19 



crea-se in diasceter, usually shov/ing on their surfaces droplets of a clear 

 liquid. These todies are the stroroata which increase to about one-half 

 millimeter in diameter and are then pushed up by their stipes which develop 

 under them. The stipes develop very uniformly in moist chamber whereas in 

 soil they gro^;' just long enotigh so that the stromata will be on the surface 

 of the soil. The shallower the sclerotia are planted, the shorter the 

 stipes will be. The stipes are somewhat thicker and usually covered with 

 vtoite fibers at the bases and smooth above. The stipes are at first pale 

 yellov/ish, later reddish, finally purple-violet colored or lilac above and 

 lighter to nearly viihite at the bases, especially after the stjromata are near- 

 ly mature. As a rule the stipes are uniformly cylindrical and slender, son«- 

 times broadened and of spiral form; broader at the base and tapering toward 

 the apex. Sometimes two stalks and their stromatal heads are grown together. 

 In such cases, the stalks are abnormally shortened and thickened. Delacroix 

 (51) reports a case where a gorminatiiig sclerotium o f Cigur-purea . instead 

 of many stromata 1 heads, formed just a single but much larger one. The 

 number of stromata depends largely on the size of the sclerotium. Kuhn:-.;re- 

 polrts that as many as thiiriiy" three stroirata may be formed on a single 

 sclerotiuzQ 



The stronB-ta] head at ics base where it joins the stipe is not 



closely adnate but overhStngs this as a free ring. The stronatal heads are 



in form 

 almost s|iherical'*and vary in size up to 1.5 mm. in diameter. In color, they 



are at first light yellowish; later reddish flesh-colored to pale fav/n. Their 



upper surface is uneven, slightly wp.rty (verrucose) because of the projecting 



ostioles of the perithecia, vdiich are found sunken throughout the entire 



surface of the sphaeridixun. 



