434: Griffiths : rvKKXoMVCETES 



There are plenty of Hyphomycetous conidia, especially those of 

 Cladosporinm and Altcriiaria^ but no connection has been traced 

 with any conidial form found on the herbage used. .Attempts 

 have been made to germinate the ascospores without success. It 

 is hoped that they will grow later in the season and that pure cul- 

 tures can then be made. 



■7 ■? 



Melanospora Townei sp. nov. 



Perithecia superficial, scattered, thin, membranous, transpar- 

 ent, globular, covered uniformly with long straight or slightly 

 wavy irregularly outlined hairs and surmounted by a c}dindrical 

 beak which terminates in a loose aggregation of straight or slightly 

 wavy hairs of unequal length, wdiitc turning to light transparent 

 umber and finally black, 225-300/^ in diameter ; beak about equal * 

 to the diameter of the perithecium and 60 // in cross-section : 



b _ 



asci very evanescent, broadly clavatc to obovate, short-stipitate, 

 8-spored, 30—40// x 60-75//: spores crowded, olivaceous, becom- 

 ing dark and opaque, elliptical, 15-17 // x 20-25//; the slightly 

 projecting truncate apices, when viewed endwise, are seen to have 

 a relatively large hyaline pore in the flat truncate ends. PI, jSj. 



At my request, Mr. J. R. Towne, of Aberdeen, S. D., sent me 



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fresh material of Salsola kali tragus which was affected with vari- 



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 I 



ous species of Ilyphoinycctcs, This material reached me on the 

 19th of March, when it was placed immediately in a damp cham- 



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ber and kept thoroughly moistened until the first of June. On 



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the 9th of May the beautiful white perithecia of the above species 

 appeared in abundance. 



In about three days after the material was placed in culture 

 there occurred a very luxuriant growth of a species o{ Altcrnaria, 



.This completely covered the twigs with a dense black layer of 

 spores and h)'phae which promised to choke out anj^thing else 

 that might develop. About the ist of May this ceased to grow 

 and all of the twigs were then covered with a laj-er of dormant 

 AltcDiaria spores. When the perithecia appeared thc}^ were pro- 

 duced perfectly superficial and loose o\\ the top of these masses of 

 spores. I was unable to trace any connection between them and 

 any conidia or distinct mycelium, although some of them grew on 



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the surface of the glass in close proximity to the twigs. All attempts 

 to germinate these ascospores have' thus far proved futile. . 



