1138 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters. 
or less cylindrical and forked at the apex, each branch ending in 
a sterigma bearing a single spore. A third type occurs in 
Tremella where the basidinm at first appeals as. a sub globose or 
pear shaped body terminating a hypha. This oval cell divides 
into four by longitudinal septa placed at right angles to each 
other. Each of these cells produces an apical sterigma bearing 
a spore. The spores are always hyaline or colorless, and this is 
the only family included among the basidiomycetes in which 
some of the species are regarded as having septate spores. 
The spores in most cases, according to Brefeld produce in 
germinating characteristic secondary spores, sporidioles. Bre¬ 
feld has also shown that the production of these conidia is not 
at all uncommon among various members of the family. In 
tremella lutescens for example, these are produced on peculiar 
branches in the substratum of the carpophore, while in Guepinia 
they are produced on the side opposite the hymenium. 
The Tremellineae are also characterized by their more or less 
gelatinous consistency. In Tremella the main genus, the sub¬ 
stance is in some species so tender as to lose its form and almost 
deliquesce on being handled, while such forms as Auricularia, 
have a coriaceous texture and many of them retain their shape 
even when dry. This peculiarity is due to the fact that the ex¬ 
ternal portion of the walls of the very much interwoven hyphae 
are diffident, forming a soft quaking mass when moist but hard 
and horny when dry, but again becoming softened upon being 
moistened. 
In some forms such as Lacrymyc.es, the hymenium may cover 
the entire exposed surface of the fungus while in the higher 
forms it is often confined to a portion only of the surface and in 
some this portion has a tendency to turn away from the light. 
The group was early observed but the evanescent and fluctuat¬ 
ing character of the forms made it impossible for any of the 
earlier authors to group them satisfactorily. 
Vaillant (1), Micheli (2), Dillenius (3), and Gleditsch (5), 
all mention the Tremellineae in their classifications, but it is a 
matter of uncertainty after all whether any of their identifica¬ 
tions can be recognized now. 
