158 THE NORTH AMERICAN SLIME-MOULDS 



2. Spores reticulate and spinulose. 



i. Spores adherent, clustered . . . 4. 5. wvifera 

 ii. Sporangia very tall, 15—20 mm,, rigid 



5. S. dictyospora 

 iii. Sporangia short, jet- or violet-black 6. S. nigrescens 



b. Spore-mass rich brown. 



1. Columella central. 



i. Sporangia shorter, 5-6 mm., spores banded 



7. S. <virginiensis 

 ii. Sporangia 8-10 mm.; spores verruculose 



8. S. ivehberi 

 iii. Sporangia tall, 15-20 mm. or more 9. S. splendens 



2. Columella eccentric, sporangium in cross-section, angular 



10. S. fenestrata 



c. Spore-mass ferruginous; sporangia in tufts. 



1. Spores smooth or nearly so. 



i. Sporangia pale, small, 3-5 mm., crowded, stipe un- 

 polished \\, S. smithii 



ii. Sporangia ferruginous; columella regular 



12. S. axifera 

 iii. Sporangia ferruginous; columella proliferate just be- 

 low the apex . . . 13. 5. ftavogenita 

 iv. Sporangia, spore-mass, dusky-purplish or brown. 

 * On dead wood. 



° Scattered, apex blunt . 14. S. pallida 

 Clustered, acuminate 15. S. carolinensis 

 ** On living leaves, preferably, spore-mass brown 

 16. S. herbatica 



1. Stemonitis confluens Cooke ^ Ellis. 

 Plate XL, Figs. 4, 4 a, 5. 



1876. Stemonitis confluens Cke. & Ell., Grev., V., p. 51. 



1894. Stemonitis splendens var. confluens Lister, Mycet., p. 112. 



1899. Stemonitis confluens Cke. & Ell., Macbr., N. A. S., p. 114. 



1911. Stemonitis confluens Cke. & Ellis, List, Mycet., 2nd ed., p. 147. 



"Sporangia fasciculate, confluent on a persistent hypothallus, dark 

 fuscous ; peridia very fugacious ; stipes united at the base, erect, fur- 

 cate; spores large, brown, globose. On oak bark. 



"The stems are branched in a furcate manner and confluent at the 

 base, forming a compact tuft. The capillitium is membranaceous at 

 the angles; spores very large compared with allied species, being 12 jn. 

 The specimens were too fully matured for more satisfactory de- 

 scription." 



