Stemonitis. 83 



Trichia alba, Sow., t. 259 (1818). 



Stemonitis obtusata, Fr. Sym. Gast., 17 (1818) ; Eng. Fl., v., 



p. 317; Cooke, Hdbk., no. 1159. 

 Comatricha obtusata, Preuss., Sturrn. (1851). 

 Comatricha alba, Preuss. in Sturm (1851). 

 Stemonitis Friesiana, De Bary (1870) ; Rabh., Fung. Eur., 



no. 568. 



Spores reticulated. 



Stemonitis longa, Mass. 



Sporangia gregarious, slender, cylindrical, straight, or usually 

 flcxuous, very long; wall evanescent; stem filiform, slender, 

 rather short, blackish ; columella, capillitium, and mass of spores 

 brmvnish-violet ; columella extending nearly to apex of sporan- 

 gium, tapering upwards; capillitium springing from the colu- 

 mella at numerous points throughout its length, main branches 

 soon branching, axils usually rounded, often occupied for some 

 distance by a thin membrane, sometimes connected laterally, 

 branches towards the periphery much branched in a penicillate 

 manner, tips free ; spores globose, epispore very minutely reticu- 

 lated, 7 8 ju diameter. 



Comatricha longa, Peck, 43rd Report of New York State 

 Mus., p. 24, pi. 3, f. 15. 



On wood, bark, &c. United States. 



Fasciculate, capillitium often curved or twisted after the wall 

 has disappeared, 3 6 cm. long. 



Stemonitis dictyospora, Rost. (fig. 112). 



Sporangia, gregarious, cylindrical, both ends obtuse, Avail 

 silvery, soon disappearing, stem shorter than sporangium, rather 

 thick, equal, black, springing from a well-developed hypothallus ; 

 columella reaching nearly to apex of sporangium, capillitium 

 dense, threads like the columella blackish, combined to form 

 a network having the peripheral mesJies not larger than the 

 diameter of the spores ; spores in the mass blackish-violet, globose, 

 epispore with thin ridges forming a polygonal netwoi'lc, 12 15 fx 

 diameter. 



