The asci were cylindrical to clavate, pointed or abruptly rounded 

 above and very short stalked. The average measurements of 150 

 mature asci were found to range from 117-138 y, in length to 

 17-20.5 -jl in width. These measurements lie within the limits given 

 by Weir (66), Sydow (58), and Wilson and Wilson (70). The asci 

 vvere separated by few to many paraphyses which were normally the 

 same length or slightly shorter than the asci. They were hyaline, 

 filiform, and unbranched. Sydow (58) described the paraphyses of 

 Weir's specimens as being forked or simple, whereas Weir (66) 

 described them only as filiform. No branched paraphyses were found 

 among the New York specimens. All paraphyses were consistently 

 less than 3 |jl in diameter except for their swollen tips. 



Each ascus normally contained eight ascospores. Several authors 

 (23, 66, 68, 70) have stated that the spores are usually obliquely 

 uniseriate and may be irregularly biseriate in the ascus. In this study 

 ascospores were most generally arranged irregularly in two ranks 

 (Fig. 6). The ascospores were commonly unicellular, hyaline and 

 constricted prior to and during expulsion from asci, and had a 

 swollen outer capsule or sheath. This sheath appeared to be very 

 sticky, since large clusters of spores were often found adhering 

 within the apothecium. The spores were shot out of a relatively 

 large pore at the end of the ascus. The pore stained blue with 

 iodine as demonstrated by Weir (66). Von Tubeuf (61) stated that 

 cross-walls often developed before the spores constricted. On the 

 other hand, Sydow (58) stated that the spores were less constricted 

 when mature. Ascospores in the present study were constricted prior 

 to septation (Fig. 6) and remained so in later development (Fig. 7) 

 until just before germination. Most of the ascospores were released 

 in their unicellular stage (Fig. 6), but others became septate prior to 

 release. Wilson and Wilson (70) stated that a few spores do this. In 

 the present study, many ascospores became septate within the ascus 

 (Fig. 7). Unicellular spores, when released, became bicellular and 

 rounded on both ends as previously described (29, 46, 66, 70). 



Wilson and Wilson (70), in germination studies with ascospores 

 of R. pseudotsugae, stated that in the bicellular spore one cell usually 

 becomes thick-walled and dark while the other remains hyaline. 

 They were able to germinate the ascospores in water and an aborted- 

 looking germ tube was produced from the dark end of the spore. 



In this study ascospores were seen to darken at one end, often 

 within the ascus (Fig. 7). Spores released into the apothecial cham- 



28 



