CAMILLEA LEPRIEURII (Fig. 826).--Carbonous, black, cylindrical, 2-3 cm.
long, 3-4 mm. thick. Apex truncate, excavate. Perithecia linear, near
apex of stroma. Asci (teste Montagne) linear, 8 spored. Spores (pale)
spindle shape, dark, 6-7 × 25-35 mic.
[Illustration: #Fig. 826.#]
A most peculiar and apparently a rare species. All the specimens I have
noted came to Montagne from Leprieur, French Guiana. Berkeley records it
from Brazil, Spruce, but I think it has not been collected in recent
years. Our figure 826 is from specimens in Montagne's herbarium, and
these are three times as long as the specimen Montagne pictures. I saw
no such short specimens. Patouillard has given a detailed account of the
structure of the plant. The perithecia are arranged in a circle neat the
apex of the stroma. The spores are spindle shaped (rather than caudate,
as Montagne shows them) and 25 to 35 mic long. Patouillard claims that
Hypoxylon melanaspis has same spores and structure, and is the pulvinate
form of Camillea Leprieurii. It does not seem possible to me, but I can
not say to the contrary.
CAMILLEA BACILLUM (Fig. 827).--Stroma cylindrical, black, 1 cm. long, 1
mm. thick. Apex truncate, shown punctulate in Montagne's drawing. Spores
dark, reniform.
[Illustration: #Fig. 827.#]
This is very similar to the preceding in shape, but is a much smaller
species with different spores (teste Montagne). We have only seen the
originals in Montagne's herbarium, from which our figure is made. The
drawing given by Montagne represents the plant better than our
photograph. Montagne records the species from Cuba and French Guiana. We
think it a very rare plant.
CAMILLEA MUCRONATA (Fig. 828).--Stroma cylindrical, black, 6 mm. long, 3
mm. thick. Apex with a prominent, mucronate point. Perithecia linear,
contiguous, near the apex of the plant. Asci cylindrical. Spores oblong
(M.) 3½ to 4 × 10 mic., colored.
[Illustration: #Fig. 828.#]
This also is a rare species, only known from the original collection by
Leprieur, French Guiana. Our photograph is from the type. In the
original drawing there is a circle of little acute protuberances shown
near the apex of the plant. We can see but faint indication of them in
our photograph.
CAMILLEA LABELLUM (Fig. 829).--Plant short, cylindrical, about a cm.
tall and thick, with a depressed disc. Perithecia contiguous, forming at
layer beneath the disc. Spores (M.) fusiform, dark, 30 mic., long.
I believe the plant is only known from the original collection in
Montagne's herbarium, from Leprieur, French Guiana. It does not follow,
however, that it is such a rare plant, but only that the plants of the
region have been scantily collected. Our figure is a photograph of the
types.
[Illustration: #Fig. 829.#]
CAMILLEA TURBINATA (Figs. 830-833).--Plants obconic or turbinate, about
a cm. tall and broad, growing in a dense cluster from a common, mycelial
carbonous base. The summit is truncate, and marked with a raised central
disc, which is thin and in old plants breaks irregularly. A section of a
young plant (Figs. 831 ×6) shows the lower part composed of rather soft,
carbonous tissue, the upper filled with a light brown powder, composed
of spores mixed with hyphae tissue. In old plants the tops break in, the
powder is dissipated, and there remains (Fig. 833) a bundle of carbonous
tubes, the walls of the perithecia. Finally, these break up and
disappear, leaving the upper part of the plant hollow. The spores are
elliptical, 6-7 × 16-18 mic., smooth, light colored. The asci which
disappear at at very early stage, are shown by Moeller as oval, each
containing 8 spores.
This is at common plant in our American tropics, and was named by
Berkeley, as Hypoxylon turbinatum, but in a later paper he referred it
to Camillea turbinata. It is compiled in Saccardo as Hypoxylon. I doubt
not but that it was named Sphaeria caelata by Fries many years "prior."
Spegazzini found it abundantly, and noting that it was not a good
Hypoxylon, puzzled over it in two or three papers and finally also
concluded that it was at Camillea. Moeller also "discovered" it, and
although the common plant was well known in other centers, the rumors
had not reached Berlin, hence he "discovered" it was a new genus, which
he dedicated to his friend, Dr. Hennings and called it Henningsinia
durissima. Fortunately, he gave a good figure by which his "discovery"
could be interpreted.
We have beautiful specimens from Dr. J. Dutra, Brazil, from which our
figure was made, also we have specimens from Rev. Rick.
[Illustration: #Fig. 830.# Camillea turbinata. (Side view, natural size.)]
[Illustration: #Fig. 831.# Section with spore mass (X 6).]
[Illustration: #Fig. 832.# Same, top view.]
[Illustration: #Fig. 833.# Section after dispersion of spores.]
CAMILLEA CYCLOPS.--Plants short, cylindrical, or semi-globose, black,
about 4 mm. in diameter, erumpent from a common mycelial origin, and
distributed regularly over the matrix. They are produced at intervals of
about ½ cm, and apparently never two contiguous. Apex a circular,
rounded depression, with a slightly elevated disc. Perithecia arranged
in a central bundle, with permanent, carbonous walls (Fig. 835 ×6).
Spores oblong, 8 × 12, pale colored.
[Illustration: #Fig. 834.# Camillea Cyclops.]
[Illustration: #Fig. 835.#]
While this as probably not a rare plant in the American tropics, it
appears to have been only known from the Leprieur collections sent to
Montagne. We have recently gotten it from Rev. Torrend, Brazil, and the
receipt of the specimens inspired this pamphlet. I notice on some of
these specimens (not all) little protruding points that are similar to
those that Montagne shows, near the apex of Camillea mucronata. These
appear like abortive surface perithecia, but I do not find any clue to
their nature, and I do not know what they are. Cyclops was the name of a
giant in mythology that had but one eye in the middle of his forehead.
Thus species has but one "eye," but it is hardly a giant.
In the same paper in which Montagne lists Camillea Cyclops, he names
and figures Hypoxylon macromphalum. I can not tell the photograph
(Fig. 837) I made of the type from the photograph of Camillea Cyclops.
From Montagne's sectional figure, the perithecia are arranged in the
same manner, and the two plants are surely cogeneric and, I believe,
identical. A close reading of Montagne's description discloses but one
point of difference. He records that in Hypoxylon macromphalum the
ostioles are prominent, and in a close examination of my photograph, I
do note minute points on the disc that are absent from Camillea
cyclops. Still I believe they are the same plant.
[Illustration: #Fig. 837.#]