216 MONOGRAPH OF CHAETOMIUM AND ASCOTRICHA 
dum, and through the kindness of Mr. J. Dearness the study of 
this form from original material has been made possible. This 
plant seems to possess characteristics entirely in common with 
those of Melanospora, and ought therefore, as suggested by Palliser 
in the North American Flora (65, p. 64), to be listed in that genus. 
Ch. marchicum, described by Lindau (53) two years later, also 
possesses characteristics of a Melanospora. According to the 
original description and figures a mouth or ostiole is formed at 
the top of the perithecium and this is surrounded by a few stiff 
bristles. In this area the adjacent wall cells become somewhat 
elongated. Saccardo (83, p. 627) has given to this form the 
name Sphaeroderma marchicum. 
In 1898 Ellis and Everhart (36) described as new Ch. Abieti- 
num, and Hennings (46, pp. 153 and 154) described two new 
species using the names Chaetomium ? importatum and Ch. мей- 
icola respectively. i 
Through the kindness of the New York Botanical Garden, 
plants from the original specimens of Ch. Abietinum E. & E. 
have been placed at the disposal of the writer, and a detailed study 
of that species has been made. Тһе conclusion has been reached 
that the plants in question cannot be included in our genus. Іп 
mounts of the type material the perithecia are black, opaque and 
somewhat coriaceous, firmly adnate to the substratum of wood 
upon which they are growing, lacking an ostiole, and very densely 
covered throughout with short, stout, spine-like hairs typical 
more of Coleroa or Venturia than of Chaetomium. According to 
the original description the species is allied to Ch. sphaerospermum 
E.&E. Тһе bristles, however, are not branched and the sporidia 
are rather larger and only slightly compressed. At first sight 
the spores are similar to those of Ch. sphaerospermum E. & Е. 
which in this paper has been listed аз a synonym under Ascotricha 
chartarum Berk., but with more careful study one finds that the 
spores are only slightly compressed and lacking in a girdle. 
А study of the two authentic specimens kindly sent by Dr. 
Lindau, to which Hennings gave the name Chaetomium ? im- 
portatum and Ch. laeliicola respectively, is sufficient to convince 
one that neither of these plants can be regarded as а Chae- 
tomium. The first named species appears as dark, chocolate- | SE 
