The North American Slime-Moulds Part 66

_d._ Peridium plain, dull black 14. _T. lateritia_

1. TRICHIA INCONSPICUA _Rostafinski._

PLATE III., Figs. 5, 5 _a_, 5 _b_.

1875. _Trichia inconspicua_ Rost., _Mon._, p. 259.

Sporangia gregarious or crowded, small, spherical, ellipsoidal or arcuate, brown or reddish brown, sessile; hypothallus none; capillitium dull, dark, ochraceous, the elaters long, slender, even, about 3 wide, the spirals three or four rather closely wound, the apices attenuate, acute, sometimes turned to one side; spore-ma.s.s concolorous, spores pale ochraceous, minutely but distinctly warted, 10-12 .

One of the smallest of the _Trichiae_, not uncommon in the Mississippi valley on decaying fallen stems of _Populus_--sp. Distinguished at sight from all except No. 3 following, by its small size and brown color.

Under the lens the long, delicate, finely sculptured capillitial threads, with fine tapering threads are distinctive.

New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska; Black Hills, South Dakota; Toronto.

2. TRICHIA CONTORTA (_Ditmar_) _Rost._

PLATE XIII., Figs. 7, 7 _a_.

1811. _Lycogala contortum_ Ditmar, Sturm, _Deutsch. Fl._, III., Tab. 5.

1872. _Trichia reniformis_ Peck, _Rep. N. Y. Mus._, XXVI., p. 74.

1875. _Trichia contorta_ Rost., _Mon._, p. 259.

Sporangia gregarious, or crowded, small, ellipsoid or reniform, arcuate, dark red brown, sessile; hypothallus none; capillitial ma.s.s ochraceous or dull yellow, the elaters few, irregular, the spirals uneven, irregular, often projecting and thin, though generally flat or obscure, the apices more or less swollen, ending in a curved tip; spore-ma.s.s concolorous, spores beneath the lens bright yellow, papillose, 10-12 .

This species resembles the preceding in color, but is of less aggregate habit, and the sporangia are more plasmodiocarpous, reniform, arcuate, etc. The capillitium is also distinctive, the sculpture irregular, uneven with general lack of symmetry. Our description is made up from specimens of _T. reniformis_ Peck, which appears to be the American form of Rostafinski's species.

Rare. New York, Montana?

3. TRICHIA IOWENSIS _Macbr._

PLATE III., Figs. 3, 3 _a_, 3 _b_; PLATE X., Fig. 5.

1892. _Trichia iowensis_ Macbr., I_a., Bull. Lab. Nat. Hist._, II., p. 133.

Sporangia sessile, gregarious, spherical or reniform, with no hypothallus, purple brown; spores and spore-ma.s.s yellow; elaters with three or four spiral bands unevenly distributed, and with occasional inflations, sparingly branched, spinulose, especially where inflated, spinules long, 3-6 , recurved, often bifid or trifid, especially at or near the ac.u.minate tip; spores delicately warted, 9-11 .

This species occurs not rarely and is found on the bark of _Populus_, so far, exclusively. The sporangia are inconspicuous until opening by fissure they display the yellow spores and capillitial threads. The species is immediately recognized by its elaters, whose numerous and lengthened spinules are unlike those of any cognate form, reminding one of the capillitium of _Ophiotheca_. Related to the two preceding, but distinct by its spinulose capillitium.

Iowa, Missouri; Black Hills, South Dakota.

_Trichia andersoni_ Rex carefully described by Morgan, _Myx. Mi. Val._, p. 38, belongs with this first group, four small species, the inconspicuous. To the present writer in each the structure seems distinct. In the herbarium a small bit of Anderson's material has rested long; but it must not be lost to sight. The species is sure to be taken again in the cool mountains, somewhere abundant; as these stretch from Alberta to far Alaska. The capillitium is very even the taeniae closely wound, the elater-ends often furcate.

4. TRICHIA VARIA (_Pers._) _Rost._

PLATE IV., Figs. 3, 3 _a_, 3 _b_.

1791. _Stemonitis varia_ Pers., Gmel., _Syst. Nat._, II., 1470.

1794. _Trichia varia_ Pers., _Rom. Neu. Mag. Bot._, I., p. 90.

1829. _Trichia varia_ (Pers.) Fries, _Syst. Myc._, III., p. 188.

1875. _Trichia varia_ (Pers.) Rost., _Mon._, p. 251.

