‘ig Mak gd ore a elie a Ga gl Saal Soe alae ag RAR aie nS Ea 
1905] ATKINSON—HYPOCREA ALUTACEA 411 
That the American plants are identical with European ones is 
evident from an examination of the specimens in Raben. Fung. 
Europ. Ex. nos. 132 and 246 mentioned above, and I had the oppor- 
tunity also, while in Paris in October 1903, of personally examining, 
through the courtesy of M. Hariot, the specimens of H ypocrea 
aluiacea in the herbarium of the Museum of Paris, among which were 
some specimens from ‘TULASNE’s herbarium. 
The spores in this species, while presenting slight variations, are 
quite peculiar. As is well known, the spores in the genus Hypocrea 
are eight in an ascus uniseriate, and each one is two-celled, but at 
maturity the constriction at the septum is very strong, and the seg- 
ments of the spore are separated so that the ascus appears to have 
sixteen nearly globose or oval spores in a single row. The separation 
of the two segments of the spore is one of the characters distinguish- 
ing Hypocrea from Hypomyces, while short, two-celled spores dis- 
tinguish Hypocrea alutacea from species of Cordyceps, which have 
long filiform spores separating at maturity into numerous segments. 
Cornu (/.c.) also points out that species of Cordyceps grow on living 
‘recently dead insects or plants, while H ypocrea alutacea grows on 
decay ing wood and leaves, though this distinction may not hold good, 
Since as a saprophyte H ypocrea alutacea might grow on dead insects 
under certain conditions, and it has even been reported on insects. 
The two segments of the spores of Hypocrea alutacea are somewhat 
different inform. They are usually described as ‘superior cell globose, 
Inferior cell oval, or suboval, or oblong.’ BRESADOLA3? does not 
‘all attention to the difference in shape of the two segments in Hypo- 
70 Lloydii, but says “articuli subcuboideis subglobosi.” But the 
Wo segments are different in form, as I have found by examination, 
and the Spores in the photomicrograph, plate X VI, fig. 9, from H. 
Uoydit show very clearly this difference in form, a globose and 
oblong Segment alternating throughout the chain formed by the 
Mxtaposition of the spores in the length of the ascus. The upper 
‘egment (the one nearest the free end of the ascus) is globose oF 
‘ubglobose Or subcuboid, while the lower segment is elongated 
slightly in the direction of the axis of the spore and is usually not 
ite so broad as the upper segment. The lower segment is very 
* Lloyd’s Myc. Notes 9 (176):87. 1902. 
