— 107 — 



vegetative liypha, which entwines the ascogonium (Oltmans 1SS7 

 and Vallory 1911). The most numerous group of the Sphaeriales 

 must be for the present considered the one, in which the typical 

 feature, connecting all its representatives, is the existence of the 

 Woronin hyphae, that is a straight тол\ of cells filled with a dense 

 substance and forming a thread coiled into a knot. It has been 

 noted in whole series of Sphaeriales: by Fuisting in the year 1867 

 (Xylaria, Diatrype, Stictosphaeria, Eutypa, Xummularia, Quaterna- 

 ria, Hypoxylon); by Fisch in the year 1882 (Xylaria), by de Вагу 

 (Ustnlina) and later: in Dawson's researches in the year 1900 

 (Poronia), by Ruhland in the year 1900 in many representatives 

 of the Valsaceae, Melanconidaceae, Melogrammataceae, Diatrypa- 

 ceae, Xylariaceae, and by Brown in the year 1913 in Xylaria. 

 That this thread replaces the ascogonium is testified by Brown in 

 tliis last work. He succeeded in tracing an undoubted connection 

 between the Woronin hyphae and the ascogenous hyphae. Gnomonia 

 (Brooks 1910) presents an interesting example of the process of 

 reduction of the sexual cells. The development of the fruit body 

 here is produced without any direct participation of the sexual 

 cells, although the latter reach their development. Notwithstanding 

 its normal development the ascogonium soon disappears and the 

 ascogenous hyphae develope simply out of cells, lying at the basis 

 of the perithecium. Finally in the Teichospora (Nichols 1896) one 

 cannot distinguish at the development of the perithecium any of 

 the elements of the sexual cells. The same can be observed in the 

 Pleospora, as stated by Bauke (1880), The investigations of Cavara 

 and Mollica (1907) note a new and interesting factor in the deve- 

 lopment of this fungus. They found that the asci develop out of 

 special sklerocia, produced after the fusion (evidently apogamous) 

 of the nuclei of two morphological similar hyphae. 



As to the representatives of the Sordariaceae, excepting the pu- 

 rely systematical work of Winter: „Die deutschen Sordarien", wo 

 can find some informations in the following investigations: Zukal 

 (1889) about the Sordaria Wiesneri, Gilkinet (1S76) and Nichols 

 (1896) about the Sordaria fimicola (Ces et de Xot) (Rob), Dan- 

 geard (1907j about Sordaria fimicola (Ces et de Not) (Rob), Sor- 

 daria macrospora (Auersw), Hypocopra merdaria (Fries) and Spo- 

 rormia intermedia (Auersw), Zukal (1889) — Sporormia minima 



