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Stemonitis axifera

Stemonitis species are amongst the most distinctive and elegant of the slime moulds. The sporangia are slender and reach several centimetres tall in some species. The stalk extends into the head as a central support column (= columella) and a network of capillitium supports the spore mass  (click here). The mature sporangia are brown. The sporangia are produced in clusters and each cluster arises from a cellophane-like base (= hypothallus).  It is easy to identify a Stemonitis to genus but identfication to species is another thing entirely and it is necessary to use a microscope to identify with confidence.