M4 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



then gives an account of his research on the specialisation of the- 

 parasite. The results obtained are not absolutely conclusive ; they 

 point to the existence of but one species of C. Candidas on all the 

 different hosts, though possibly there may be two biological species, but 

 successful inoculation varied with the age and condition of the host, 

 and these factors rather tended to confuse the issue. In any case, 

 ( 'ystopus is not so specialised in its parasitism as the species of Uredine» 

 have been proved to be. 



Perithecium of Monascus.* — H. P. Kuyper has studied the species 

 Monascus purpureas and M. Barkeri, and publishes his results in two 

 different papers. In neither species does he find pollinodium and 

 ascogonium in open communication. In the ascogonium of M. pur- 

 pureas a number of free cells are formed, originally bi-nucleate : the 

 two nuclei fuse, and the resultant nucleus divides again into many 

 smaller nuclei. In these free cells a varying number of spores are 

 b>rmed. Each spore contains at first one nucleus, which divides later, 

 so that the mature spore is multi-nucleate. The development of M. 

 Barkeri is somewhat different : the ascogonium contains a number of 

 nuclei which fuse in pairs ; the free cells are then formed, each contain- 

 ing one of these fused nuclei. Spore-formation follows as in M. pur- 

 pur eus. The writer looks on the free cells as asci, and he therefore 

 places Monascus in a new order, the Endascinese. He discusses the 

 bearing of these phenomena on the phylogeny of the Ascomycetes. 



Disease of Oaks.f — W. Ruhland gives an account of a parasitic 

 fungus that has wrought great damage not only on oaks, but also on 

 other trees. It attacks the stems and branches, which it encircles and 

 so destroys completely the parts above the diseased area. The conidial 

 form of the fungus alone was detected on the tree, but on the dead 

 branches the perfect fruit form developed. Ruhland describes it as a 

 new species, Dothidea noxia ; the conidial condition as Fusicoccum 

 noxium. 



New Sclerotinise.^— H. C. Schellenberg records numerous cases of 

 disease due to sclerotia hitherto unrecorded. The fruits of Sorbas Aria 

 were mummified by a sclerotium which produced small yellowish apo- 

 thecia. Fruits of Sorbus Chanuemespihts and of Mespilus tjermanica 

 were attacked and sclerotia formed : the apothecium has not been dis- 

 covered. A Sclerotinia discovered on the base of the stalk and the 

 lower leaves of barley produced after two years straw-coloured apo- 

 thecia, Sclerotinia Hordei sp. n. Plants of wheat were found to be 

 attacked by a similar sclerotium ; and the author also describes a 

 similar disease on walnuts. Infection takes place shortly after flowering. 

 The hyphse penetrate the young fruit and very soon destroy it. The 

 apothecia are unknown. 



Tropical Hypocreaceae.§ — J. Rick describes three different Hypo- 

 creaceai that he found growing on Arundinarieae. Dussiella tuberiformis 

 forms a stroma on the leaf, where it seems to be epiphytic. A large 



* K. Akad. Wett-nsch. Amsterdam, xiii. (1904) p. 46 ; Inaug. Diss. Utrecht (1904), 

 148 pp., 1 pi. See also Bot. Centralbl., xcvi. (1904) p. 386-7. 

 + Centralbl. Bakt., xii. (1904) pp. 250-3. 

 t Tom. cit., pp. 735-6. § Ann. Mycol., ii. (1904) pp. 402-6 (3 figa.). 



