THE ‘‘BLUE’’ FUNGUS. 17 
CERATOSTOMELLA PILIFERA (Fr.) Winter. 
Sphexria pilifera Fr. Systema Myc., 2: 472, 1850; Berkeley, Grevillea, 4: 
146, 1876. 
Spheria rostrata Schum. Enum. FI. Sae., 2: 128. 
Ceratostoma piliferum (Fr.) Fuckel. Symb. Myc., p. 128; Ellis & Everhart, 
N. A. Pyrenomycetes, p. 193. 
Ceratostomella pilifera (Fr.) Winter. Rabenhorst’s Kryptogamenfiora, etc., 
1, Pt. I]: 252, 1887; Engler & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam., Pt. 1, Abt. 1: 406; 
fig. 259. 
The ** blue” fungus was first described by Fries, who placed it in the 
genus Spheria. Later it was placed in a new genus ( Ceratostoma) by 
Fuckel, and remained in this genus until recently, when Winter in 
his revision of the family Ceratostomee put the fungus in the genus 
Ceratostomella.¢ This genus is characterized as ** perithecia more or 
less superficial, or immersed (sometimes only for a short time), gener- 
ally tough, leathery, or carbonaceous, with marked, generally well- 
developed beak. Spores variable, typically unicellular, hyaline. 
Species mostly on wood.” The genus Ceratostoma differs from Cera- 
tostomella only in having the spores brown instead of hyaline. This 
seems a very weak character upon which to separate two genera, and 
Winter realizes this, as indicated in a note (p. 253), where he says: ‘‘I 
hesitate to accept the genus Ceratostomella, for the different color of 
the spores does not seem to be sufficient basis for a genus. I do it 
only to satisfy generally accepted demands.” 
As the present investigation is not materially concerned in the valid- 
ity of any particular name, the writer accepts Winter’s name, leaving 
the question of whether it ought to be Ceratostoma or Ceratostomella 
to others. 
Ceratostomella pilifera occurs, according to Winter, on coniferous 
woods, mostly on pine timber. Winter remarks that in spite of the 
very common occurrence of this species, he was able to find the mature 
asci but once, and gives a figure of the two asci he saw. This is borne 
out by the findings mentioned hereafter. Four forms of C. pil/fera 
are deseribed, which are probably forms modified by the substratum 
on which they grew, and of less interest in this connection. 
The fruiting bodies of the ** blue” fungus occur in thousands on blued 
logs and boards in favorable seasons; the long necks of the perithecia 
when looked at sideways form veritable forests on a board. In the 
pine forests of the Black Hills the perithecia are to be found on decay- 
ing sticks, in the cracks formed when trees or branches break off, and 
sometimes under the loosened bark of dead trees. It isa strange fact, 
however, for which no very plausible reason can as yet be assigned, 
that with the thousands of dead and ‘‘blue” trees now in that forest 
the asci of the fungus should be comparatively so rare. 
aSaccardo, P. A. Michelia, 1: 370. 
16614— No. 36—03———2 
