Chapter XI: Section 2: =Tilmadoche= Fries (4)

A very graceful, elegant species, related to _C. pulchella_ and _C. persoonii_, but distinct by its much greater size and smaller spores. The specimens before show us the perfection of beauty in this genus; the polished stipe, the symmetrical capillitium, the soft purple-brown tints, are remarkable, and enable one to recognize the form at sight.

Specimens from Oregon are unusually fine; larger than usual, reach 7 mm. total height, and when blown out present the tints of violet in unusual clearness; var. _C. pacifica_. Plate XVIII., Figs. 13, 13_a_, and 13_b_.

New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois; Oregon, _Professor Peck._

10. COMATRICHA TYPHOIDES (_Bull._) _Rost._

PLATE VI., Figs. 1, 1 _a_, 1 _b_.

1772. _Mucor stemonitis_ Scopoli, _Fl. Carn._, II., pp. 493-494 (?).
1774. _Mucor stemonitis_ Schaeffer, _Icones. Tab._, CCXCVII (?).
1780. _Stemonitis typhina_ Wiggers, _Prim. Fl. Hols._, p. 116 (?).
1791. _Trichia typhoides_ Bulliard, _Champ. de la France_, p. 119,
t. 477, II.
1796. _Stemonitis typhina_ Persoon, _Myc. Obs._, I., p. 57, in part.
1805. _Stemonitis typhoides_ (Bull.) D. C., _Fl. Fr._, p. 257.
1829. _Stemonitis typhoides_ (Bull.) Fr., _Syst. Myc._, III., p. 158.
1873. _Comatricha typhoides_ (Bull.) Rost., _Vers._, p. 7.
1875. _Comatricha typhina_ (Pers.) Rost., _Mon._, p. 197.
1895. _Comatricha stemonitis_ (Scop.) Sheldon, _Minn. Bot. Stud._,
p. 473.
1899. _Comatricha stemonitis_ (Scop.) Sheld., Macbr., _N. A. S._,
p. 130.
1911. _Comatricha typhoides_ Rost., List., _Mycetozoa, 2nd ed._,
p. 157.

Sporangia gregarious, scattered, cylindric, erect, sometimes arcuate, obtuse, 2-3 mm. high, at first silvery, then brown, as the peridium vanishes, stipitate; stipe black, about one-half the total height or less; hypothallus distinct, more or less continuous, reddish-brown; columella tapering upward, black, attaining more or less completely the apex of the sporangium; capillitium, arising as rather stout branches of the capillitium, soon taking the form of slender, flexuous, brownish threads, which by repeated anastomosing form at length a close network, almost as in _Stemonitis_, the free, ultimate branches very delicate and short; spore-mass dark brown; spores by transmitted light, pale, almost smooth, except for the presence of a few scattered but very prominent umbo-like warts, of which four or five may be seen at one time, 5-7.5 mu.

This is our most common North American species. It occurs everywhere on decaying wood, sometimes in remarkable quantity, thousands of sporangia at a time. The plasmodium, watery white in color, infests preferably very rotten logs of _Quercus_, on which in June the sporangia rise as white or pallid columns. The peridium is exceedingly delicate, less seldom seen here than in some other species, but likely to be overlooked entirely. The spores when fresh have a distinct violet or bluish tinge; in old specimens they are almost colorless. In any case they are well marked by the large papillae already referred to.

_C. typhina_, var. _heterospora_ Rex, differs from the type in several particulars: the sporangia manifest a closer habit; the capillitium is made up of more slender threads and forms a yet denser network; the spores between the large papillae are marked by a more or less perfectly formed reticulation.[37]

As to nomenclature, this is our old friend _C. typhina_ (Pers.) Rost. It should be, more properly, called _C. typhina_ Rost., for it is not Persoon's species exactly. But Scopoli, _l. c._, by citing Hall, Gleditsch, and Micheli, so describes our form as to leave small doubt that he had before him our common species. Schaeffer's figures also come to the rescue, which, though by no means satisfactory, yet can probably refer to no other species. However, Bulliard gives the first good account and figure, and in concord with the decision of our English colleagues, the name afforded by the famous _Champignons_ is here adopted.

Widely distributed. Maine to California, and from British America to Nicaragua.

11. COMATRICHA ELEGANS (_Racib._) _List._

PLATE XVI., Fig. 12.

1884. _Rostafinskia elegans_ Racib., _Rozpr. Akad. Krak._, XII., 77.
1888. _Raciborskia elegans_ Berl., _Sacc. Syl._, VII., p. 400.
1894. _Raciborskia elegans_ Berl., List., _Mycet._, p. 133.
1909. _Comatricha elegans_ List., _Br. Mus. Guide to Mycet._, p. 31.

Sporangia loosely gregarious, globose, purplish-brown, small, 1-1.5 mm. in total height, stipitate; stipe black, subulate, to 1 mm,; columella at first divided into a few main branches, from which by repeated subdivision the delicate, anastomosing, flexuose capillitial threads take origin; spores pale brownish-violaceous, spinulescent, 8-10 mu.

South Carolina. Colorado:--_Dr. Sturgis._

12. COMATRICHA RUBENS _Lister._

1894. _Comatricha rubens_ List., _Mycet._, p. 123.

Sporangia gregarious, globoid or ellipsoidal, 1-1.5 mm., pink-brown, stipitate; peridium persistent below; stipe .5-1 mm., black, shining; columella to more than half the sporangium, giving off on all sides the brownish-violaceous, flexuose threads of the capillitium, somewhat thickened and broadly attached to the persisting peridial cup; spores lilac-brown, spinulescent, 7-8 mu.

Another border species, looking to the lamprodermas. Philadelphia, by courtesy _Mr. Bilgram_.

13. COMATRICHA PULCHELLA (_Bab._) _Rost._

PLATE XIII., Fig. 4, and PLATE XII., Figs. 16 and 16 _a_.

1837. _Stemonitis pulchella_ Bab., _Trans. Lin. Soc._, p. 32.
1841. _Comatricha pulchella_ Bab., Berk., _Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist._,
I. vi., p. 431, Pl. XII., 11. _a._ _b._
1848. _Stemonitis tenerrima_ Curtis, _Am. Jour._, VI., p. 352.
1873. _Stemonitis tenerrima_ Berk. & C., _Grev._, II., p. 69.
1876. _Comatricha pulchella_ (Bab.) Rost., _Mon. App._, p. 27.
1875. _Comatricha persoonii_ Rost., _Mon._, p. 201.
1894. _Comatricha persoonii_ Rost., List., _Mycet._, p. 122.
1899. _Comatricha pulchella_ (Bab.) Rost., Macbr., _N. A. S._, p. 129.
1899. _Comatricha persoonii_ Rost., Macbr., _N. A. S._, p. 132,
_excl. syn._
1911. _Comatricha pulchella_ Rost., List., _Mycet., 2nd ed._, p. 156.
1911. _Comatricha pulchella_ var. _gracilis_ Wing., List., _Mycet.,
2nd ed._, p. 156.

Sporangia very minute, 1 mm. high, scattered, ovate or ovate-cylindric acuminate, pale brown or ferruginous, stipitate; stipe short, black, nearly even; hypothallus none, or merely a circular base to the tiny stem; columella straight, gradually tapering, reaching almost if not quite to the apex of the sporangium; capillitium dense, a network of flexuous brown threads, rather broad within, ending in slender tips without; spore-mass brown, spores by transmitted light pale "lilac brown," or pale ferruginous, minutely but uniformly warted, 6-8 mu.

