172 
recently served as the basis of Brunchorst’s new genus Frankia* — 
I reported to the Botanical Club at the Washington meeting of 
the A.A. A. S., 1891.7 
During the month of December following I took occasion on 
one of my collecting trips to examine the roots of Alnus serru- 
lata, believing for more than a year that quite likely the fungus 
was as common here as in Europe. This I found to be the case, 
and I have since collected some very fine specimens. The next 
step was to examine the roots of Ceanothus Americanus in this 
vicinity, and sure enough the galls are common to Alabama as 
well as to Michigan, and I have no doubt that a rich harvest has 
for years been awaiting the root-gall fungus hunter in all parts of 
America. 
On Ceanothus Americanus the galls when young are flesh 
colored, cylindrical, and from 1-2 mm. in diameter, by 2-6 mm. 
in length. They originate as minute lateral abnormal growths 
from young roots, or in many cases from the side of the large tap 
root. In successive years they continue their growth by a dich- 
otomous or trichotomous branching, each year’s growth remain-_ 
ing from 1-2 mm. in diameter and 4-6 mm. in length. After 
several years there is developed a loosely branched dendroid 
body. The older portions of the gall become dark or nearly 
black in color, while the new year’s growth is flesh color. 
The galls on Alnus serrulata differ in form as a whole, while 
the manner of growth is quite similar. The individual yearly 
growth is more restricted, so that a rotund or irregularly oval 
more or less compact mass with a botryose appearance is devel- 
oped. The gall of the first year is 2-3 mm. long by 1-2 mm. im 
diameter. By successive di- or tri-chotomies the mass is formed 
from the size of a pea to that of asmall walnut. In some species 
of Alnus the gall reaches the size of one’s fist. In the larger 
galls on the A/nus the original dichotomous branching is lost sight 
* Ueber einige Wurzelanschwellungen, besonders diejenigen von A /mus und den 
Eleagnaceen, Unters. Bot. Inst. Tiibingen, Zweiter Band, p. 151. u. folg- 
+ Botanical Gazette, Vol. XVI., No. g, p. 262. 
{ Woronin, Mem. de I’Acad. Imp. des Sciences - Sorauer, Pflanzenkrankheite — 
Zweite Auflage, Erster Band, p. 747. Brunchorst, Unters. Bot. Inst. Tabingen+ 
Frank, Krankheiten der Pflanzen, and others, on , 
