Stemonitis. 81 



wholly falling away; capillitium brown or blackish-brown, 

 forming an intricate network ; stem slender, smooth, black, 

 penetrating the capillitium as a columella, and extending nearly 

 or quite to the apex, the free portion about equal in length 

 to one-half the altitude of the entire plant; spores globose, 

 smooth, violet-black, '0003' '00035' in diameter ( = about 

 8-9 p). 



Gomatricha aequalis, Peck, 31st Report of State Mus., N. Y., 

 p. 42 ; Sacc., Syll., n. 1360. 



Decaying wood. Catskill Mountains. Sept. 



In colour this species is almost exactly like Stemonitis fusca, 

 from which its more lax habit, proportionally longer stem and 

 different capillitium separate it. The larger size, both of the 

 plant itself and of the spores, will separate it from ComatricJia 

 typliina. The length of the stem and of the capillitium are 



nearly equal, hence the specific name. (Peck.) 

 r 



Stemonitis tenerrima, B. and C. 



Gregarious ; sporangia cylindrical, base and apex very obtuse, 

 wall thin, blackish-purple, iridescent, evanescent; stem about 

 equal in length to sporangium, filiform, blackish, sub-equal; 

 columella reaching nearly or quite to apex of sporangium ; 

 primary branches short, breaking up into a network, the meshes 

 becoming smaller towards the periphery where they equal the 

 spores in diameter, the threads taper towards the periphery; 

 spores in the mass black with violet tinge, globose, smooth, 

 13 14 p, diameter. 



Stemonitis tenerrima, Berk, and Curt., Grev., vol. ii., p. 69. 

 (Type in Herb. Berk., Kew, n. 10831.) 



On wood. Lower Carolina. 



Distinguished by the small size 3'5 4 mm., cylindrical 

 sporangium, and the large, smooth spores. 



Whether the present species is identical with "Stemonitis 

 tenerrima Curtis in Sill., Journ., 1. c., p. 349 (1848)," as quoted 

 by Rostafinski, Mon., Append., p. 27, I have no means of 

 determining. 



G 