Probably widely distributed but rarely collected. Pennsylvania, Iowa; _Okoboji_. Toronto,--_Miss Currie._

14. COMATRICHA ELLISII _Morg._

PLATE XII., Figs. 15 and 15 _a_.

1894. _Comatricha ellisii_ Morg., _Jour. Cin. Soc._, p. 49.
1899. _Comatricha laxa_ Rost., Macbr., _N. A. S._, p. 127.
1911. _Comatricha nigra_ Schroet., List., _Mycet., 2nd ed._, p. 152.

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.

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.

On the strength of the clear descriptions and beautiful drawings of Celakowsky, _Myxomyceten Boehmens_, p. 52; Taf. 2, Figs. 7 and 8, this elegant little species as described by my colleague Professor Morgan was, in the former edition, referred to _C. laxa_ Rost. It was then reported from New Jersey only. Since then we have specimens from Ohio and from southern Missouri, all true to form, almost identical. It seems wise accordingly, while recognizing the relationship of the form to both _C. laxa_, and to _C. nigra_ as well, to give it here an individual place again. It is very small; but once studied may thereafter be easily recognized by a hand-lens. The form is definite, clean-cut, and the spores are pronouncedly smaller than in either of the two related species.

15. COMATRICHA SUBCAESPITOSA _Peck._

PLATE XII., Figs. 17, 17 _a_.

1890. _Comatricha subcaespitosa_ Peck, _N. Y. Mus. Rep._ 43, p. 25.

Sporangia scattered or sometimes in loose clusters, cylindric, obtuse, about 1.5-2 mm., dark brown, stipitate; stipe short, one-fifth total height; hypothallus minute; capillitium regular, the branching quite uniform parallel, flexuous, brown with a tinge of violet, not dense; columella well-defined, almost percurrent; spores brown in mass, under lens dusky, nearly smooth, 9-10 mu.

The larger spores, regular, erect form, and clustered habit separate this form from others with which it will be naturally associated. See page 283 under _Addenda_.

=4. Diachaea= _Fries_

1825. _Diachaea_ Fries, _Syst. Orb. Veg._, I., p. 143.[38]

Sporangia distinct, globose or cylindric, the peridium thin, iridescent, stipitate; the stipe and columella surcharged with lime, white or yellowish, rigid, thick, tapering upward; capillitium of delicate threads free from lime, radiating from various points on the columella, branching and anastomosing as in _Comatricha_ to form a more or less intricate network, the ultimate branchlets supporting the peridial wall.

Rostafinski placed this genus near the _Didymieae_ on account of the calcareous columella and the non-calcareous capillitium. On the other hand the structure of the capillitium and the iridescent simple peridium ally _Diachaea_ to _Lamproderma_ and the _Stemoniteae_; the only distinction being the calcareous stem. It is simply an intermediate genus to be placed here more conveniently than anywhere else in what is of necessity a linear arrangement.

=Key to the Species of Diachaea=

_A._ Stipe and columella white.

_a._ Sporangium cylindric 1. _D. leucopodia_

_b._ Sporangium globose.

i. Evidently stalked 2. _D. splendens_

ii. Stalk very short, 5 mm., conic.

O Spores warted 3. _D. bulbillosa_

OO Spores faintly netted 4. _D. subsessilis_

_B._ Stipe yellowish or orange 5. _D. thomasii_

1. DIACHAEA LEUCOPODIA (_Bull._) _Rost._

1791. _Trichia leucopodia_ Bull., _Champ. de la France_, Pl. 502,
Fig. 2.
1825. _Diachaea elegans_ Fries, _Syst. Orb. Veg._, I., p. 143.
1875. _Diachaea leucopoda_ (Bull.) Rost., _Mon._, p. 190.

Sporangia rather closely gregarious, metallic blue or purple iridescent, cylindric or ellipsoidal, obtuse, sub-umbilicate below, stipitate; stipe short, much less than one-half the total height, snow-white, tapering upward; hypothallus white, venulose, occurring from stipe to stipe to form an open network over the substratum; columella thick, cylindric, tapering, blunt, terminating below the apex, white; capillitium springing from every part of the columella, of slender threads, brown, flexuous, branching and anastomosing to form an intricate net; spores in mass nearly black, by transmitted light dull violaceous, minutely roughened, 7-9 mu.

A very beautiful species; not uncommon in the eastern states; rare west of the Mississippi. Easily recognized, amid related forms, by its snow-white stem, a feature which did not escape the notice of Bulliard and suggested the accepted specific name. Fries adopted the specific name proposed by Trentepohl and wrote _D. elegans_, simply because to him the peridium was "admodum elegans."

The peridium is exceedingly thin and early deciduous; the stipe long persistent. The plasmodium, dull white, was observed by Fries at the beginning of the century; "morphoseos clavem inter myxogastres hoc genus primum mihi subministravit."

This species, as the diachaeas generally, affects fallen sticks and leaves in orchards and forests and even spreads boldly over the foliage and stems of living plants.

New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina, Ohio, Iowa, California, Canada.

2. DIACHAEA SPLENDENS _Peck._

PLATE VII., Figs. 1, 1 _a_, 1 _b_, 1 _c_.

1877. _Diachaea splendens_ Peck, _Rep. N. Y. Mus._, XXX., p. 50.

Sporangia gregarious, metallic blue with brilliant iridescence, globose, stipitate; stipe white, short, tapering upward; hypothallus white, venulose, a network supporting the snowy stipes; columella white, cylindric, passing the centre, obtuse; capillitium lax, of slender, anastomosing, brown, translucent threads; spores in mass black, by transmitted light dark-violaceous, very coarsely warted, 7-10 mu.

This is perhaps the most showy species of the list. The globose brilliantly iridescent sporangia are lifted above the substratum on snow-white columnar stalks; these are again joined one to another by the pure white vein-like cords of the reticulate hypothallus. The plasmodium may spread very widely over all sorts of objects that come in the way, dry forest leaves and sticks, or the fruit and foliage of living plants. Closely resembling the preceding, but differing in the globose sporangia, it may be instantly recognized under the lenses by its coarsely papillate spores.

Not common. New York, Pennsylvania, Ontario, Ohio, Iowa, Nebraska.

3. DIACHAEA SUBSESSILIS _Pk._

1879. _Diachaea subsessilis_ Pk., _Rep. N. Y. Mus. Nat. History_,
XXXI., p. 41.
1894. _Diachaea subsessilis_ Pk., Lister, _Mycetozoa_, p. 92.

Sporangia gregarious or closely crowded, small, about .5 mm., dull iridescent-blue, greenish-gray, etc., globose or depressed-globose, short-stalked or nearly sessile; stipe generally very short, reduced sometimes to a mere persistent cone, white; columella obsolescent or reduced to white conical intrusion of the stipe; capillitium radiating from the stipe, brown, consisting of branching, anastomosing threads, paler at the tips; hypothallus very scanty or none; spores minutely warted, the papillae arranged in an irregular, loose net-work, violet-brown, paler under the lens, 10-12 mu.

This species is easily recognizable by its diminutive size and generally defective structure; i. e. it has the appearance of a degenerate or depauperate representative of some finer form. Besides the type, yet to be seen in Albany, Dr. Sturgis reports the species from Connecticut and from the Isle of Wight! A small gathering is before me from Colorado. Every sporangium is borne upon a calcareous pedicel, very short indeed, but real. The _var. globosa_ referred to in the English text under _D. leucopodia_ has not appeared so far as reported, on this side the sea, but even such variety could scarcely in the hands of a collector take the place of the form now under consideration.

