112 ENDOSPOEE^. [STBMONITIS. 



ndb. On dead leaves, wood. — a, /3,y. Leytonstorie,Essex(L:B.M.82) ; 

 a, 0, y. Lyme Regis, Dorset (L:B.M.82) ; /3. Batheaston, Somerset 

 (B. M. 208) ; y. Edinburgh (K. 796) ; a. and /3. France (Paris Herb.) ; 

 Germany, a. (B. M. 623) ; y. (B. M. 650) ; a. Austria (B. M. 626) ; a. 

 Italy (B. M. 621); (3. Poland (Strassb. Herb.); ^. Russia (Paris Herb.) ; 

 ^. Ceylon (K. 1622) ; a. and /3. Java (K. 1591) ; /3. Australia (B. M. 

 635) ; /3. New Zealand (K. 666) ; 0. New Caledonia (Paris Herb.) ; 

 a. Tonga (L:B.M.82); a. Philadelphia (L:B.M.82) ; ^. Iowa (L:B.M. 

 82) ; /3. Texas (B. M. 919) ; /3. Nicaragua (B. M. 1002) ; „. French 

 Guiana (Paris Herb.) ; /3. Vera Cruz (B. M. 631) ; B. Para, Brazil 

 (K. 686) ; Venezuela [Stemonitis trechispora), (B. M. 648). 



2. S. splendens Rest., Mon., p. 195 (1875). Plasmodium 

 creamy white, on fir stumps, etc., maturing at the place of 

 emergence. Total height 6 to 12 mm. Sporangia cylindrical, 

 obtuse, stipitate, purplish-brown, at first closely fasciculate. 

 Stalk black, shining, slender, 1 to 4 mm. long, rising from a well- 

 developed silvery or purplish hypothallus. Columella reaching 

 to near the apex of the sporangium, rigid, sometimes weak and 

 flexuose in the upper half. Capillitium of purplish-brown 

 threads, the principal branches varying in intricacy, but usually 

 springing at distant intervals from the columella, at first almost 

 simple, suddenly branching to form a superficial net with 

 smooth, rounded, variously shaped meshes, 20 — 100 n wide. Spores 

 pale reddish-purple, nearly smooth, or minutely and closely 

 warted, 7 to 9 /a diam. — Stemonitis Morgcmi Peck, in Bot. Gaz., 

 v., p. 33; Mass., Mon., p. 86; Macbride, in Bull. Nat. Hist. 

 Iowa, ii., p. 142. ^S*. maxirna Mass. (non Schwein.), Mon., p. 74. 

 S. Baiterlinii Mass., Mon., p. 79 ; Bex, in Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. 

 Phil. (1890), p. 36. S. Webberi Hex, I.e. (1891), p. 390. 

 S. acuminata Mass., Mon., p. 78. S. conflu&ns Cke. & ElHs in 

 Grev., v., p. 51 ; Mass., Mon., p. 77. 



a. genuina : superficial net of capillitium complete, with 

 rounded meshes, 20 to 70 /a diam. 



j8. Webberi : sporangia stiff, erect ; superficial net complete, 

 with meshes 80 to 100 /a wide. 



y. flaccida : sporangia weak, adhering ; capillitium lax, scarcely 

 forming a superficial net ; membranous flakes of sporan- 

 gium-wall always present. 



8. coufluens : sporangia confluent, without superficial net. 



Plate XLIII., A. — a, h, c, sporangia, a. gemiAna, x 2 ; d. capillitium of 

 RostafinsM's type from Texas, x 180 ; e. capillitium with membranous 

 expansion, from Eostaflnski's type (Cuba), x 180 ; /. capillitium of type of 

 S. Morgani Peck, x 180 ; g. sporangia, y. flaoeida, v. 1 ; h. capillitium of 

 the same, with membranous expansion, x 180 (England) ; i. spore, x 600. 



Var. 8. corresponds with the confluent form of S.fusca ; the capilli- 

 tium forms a dense intricate network, connected with indefinite 

 branching columelte, with frequent membranous saucer-shaped ex- 

 pansions, without stalks or superficial net. The specimen from N. 

 Carolina (Curtis, 419), named Lachnobolus cribrosus (B. M! 935) appears 

 to be this variety, and the note by Pries following his description of 



