Read Ebook: Synopsis of Some Genera of the Large Pyrenomycetes Camillea Thamnomyces Engleromyces by Lloyd C G Curtis Gates

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THAMNOMYCES CHAMISSONIS .--Stem Carbonous, black, smooth, repeatedly dichotomously branched, the ultimate branches bearing ovate, acute fruiting bodies. Structure of these bodies shown by Moeller is entirely carbonous, hollow, each forming a single, carbonous perithecium. Spores shown by different authors as of different shapes and sizes. In our specimens they are 9 x 20-28 mic., dark, and arctuate. They closely resemble the ordinary Xylaria spore.

This was originally named from Brazil by Ehrenberg, who gave a good illustration of it. It has therefore escaped all synonyms, excepting by Cooke, who discovered it was a new species and called it Thamnomyces dendroidea. Hennings also discovered it from Africa, first as a new variety, then as a new species, Thamnomyces camerunensis, but of course everything that came to Hennings must be "new" something. It grows on rotten, hard wood, and does not seem frequent in our American tropics. In Africa, however, I judge it is more abundant as numbers of African collections are in the museum at Berlin. We have only received it once, at nice specimen from R. H. Bunting, Gold Coast, Africa.

THAMNOMYCES CHORDALIS .--Stem long, slender, several proceeding from a common base, entirely carbonous, black, smooth. Fruiting bodies sessile along the stem, ovate, with slender apices, black. Spores oblong, arctuate, dark.

This, I believe, is only known from tropical America, but is apparently not rare as it is recorded a number of times, mostly from Brazil. Fries named it from French Guiana in 1830 and gave a characteristic description of it. A co-type with the fruit mostly gone is at Kew. Later Montagne got it also from French Guiana and gave a good figure and description under the name Thamnomyces rostratus. He thought it was different from Fries' species on account of the spores not being globose, but the "globose" spores of the original description is doubtless an error. The plants are surely the same. As Montagne's figure is characteristic, the plant when subsequently found has usually been recorded under his name. We present in our figure both Montagne's and Fries' type.

THAMNOMYCES FUCIFORMIS .--In general appearance, this is the same as Thamnomyces chordalis, but a much larger plant. The fruit bodies are more slender and are short, stalked. Our figure, which is about half the spike, will show exactly the difference between the two species. The plant was named by Berkeley from specimens collected in Brazil by Spruce, and to this day is only known from this old collection. The name is from the habits, "those of a fucus rather than a fungus," a far-fetched comparison, for my impression is there are no fuci that are carbonous, or have much resemblance to this plant.

RELATED PLANTS.

The following plants are compiled in the section Thamnomyces in Saccardo. None of them are true Thamnomyces, and most of them could go into Fries' genera Rhizomorpha. I do not believe, however, it is possible to keep Rhizomorpha separate from Xylaria. The type species Xylaria setosa is quite different from the normal type of Xylarias in having entirely carbonous, filiform stems and superficial perithecia, but both of these features merge into Xylaria through so many intermediate species that there is no drawing the line of demarcation.

XYLARIA SETOSA .--Stem densely fasciculate, filiform, black, entirely carbonous. Perithecia ovate, sparse, rarely developed. Spores , ovoid, dark, 10 x 16 mic.

This is a rare plant in Europe, growing on old sacks, matting, carpets, and similar refuse. It is generally found in cellars. I think it is not known on wood nor recorded in the United States. It resembles carbonized horse hair and was called "horse hair usnea" by old Dillenius. Our photograph of the specimen at Kew will give a good idea of it, although from the account it grows erect, and is not matted. Both Bulliard and Sowerby gave characteristic figures, both from plants growing in cellars, on old mats. It has had a great number of names, and is recorded in Saccardo as Xylaria hippotrichoides, the specific name proposed by Sowerby and used by Persoon. Some very recent juggler, I have forgotten who, dug up the old name setosa, which I adopt as being less cumbersome. Occasionally these jugglers do propose some improvement in names, and I believe in encouraging them, when their wonderful date dictionary discoveries are really better names. Saccardo gives the following synonyms: Sphaeria hippotrichoides, Ceratonema hippotrichoides, Hypoxylon loculiferum, Rhizomorpha tuberculosa, Cryptothamnium usneaeforme, Rhizomorpha setiformis, Chaenocarpus setosus, Chaenocarpus Simonini. The date expert must have had quite a job.