Specimens of _D. subsessilis_ from Europe correspond remarkably with those described by Drs. Peck and Sturgis. Mr. Lister would have our species a synonym for _Lamproderma fuckelianum cracovense_ (Rost.) Cel.

Rare; from Connecticut to Colorado.

4. DIACHAEA BULBILLOSA (_Berk. & Br._) _List._

1873. _Didymium bulbillosum_ Berk. & Br., _Jour. Linn. Soc._, XIV.,
p. 84.
1898. _Diachaea bulbillosa_ Lister, _Jour. Bot._, XXXVI., p. 165.
1911. _Diachaea bulbillosa_ Lister, _Mycetozoa, 2nd ed._, p. 119.

Sporangia gregarious, globose, small, iridescent purple, stipitate; stipe conical, white, sometimes brown, half-a-mm., half the total height; columella clavate, white or brown; capillitium of purple-brown threads united to form a lax net; spores violet-grey, marked with scattered warts "6-8 in a row across the hemisphere", 7-9 mu.

Java, _Berkeley & Broome, op. c._ Toronto, Canada; cited here by courtesy of Miss Currie who gives the spores 7.8 mu.

5. DIACHAEA THOMASII _Rex._

PLATE V., Fig. 6, 6 _a_.

1892. _Diachaea thomasii_ Rex, _Proc. Phil. Acad._, p. 329.

Sporangia gregarious, more or less crowded, purple and bronze, iridescent, globose sessile or short stipitate; stipe, when present, very short, thick, tapering rapidly upward, orange; hypothallus orange, prominent venulose, continuous; columella ochre yellow, rough, cylindric, tapering upward to one-half the height of the sporangium, obtuse; capillitium lax, of slender brown rigid threads, radiating from the columella in every direction, anastomosing to form a loose, large-meshed network; spore-mass brown; spores by transmitted light violaceous, minutely, unevenly warted, 10-12 mu.

The peculiar orange color of the calcareous deposits in stipe and columella easily distinguish this species. The capillitium is also distinctive, rigid, simple, and comparatively scant, lamprodermoid. Rex calls attention to the fact that under low magnification the spores appear spotted; but the spots are occasioned simply by the closer aggregation, at particular points, of the ordinary papillae.

A southern species. All the specimens so far reported are from the mountains of North Carolina.

The specimens referred to under this name by Lister, _Mon._, p. 92, as coming from "Kittery, U. S. A." (Kittery, Maine?), are, no doubt, according to Mr. Lister's figures, _Comatricha caespitosa_ Sturgis. See under that species.

_C._ LAMPRODERMACEAE

Sporangia distinct, generally gregarious, more or less spherical; capillitium developed chiefly or solely from the summit of the columella.

=Key to the Genera of the Lamprodermaceae=

_A._ Columella percurrent; capillitium from a disk
at the apex 1. ENERTHENEMA

_B._ Columella scarce reaching the centre of the
sporangium.

_a._ Capillitium not forming a net 2. CLASTODERMA

_b._ Capillitium forming an intricate net 3. LAMPRODERMA

_c._ Minute, capillitium rudimentary 4. ECHINOSTELIUM

=1. Enerthenema= _Bowman_

1828. _Enerthenema_ Bowman, _Trans. Linn. Soc._, XVI., p. 152.

Sporangia stipitate, the stipe extended as a columella, which entirely traverses the sporangium and forms at the apex an expanded disk; from this depends the capillitium.

=Key to the Species of Enerthenema=

_A._ Spores free 1. _E. papillatum_

_B._ Spores in clusters 2. _E. berkeleyanum_

1. ENERTHENEMA PAPILLATUM (_Pers._) _Rost._

PLATE V., Fig. 3.

1801. _Stemonitis papillata_ Pers., _Syn._, p. 188.
1828. _Enerthenema elegans_ Bowm., _Trans. Linn. Soc._, XVI., p. 152.
1862. _Comatricha obtusata_ Preuss, Sturm, _Deutschl. Flora_, Pl. LXX.
1876. _Enerthenema papillatum_ (Pers.) Rost., _Mon. App._, p. 28.

Sporangia scattered or crowded, stipitate, spheroidal, naked, black fuscous, above, shining, adorned with a minute, black papilla; stipe black, opaque, conical or attenuate upward, about equal to the peridium; columella at the apex expanded into a shining disk; capillitium springing from the lower side of the disk or from its edge, made up of scarcely forked threads which are free below; spores violaceous or fuscous black, minutely warted, 10-12 mu.

Rare. Wisconsin, Ohio, South Carolina, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Colorado.

This is one of the few species so well marked that Persoon's description, _l. c._, is definitive: "Stylidio toto penetrante. Capillitium exacte globosum, sub-compactum, in eius apice stylidium papillae in modum prominet." For this reason Bowman's specific name _elegans_ is discarded.

2. ENERTHENEMA BERKELEYANUM _Rost._

1876. _Enerthenema berkeleyanum_ Rost., _Mon. App._, p. 29.
1913. _Enerthenema syncarpon_ Sturgis, _Myxo. Col._, II., p. 448.

This species corresponds to the preceding in all respects except in the fact that the spores are clustered in groups of four to twelve and are a little larger, 11-13 mu, strongly spinulose on the exposed surface.

Dr. Sturgis reports this from Colorado, _l. c._, but discards Rostafinski's specific name on the ground that the type has disappeared; only the spores of some fungus hyphae remain in the place and these may have been mistaken by Berkeley. This seems hardly possible since such supposition would not account for the generic reference either by Berkeley (and Broome) or by Rostafinski. The description in the _Monograph_ is minute as that of one who had the form under his lenses. Rostafinski _saw_ Berkeley's specimens.

For a similar case, see under _Prototrichia metallica, Mycetozoa 2nd ed._, p. 261.

South Carolina, type; Colorado.

=2. Clastoderma= _Blytt_

1880. _Clastoderma_ Blytt, _Bot. Zeit._, XXXVIII., p. 343.

Sporangium globose, distinct, stipitate; the columella short or obsolete; the capillitium of few sparsely branched threads, which bear at their tops the persistent fragments of the peridium, but are not otherwise united.

Distinguished from _Lamproderma_ by the peculiar manner in which the peridium is ruptured, and by the simplicity of the scanty capillitium. So far there appears to be but a single species.

1. CLASTODERMA DEBARYANUM _Blytt._

PLATE XIII., Fig. 6, and PLATE XVI., Fig. 13.

1880. _Clastoderma debaryanum_ Blytt, _Bot. Zeit._, XXXVIII., p. 343.
1886. _Orthotrichia microcephala_ Wing., _Jour. Myc._, II., p. 126.

Sporangia scattered or gregarious, very minute, 1-12 to 1/4 mm. in diameter, the peridium fugacious, except the minute patches that adhere to the capillitial branchlets, and the slight annulus at the base of the columella; stipe long, unequal, dark below, above paler; columella almost none, giving early rise to the comparatively few slender threads which by their repeated forking make up the capillitium; spores globose, even, violaceous, 8-9 mu.

Reported in the United States so far from Maine, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois.

The sporangia are very small, but beautiful, delicate little structures, found on the bark of living red oak in this country; in Norway it seems to have been seen first on a dead polyporus. Its minuteness doubtless causes it to be generally overlooked, _N. A. F._, 2498.

