Riddle: Observations on Acrospermum 179 



This new species may be described as follows : 



Acrospermum Maxoni Farlow in herb. sp. nov. 



(Plate II, Figures 1-5) 



Perithecia solitaria dispersa aut rarius geminata, superficialia 

 erecta, 0.7-1.3 mm. altit., 0.22-0.3 mm. latit., clavata compressa ; 

 apice rotundato vel obtuso ; infra in stipitem tenuem cylindricem 

 attenuata, stipite 0.2-0.27 mm. altit., 0.07-0.09 mm. diam. ; primi- 

 tus clausa dein ostiolo ellipsoideo aperta ; siccis coriaceis, made- 

 factis carneo-cartilagineis ; f usco-nigra nitida, apice argillaceo ; 

 basi mycelio distincto irregulare rotundato arachnoideo circum- 

 cincto, centro fusco, margine stramineo. Asci 8-spori anguste 

 cylindrices elongatae, circa 400 /jl longi, 5 /x lati ; sporidiis hyalinis 

 filiformibus irregulariter flexuosis haud spirale contortis. con- 

 tinuis, parum brevioribus quam ascis, circa 1 /x latis. Paraphyses 

 copiosae capillariae. 



On the under side of living fronds of Poly podium induens 

 Maxon, in humid forest, Chiriqui, Panama, March 18, 191 1, col- 

 lected by W. R. Maxon, no. 5486a (type) ; same locality, no. 

 5714a; vicinity of Coliblanco, Costa Rica, May 1, 1906, no. 278a; 

 vicinity of Morce's Gap, Jamaica, June 23, 1904, no. 2jjoa; Apr. 

 18, 1903, no. 1214 a; Sir John's Peak, Jamaica, no. 1324 a, all col- 

 lected by W. R. Maxon. Forests of Santa Rosa du Copey, Costa 

 Rica, April, 1898, collected by Tonduz, without number. 



On Poly podium cretatum Maxon, Monkey Hill, above New 

 Haven Gap, Jamaica, June 22, 1904, collected by W. R. Maxon, 

 nos. 2702a, 2754a; Sir John's Peak, Jamaica, Sept. 1906, collected 

 by L. M. Underwood, no. 3203a. 



Acrospermum Maxoni differs from A. compressum in the con- 

 trast between the shining black perithecia and the clay-colored 

 tips ; in the peculiar mycelial web, surrounding the base of the 

 perithecium; and in the habit of growing on living ferns. These 

 characters distinguish it also from A. Puiggarii Spegazzini (Bol. 

 Acad. Nac. de Ciencias de Cordoba 23: 121. 1919) described as 

 growing over mosses in Brazil and as having black perithecia, be- 

 coming pallid toward the base. Microstelium hyalinum Patouif- 

 lard (Bull. Soc. Myc. France 15: 208. pi 9, f. 1. 1899), en- 

 crusting algae and mosses on tree-trunks in Guadeloupe, is said by 



