Stemonitis
Encyclopedia
Stemonitis is a distinctive genus
of slime molds found throughout the world (except Antarctica). They are characterised by the tall brown sporangia
, supported on slender stalks, which grow in clusters on rotting wood
. Identification within the genus is difficult, and can only be performed with confidence using a microscope
.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of slime molds found throughout the world (except Antarctica). They are characterised by the tall brown sporangia
Sporangium
A sporangium is an enclosure in which spores are formed. It can be composed of a single cell or can be multicellular. All plants, fungi, and many other lineages form sporangia at some point in their life cycle...
, supported on slender stalks, which grow in clusters on rotting wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
. Identification within the genus is difficult, and can only be performed with confidence using a microscope
Microscope
A microscope is an instrument used to see objects that are too small for the naked eye. The science of investigating small objects using such an instrument is called microscopy...
.
Species
- Stemonitis aequalis
- Stemonitis axifera
- Stemonitis comatricha
- Stemonitis flavogenita
- Stemonitis fuscaStemonitis fuscaStemonitis fusca is a species of slime mold. It fruits in clusters on dead wood, and has distinctive tall brown sporangia, supported on slender stalks with a total height of approximately 6–20 mm tall.-Further reading:...
- Stemonitis herbatica
- Stemonitis lamproderma
- Stemonitis nigrescens
- Stemonitis pallida
- Stemonitis smithii
- Stemonitis splendens
- Stemonitis virginiensis