Xylaria adnata as described by Fuckel , and unknown to me, is evidently very similar to the preceding plant, but grows closely adnate to rotten beech wood.

Xylaria fragilis is imperfectly known from old records in Europe. It is probably same as above.

Xylaria hispidissima from East Indies is known only from old description. It is an evident Xylaria and seems to be same as recently collected, adventitious in a hot house in Hungary, and distributed as Xylaria hungarica.

Xylaria annulata, described in 1820 from West Indies as Thamnomyces annulatus and unknown otherwise, reads like Thamnomyces chardalis, but the branches of the latter are not known to be "annulated under a lens."

XYLARIA ANNULIPES, described and figured by Montagne as Thamnomyces annulipes from Brazil, is same as since named Xylaria marasmoides by Berkeley. Berkeley does not mention the rings on the stem as shown so plainly in Montagne's enlarged figure, nor can I note them with a lens on my photograph of Berkeley's or Montagne's types. Spegazzini refers marasmoides as a synonym for annulipes, no doubt correctly. Theissen refers it as a synonym for Xylaria aristata, an evident error. Xylaria vermiculus, recently published from Brazil by Sydow, as "Saccardo n. sp. in litt.," is, both from description and photograph, evidently the same as Xylaria annulipes.

XYLARIA MELANURA , West Indies, described as Chaenocarpus melanurus and compiled in Saccardo in section Thamnomyces, is evidently same as Xylaria gracillima in sense of Berkeley and Montagne, but not I believe as to Fries. We present a photograph made from L?veill?'s cotype.

Xylaria axillaris was not compiled in Thamnomyces in Saccardo, but is evidently a very similar if not the same plant as Xylaria setosa, and is only known from Currey's original account from Africa. It is about a half inch high, with filiform stem, and few, superficial perithecia. Spores are given as 25 to 32 mic., which are much larger than those of setosa.

Xylaria patagonica as named by Crombie as Thamnomyces and compiled in Saccardo, Vol. 9, was based on Dillenius' old figure t. 13, f. 11, from Patagonia, which, as far as the figure goes, could be Xylaria setosa. Of course, nothing as known about it.

Xylaria Schwackei, named by Hennings from Brazil, seems from description to be Xylaria melanura.

Xylaria Warburgii, named by Hennings from New Guinea, seems from the crude figure to be Xylaria carpophila.

Xylaria luzonensis, named from Philippines by Hennings, seems from crude figure to be Xylaria multiplex in original sense of Fries .

THE GENUS ENGLEROMYCES.

Plants large, subglobose, with alveolate, sinuate carbonous exterior. Stroma white, fleshy, 1 1/2 -2 cm. thick. Perithecia carbonous, forming several stratose layers, imbedded in the stroma in the depressions. Spores 12-15x18-24, dark, smooth, curved, agreeing with Xylaria spores.

ENGLEROMYCES GOETZEI .--This is the largest Pyrenomycete, and as far as known only occurs in Eastern, tropical Africa. In 1900 Hennings described and named it, and there are several specimens on exhibition in the museum at Berlin. Some years later a specimen reached Paris from the same region. It was sent to the anthropological museum at Paris, the collector taking it for a fossilized skull. The reference to a skull is not inappropriate as will be noted from our photograph from the specimen at Paris. Patouillard, not knowing of course what Hennings had done at Berlin, renamed it Colletomanginia paradoxa. Our figure 856 shows a section, and the arrangement of the perithecia. Practically nothing is known as to its habits. Patouillard states it occurs on the trunk of Abies, Hennings on Bamboo. We feel that on publication of our photograph there will be no occasion for further names for it.

FOOTNOTES:

Thus there is no doubt whatever in my mind that Camillea turbinata is Sphaeria caelata of Fries, but not knowing the Friesian species from specimens, I take the only sure name I know. Montagne refers it to Camillea poculiformis, but I do not think he knew more about it than I do, and I do not know anything excepting the "description."

So shown in one specimen on Fig. 848, but doubtful if it is a character of the plant.

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