Stemonilis. 83 



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



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



p. 317; Cooke, Hdbk., no. 1150. 

 Comatricha obtusata, Preiiss., Sturm. (1851). 

 Comatricha alba, Preuss. in Sturm (1851). 

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

 no. 568. 



§ § § Spores reticulated. 

 Stemonitis longa, Mass. 



Sporangia gregarious, slender, cylindrical, straight, or usually 

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

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

 brotonisli-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 penicillatc 

 manner, ti2)s free ; spores globose, epispore very minutely reticu- 

 lated, 7 — 8 /x diameter. 



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

 Mus., p. 24, pi. 3, f. 1—5. 



On wood, bark, &c. United States. 



Fasciculate, capillitium often curved or twisted after the wall 

 has disappeared, 3 — 6 cm. long. 



Stemonitis dictyospora, Rest. (fig. 112). 



Sporangia gregarious, cylindrical, both ends obtuse, wall 

 silvery, soon disappearing, stem shorter than sporangium, rather 

 thick, equal, blade, 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 meshes not larger t1ian the 

 diameter of the sjiores ; spores in the mass blacldsh-violet, globose, 

 epispore with thin ridges forming a polygonal network, 1 2 — 1 5 ii 

 diameter. 



