Dodge: Cultures of Ascobolus and Aleukia 219 



paraphyses linear, slightly enlarged above, septate, frequently with 

 greenish, granular contents, 5-7 ix ; spores ellipsoid, at first hyaline, 

 then pale-lilac, finally rose-purple ot violet, smooth, marked on one 

 side by a line extending from end to end or obliquely across the 

 surface, irregularly distichous at maturity, 20-25 X 12-14 /x, usu- 

 ally germinating at only one germ-pore; archicarp consisting of 

 a stalk of 3-4 thick cells, a somewhat spherical ascogenous cell 

 35-45 /X in diameter, and a trichogyne with 7-10 cells, the outer 

 cells coiling sharply inward at the tip, the complete archicarp 

 coiled in one plane. 



On horse dung in damp chamber cultures, New York City, 

 April, 1912; type specimens deposited in the herbarium of the 

 New York Botanical Garden. 



The principal characters which distinguish this species are the 

 large size of the plants, the beautiful white miargin, the line ex- 

 tending across the surface of the spore, a single germ-tube, and 

 the large archicarp in a flat coil. Ascohohis applanatus (Rabli. 

 -& Gonn.) Rehm, which Rehm (Disc. p. 1131) considers a doubt- 

 ful species, is said to be 2 cm. in diameter ; as to the other char- 

 acters not^d, it does not resemble this species. A. major B. & 

 C, and A. sarawacensis Cts. avQ large species with smooth spores. 

 A. latus Penz. & Sacc. and A. laezisporus Speg. are evidently 

 more nearly related to A. magnificus but differ in the spore 

 markings. 



The line along the surface of the spore is visible before the 

 •spore becomes colored, and is not in the nature of a crack in the 

 •epispore, although a crack frequently develops along this line 

 when the ejected spore is allowed to dry out; under such con- 

 ditions numerous other cracks are formed in all directions, giv- 

 ing the spore a reticulated appearance. 



The pruinosity of the exterior of the ascocarp would prob- 

 abiy not be noticeable were the fungus grown in the open. Even 

 in damp chambers, when specimens (PI. 72, f. 4) become fully 

 expanded and flattened out on the substratum (PI. 73, lower fig- 

 ure), this pruinosity is no longer evident. 



The very hard and brittle character of the thick flesh of the 

 hypothecium is indicated by the way in which the ascocarps crack 

 while expanding. (Plate 73, upper figure.) 



The asci do not project prominently above the surface of the 