=3. Lamproderma= _Rostafinski_

1873. _Lamproderma_ Rostafinski, _Versuch_, p. 7.

Sporangia stipitate, globose, or ellipsoid; columella cylindric or inflated or clavate at the apex, scarcely attaining half the height of the peridium; peridium shining with metallic tints, deciduous, except where, at the base of the columella, it forms a ring around the stipe; capillitium rising in tufts or by simple branches from the columella, the threads regularly forked, generally united into a net.

The lamprodermas are distinguished from the comatrichas, to which they are most nearly allied, by the arrangement of the capillitium, its development from the apex only of the columella, the continuation of the stipe within the peridium. In other words, the peridium leaves the stipe some distance below the point where the lowest capillitial branches take origin. In mature specimens the peridium has often entirely disappeared, its only trace, a collar, more or less distinct, around the stipe, marking the beginning of the columella. Nevertheless the peridium is far more persistent than in any comatricha, and shows in yet greater brilliancy the wondrous metallic tints and iridescence of _Comatricha_ and _Diachaea_. Older authors, so far as can be seen, distributed the species between _Physarum_ and _Stemonitis_.

=Key to the Species of Lamproderma=

_A._ Peridium metallic blue.

_a._ Stipe short, stout.

1. Capillitium tips colorless 5. _L. violaceum_

_b._ Stipe long, slender.

1. Capillitium of dark, tapering, oft-united
threads 3. _L. columbinum_

2. Capillitial threads rigid, dark brown,
seldom united 4. _L. scintillans_

_B._ Peridium not blue, silvery.

_a._ Stipe long, slender.

1. Capillitium very intricate, forming a
compact net 6. _L. arcyrionema_

2. Capillitium of rigid dark brown threads 1. _L. physaroides_

_b._ Stipe short, heads large, 1 mm. or more 2. _L. robustum_

1. LAMPRODERMA PHYSAROIDES (_Alb. & Schw._) _Rost._

1805. _Physarum physaroides_ Alb. & Schw., _Consp. Fung._, p, 103.
1875. _Lamproderma physaroides_ (Alb. & Schw.) Rost., _Mon._, p. 202.

Sporangia gregarious, wide-spreading, globose, the peridium persistent with a silver metallic, sometimes brassy, lustre; stipe long, brown or black, tapering upward; hypothallus well developed, brown or purple, usually not continuous; columella swollen, obtuse, short at best, hardly attaining the centre of the sporangium; capillitium very rigid, of simple or sparingly branched, dark-brown threads radiating from the clavate apex of the columella and only here and there anastomosing toward the surface, the ultimate divisions distinctly rough; spores lilac brown, rough, 10-12.5 mu.

This species is well described and illustrated in Rostafinski's _Monograph_. It is well marked by its clavate columella and peculiarly simple, dark rigid capillitium, the branches of which rise in great numbers immediately from the columella, and maintain their primitive thickness during the greater part of their length. The transverse vincula are often at right angles to the principal branches, and the meshes, where formed, are often long and rectangular. Externally, it resembles _L. arcyrionema_, but is by its spores and capillitium instantly distinguished. Rostafinski gives the spores 12.5-14.2 mu. Large spores are less common in the specimens before us. Lister figures a sessile variety.

In our first edition this species was entered from lists published for New England, New York, and Ohio. The intervening years, however, have brought no confirmation. Specimens from Maine and Ohio, with large spores, represent _L. columbinum_, and those cited for New York are forms of _L. violaceum_. It is accordingly doubtful that _L. physaroides_ (A. & S.) Rost. occurs in North America. That it is to be found in Europe there seems no doubt. The figure and description by Schweinitz, _l. c._, may indeed be inconclusive, but Rostafinski's citation and abundant description leave no doubt as to his opinion; while numerous localities named would indicate adequate material. What Rostafinski described will no doubt obtain wider recognition some day.

2. LAMPRODERMA ROBUSTUM _Ell. & Evh._

1892. _Lamproderma robustum_ Ell. & Evh., Mass., _Mon._, p. 99.
1894. _Lamproderma violaceum_ var. _sauteri_ Rost., List.,
_Mycetozoa_, p. 129.
1899. _Lamproderma sauteri_ Rost., Macbr., _N. A. S._, p. 140.

Sporangia gregarious, globose, dull black, the peridium when present silvery, shining, or simply smooth, transparent and without iridescence, stipitate; stipe short, black, tapering rapidly upward, annulate with the persisting base of the peridium; columella short, thick, truncate, and widened at the top; hypothallus well developed, brown or purple; capillitium dense, made up of dark brown branches, numerous and rather slender, repeatedly branched and anastomosing toward the surface to form a slight delicate network with abundant free ends; spores dark purple brown, rough, 14-16 mu.

This species in outward appearance resembles _L. physaroides_, from which it is easily distinguished by the much greater diameter of the globose sporangium, 1 mm. or more. The persistent base of the peridium is also characteristic, very prominent sometimes, and visible to the naked eye. The capillitium is also unlike that of _L. physaroides_; resembles more nearly that of _L. violaceum_. From the latter species _L. robustum_ is distinguished by the color of the peridium, and by the larger, darker spores and generally different capillitium. In our former edition this is called _L. sauteri_ Rost. That much-quoted author distinguished _L. violaceum_ and _L. sauteri_; the English authors make the last named a variety only of the former. This our American species is _not_.

It is, as presented in our western mountains, clear-cut, well defined, not a variety of anything. The original name is therefore restored.

_Lamproderma arcyrioides_ (Somm.) Morgan is probably a form of _L. columbinum_. The original _L. arcyrioides_ has not yet been certainly identified in North America; see following species.

Colorado, Oregon, Washington, California.

3. LAMPRODERMA COLUMBINUM (_Pers._) _Rost._

1796. _Physarum columbinum_ Pers., _Obs. Myc._, I., p. 5.
1875. _Lamproderma columbinum_ Rost., _Mon._, p. 203.

Sporangia scattered, gregarious; rich violet or purple with metallic iridescence, globose, stipitate; the stipe long, three-fourths the total height, slender, subulate, black; hypothallus scant, purplish or brown; columella small, one-third the height or less, tapering or acute, black; the capillitium brown throughout, not dense, arising from nearly all parts of the columella, freely branching and anastomosing to an open, large-meshed network; spore-mass black, spores by transmitted light dark brown, rough, 10-12 mu.

Rostafinski distinguished this beautiful species by the color of the peridium and the conic columella. According to Mr. Lister, Rostafinski was not specially careful in labelling his material, different forms having been included under this specific name. Nevertheless, the description is well drawn, and excludes _L. physaroides_ completely. At all events our American specimens correspond so well with the description of _L. columbinum_ (Pers.) Rost. that there seems no doubt that we have here what the Polish author figured and described, whether or not he was always consistent in applying his labels. The color distinguishes at sight the present species from _L. physaroides_, and the capillitium and large rough brown spores distinguish it from _L. violaceum_. The capillitium of the minute _L. scintillans_ is much denser and more rigid, and the spores smaller. The stipe when dry is ciliate.

This is the common species of our western mountains, especially on the Pacific slope. In the Cascades every dark ravine is certain to show it in later summer and autumn, far extended colonies covering the moist surfaces of every mouldering log; the myriad globoid sporangia giving back when brought to the sunlight the most extravagant blues and greens with all the splendor of metallic sheen, their brilliant beauty never fails to quicken the attention of even the most insensate tourist.

