Chapter III: COMATRICHA, Preuss. Sporangia various in shape, from globose or

ovoid to oblong and cylindric, stipitate; the wall very thin and fugacious. Stipe more or less elongated, smooth and black, arising from a common hypothallus, tapering upward, entering the sporangium and prolonged nearly or quite to the apex as a columella. Capillitium arising from numerous points of the columella throughout its entire length; the threads immediately branching and anastomosing to form an interior network, attaining the wall by numerous more or less elongated free extremities. Spores globose, brown or violaceous.

This genus is not sharply limited from Stemonitis. The species with very short free ends, and consequently with superficial meshes approximate to the wall, are near the form of Stemonitis. But it may be observed that in these species, the meshes of the capillitium become smaller gradually outward, the sides of the superficial meshes are arched away from the wall, and they are in contact with it only by the free extremities.

§1. TYPHOIDES. Threads of the capillitium repeatedly branching and anastomosing, to form a dense network of small meshes, with innumerable short, free extremities.

1. COMATRICHA TYPHINA, Roth. Sporangia short, erect or a little curved, cylindric or usually narrowing slightly upward, the base quite blunt, the apex more rounded, growing together on a thin hypothallus. Stipe and columella brown or blackish, tapering upward and vanishing near the apex of the sporangium, the stipe much shorter than the columella. Capillitium of slender flexuous tawny-brown threads; these branch repeatedly, forming an intricate network of small irregular meshes, ending in very short free extremities. Spores globose, violaceous, very minutely warted, 6-8 mic. in diameter.

Growing on old wood, mosses, etc. Sporangium with the stipe 2-4 mm. in height, the stipe much the shorter, the sporangium .35-.40 mm. in thickness. _Stemonitis typhoides_, Fries, S. M.

2. COMATRICHA ÆQUALIS, Pk. Sporangia usually more or less inclined or curved and nodding, cylindric, obtuse at each end, growing together on a thin hypothallus. Stipe and columella slender, smooth, black, extending nearly or quite to the apex of the sporangium, the stipe longer than the columella. Capillitium of very slender flexuous tawny-brown threads; these branch repeatedly, forming an intricate network of small irregular meshes, ending in very short free extremities. Spores globose, minutely warted, dark violaceous, 7-9 mic. in diameter.

Growing on old wood. Sporangium 1.5-3 mm. in height by .35-.40 mm. in thickness, the stipe usually about the same length as the sporangium, but sometimes nearly twice as long. The capillitium is rather looser than in _C. typhina_, whence the drooping habit. Peck, Thirty-first Report, p. 42.

3. COMATRICHA NIGRA, Pers. Sporangia globose or ovoid to ellipsoid or oblong, erect or sometimes inclined or even nodding. The stipe very long, smooth and black, tapering upward, expanding at the base into a small circular hypothallus; the columella short, reaching from one-half to three-fourths the height of the sporangium. Capillitium of slender flexuous brown threads, which branch repeatedly, forming a dense intricate network of small meshes, ending in very short free extremities. Spores globose, even, dark violaceous, 8-10 mic. in diameter.

Growing on old wood, leaves, etc. Sporangium .5-1.5 mm. in height, .5-.8 mm. in diameter, the stipe 1.5-3 mm. long or sometimes considerably longer. This species seems to be rare in this country. I have preferred the name adopted by Schroeter to Rostafinski's _Comatricha Friesiana_.

4. COMATRICHA ELLISII, Morgan, n. sp. Sporangia short, erect, oval or ovoid to oblong. Stipe and columella erect, brown and smooth, rising from a thin pallid hypothallus, tapering upward and vanishing into the capillitium toward the apex of the sporangium, the stipe usually longer than the columella. Capillitium of slender pale brown threads; these branch several times with lateral anastomosing branchlets, forming a rather open network of small meshes, ending with very short free extremities. Spores globose, even, pale ochraceous, 6-7 mic. in diameter. See Plate XI, Fig. 29.

Growing on old pine wood. Sporangium .3-.6 mm. in height by .3-.5 mm. in width, the stipe usually a little longer than the sporangium. This elegant little species I have from Mr. J. B. Ellis, of Newfield, N. J. It is said to be mingled in some of the specimens with _Lamproderma Ellisiana_, Cke.

