VINEGAR PLANT. 



[ 680 ] 



VOLUTELLA. 



ism. In some cases where we kept an ex- 

 hausted liquid in the dark for some months, 

 the acidity of the vinegar disappeared, the 

 gelatinous layer became greatly condensed, 

 and assumed a bright crimson tint ; and re- 

 mained as a dull red membranous film, some- 

 what like a smear of blood, when dried upon 

 paper. 



From the above observations it would ap- 

 pear that the vinegar plant consists of the 

 mycelium of Penicillium glaucum, vegetating 

 actively and increasing also by crops of co- 

 nidia or gemmae. This opinion is enter- 

 tained by Turpin, Berkeley and other ob- 

 servers ; and the various genera and species 

 founded on the different forms of structure 

 occurring in it, cannot be entertained; among 

 these are Ulvina, Kiitz., and species of Uygro- 

 crocis, Leptomitus, &c. But the moniliform 

 growth is at the same time scarcely distin- 

 guishable from the Yeast plant by any satis- 

 factory characters, and repeated observations 

 strongly impress us with the idea, that these 

 objects are all referable to one species ; the 

 vinegar plant being the form of vegetative 

 growth taking place at low or ordinary tempe- 

 ratures in highly saccharine liquids, while 

 the true Yeast plant or Torula is formed in 

 the more rapid fermentation taking place at 

 more elevated temperatures. Another cir- 

 cumstance, mentioned under PENICILLIUM, 

 is, that we have found stale beer-grounds 

 kept at a rather low temperature, always 

 ultimately acquire a gelatinous crust, on 

 which Penicillium-fruit becomes developed. 



In connexion with this subject may be 

 mentioned the objects called Cryptococcus 

 glutinis, Fres., and the "blood on bread," 

 which appear nearly related to the red-co- 

 loured condition of the vinegar plant above 

 mentioned. These are possibly merely forms 

 of the same plant ; indeed we have observed 

 on some flour paste partially covered with 

 Penicillium glaucum, small circular patches 

 of a crimson tint, which under the micro- 

 scope were found to consist wholly of minute 

 elliptical bodies, generally exhibiting two in- 

 ternal granules or " nuclei," and exactly re- 

 sembling the articulations of some of the 

 moniliform structures of the vinegar plant, 

 which readily separate into their component 

 cells. All these phenomena require further 

 investigation, to which long-continued and 

 constant observation must be applied in order 

 to ascertain with certainty the relation the 

 different objects bear to each other. It is a 

 kind of research occupying much time and 

 demanding great care arid patience, but cal- 



culated to repay the trouble far better than 

 the amassing of isolated characters of forms 

 seen at different periods and under special 

 conditions. Further particulars concerning 

 various points treated in this article will be 

 found under the heads FERMENTATION, 

 OIDIUM, PENICILLIUM, TORULA and 

 YEAST. 



BIBL. Turpin, Mem. de Vlnstitut, xvii. 

 p. 135; Berkeley, Journ.Hort.Soc.iii. p. 91 ; 

 Lindley's Medic, fy Econ. Bot. p. 17; Fre- 

 senius, Beitr. z. Mycol. heft 2. p. 77- 



VITREOUS HUMOUR OR BODY. See 

 EYE (p. 255). 



VITT^E, of the valves of the Diato- 

 maceae. These are internal projections or 

 inflections of the valves, forming imperfect 

 septa ; they appear as dark lines, visible 

 under ordinary illumination. 



VITT^E. See SECRETING ORGANS of 

 plants. 



VOLUTELLA, Fr. A genus of Stilbacei 

 (Hyphomycetous Fungi), comprising several 

 species of parasites which have been variously 

 distributed. The plants consist of minute 

 fleshy papillae (stromatd) of cellular struc- 

 ture, the surface of which is clothed with 

 elliptic, oblong or fusiform stylospores, from 

 between which project long jointed hairs 

 (fig. 811) traversing the stroma. It may be 



Fig. 811. 



Volutella Buxi. 

 Magnified 20 diams. 



desirable to give the synonymy of these plants 

 according to Berkeley and Broome. 



1. V. ciliata, Fr. (Psilonia rosea,Br. Fl.). 

 Whitish or rosy ; on potatoes. 



2. V. Buxi, Berk, and Br. (Fusisporium 

 Buxi, Br. Fl.,and ChcetostromaBusci,Cord&). 

 White ; on dry box leaves (fig. 811). 



3. V. setosa, B. and Br. (Psilonia setosa, 

 Br. Fl., JEgerita setosa, Greville). White, on 

 wood and herbaceous stems. 



4. V. hyacinthorum, B. and Br. (PsiL hya- 

 cinthorum, Br. Fl.). White, stipitate; on 

 hyacinths grown in water. 



5. V. melaloma, B. and Br. Orange, with 

 black hairs ; on sedges. 



