90 NORTH AMERICAN SORDARIACEAE 
age very long and slightly clavate when young, but at maturity 
becomes very much shriveled and indistinguishable from the short 
blunt secondary appendages w vint terminate it as well as the 
apex of the spore. (Pl. ro. f. 74-18 
Distinctive characters : Hairy perithecia, and character of pri- 
mary appendage. 
Cultivated specimens : On rabbit dung, Bronx Park, N. Y., Jan. 
1900 (Mr. Percy Wilson); rabbit dung, Auburn, Ala. Aug. 
1899 (Earle). 
This species is one of those that is very distinct from every- 
thing else, but at the same time its characters are very inconstant 
and therefore difficult to define. The first culture made had hairy 
perithecia as described above and this is taken to be the normal 
condition of the plant. The substratum which was in a Petri- 
dish was then allowed to dry for about ten days. On again 
moistening another crop appeared ; but this time the culture was 
kept very wet. No hairs at all could be seen without mounting 
the perithecia, and even then it was very difficult to tell whether 
the hairs seen were really comparable to the aérial ones of the 
other perithecia for they were completely matted on the substra- 
tum and much fewer in number than in the first culture. This 
condition would not be liable to occur in nature. 
The collapsing of the primary appendage is comparable to a 
similar phenomenon which occurs in that of P. decipiens, but here 
it is much more marked. The gelatinous secondary appendages 
may often present a long lash-like appearance, but this condition 
can be produced at will by rough treatment of the mount. 
30. PLEURAGE PLEIOSPORA (Wint.) Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Plant. 3°: 
504. 1898* 
Sordaria pleiospora Wint. Hedwigia, 10: 161. 1871; Abhand. 
naturforsch. Gesell. zu Halle, 13: 93-97. pl. ro. f. 17. 1873; 
Cohn’s Krypt.-Flora Schlesien, 3°: 288. 1894. 
Podospora  pleiospora (Wint.) Rehm; Rabenhorst, Krypt.- 
Flora, 175. 1887. 
Philocopra pleiospora (Wint.) Sacc. Syll. Fung. 1: 249. 1882. 
Perithecia scattered and sunken but becoming more or less 
* The plant reported under this name in Bull. Torr. Club, 26: 438. 1899 does not 
belong here at all; see P. Dakotensis. 