Sporangia gregarious or sometimes closely crowded, globose, obovoid, or irregularly globoid, yellowish or ochraceous, s.h.i.+ning, sessile, or with a short black stipe; hypothallus none; capillitium of rather long, simple, or more rarely branched elaters, 4-5 , wide, marked by irregular spirals generally only two, prominent and narrow and in places remote, the apices acute, about twice the elater diameter; spore-ma.s.s yellow, spores by transmitted light dull yellow, 12-14 , delicately verruculose, guttulate.

A very common species, very variable in form, stipitate forms occuring anon beside those which are irregular and sessile. According to Rostafinski the stipitate phase const.i.tutes the _T. nigripes_ of Persoon and other authors. The capillitium is, however, characteristic throughout. The two spiral bands wind loosely and irregularly and present an elater unlike anything else in the group except the same structure in _T. contorta_, but here the elater is narrow and the sculpture obscure. Since the specific distinctions are purely microscopic, the synonymy beyond Rostafinski is mainly conjectural. It is possible that Fries properly applied the name.

Common. Maine to Oregon and California, and south to Arkansas and Alabama.

5. TRICHIA SCABRA _Rost._

PLATE IV., Figs. 4, 4 _a_, 4 _b_.

1875. _Trichia scabra_ Rost., _Mon._, p. 258.

Sporangia closely crowded upon a well-developed hypothallus, regular, globose or turbinate-globose, orange or golden brown, smooth, s.h.i.+ning; capillitial ma.s.s clear, golden yellow, or sometimes rusty orange, the elaters simple, long, 4-5 in width, the spirals three or four, closely wound, spinulose, even and regular, the apices short, ac.u.minate; spore-ma.s.s concolorous, under the lens spores yellow, covered by a delicate fine-meshed network, or simply spinulose under low power, 10-12 .

Generally a well-marked species, easily recognized by its regular but roughened capillitial threads. Under a 1-12 objective the spores are also diagnostic. To the unaided eye it resembles the next species in both color and habit. Fructifications two inches or more in length and half as wide are not infrequent on the lower side of fallen stems in forests of deciduous trees. The plasmodium is white.

Not uncommon. Maine to Was.h.i.+ngton, Oregon, Alaska, and south to Missouri and Arkansas.

6. TRICHIA PERSIMILIS _Karst._

PLATE IV., Figs. 1, 1 _a_, 1 _b_, 1 _c_; 6, 6 _a_, 6 _b_, 6 _c_, 6 _d_.

1868. _Trichia persimilis_ Karst., _Not. Saellsk. Fenn. Forh._ IX., p. 353.

1869. _Trichia affinis_ De Bary, _f.u.c.kel, Sym. Myc._, p. 336.

1875. _Trichia jackii_ Rost., _Mon._, p. 258.

1877. _Trichia abrupta_ Cke., _Myxom. U. S._ p. 404.

1878. _Trichia proximella_ Karst., _Myc. Fenn._, IV., p. 139.

Sporangia globose or obovoid or irregularly spherical, s.h.i.+ning, golden yellow to tawny, anon iridescent with metallic l.u.s.tre, sessile; hypothallus thin, but usually very distinct; capillitial ma.s.s ochraceous or tawny yellow, the elaters long, even, about 4 wide, the spirals four, more or less spinulose, generally joined by longitudinal ridges, the apices short, tapering regularly, anon bifurcate; spore-ma.s.s concolorous, spores by transmitted light bright yellow, marked by an irregular or fragmentary banded reticulation, the bands broad, flat, and pitted, 10-12 . Plasmodium said to be white.

This species, common throughout the northern world, is distinguished from its congener, the following, not only by the episporic character, but generally by its different peridium and more sombre colors. It never shows at maturity the brilliant golden yellow fluff that hangs in ma.s.ses about the open and empty vases of _T. favoginea_, a fact not unnoted by Batsch, and rendering his figure and description so far determinable.

The episporic network shows all degrees of perfection or imperfection, and the elater also varies somewhat both in the apices and distinctness of longitudinal striae. The several synonyms listed seem to have taken origin in a recognition of some of the more p.r.o.nounced variations. In any event the American form _T. abrupta_ Cke., with bifid apices, belongs here, and European specimens seem to show the ident.i.ty of forms described by Karsten and De Bary.

Not rare. New England, Canada, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Alabama, Missouri, and west.

7. TRICHIA FAVOGINEA (_Batsch_) _Pers._

PLATE IV., Figs. 5, 5 _a_, 5 _b_.

1786. _Lycoperdon favogineum_ Batsch, _Elench. Fung._, p. 257, Fig 173, _a_, _b_.