THE "BLUE" FUNGUS. 17 



CERATOSTOMELLA PILIFERA (Fr. ) Winter. 



Splitvria pilifera Fr. Systema Mye., 2: 472, 1830; Berkeley, Grevillea, 4: 



146, 1876. 



Sphferia rostrata Schum. Enum. Fl. Sae., 2: 128. 

 Ceratostoma piliferum (Fr. ) Fuckel. Symb. Myc., p. 128; Ellis & Everhart, 



N. A. Pyrenomycetes, p. 193. 

 Ceratostomella pilifera (Fr. ) Winter. Rabenhorst's Kryptoganienflora, etc., 



1, Pt. II: 252, 1887; Engler & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. , Pt. I, Abt. 1 : 406; 



fig. 259. 



The ''blue" fungus was first described by Fries, who placed it in the 

 genus Sphderia. Later it was placed in a new genus (Ceratostoma} by 

 Fuckel, and remained in this genus until recently, when Winter in 

 his revision of the family Ceratostomese put the fungus in the genus 

 Ceratostomella. a This genus is characterized as "perithecia more or 

 less superficial, or immersed (sometimes only for a short time), gener- 

 ally tough, leather} 7 -, or carbonaceous, with marked, generally well- 

 developed beak. Spores variable, typically unicellular, hyaline. 

 Species mostly on wood." The genus Ceratostoma differs from Cera- 

 tostomella only in having the spores brown instead of hyaline. This 

 seems a very weak character upon which to separate two genera, and 

 Winter realizes this, as indicated in a note (p. 253), where he says: "I 

 hesitate to accept the genus Ceratostomella, for the different color of 

 the spores does not seem to be sufficient basis for a genus. I do it 

 only to satisfy generally accepted demands." 



As the present investigation is not materially concerned in the valid- 

 ity of any particular name, the writer accepts Winter's name, leaving 

 the question of whether it ought to be Ceratostoma or Ceratostomella 

 to others. 



Ceratostomella pilifera occurs, according to Winter, on coniferous 

 woods, mostly on pine timber. Winter remarks that in spite of the 

 very common occurrence of this species, he was able to find the mature 

 asci but once, and gives a figure of the two asei he saw. This is borne 

 out by the findings mentioned hereafter. Four forms of C. pilifera 

 are described, which are probably forms modified by the substratum 

 on which they grew, and of less interest in this connection. 



The fruiting bodies of the "blue " fungus occur in thousands on blued 

 logs and boards in favorable seasons; the long necks of the perithecia 

 when looked at sideways form veritable forests on a board. In the 

 pine forests of the Black Hills the perithecia are to be found on decay- 

 ing sticks, in the cracks formed when trees or branches break off, and 

 sometimes under the loosened bark of dead trees. It is a strange fact, 

 however, for which no very plausible reason can as yet be assigned, 

 that with the thousands of dead and "blue" trees now in that forest 

 the asci of the fungus should be comparatively so rare. 



"Saccardo, P. A. Michelia, 1: 370. 

 16614 No. 3602 2 



