Sphaeroderma helleri (Earle) Sacc. & D. Sacc. 1905

Sphaerodermatella helleri (Earle) Seaver,
Mycologia 1 : 182. 1909.
Melanospora {?) Helleri Earle, Muhlenbergia 1 : 13. 1901. Spkaeroderma Helleri Sacc. Syll. Fung. 17 : 781. 1905.
Stromata erumpent ; perithecia superficial, densely cespitose, 3-20 on an indistinct basal stroma, large, 0.5-1 mm. in diameter, deeply collapsing, grajdsh externally from irregular, flat, finally deciduous, wart-like projections apparently formed by the cracking of the hard outer layer ; substance of the perithecial wall of a dark-brown color, soft, composed of small-celled parenchyma ; ostiolum slightly prominent wheri young, perforation obscure when collapsed ; asci oblong, about 100 X 30 /i, soon evanescent, 4-8-spored ; spores 2-seriate, ellipsoid, simple, at first hyaline, finally opaque and black, surrounded with a more or less distinct hyaline coat, about 25-28 X 12-20 /i, expelled and blackening the matrix when mature ; paraphyses indistinct.
On bark of tree.
Type locality : Santurce, Porto Rico.
Distribution : Known only from the type locality.