Abundant in the western forests, in the east extremely rare; Maine, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Washington, Oregon; Vancouver, Canada.

4. LAMPRODERMA SCINTILLANS (_Berk. & Br._) _Morg._

PLATE V., Figs. 2, 2 _a_.

1877. _Stemonitis scintillans_ Berk. & Br., _Jour. Linn. Soc._, XV.,
p. 2.
1877. _Lamproderma arcyrioides_, var. _iridea_ Cke., _Myx. G. B._,
p. 50.
1892. _Lamproderma irideum_ (Cke.) Mass., _Mon._, p. 95.
1894. _Lamproderma scintillans_ (Berk. & Br.) Morg., _Jour. Cin.
Soc._, p. 47.

Sporangia gregarious, scattered, globose or depressed-globose, rich metallic blue or purple, iridescent, stipitate; the stipe long, slender, even, inclined and nodding or sometimes erect; hypothallus small, circular; columella cylindric, small, not reaching the centre, black; capillitium dense, of rigid, straight, sparingly branched or anastomosing, brown threads, which are sometimes white or colorless just as they leave the columella; spores globose, rough, violaceous brown, 8 mu.

This is _L. irideum_ of Cooke and of Massee's _Monograph_. Its capillitium is remarkable, and constitutes an easy diagnostic mark. The threads appear at first sight entirely simple, but are really several times furcate, and not infrequently anastomose. The spores are covered with sparsely sown large papillae, easily seen under moderate magnification.

This is one of our earliest species. To be sought in May on beds of decaying oak leaves in the woods, especially in wet places, near streams, etc.

Rare. New England, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa.

5. LAMPRODERMA VIOLACEUM (_Fries_) _Rost._

1829. _Stemonitis violacea_ Fries, _Syst. Myc._, III., p. 162.
1875. _Lamproderma violaceum_ (Fries) _Rost., Mon._, p. 204.

Sporangia closely gregarious or scattered, depressed-globose, more or less umbilicate below, metallic blue or purple, sessile or short stipitate; stipe stout, dark brown or black, even; hypothallus, when the sporangia are crowded, a thin, continuous, purplish membrane; when the sporangia are scattered, the hypothallus discoidal; columella cylindric or tapering slightly upward, the apex obtuse, black, attaining the centre of the sporangium; capillitium lax and flaccid, made up of flexuous threads branching and anastomosing to form a network, open in the interior, more dense without, the threads at first pale brown as they leave the columella, becoming paler outward to the colorless tips; spores minutely warted, violaceous gray, 9-11 mu.

This is our most common species; found on decaying sticks and logs late in the fall. Its pale capillitium will usually distinguish it, especially where the sporangia are empty; then the pallid free extremities of the capillitial branches give to the little spheres under the lens a white or hoary appearance not seen in any other species.

The plasmodium is at first almost transparent, then amber tinted, sending up tiny semi-transparent spheres on shining brownish stalks. As the changes approach maturity, the sporangia become jet-black, and only at last when the spores are ready for dispersal does the peridium assume its rich metallic purple tints. Colonies a meter in length, two or three decimeters in width, are sometimes seen!

New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, South Dakota; Toronto. Common.

6. LAMPRODERMA ARCYRIONEMA _Rost._

PLATE V., Figs. 1, 1 _a_.

1875. _Lamproderma arcyrionema_ Rost., _Mon._, p. 208.

Sporangia gregarious, scattered, globose, silvery gray or bronze, iridescent, erect, stipitate; stipe black, long, two-thirds to three-fourths the total height, slender, rigid; columella slender, cylindric, attaining about one-third the height of the sporangium when it breaks into the primary branches of the capillitium; capillitium exceedingly intricate, made up of slender, flexuous brown threads which frequently branch and anastomose to form an elegant round-meshed network resembling that of _Arcyria_, free ultimate branchlets not numerous; spores in mass jet-black, by transmitted light violaceous, smooth, or only faintly warted, 6-8 mu.

In outward appearance this species resembles _L. physaroides_, but is easily recognizable by its very peculiar capillitium. This, in its primary branching, resembles a comatricha. In typical forms, the columella branches at the apex only, generally into two strong divisions which then break up irregularly and anastomose in every direction. This seems to have been the form present to Rostafinski when he wrote "columella truncate." In Central American and some North American specimens, the branching is very different; the twigs leave the columella at various points almost down to the annulus, and the entire effect is dendroid. The columella is lost almost at once. A small form of this species was formerly distributed in the United States as _Comatricha friesiana_ DeBy. This circumstance led the present author to describe Central American forms as _C. shimekiana_. Judging from a remark by Massee (_Mon._, p. 97), a similar confusion seems to have prevailed in Europe. As a matter of fact, the resemblance between _C. friesiana_, i. e. _C. nigra_, and the present species is sufficiently remote.

_Lamproderma minutum_ Rostafinski seems to be a small form of this species. Rostafinski bases his diagnosis upon the branching of the columella, which is, as we have seen, inconstant, and upon the colorless capillitium. This feature in specimens examined is also inconstant.

Occurring in large colonies on barkless decaying logs of various species; the plasmodium almost colorless.

New England, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Louisiana, Texas, Mexico, Nicaragua; Vancouver's Island; Ontario, Toronto,--_Miss Currie._

=4. Echinostelium= _DeBary_

1873. _Echinostelium_ DeBary, Rost., _Versuch_, p. 7.

Sporangia distinct, globose, minute, the structure limited to a few imperfect rib-like, loosely joined branches developed from the short columella or stem-top, sustaining the spores.

A single species:--

1. ECHINOSTELIUM MINUTUM _DeBy_.

1873. _Echinostelium minutum_ DeBy., Rost., _Versuch_, p. 7.

PLATE XIX., Figs. 11 and 11 _a_

Sporangia distinct, scattered, globose, very minute, 40-50 mu, stipitate; the stipe, hair-like subulate, granular but hyaline; columella minute or none; capillitium consisting of a few arcuate spinose threads loosely united supporting the uncovered spores, spores globose, colorless, smooth, 7-8 mu.--_Rostafinski._

This very singular and diminutive form, the least of all slime-moulds, is probably widely distributed but the accident of discovery is rare. DeBary found it once only, at Frankfurt am Main.

Miss Lister reports its occurrence in England and Austria. In the United States it has been seen but once on certain laboratory material from Massachusetts, studied by Dr. Thaxter.

Our drawing is after Rostafinski, IV., 68; Miss Lister follows No. 54, and so finds a bit of peridium below the two spores shown in the figure, one on each side of a microscopic _columella_.

This is almost the only taxonomic suggestion;--a mere suggestion; this microscopic bit of anxious life is but a shadow,--a shade, a shadow of a lamproderma!

ORDER III

CRIBRARIALES

Fructification plasmodiocarpous or aethalioid, or consisting of distinct sporangia; peridia membranaceous at maturity, more or less evanescent, opening irregularly or by means of a delicate network, which involves at least the upper part of the sporangium; capillitium usually none; spores of some shade of brown, umbrine, rarely purplish.

This order is distinguished--except in a single case--by the entire absence of true capillitium, the pallid or brown spores, the gradual evolution of distinct sporangia in which provision for spore-dispersal is made by peridial modification especially at the sporangium-top.

