LrHRAJTV 

 NEW YORK. 



bOTANlCAJI. 



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P H 1^] F A C 



In ilealing'with the diseases of plants elite to Fungi, it is necessary to determine the name and natnre of the Fungus 

 causing (lie disease, in order fo be able to cope with it and to take effectual measures for its prevention, palliation, or 

 euro. Accordingly I considered it essential to have the various known Australian Fungi recorded for reference, just 

 as tlie various higjier forms of Australian vegetation are so ably sot forth by the Government Botanist, Barbu von 

 Mueller, in his Systematic Census. The very useful Ilandhook of Anstraliau FuiKji, prepared by Dr. M. C. Cooke, 

 the veteran mycologist, uiuler tlie sanction and authority of the various colonial Governments, has been taken as a 

 basis and prepared the way for the present publication. This Systemaiic Arrangement of Australian Fungi aims at 

 giving in a compact and handy form a complete enumeration of all the known species up to date, systematically 

 arranged so as to show their relationships, and briefly described, together with such additional information as may be 

 of use in a future detailed and more directly useful account. The object being to bring together all the species 

 recorded by the various workers in this field, to take stock, as it were, of what has been done, 1 had to consult the 

 different works bearing on the subject previous to the addition of a largo number of hitherto unrecorded Fungi to the 

 lisl. I have accordingly prepared a "List of Works on Anstraliau Fungi," the first of its kind. A complete list of 

 Fungi having been compiled from the vaiious puldications, including several papers of my own read before the Royal 

 Society of Victoria, together with tlie plants or parts of plants on which they occurred, in the case of parasitic forms, 

 the material was supplied for a provisional Host-index; the term "host" being applied to the plant on wliich the 

 Fungus lives or preys, the P'ungus being an unwelcome guest as a rule. The necessity for a Host-index became 

 apparent from the time I was appointed Vegetable Pathologist. 



There are thus three connected and interdependent divisions in this publication, which may now be briefly 

 glanced at and explained. 



I. — Systematic Arrangement of Australian Fungi. 



The plan pursued is the following : — 



1st. A consecutive number is given to eacli species, for convenience of reference, and all future additions will 

 lie numbered consecutively. Varieties are distinguished by having a letter added to the number of the species. 



2nd. The number in Dr. Cooke's Handbook of Austrnlian Fungi is next given for ready reference to the 

 descri|itiori of any species in that work. This serves a double purpose, and shows not only the species recorded in lliat 

 work, but also species omitted. 



3rd. The volume and uumlier is next quoted for every Australian species given in Saccardo's Si/lloge Fungornm, 

 consisting at present of ten thick volumes, wliich are in the jMolbourne Puldic Libniry. Tliis is the standard work on 

 Fungi, and is the most complete and exhaustive at the present time. Tlie references to Cooke and Saccardo will leave 

 no doubt as to the particular Fungus meant. 



4th. The scientific name adopted for each species of Fungus follows next. It is absolutely necessary, for 

 purposes of accuracy, to have the scientific names as well as the common names, for otherwise serious mistakes may 

 arise. Thus, the name of "Peach Yellows" (the dreaded American disease) is often applied to a disease of the Peach 

 in this colony, but, fortunately, it is a very diflerent and much more harmless disease, being none other than the 

 Peach-leaf Rust {Puccinia Pruni). It may be noted tliat the s\ih-gei\era,o{ A garicus are raised to the rank of genera; 

 and, as the- original generic name is thus set free, it is retained for the species to which the common Eilible 

 Mushroom belongs, and which were formerly included in the sub-genus PsaVinta. 



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