the A sco carp in Monascus. 203 
bear out their statement that it is cut off from the asco- 
gonium. As stated above, I have found occasionally a cell 
cut off below the ascogonium which behaves in the same way 
as their pedicel, but it is merely a cell cut off immediately 
below the ascogonium, and has not constituted a portion of 
that organ. It is also not so conspicuous as their pedicel. 
In one or two instances figured by Went, however, his 
‘ pedicel ’ cannot have the origin ascribed to it, and is in those 
cases nothing more than the cell of the parent hypha im- 
mediately below the ascogonium. 
If their accounts be taken as correct for the majority of 
cases at least, we have in M. purpureus to deal with a more 
specialized form of perithecium than in the ‘ Samsu ’ fungus, 
a point which at once separates the two forms into different 
species ; whereas if their * pedicel ’ has really an origin similar 
to that in the somewhat rare instances just quoted, it is highly 
probable that the two Fungi are members of the same species. 
Since they have not given figures of the successive stages in 
the development of a single perithecium, such as could be 
obtained by observations of hanging-drop cultures, it is im- 
possible to make a more definite statement as to the identity 
of the forms. 
We are now in a position to state in detail the characters 
of the genus Monascus. 
The mycelium consists of much-branched, septate hyphae, 
which produce at certain periods two kinds, at least, of repro- 
ductive organs. The asexual organs are usually spherical or 
ovoid bodies, formed as a rule basipetally at the ends of 
branch hyphae in chains of varying lengths. They are usually 
colourless, but, after the formation of pigment has begun in 
the mycelium, they may be slightly tinged with the corre- 
sponding colour. Sexual reproduction results in the forma- 
tion of ascogenous hyphae. An archicarp, consisting of an 
ascogonial branch and an antheridial branch, is formed usually 
at the end of a hypha, the former arising immediately below 
the latter and proceeding to grow above and around it. Both 
are cut off into distinct organs from the parent hypha by the 
