Synopsis of Some Genera of the Large Pyrenomycetes | Page 4

of spores mixed with abundant hyphae remnants of the perithecia and asci. Spores 6-7 �� 10-12, elliptical, pale colored.
[Illustration: #Fig. 846.#]
This seems to be a frequent species in tropical America. I collected it in Cuba and have specimens from Miss Barrett, Jamaica, and L. J. K. Brace, Bahamas. The latter specimens grew erumpent from thin bark, and the broken bark forms a kind of cup at the base of the stroma. A thin, black mycelial stroma underlies the bark. Those I collected in Cuba were somewhat larger, and more irregular. Some grew in same manner, erumpent from thin bark and the broken bark forms a kind of cup at the base of the stroma, others on the naked, hard wood and grew more compact. In the latter case the black stroma at the base was thicker and more in evidence. There is no question but that Camillea Bomba is cogeneric with Camillea Sagraena, but the gleba of the latter consists almost entirely of spores, while in the former there is considerably more hyphae remnants than spores.
CAMILLEA GLOBOSA (Fig. 847).--Plants densely caespitose, sessile, globose, black, smooth. 7-8 mm. in diameter. Opening by irregular fracture. Stroma hollow, filled with a brown mass of spores and hyphae remnants. Spores elliptical.
L��veill�� named this from a specimen from Tolima, Columbia, South America. The type Fig. 847 is all than is known to me. L��veill�� spins a long story about it having spores borne on filaments, merely a wrong deduction, I think, from his having found filaments (of the perithecia walls?) mixed with the spores. Saccardo, who evidently did not take much stock in L��veill��'s story, omitted the species, suggesting that it was a form of Camillea turbinata. Saccardo's conclusions were almost as bad as L��veill��'s.
We have not examined any specimens of Camillea globosa, but suspect a section would show two divisions of the gleba, as in the next. In fact, with the exception of the stipe, it appears to be the same plant, and abundant collections may show them as only sessile and stipitate forms of the same thing.
[Illustration: #Fig. 847.#]
CAMILLEA POCULIFORMIS (Figs. 848 and 849).--Plants caespitose, stipitate, globose or obovate, smooth, black, 8-15 mm. in diameter. Stroma somewhat flattened at apex, opening circumscissally[2] or breaking irregularly. Stipe 8-10 cm. long, 2-3 mm. thick, black. Stroma hollow, the interior in two divisions, a narrow layer above, the fertile portion with a few spores in abundant, hyphae remnants, the lower (corresponding to the sterile base of a Lycoperdon) of matted hyphae. Spores short, elliptical, 9 �� 14, pale colored, scantily found.
[Illustration: #Fig. 848.# Camillea poculiformis.]
[Illustration: #Fig. 849.#]
The pulverulent mass is rather firm, and remains after the peridium breaks up. Camillea poculiformis was named Corynelia poculiformis in Weigel's old exsiccatae, about a hundred years ago. It came from South America. Years later Montagne published it as Hypoxylon poculiformis, and L��veill�� as Phylacia poculiformis. I can not trace it from Fries' writings, though no doubt Fries had it and doubtless named it. The old specimens of Weigel's exsiccatae are found in most museums of Europe, and all the publishing has been done on this one collection. I have a nice collection (Fig. 848), made by T. J. Collins in Guatemala.
SPECULATIONS.
The scanty knowledge we have of the real structure of this group of plants leaves much to speculation. They are all evidently closely related plants, and I think best classified under one general head, or genus, Camillea. They are quite different from the Hypoxylons of the temperate region, although we do not question that the tropical species are included in Saccardo mostly under Hypoxylon. When we come to compare what little we know of the species we find several differences on which "genera" could be based, and no doubt will be in time. In the original sense, Camillea might be restricted to the two cylindrical species, C. Leprieurii and C. Bacillum.
Then we have the short, cylindrical or globose forms with persistent or semi-persistent perithecia, Camillea Labellum, C. Cyclops and C. turbinata with the intermediate species C. mucronata. The above will form one, or two, genera, according to taste.
In the following plants we find no perithecia in the ripe specimens, hence of course they will in time be considered a genus. We believe there are two distinct differences between the few species we know, corresponding with the old ideas of Bovista and Lycoperdon in the puff balls. Camillea Sagraena and C. poculiformis, with two divisions of the gleba, a fertile and a sterile portion, and Camillea Bomba and C. globosa (?) with homogenous gleba. The species Camillea Sagraena differs from the other in having the fertile portion composed largely of spores (scanty in others) and in having part of the sterile portion of uncolored hyphae. Of course, it will form a "genus." Thus the genus Camillea can be easily divided