A new type of growth exhibited by Trimmatostroma abietis

Trimmatostroma abietis initially grew as hyphae when grown in various media containing yeast extract or bactopeptone. It grew as segmented elements (lumbricoid elements) characterized by bidirectional growth, when grown in Czapek-Dox broth or yeast nitrogen base supplemented with 1% glucose. A lumbricoid element usually was 10-70 microns in length, with transverse septation only and contained 3 to 15 cells. Growth and propagation, as revealed by time-lapse photomicrography occurred as follows. Elements usually grew by apical elongation without widening; after simple apical elongation adjacent parts of two central cells eventually started to grow, resulting in the separation of the element into two.