Seaver: North American Hypocreales 95 



on this species he refers to a snow-white, otherwise similar 

 species of Hypocrella ( ?) which grows abundantly on Elettaria 

 stems. In this form, however, he says that only the conidial 

 form {Aschersonia) has been found by him. In 1909 von 

 Hohnel 5 described Hypocrella cretacea and calls attention to the 

 fact that this probably represents the perfect stage of the Ascher- 

 sonia mentioned by Raciborski in the article referred to above. 

 It should not be overlooked that Raciborski has noted the simi- 

 larity in habitat and all external characters except color to Hypo- 

 crella disc old ea, the type of the genus Hypocrella so that we at 

 least have reason to suspect that the genus Hypocrella itself was 

 founded on the perfect stage of an Aschersonia. Hypocrella 

 cretacea von Hohnel may be found to be identical with Hypo- 

 crella discoidea (Berk. & Br.) Sacc. as described by Raciborski. 



In the absence of suitable material it is difficult to determine 

 the identity of our own species with any degree of certainty. 

 The one collected by Heller agrees well with Hypocrella cretacea 

 von Hohnel, as collected by von Hohnel and distributed by Rehm 

 in his Ascomycetes 18 JO. As already mentioned this may prove 

 to be identical with Hypocrella discoidea (Berk. & Br.) Sacc. to 

 which it is said to be similar, although Raciborski claims that the 

 latter species differs from other species of Hypocrella in the fact 

 that the spores do not break up into segments. This apparent 

 difference may be due to the age of the specimens and may not 

 prove to be of specific value although considerable importance 

 has been attached to it. Just how Hypocrella discoidea differs 

 from Hypocrella phyllogena (Mont.) Speg. it is impossible to 

 know in the absence of authentic material of the latter species. 



It is difficult to find conidia in the mature stromata. In most 

 specimens, however, the younger stromata show an abundance of 

 conidia. As these are usually found loose in large numbers, their 

 method of attachment is not easily detected. The individual 

 conidia appear to be rather small, ellipsoid bodies which taper into 

 a bristle-like apiculus at each end. Although they are guttulate 

 and granular and sometimes pseudoseptate, no true septum could 

 be detected. In the absence of asci, the presence of this par- 



5 Sitz.-ber. Akad. Wissen. Wien. 118: 311. 1909. 



