Cordyceps ophioglossoides (Ehrh.) 
BY 
L. LEWTON-BRAIN, B.A. 
Hutchinson Student , late Scholar , of St. John's College , Cambridge , and University 
Demonstrator in Botany. 
With Plate XXVIII. 
OST of the species of Cor dy ceps are well known to be 
1VJL parasitic upon insects, particularly upon caterpillars. 
C. ophioglossoides , however, together with C. capitata , is para- 
sitic upon various Tuberaceae. C. ophioglossoides occurs upon 
Elaphomyces granulatus , muricatus , and vciriegatus. Massee, 
in his ‘ Revision of the Genus Cordyceps V separates these 
fungus-inhabiting species from Cordyceps , and places them in 
a distinct genus, Cordylia , restricting Cordyceps to the insect- 
inhabiting species. The character, however, seems hardly to 
be of generic importance. An account of the relationships 
and distinctive characters of the genus is given in Massee’s 
paper. 
The stroma is much like that of the other species of Cordy- 
ceps (PI. XXVIII, Fig. i). It is upright and club-shaped. 
It is composed of a stalk about 3 inches long and ^ inch 
thick, and of a head from j-if inches long, thicker in the 
middle and tapering to a somewhat obtuse end. The stalk 
has a smooth surface and is firm and fleshy in consistency ; 
the head is covered * with numerous small papillae, at the 
tips of which the perithecia open. 
1 Ann. Bot., 1895. - 
[Annals of Botany, Vol. XV. No. LIX. September* 1901.] 
