59 



Stroma none or scanty, sporidia hyaline, subelliplical. 6. 



6. Perithecia subulate, sporidia appendiculate. Eleutheromyces* 



Conidial stroina tubercular, sporidia uniseptate. 



capitate Sphcerostilbe, 



Sporidia 2-or more-septate. Calonectria, 



murifbrm. Pleon<<<'t ,/<!. 



Asci polysporous. Chilonectriu. 



Sporidia filiform, fimicolous. Barya. 



xylogenous. Oph ionectria, 



7. Perithecia blue or violet. Gibberelld.. 



8. Perithecia beaked, sporidia brown. Melanospora, 



CLAVICEPS, Tul. 



Ann Sci. Nat. II, 1853, Ser. XX, p. 43. 



Stroma erect, consisting of a sterile stem and subglolM>se, fertile 

 head, growing from a subcylindrical, black, hard sclerotium. Peri- 

 thecia sunk in the sti-mmi. flask-shaped, Asci clavate-cylindrical. 

 8-sjioivd. S]Kridia filiform, colorless, continuous. 



The development of this genus begins in early summer in the 

 flowers of wheat, rye and various grasses, the mycelium penetrating the 

 ovary of the affected flower and transforming it by degrees into a soft. 

 smutty-white substance filled with numerous cavities whose walls up- 

 lined with sterigmata brnring numerous ovate, colorless stylospore:-. 



This soft amorphous bodv is irraduallv changed intio the cvlindrical. 



1.1 



horn-shaped sclerotium (ergot) which falling from the head of grain 

 and lying on or in the ground through the winter, puts forth in the 

 following spring, the perfect asci^erous fungus. 



C. purpiirea (Fr.) 



Sphaeria purpurea, Fr. S. M. II, p 325 (partly) 

 Claviceps purpurea , Tul, 1. c.. Winter Die Pilze. II. p. 146. 



Exsicc. Rab. Herb. Myc. 431. Thuui. F. Austr. 555, 875, 975, Scbweiz. Krypt 630,631 

 Krgr. Fung-. Sax. 73, 369, 489, 490. 



Sclerotium 1J-2J cm. long, cylindrical-horn-shaped, mostly a 

 little curved, wrinkled, purplish-black outside, white within. Stro- 

 mata usually sexeral (seldom only one) from the same sclerotium. 

 Heads spheroid, tuberculose from the prominent perithecia, borne on 

 short flexuous stems. Asci narrow, linear, 8 spored. Sporidia fili- 

 form, continuous, attenuated toward each end. hyaline. 50-76 ^ lono 

 Fusarhnji heterosporum^ Xees. and Girthim abortifaciens, B. and 

 Br. are considered to be the conidia of this species. 



In heads of rye and various other species of the order Graminese. 