=Key to the Families of the Cribrariales=

_A._ Fructification plasmodiocarpous scattered as
if made up of the segments of the
plasmodial net LICEACAE

_B._ Fructification of distinct and separate
sporangia, long stipitate, opening by a
delicate operculum at the top ORCADELLACEAE

_C._ Fructification aethalioid, the sporangia
generally more or less tubular, often
prismatic by mutual pressure; opening by
rupture of the apex, the lateral walls entire TUBIFERACEAE

_D._ Fructification aethalioid, the sporangia ill
defined, their walls more or less
perforate, frayed, or dissipated, forming
a pseudo-capillitium, RETICULARIACEAE

_E._ Fructification of distinct and separate
sporangia, the walls more or less
reticulately perforate especially above CRIBRARIACEAE

_A._ LICEACEAE

A single genus,--

=1. Licea= (_Schrader_) _Rost._

1797. _Licea_ Schrader, _Nov. Gen. Plant._, p. 16, in part.
1875. _Licea_ (Schrader) Rost., _Mon._, p. 218.

Sporangia plasmodiocarpous, looped, irregular, or distinct, sessile, and regularly rounded or elliptical; the peridium simple, rather firm, ruptured irregularly or by simple fissure; hypothallus none.

This genus is distinguished from other similar plasmodiocarpous forms by the extreme simplicity of its structure. There is absolutely no capillitium nor anything like it, simply a mass of spores surrounded by thin membranous walls. The spores range from pale olive, colorless under the lens, through various shades of brown to dusky almost black in _L. pusilla_. Schrader included the _Tubifera_ species.

=Key to the Species of Licea=

_A._ Plainly plasmodiocarpous 1. _L. variabilis_

_B._ Opening by regular segments.

1. Segments two only 2. _L. biforis_

2. Segments several.

i. Spores brown 3. _L. minima_

ii. Spores dusky olive 4. _L. pusilla_

1. LICEA VARIABILIS _Schrader._

PLATE XII., Figs. 7 and 8.

1797. _Licea variabilis_ Schrader, _Nov. Gen._, p. 18, Pl. VI.,
Figs. 5 and 6.
1801. _Licea variabilis_ Schr., Pers., _Syn. Meth._, p. 197.
1801. _Licea flexuosa_ Pers., _Syn. Meth._, p. 197.
1911. _Licea flexuosa_ Pers., List., _Mycetozoa, 2nd ed._, p. 189.

Fructification plasmodiocarpous, elongate, hamate, annulate or irregularly repent, very dark brown, rough, the peridium of two layers, the outer closely adhering, dark brown, thick, opaque, the inner delicate, membranous, very thin, transparent, iridescent, rugulose, rupturing irregularly; hypothallus none; spores in mass pale yellow with a greenish tinge, by transmitted light nearly colorless, large, globose, minutely spinulose, 12.5 mu.

This is the largest species of the genus as represented in this country, the plasmodiocarps of various lengths and from .5-.7 mu wide. Somewhat resembling some species of _Ophiotheca_, but of much darker color. The outer peridium is deciduous, and the inner slowly ruptures, by irregular fissures discharging the spores. The plasmodium, according to Schrader, is white. Rare. Probably overlooked.

Any good reason for changing the name given to this form so well illustrated and described by Schrader does not appear. Persoon quotes his predecessor's species and adds _L. flexuosa_ on his own account; strangely enough, since Schrader expressly describes _L. variabilis_, "in uno eodemque enim loco peridium hemisphericum, ovatum, oblongum _flexuosum_ vel aliter formatum diversi est diametri."

New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa.

_Licea flexuosa_ Pers. is by Schweinitz reported from Pennsylvania. It is described as having brown spores, 10-15 mu, spinulose.

2. LICEA BIFORIS _Morgan._

PLATE XII., Fig. 10.

1893. _Licea biforis_ Morgan, _Jour. Cin. Soc._, p. 5.

Sporangia regular, compressed, sessile on a narrow base, gregarious; the wall firm, thin, smooth, yellow brown in color and nearly opaque, with minute, scattered granules on the inner surface, at maturity opening into two equal parts, which remain persistent by the base; spores yellow-brown in mass, globose or oval, even, 9-12 u.

Minute but perfectly regular, almost uniform, corneous-looking sporangia are thickly strewn over the inner surface of decaying bark. Each, at first elongate, pointed at each end, opens at length by fissure along the upper side setting free the minute yellowish spores. Unlike anything else; reminding one, at first sight, of some species of _Glonium_.

Inside bark of _Liriodendron_. Ohio, Canada.

3. LICEA MINIMA _Fries_.

1829. _Licea minima_ Fries, _Syst. Myc._, III., p. 199.

Sporangia gregarious, umber-brown, spherical or hemispherical, sessile; the peridium opaque, brown, opening along prefigured lines, forming segments with dotted margins, ultimately widely reflexed; spores in mass dark brown, by transmitted light paler with olive tints, minutely roughened, 10-11 mu.

The very minute sporangia, 3 mm., of this species cause it to be overlooked generally by collectors. Nevertheless, it may be found on decaying soft woods, in August, probably around the world. The number of sporangia produced by one plasmodium is in Iowa also small. The larger specimens might be mistaken for species of _Perichaena_, but are easily distinguished by the regular and lobate dehiscence. The plasmodium is yellow.

Dr. George Rex, in almost the last paper from his hand, gives an interesting account of this diminutive species. Among various gatherings studied he found a black variety, a melanistic phase, so to say, and was able to follow the evolution of the sporangia from the yellow plasmodium. The sutures by which the peridium opens, first show signs of differentiation by change of color from yellow through garnet to black. Later the entire wall undergoes similar color changes, beginning next the completed sutural delimitations. Of the open peridia, the reflexed segments remind one of certain didermas, as _D. radiatum_. See _Bot. Gaz._, Vol. XIX., p. 399.

New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Iowa.

4. LICEA PUSILLA _Schrader._

1797. _Licea pusilla_ Schrad., _Nov. Gen. Pl._, p. 19, tab. VI.,
f. 4.
1829. _Physarum licea_ Fries, _Syst. Myc._, III., p. 143.
1875. _Protoderma pusilla_ (Schrader) Rost., _Mon._, p 90.

Sporangia scattered, gregarious, depressed-globose, sessile on a flattened base, dark brown, shining, .5-1 mm.; peridium thin, dark colored, translucent, dehiscent above by regular segments; spore-mass almost black, spores by transmitted light olivaceous brown, smooth, or nearly so, 15-17 mu.

Fries, _l. c._, makes this a physarum, and argues the case at length, evidently with such efficiency that he greatly impressed Rostafinski, who did not make it a physarum indeed, but actually gave it generic place and station of its own; a physarum may do without calcium in the capillitium perhaps, but not be entirely non-calcareous; so he writes _Protoderma_ (first cover) and places the species number 1 on the long list of endosporous forms. Even in his '_Dodatek_', or supplement, as we should say, he refers to the thing again, but only to correct the inflexional ending of the specific name; he writes _Protoderma pusillum_ (Schrader) Rost!

Schweinitz reports the species for America and Morgan cites Schweinitz and reports it for Ohio, but we find it in no American collections.

_B._ ORCADELLACEAE;

Sporangia distinct, minute, long stipitate, opening above by a distinct lid.

A single genus,--

=Orcadella= _Wingate_

1889. _Orcadella_ Wingate, _Proc. Phil. Acad._, p. 280.

Sporangia furnished with rigid, unpolished stipes, blending above with the substance of the thick unpolished walls; the operculum thin, delicate, membranaceous.

