STILBOSPORA. 



[ 730 ] 



STING. 



cells and spores borne singly on the apices 

 of free filaments, forming a gelatinous mass. 

 Some of the Fungi here included are hete- 

 rogeneous and imperfectly studied; for 

 example, Tubercularia and Fusarinm are 

 apparently only imperfect states of other 

 Fungi, while the more distinct genera ap- 

 pear to be referable to the family Dematiei. 



Synopsis of British Genera. 



Stilbitm. Receptacle stalked at the base? 

 clavate or capitate at the summit, com- 

 posed of coalesceut, densely crowded, paral- 

 lel filaments ; spores simple, arising singly 

 at the apices of free filaments. 



Atractium. Stem firm. Head subglo- 

 bose ; spores fusiform, elongated. 



Mi/rothecium. Receptacle at length mar- 

 ginate. Spores diffluent, oblong, forming a 

 fiat or slightly convex, dark green stratum. 



Tubercularia. Receptacle wart-shaped, 

 globular or stalked, fleshy, composed of 

 continuous sterile, and thread-like beaded 

 fertile filaments. Finally indurated, floe- 

 cose, with the spores scattered over it, or 

 falling into powder. 



Periola. Receptacle cellular, sessile; 

 fertile filaments abbreviated, torulose, mixed 

 with septate lax sterile filaments. 



Volutella. Receptacle wart-like, cellular, 

 compact, with long, rigid bristles; spores 

 spindle-shaped, septate, on continuous short 

 filaments, arising all over the receptacle. 



Fusarium. Receptacle wart-like, cellular, 

 gelatinous; spores spindle-shaped, simple, 

 somewhat curved, borne on simple filaments 

 arising all over the receptacle, and forming 

 a discoid stratum. 



Illosporium. Receptacle wart-shaped, 

 subgelatinous, diffluent; spores simple, pel- 

 lucid, generally with a hyaline envelope, 

 borne on short filaments. 



Epicoccum. Receptacle wart-shaped, cel- 

 lular, for the most part seated on an effused 

 patch ; spores four-sided, cellular, attached 

 sillily to very short, continuous filaments. 



jEgerita, Spores irregular, disposed in 

 short moniliforni threads at the apices of 

 flexuous, branched, radiating, compacted 

 peduncles. 



BIBL. Berkeley, Crypt. Botany, 311. 



STILBOS'PORA, Pers. A supposed 

 genus of Melanconiei (Stylosporous Fungi), 

 but apparently only consisting of stylospo- 

 rous fruits of SphceritR. These grow upon 

 wood, sticks, &c., breaking forth on the 

 surface without any distinct peritheciuni, 



Fig. 700. 



consisting of a nucleus 

 composed of aggluti- 

 nated (septate) stylo- 

 spores (see SPIIJERIA). 

 BIBL. Berk. 1>: 

 Flor. ii. pt. 2. 356; 

 An. N. II. vi. 355; 



Hooker's Jtl. of But. Stilbosporamacrosperma. 



iii. 322; Fries, Sum .Group of eonceptack-s 



breaking forth on a fi-ag- 

 O f 



menfc O fwood; nat. size. 



. Z. Myc. ii. 63 ; The detached spores on 

 Till a n P An ffr Nut the right-hand magnified 



luiasne, An. be. A at. 160 aS inetew> 

 4. v. 109. 



STIL'BUM, Tode. A genus of Stilbacei 

 (Hyphomycetotis Fungi), containing a con- 

 siderable number of species, forming little 

 shining mildews, sometimes brightly 

 coloured, on decaying wood, herbaceous 

 plants, fungi, c. The stalk-like stroma is 

 sometimes villous, sometimes glabrous and 

 rigid, sometimes pellucid and soft; it is 

 formed of conjoined filaments, the free ends 

 of which bear the spores in a capitulum, 

 which finally exhibits a gelatinous cha- 

 racter. 



BIBL. Berk. Brit. Fl. ii. pt. 2. 330 ; Ann. 

 N. H. vi. 432, pi. 12 ; ib. 2. v. 465; Fries, 

 Sum. Veq. 469. 



STILOPH'ORA, J. Ag. A genus of 

 Sporochnaceae (Fucoid Algae), included by 

 some authors among the Dictyotaceae. There 

 are two British species, S. rhizodes and S. 

 Lyngbyei, characterized by a branched, fili- 

 form, at first solid, afterwards tubular frond, 

 the former 6 to 24", the latter 2 to 4" long, 

 arising from a small naked disk. The fruc- 

 tification consists of little wart-like bodies 

 scattered all over the frond, composed of 

 tufts of moniliforni filaments, at the bases 

 of which are attached either pyriform uni- 

 locular, or tubular septate sp oranges. Thu- 

 ret states that the specimens of S. rhizodes 

 found a certain distance above low-water 

 mark appear mostly to bear septate, those 

 always under water simple sporanges, and 

 those in an intermediate position exhibit 

 both. The plants of the first kind are of 

 paler colour than those of the second. 



BIBL. Harvey, Mar. Ale/. 39, pi. 7 C ; 

 Greville, Alg. Brit. pi. 6; thuret, Ann. So. 

 Nat. 3. xiv. 238, pi. 38. 



STING OF INSECTS. The well-known 

 sting of the females or so-called neuters of 

 Hymenopterous Insects, as the honey-bee, 

 the humble-bee, the hornet, the wasp, &c., 

 appears to the naked eye to be a single 

 needle-like organ ; but when examined un- 

 der the microscope, it is seen to consist of 

 3B2 



