater or less extent, 

 disappears. The perithecia are 1-1 1 mm. diam., with an outer, rather 

 thick but brittle carbonaceous wall, and an inner coriaceous one. Asci 

 cylindrical with a tolerably long stipe, p. sp. 100-130x8-10 /i, with 

 obscure paraphyses. Sporidia uniseriate, oblong-cymbiform, continu- 

 ous, dark brown, 16-27 x 6-9 //, with or without a short, mostly obtuse, 

 hyaline apiculus (2-2 J fi long) at each end. 



Common on decaying fallen limbs. 



