Cordyceps Stylophora and Cordyceps Ravenelii

Abstract

Cordyceps stylophora was collected by Ravenel in South Carolina and was described and illustrated by Berkeley in 1857 (1). Ravenel distributed it in his Fungi Car. V: 49. It has been rarely collected. It was next obtained by G. H. Hicks in April 1892 near the Michigan Agricultural College at East Lansing, Michigan. A part of this collection is in the Herbarium of the University of Michigan and bears a notation that it was determined by Ellis. Longyear (3) reported it in 1904. Roland Thaxter collected a specimen in August 1896 at Burbank, Tennessee (4). Petch (7) has reported a collection (Cornell 14808) by H. H. Whetzel from Cayuga Lake Basin, New York, made in November 1902. L. E. Wehmeyer obtained two specimens at Brookside, Nova Scotia, on July 25, 1931. A. H. Smith made a number of collections at Warrenburg and Catlin Lake, New York, during August and September 1934 and from Oakland County, Michigan, in August and September, 1937 and October 1938. Most of the collections were In the original description of the species Berkeley states that he had not seen ripe asci. Massee (6) described the asci and spores. The latter are given as filiform, slightly curved when free, multiseptate, 125135 X 1 ~, the component cells 3.5 A long. He cites only the type specimen, Ravenel 1325. Petch (7), however, states that he examined the type specimen and it was quite immature. The Cornell specimen was also found to be Mains (5) has also noted that most of the collections from Tennessee, New York and Michigan were The Hicks' specimen was the nearest to full maturity, the asci being well developed and the ascospores