96 



Mycologia 



ticular type of conidia together with the white discoid stromata 

 are regarded as of specific importance, although the conidia could 

 not be found in the authentic specimen of Hypocrella cretacea 

 examined, all of the stromata in which were ascigerous. 



In looking over our collections, nine specimens collected by 

 H. H. Whetzel and E. W. Olive (Nos. 716-724 inclusive) are 

 found to represent the conidial stage of what is here referred to 

 as Hypocrella cretacea. All so far as examined show the typical 

 stromata and conidia but none so far as discovered contain asci. 

 All are reported on some species of Adiantum. The same form 

 was collected by F. L. Stevens on fern. The specimen collected 

 by B. Fink which shows both asci and conidia has already been 

 mentioned. An abundance of the conidial stage of the fungus 

 was collected by N. L. Britton, J. F. Cowell and Stewardson 

 Brown (No. 5250), also, on some fern. While the species ap- 

 pears to be more common on ferns, what appears to be the same 

 species was collected by L. M. Underwood and F. S. Earle in 

 Cuba on the leaves of some flowering plant. Since the fungus 

 is entomogenous, it would naturally be dependent on the insect 

 host rather than the plant host. The latter however might be 

 restricted in its occurrence to certain plant hosts. This is one of 

 the questions which needs careful investigation. 



If our conclusions are right regarding the connection of 

 Aschersonia and Hypocrella, the form for which Thaxter re- 

 cently described the ascigerous stage, assuming that this is spe- 

 cifically distinct, as it appears to be, would be a Hypocrella. It 

 should then become Hypocrella turbinata (Berk.) comb. nov. 



Another very interesting form with its ascigerous stage has 

 been encountered in our collections distributed by Sydow in Fungi 

 Exotici Exsiccati 84, under the name of Hypocrella salaccensis 

 (Racib.) Petch (in litt.). The specimen examined was collected 

 in the Philipines by P. W. Graff. This species was originally 

 described by Raciborski under the name of Barya salaccensis. 6 

 In this species, according to its author, the spindle-shaped conidia 

 are formed after the fashion of an Aschersonia. These are fol- 

 lowed by the perithecia which are so prominent that they appear 



6 Bull. Acad. Sci. Cracovie 1906 : 909. 



