240 DIVISION II,—COURSE OF DEVELOPMENT OF FUNGI. 
Section LXIX. 3. Spermatia, spermogonia. Organs in every respect ex- 
tremely like those which are thus named in Collema, Physma, &c. (page 211) are found 
in almost all the rest of the Lichen-forming Ascomycetes; the genus Solorina may be 
mentioned as an exception among those in which this point has been carefully 
examined. These organs occur also in many species which do not form Lichens 
both among the Discomycetes and especially among the Pyrenomycetes. On the 
ground of these points of resemblance the organs in question are entitled to the 
names given to the corresponding organs of the Collemeae and Polystigma, and are at 
least to be regarded as homologous with them. 
All these organs agree first of all in the formation of sdermatia, small ellipsoid, 
or more commonly narrowly rod-shaped, bodies, which are often also bent, as in 
Rhytisma, Diatrype (Fig. 114), and Polystigma. Their absolute size varies much in 
the different species; those that have the form of narrow rods are according to 
Tulasne 6 or 7 a in length in species of Diatrype, and as much as 30 » in Polystigma 
rubrum, or less than 6 » in some species of Gyrophora (Fig. 100); the ellipsoid 
spermatia of Peltigera have a length of 12-22 a. Their structure, as far as it can be 
ascertained, is similar to that of very small and delicate spores with homogeneous 

FIG. 112. Valsantvea, Tul. Verticalsection through FIG. 113. Tympanis conspersa, Fr. ha 
astroma; in the centre a spermogonium ejecting sper- shortly stalked apothecium with two spermo- 
matia; on each side a perithecium. After Tulasne, gonia at its base, in median longitudinal 
Slightly magnified. section. Spermatia are escaping from the 
spermogonium tothe right. After Tulasne. 
Slightly magnified. 
protoplasm, and they are formed in the same way as acrogenously produced spores, 
being abjointed singly or in rows from short and narrow ends of filaments (sterigmata, 
basidia); the latter organs vary in the different species and genera, being either 
elongated and cylindrical, unsegmented or with indistinct septa, and forming spermatia 
at their apex only (sterigmata in the narrower sense of Nylander), or they are many- 
membered cell-rows in which the cells are little longer than broad, and form each of 
them lateral spermatia close to their upper end (Fig. roo 2, the arthrosterigmata of 
Nylander). This latter form has been chiefly, if not exclusively, observed in certain 
genera of Lichen-fungi. 
These spermatia are always formed side by side in large numbers, and are 
imbedded, as in Collema, in a jelly which becomes hard and brittle as it dries, and 
dissolves and disappears in a super-abundance of water. If they are placed with the 
jelly in a comparatively large quantity of water, they exhibit a gently tremulous 
oscillating movement ; but since this movement appears in spermatia which have 
been killed by boiling or by being treated with absolute alcohol as well as in those 
which are alive and fresh, it must be considered to be a purely physical phenomenon 
due to the motion which is caused in the water by the swelling and partial dissolution 
