This is much smaller and more common than C. Herculea. Conidia—Subcæspitose, white; stem distinct, simple, becoming smooth; clubs incrassated, mealy; Conidia globose. Ascophore—Fleshy, orange-red; head clavate, tuberculose; stem equal; sporidia long, breaking up into joints. This is frequently called Torrubia militaris.
It is known as the caterpillar fungus. Its spores are cylindrical and are produced upon orange-red fruiting bodies in the fall. As soon as the spore falls on the caterpillar it sends out germ-threads which penetrate the caterpillar. Here the threads form long narrow spores which break off and form other spores until the body-cavity is entirely filled. The caterpillar soon becomes sluggish and dies. The fungus continues to grow until it has completely appropriated all of the insect's soft parts, externally a perfect caterpillar but internally completely filled with mycelial threads. Under favorable conditions this mycelial caterpillar, which has become a storage organ, will send up an orange-red club-shaped body, as will be seen in Figure 492, and will produce the kind of spores described above. Under some conditions this mycelial caterpillar may be made to produce a dense growth of threads from its entire surface, looking like a small white ball, and from these threads another kind of spore is formed. These spores are pinched off in great numbers and will germinate in the larva the same as the sac spore. The specimens were found by Mrs. E. B. Blackford near Boston, and photographed by Dr. Kellerman.
Cordyceps capitata. Fr.
Photo by C. G. Lloyd.
Figure 493.—Cordyceps capitata. Natural size.
This plant is fleshy, capitate, head ovate, bay-brown, stem yellow, then blackish.
This plant is parasitic on Elaphomyces granulatus. It is shown at the base of the stem of the plant. It grows two or three inches under the surface and somewhat resembles a truffle in appearance.
Both are very interesting plants. The plant in Figure 493 was found near Boston, Mass. They are usually found in pine woods, often in tufts. The stems are from one to four inches long, nearly equal, smooth, lemon-colored, at length fibroso-strigose and blackish.