§2. LARVELLA. Threads of the capillitium branching a few times and anastomosing to form a network of large meshes, attaining the wall by numerous long, free extremities.

5. COMATRICHA CRYPTA, Schw. Sporangia cylindric, bent or flexuous and more or less inclined, growing close together on a conspicuous purplish-brown hypothallus. Stipe and columella smooth and black, tapering upward and reaching the apex of the sporangium, the columella bent and flexuous or spirally twisted, about as long as the stipe. Capillitium composed of irregular, bent and uneven threads, which are brown below, becoming colorless outwardly; the threads branch a few times, forming a network of large irregular meshes, sometimes much defective; the free extremities irregular and unequal, simple or branched. Spores globose, brown, minutely warted, 7-9 mic. in diameter. See Plate XI, Fig. 30.

Growing out of fissures of the bark and wood of Hickory, Acer, etc. Sporangium with the stipe 4-7 mm. in height, the stipe a little shorter, or sometimes much longer than the sporangium, the latter .25-.30 mm. in thickness. The exterior colorless portion of the capillitium is exceedingly delicate, easily breaking away and leaving the capillitium quite irregular and defective. _Stemonitis crypta_, Schweinitz's N. A. Fungi, 2351. _Comatricha irregularis_, Rex, is the same thing.

6. COMATRICHA CÆSPITOSA, Sturgis. Sporangia short, clavate, densely crowded or cæspitose upon a delicate hypothallus; the wall subpersistent, silvery, shining with tints of purple and blue. Stipe very short or nearly obsolete, the columella rising to two-thirds or three-fourths the height of the sporangium. Capillitium of slender dark-brown threads, which branch and anastomose quite irregularly, forming a network of intermingled large and small meshes, ending in long, tapering, free extremities. Spores globose, minutely spinulose, dark violaceous, 10-12 mic. in diameter.

Growing on moss and lichens, at Wood's Holl, Massachusetts. Sporangium 1-1.5 mm. in height, the stipe very short or sometimes apparently wanting. I am indebted to Dr. W. C. Sturgis, of New Haven, Conn., for a specimen of this unique species.

7. COMATRICHA LONGA, Peck. Sporangia very slender and much elongated, tapering gradually upward, weak and prostrate or pendulous, growing close together on a well-developed purplish-black hypothallus. Stipe and columella capillary, smooth and black, reaching to the apex of the sporangium or often vanishing in the network far below it, the stipe very short, the columella long and flexible. Capillitium of long, slender, dark-brown threads; these are reticulately connected near the base, forming a network of large irregular meshes in a series along the columella; outwardly they are terminated by very long free branchlets, which vary from simple to two or three times forked or branched. Spores globose, minutely warted, dark brown, 8-10 mic. in diameter. See Plate XI, Fig. 31.

Growing on old wood and bark of Elm, Willow, etc., in Autumn. Sporangium with the stipe 15-40 mm. in length, the stipe 3-8 mm. long, the sporangium .25-.40 mm. in thickness. This is the most characteristic species of the genus, being farthest removed from Stemonitis.

8. COMATRICHA FLACCIDA, Lister. Sporangia growing closely crowded together and more or less confluent, on a purplish-brown hypothallus, the walls fugacious. Columellas rising simply from the common hypothallus, or sometimes grown together below and then apparently branching, running through to the apex, and there often confluent with each other, or joined together by portions of membrane. Capillitium of slender brown threads, which branch and anastomose very irregularly, forming a ragged network with large irregular meshes, and long free extremities; the capillitium of adjoining columellas being much entangled, and often confluent or grown together. Spores globose, very minutely warted, brown, 7-9 mic. in diameter.

Growing on old wood and bark of Oak, Willow, etc. The component sporangia 5-10 mm. in length. The early appearance is much like that of species of Stemonitis, but the mature stage is a great mass of spores with scanty capillitium, as in Reticularia; the columellas, however, are genuine and not adjacent portions of wall grown together. Arthur Lister calls this _Stemonitis splendens_, var. _flaccida_.