Oligonema. 173 



Oligonema furcatum, Bucknall. 



Sporangia scattered, globose, shining, bright chrome-yellow, as 

 well as the capillitium and spores ; elaters cylindrical, simple 

 or branched, slightly thickened at the obtuse ends, with a faint 

 open spiral, 3 4 p. diameter ; spores globose, minutely warted, 

 11 12 ju diameter. 



Oligonema furcatum, Bucknall in litt. 



On a rotting trunk. Britain (Abbotts Leigh). 



Superficially closely resembling Oligonema nitens, from which 

 however it is quite distinct in the minutely warted spores, and 

 the absence of thickened rings on the usually furcate elaters. 



Oligonema brevifilum, Peck. 



Sporangia crowded in effused heaps, bright ochraceous yellow ; 

 elaters few, short, cylindrical or subfusiform; spores globose, 

 ritgose, 11 /* diameter. 



Oligonema nitens, Peck, in 31st Report of State Agric. Mus., 

 p. 42 ; Sacc., Syll., n. 1489 ; Mass., Rev. Trich., p. 346. 



On mosses. United States. 



Mr. Wingate of Philadelphia thinks that the present species 

 prove to be an abnormal condition of 0. flavida. 



TRICHIA, Haller (emended). 



Wall of sporangium single, dehiscing irregularly ; capillitium 

 consisting of free, simple or branched threads, having the wall 

 furnished with raised bands arranged _in a spiral manner ; spores 

 globose, epispore smooth, or variously ornamented. 



Trichia, Haller, Helv., iii., p. 114; Rost., Mon., p. 243; Cooke, 

 Myx. Brit., p. 61 (in part) ; Sacc., Syll., vol. vii., pt. I., p. 438 

 (in part) ; Mass., Mon. Trich., p. 328. 



The genus is readily distinguished by the presence of well- 

 developed external ridges arranged in a spiral manner on the 

 perfectly free elaters or threads of the capillitium. The elaters 

 are in most species unbranched, cylindrical or fusiform, and 

 more or less attenuated at the tips. In a few species the 



