SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE SPORE DISCHARGE OF 
PLEURAGE CURVICOLLA (WINT.) KUNTZE. 
J. L. Weimer 
Introduction 
While making some studies on the comparison of a strain of Pleurage 
curvicoUa (Wint.) Kuntze with those strains previously investigated, the 
results of which studies are being published in a separate paper,i it was 
noticed that this organism has the power to discharge its spores with re- 
markable force. 
So far as known, parasitic Ascomycetes are able to project their spores 
only to a distance of a few millimeters, while it has been shown that certain 
saprophytic forms such as members of the Sordariaceae, Ascobolaceae, and 
others are able to shoot their spores a considerably greater distance. Grif- 
fiths^ studied the method of spore discharge in P. curvicoUa as well as in 
related species, and found that the maximum height of projection in the 
former is 9 centimeters. A good discussion of the details of spore ejection 
by these fungi is given by Griffiths and need not be repeated here. Woronin^ 
found that Sordaria fimiseda could shoot its spores to a height of 15 centi- 
meters. This is the maximum distance found recorded for a member of the 
Sordariaceae. 
Buller^ states that Ascoholus immersus is possibly not exceeded by any 
other Ascomycete in the violence of its spore discharge. It was found to 
project. its spores to a height of 35 centimeters. 
Experiments 
In the experiments recorded below, the fungus was grown on moistened 
corn meal in a two-liter Erlenmeyer flask. The cultures were allowed to 
grow at room temperature, about 24-28° C., and exposed to the diffused 
light of the laboratory until the perithecia began to discharge their spores 
as indicated by the presence of the spore masses upon the sides of the flask. 
It might be mentioned in passing that few and often no perithecia were 
1 Weimer, J. L. Variations in Pleurage curvicoUa (Wint.) Kuntze. Amer. Journ. Bot. 
6: 406-409. 1919. 
2 Griffiths, David. The North American Sordariaceae. Mem. Torrey Club 11: i- 
134. 1901. 
3 Woronin, M. Sphaeria Lemaneae, Sordaria fimiseda, Sordaria coprophila und 
Arthrohotrys oligospora. Abhand. Senkenb. Naturforsch. Gesell. (Frankfurt) 7: 325-360. 
pi. 1-6. 1 869-1 870. 
^ Duller, A. H. R. Researches on fungi, pp. 287. 1909. 
75 