A single species,--

1. ORCADELLA OPERCULATA _Wingate._

PLATE XII., Fig. 11.

1889. _Orcadella operculata_ Wingate, _Proc. Phil. Acad._, p. 280.

Sporangia scattered, gregarious, ellipsoidal, ovoid, obconical or nearly globose, dull brown or blackish, the wall simple, thick, coarse, at the top replaced by a delicate, thin, yellowish, iridescent, lustrous or vernicose membrane which forms a circular, smooth, or wrinkled lid, soon deciduous; stipe of varying height, rough from deposit of plasmodic refuse; spores, in mass yellowish, globose, smooth, 8-11 mu.

This curious little species, well described by its discoverer, appears to be very rare. At least it is seldom collected; overlooked by reason of its minuteness. It is a stipitate licea, or a lid-covered cribraria; perhaps nearer the former. It affects the bark of species of _Quercus_, and seems to be associated there with _Clastoderma debaryanum. N. A. F._, 2497.

Pennsylvania, Maine.

_C._ TUBIFERACEAE

Fructification aethalioid or of distinct sporangia; sporangia well defined, tubular, often prismatic by mutual pressure, seated on a common, well-marked hypothallus, at length dehiscent by the irregular rupture of the peridium, in typical cases at the apex, its walls remaining then otherwise entire; capillitial threads in No. 3, only.

=Key to the Genera of the Tubiferaceae=

_A._ Spores olivaceous; sporangia in one or several
series, 1. LINDBLADIA

_B._ Spores umber; sporangia in a single series 2. TUBIFERA

_C._ Sporangia stipitate; capillitium of tubular threads 3. ALWISIA

=1. Lindbladia= _Fries_

1849. _Lindbladia_ Fries, _Sum. Veg. Scand._, p. 449.

Fructification aethalioid; the sporangia short, tubular, sometimes superimposed, sometimes forming a simple stratum, in the latter case generally sessile, but sometimes short-stipitate, the peridium at first entire, at length opening irregularly either at the sides or apex, beset with granules; spores olivaceous.

This genus was established by Fries in 1849 to accommodate a single species of wide distribution and somewhat varying habit, which is neither a tubifera nor yet a cribraria and offers points of resemblance to each. It is distinct in that the sporangia, while often in single series, are yet often superimposed. It resembles _Tubifera_ in its simple sporangia, opening without the aid of a net; it is like _Cribraria_ in the smooth ochraceous-olivaceous spores and granuliferous peridium.

1. LINDBLADIA EFFUSA (_Ehr._) _Rost._

PLATE I., Figs. 3, 3 _a_, PLATE XII., Figs. 1, 2.

1818. _Licea effusa_ Ehr., _Sylv. Myc. Ber._, p. 26.
1875. _Lindbladia effusa_ (Ehr.) Rost., _Mon._, p. 223.
1879. _Perichaena caespitosa_ Peck, _Rep. N. Y. Mus._, XXXI., p. 57.

Sporangia minute, either closely combined and superimposed, so as to form a pulvinate aethalium, or crowded together in a single layer, sessile, or short-stipitate; the peridia thin, membranous, marked by scattered plasmodic granules, often lustrous, sometimes dull lead-colored or blackish, especially above; stipe, when present, very short but distinct, brown, rugulose; hypothallus well developed, membranous, or more or less spongiose in structure; spore-mass ochraceous, under the lens, nearly smooth, almost colorless, 6-7.5 mu.

This very variable species has been well studied by Dr. Rex. See _Bot. Gaz._, XVII., p. 201. In its simpler phases it presents but a single layer of sporangia generally closely crowded together, sometimes free and even short stipitate! In the more complex phase the sporangia are heaped together in a pulvinate mass in which the peridia appear as boundaries of minute cells. In this case the outermost sporangia are often consolidated to form a cortex more or less dense and shining. In any case the hypothallus is a prominent feature; generally laminated and of two or three layers, it is in the more hemispheric aethalia very much more complex, sponge-like. When thin this structure is remarkable for its wide extent, 40-50 cm.! The simpler forms approach very near to _Cribraria_ through _C. argillacea_. The most complex remind us of _Enteridium_.

This is _Perichaena caespitosa_ Peck. In this country it has, however, been generally distributed as _L. effusa_ Ehr. This author throws some doubt on the species he describes by suggesting that the plasmodium may be _red_. The description, however, and figures are otherwise good and are established by the usage of Rostafinski. The plasmodium has much the same color as the mature fruit.

Widely distributed. New England to the Black Hills and Colorado, south to Arkansas. California, about Monterey.

=2. Tubifera= _Gmelin_

1791. _Tubifera_ Gmelin, _Syst. Nat._, II., p. 1472.

Sporangia tubular, by mutual pressure more or less prismatic, connate, pale ferruginous-brown, iridescent, the walls thin, slightly granular, long-persistent; dehiscence apical; hypothallus thick, spongiose, white or whitish; spore-mass ferruginous.

This genus is easily recognized by the tubular sporangia, destitute of capillitial threads, seated upon a strongly developed hypothallus. The synonymy of the case is somewhat difficult. It is possible that Mueller's _Tubulifera ceratum, Fl. Dan._, Ellevte Haefte, 1775, p. 8, may belong here, but neither the text nor the figures make it certain. Neither he nor OEder, who gives us _T. cremor_ in the same work, had any accurate idea of the objects described. Gmelin's description of _Tubifera_, II., 2, 1472, is, however, ample, and his citations of Bulliard's plates leave no doubt as to the forms he included. Gmelin writes: "Thecae (membranae expansae superimpositae) inter se connatae seminibus nudiusculis repletae."

Why, in face of so good a description, Persoon changed the name to that since current, _Tubulina_, is not clear.

Fries thinks Mueller had an immature _Arcyria_ before him, _Syst. Myc._, III., p. 196. _Tubulifera arachnoidea_ Jacq., 1778, is also an uncertain quantity, insufficiently described.

=Key to the Species of Tubifera=

_A._ Hypothallus well developed, but not conspicuous.

_a._ Pseudo-columellae none 1. _T. ferruginosa_

_b._ Pseudo-columellae present at least in many
of the tubules 2. _T. casparyi_

_B._ Hypothallus prominent, columnar 3. _T. stipitata_

1. TUBIFERA FERRUGINOSA (_Batsch_) _Macbr._

PLATE I., Fig. 4; PLATE VII., Fig. 8; PLATE XII., Fig. 14.

1786. _Stemonitis ferruginosa_ Batsch, _Elench._, p. 261, Fig. 175.
1791. _Sphaerocarpus cylindricus_ Bull., _Champ._, p. 140, t. 470,
III.
1791. _Tubifera ferruginosa_ Gmelin, _Syst. Nat._, 1472 (_ex parte_).
1805. _Tubulina cylindrica_ (Bull.) DC., _Fl. Fr._, 671.
1875. _Tubulina cylindrica_ (Bull.) Rost., _Mon._, p. 220.
1894. _Tubulina fragiformis_ (Pers.) Lister, _Mycetozoa_, p. 153.

Sporangia crowded, cylindric or prismatic, elongate, connate, more or less distinct above, pale umber-brown, generally simple though occasionally branched above, the peridia thin, sometimes fragile, but generally persistent, transparent, iridescent; hypothallus strongly developed, spongiose, white, often projecting beyond the aethalioid mass of sporangia; spore-mass umber-brown or ferruginous; spores by transmitted light almost colorless, plainly reticulate over three-fourths of the surface, 6-7 mu.

