9. Trichia scabra, Rost. Sporangia globose or somewhat irregular, sessile and closely crowded on a well-developed hypothallus; the wall thin, gold-yellow or orange to yellow-brown in color, smooth and shining. Mass of capillitium and spores orange or golden-yellow; elaters long, simple, 4–5 mic. in thickness, ending in a smooth tapering point, 5–8 mic. in length; spirals three or four, covered with numerous short acute spinules. Spores globose, minutely warted, 9–11 mic. in diameter. [See Plate I, Fig. 23.]
Growing on old wood in patches, sometimes several centimeters in extent. Sporangia .6–1 mm. in diameter. "The papillæ, which cover the spore, show, when highly magnified, a distinct net-like pattern," McBride. The elaters of this species are subject to much irregularity in the way of abnormal swellings, duplicating the spines at the apex, etc.; the spinules are sometimes quite obsolete on some or all of the elaters of a sporangium.
§3. Goniospora, Fr. Sporangia obovoid to oblong, sessile and closely crowded on a well-developed common hypothallus. Spores with thick ridges upon the surface, which are combined into a more or less incomplete network of polygonal meshes.
The ridges of the epispore are 1–2 mic. in height, and do not present to the view more than two or three perfect polygons on a hemisphere of the spores; more often the reticulation is imperfect, the ridges being interrupted and defective. When highly magnified these ridges are seen to be "perforated through their thickness with one, two or three rows, or with clusters of cylindrical openings or pits, or are sculptured into intricate plexuses of minute reticulations with quadrilateral interspaces."
10. Trichia affinis, DeB. Sporangia obovoid to oblong, sessile and closely crowded on a common hypothallus; the wall thin, golden-yellow to tawny or brownish-yellow, smooth and shining. Mass of capillitium and spores golden to tawny-yellow; elaters long, simple, 4–5 mic. in thickness, ending in a smooth tapering point, 6–10 mic. in length; spirals four, usually spinulose, rarely smooth. Spores angularly or irregularly globose, 10–12 mic. in diameter.
Growing on old wood and bark in small patches of a few millimeters to a centimeter or more in extent. Sporangia .6-.8 mm. in height by .4-.5 mm. in diameter. Trichia Jackii, Rost., is included in this species.
11. Trichia chrysosperma, Bull. Sporangia oblong-obovoid to cylindric, sessile and closely crowded on a well-developed hypothallus; the wall thin, pale citron to olive-yellow, smooth and shining. Mass of capillitium and spores, golden to ochre-yellow; elaters long, simple, 6–8 mic. in thickness, ending in a smooth tapering point, 3–7 mic. in length; spirals four or five, usually smooth, rarely spinulose. Spores angularly or irregularly globose, 12–14 mic. in diameter.
Growing on old wood, in small patches, one to several centimeters in extent. Sporangia 1–2 mm. in height and .5-.6 mm. in diameter. This is readily distinguished from Trichia affinis by the larger and differently colored sporangia.
IV. OLIGONEMA, Rost. Sporangia subglobose, more or less irregular, sessile and closely crowded, often in heaps, one upon another, the wall thin, smooth and shining; hypothallus none. Capillitium scanty, composed of elaters habitually irregular and abnormal, intermingled with the spores; elaters simple or sometimes branched, commonly very short, but varying greatly in length, even in the same sporangium; the surface marked with faint spirals, with a few annular ridges, minutely punctulate or altogether smooth. Spores globose, yellow.
The species of this genus are to be regarded as degenerate Trichias. Of course, the abnormality is exhibited most markedly by the elaters; nevertheless, the sporangia of some of the species have a peculiar habit of heaping themselves upon each other.