29 



by a thrifty growth oi' Cladium ma7Hscotdes^ Torr., Carex CEdcri^ 

 Ehrh. dcx\^ Juncus alpinus^ Villars, var. insignis^ Fries; while a few 

 steps further off we find Triglochin palustre^ L. 



Prunus pttmila^ L., is described in Gray's Manual as ''depressed 

 and trailing, 6' — 18' high/* but on Presque Isle we find this cherry 

 often from 40^ — 60*^ in height. My most interesting find, perhaps, 

 is a willow, which Mr. Bebb has now under examination, and which 

 may be a variety of Salix adenophylla^ Hook. ■ Few new discoveries 

 were made in the vicinity of Erie, the most interesting find being a 

 patch of Althaea officinalis^ L., discovered east of the city by J. 

 Miller, a member of our Botany Section. 



G. GUTTENBERG- 



24. The Development of Sphaeria Solidaginis, Schw.— This 



fungus, which is common on various species of SpUdago all through 

 the Atlantic slope of the United States, was first collected by 

 Schweinitz in Carolina over half a century ago and described in his 

 Synopsis Ftingortwt Carolinae^ ^s Sphaeria Solidaginis \ but in more 

 recent times it has been referred to the genus Dothidea. Those who 

 have observed this species in a living state have doubtless noticed 

 the fact mentioned by Schweinitz that it is often found in company 

 with an Uredo. It is to this peculiarity that I wish to call attention. 

 As early, at least, as September the lower surface of the leaves on the 

 Solidagos affected with this fungus will begin to show the presence of 

 the Uredo {U. Solidaginis^ Schw.), which, as Baron de Thiimen has 

 shown (Vol. vi, p. 216 of this journal), is really a Coleosporium. 



The radical leaves will generally be the first affected, but, soon 

 after, also those of the stem and even the bract-like leaves among the 

 inflorescence. In some species, especially Solidago lanceolata^ the 

 branches of the panicle and the main stem itself are thickly dotted 

 with the Coleosporium, By the middle of October, or sooner, it will 

 be noticed th"^ the orange-red color in many of the clusters of Colm- 

 sporium spores (especially those on the radical and lower cauline 

 leaves) has changed to a dark-brown or nearly black, and an exam- 

 ination with a lens will show, not the spores of the Coleosporium, but 

 a little black, subglobose, crustaceous stroma about the size of a large 

 mustard-seed, and which is in fact the pycnidium of the Dothidea,^ 

 and contains hyaline, fusiform, uniseptate stylospores, .0006'— .0007' 

 X '.00015'. l^he perfect fruit or sporidia, which much resemble the 

 stylospores, will not appear till the following spring cir summer. 

 Further examination will show that some of the Coleosporiu>)t c\y\%\tx% 

 appear partlv orange and partly brown or black; and, if a section be 

 made of one' of these and examined under the microscope, it will be 

 seen that in the midst of the cluster of Coleosporiiim spores, the 

 black, cellular, crustaceous stroma of the Dothidea is in process of 



formation. 



From repeated observation of the facts here briefly stated I be- 

 lieve the Coleosporiiim to be the rudimentary stage of the Dothuka, 

 and hope \oht able during the coming season to collect ana dis- 

 tribute, in the " North American Fungi," specimens to illustrate this 



view. 



Newfield, N. J., Feb, to, t88t. J. B. Ei.us. 