Not rare on old logs, mosses, etc., from Maine to Alaska. Apparently more common north than south. Easily known by its long, tubular sporangia packed with rusty spores and destitute of any trace of columella or capillitium, the hypothallus explanate, rather thick, but not columnar. A single plasmodium may give rise to one or several colonies, at first watery or white, then red, of somewhat varying shades, then finally umber-brown. These colors were noticed by all the older authors, but very inaccurately; thus a white plasmodium is the basis for _Tubifera cylindrica_ (Bull.) Gmel., a roseate plasmodium for _Tubifera fragiformis_ (Bull.) Gmel., and the mature fructification for _Tubifera ferruginosa_ (Batsch) Gmel. Rostafinski adopted a specific name given by Bulliard, but Batsch has clear priority.

The peridia are sometimes accuminate, and widely separate above. This is Persoon's _T. fragiformis_. In most cases, however, the peridia are connate throughout, and sometimes present above a membranous common covering. This is _T. fallax_ of Persoon; _Licea cylindrica_ (Bull.) Fries. In forms with thicker peridia, the walls often show the granular markings characteristic of the entire _Anemeae_.

2. TUBIFERA STIPITATA (_Berk. & Rav._) _Macbr._

1858. _Licea stipitata_ Berk. & Rav., _Am. Acad._, IV., p. 125.[39]
1868. _Licea stipitata_ Berk. & Rav., _Jour. Linn. Soc._, X., p. 350.
1875. _Tubulina stipitata_ (Berk. & Rav.) Rost., p. 223.

Sporangia crowded in a globose or more or less hemispheric, expanded head, borne upon a spongy, stem-like, sulcate hypothallus 3-4 mm. high, their apices rounded, their walls very thin, evanescent; spores in mass umber-brown, small, about 5 mu, the epispore reticulate as in the preceding species.

This differs from number 1 chiefly in the cushion-like receptacle on which the crowded sporangia are borne, and in the smaller spores. The species originates in a plasmodium at first colorless, then white, followed by salmon or buff tints, which pass gradually into the dark brown of maturity. This peculiar succession of colors is perhaps more diagnostic than the difference in habit. The spores are, however, constantly smaller in all the specimens we have examined, and the stipitate habit very marked.

New England, New York, south to South Carolina, and west to South Dakota; our finest specimens are from Missouri.

3. TUBIFERA CASPARYI (_Rost._) _Macbr._

PLATE XII., Fig. 9.

1876. _Siphoptychium casparyi_ Rost., _Mon. App._, p. 32.

Sporangia closely crowded, tubular, cylindric or prismatic by mutual pressure, connate, the apices rounded, convex, covered by a continuous membrane, umber-brown; the peridia firm, persistent, minutely granular, iridescent; hypothallus well developed, thin, brown, explanate; pseudo-columellae erect, rigid, traversing many of the sporangia, and in some instances bound back to the peridial walls by slender, membranous bands or threads, a pseudo-capillitium; spore-mass dark brown or umber, spores by transmitted light pale, globose, reticulate, 7.5-9 mu.

This is _Siphoptychium casparyi_ Rost. In _Bot. Gaz._, XV., p. 319, Dr. Rex shows that the relationships of the species are with _Tubifera_; that the so-called columella is probably an abortive sporangium, the so-called capillitial threads having no homology with the capillitial threads of the true columelliferous forms. It is a good species of _Tubifera_, nothing more. The tubules are shorter than in either of the preceding species; the spores are darker, larger, and more thoroughly reticulate.

The plasmodium is given by Dr. Rex, _l. c._, as white, then "dull gray tinged with sienna color," then various tones of sienna-brown, to the dark umber of the mature aethalium.

New York, Adirondack Mountains; Allamakee Co., Iowa.

=3. Alwisia= _Berk. & Br._

PLATE XIX., Figs. 5 and 5 _a_.

1873. _Alwisia_ Berk. & Br., _Jour. Linn. Soc._, Vol. XIV., p. 86.

Sporangia ellipsoidal, clustered, stipitate; dehiscence by the falling away of the upper part of the peridium disclosing a persisting pencil of capillitial threads. A single species:--

1. ALWISIA BOMBARDA _Berk. & Br._

1873. _Alwisia bombarda_ Berk. & Br., _Jour. Linn. Soc._, XIV., p. 86.

Sporangia gathered in clusters of four to eight, surmounting coalescent, or sometimes divergent stalks, rusty-brown, or pallid, the peridium evanescent above; the coalescing stalks forming, especially below, a clustered column, 2 mm. in height, equalling the sporangia, dull reddish-brown in color; capillitium of rigid, tubular, generally simple threads, attaching above by delicate tips, below by a broader sometimes branching base, sometimes conjoined near the peridial wall, now and then at irregular intervals inflated slightly or anon bulbose, roughened by projecting spinules, one-third the diameter, brownish or yellow; spores reddish-brown, faintly marked by reticulating bands over large part of the surface, 5-5.5 mu.

This peculiar species looks at first very little like a myxomycete. The stiff projecting hairs of the capillitium are hyphal in appearance and under the lens recall the phycomycetes; but the spores and withal the general structure seem to claim recognition here. Rostafinski was inclined to make a trichia of it, because of the hair-like capillitium, and markings on the threads, Massee found indistinct spiral markings even, enough to suit at least the prototrichias. Mr. Lister would put it near the tubifers. Father Torrend thinks of the dianemas, margaritas, etc., because of simple capillitium attached above and below! Spore-characters are probably the index most reliable, and the partial reticulation suggests association with _Tubifera_ and for the present it may find station there, as in the English monograph.

Rare. Collected three times: twice in Ceylon, once in Jamaica. By the courtesy of Dr. Farlow, late lamented, we record the western specimens.

_D._ RETICULARIACEAE

Fructification aethalioid; the sporangia sometimes poorly defined, intricately associated, borne on a common hypothallus and covered above by a common cortex; the lateral walls variously perforate and incomplete, form a pseudo-capillitium; spores umber or ochraceous.

=Key to the Genera of the Reticulariaceae=

_A._ Spores umber.

_a._ Sporangia wholly indeterminate, their walls much
consolidated below, fraying out above into
long, slender threads, 1. RETICULARIA

_b._ Sporangia bounded, more or less distinctly, by
broad perforate plates throughout 2. ENTERIDIUM

_B._ Spores ochraceous 3. DICTYDIAETHALIUM

=1. Reticularia= (_Bull._) _Rost._

1791. _Reticularia_ Bulliard, _Champ. de la France_, p. 95, in part.
1873. _Reticularia_ (Bulliard) Rost., _Versuch_, p. 6.

Plasmodium at first white, then pink, 'ashes of roses,' etc. Sporangia wholly indeterminate or undefined, their walls represented (?) by a spongy mass of so-called capillitium, consisting of membranous plates, branching, anastomosing, vanishing without order or symmetry, generally giving rise at the sides, and especially above, to long slender flexuous threads; outer cortex silvery white; hypothallus distinct, white; spore-mass and threads umber or rusty brown.

A single species,--

1. RETICULARIA LYCOPERDON (_Bull._) _Rost._

PLATE X., Figs. 7, 7 _a_; PLATE XII., Fig. 3.

1791. _Reticularia lycoperdon_ Bull., _Champ. de la France_, p. 95.