432 



FETCH 



tremula. Peradeniya, December, 1862. Spores -00016 (inches) 

 long (= 4 ;"). Looks at first like an Ergot." Examination of 

 t}ie herbarium specimens fails to reveal any spores of these 

 dimensions, or conidia of any description ; all the specimens 

 examined — there are forty-seven in the Peradeniya herbarium 

 — bear immature perithecia. 



Tlie fungus attacks an axillary spike of the inflorescence and 

 completely encloses it, forming a black subcylindrical stroma ; 

 the lowest inner bract is not enclosed, but tlie stroma is adnate 

 to this over nearly tlie whole of its length, leaving uncovered 

 a free tip about 2 mm. long. The long outer bract is not 

 affected, and the inflorescence thus assumes the appearance 

 of a stem with alternate leaves bearing an ergot-hke body in 

 tlie axil of eacji leaf. Tiie appearance is similar to that of 

 MoWer' s Balansia regularis, but the stromata are elongated and 

 sessile. 



The stromata are elongated, pulvinate, tapering or obtuse 

 at the upper extremity, flattened on the under surface whicli 

 is adnate to the bract, up to 6 mm. long, 1 mm. broad, 

 1-25 mm. thick, usuallj'' curved, black, rough with slightly 

 elevated ostiola; internally white, becoming black towards 

 the exterior. The perithecia are pyriform, densely crowded, 

 0"25-0'3 mm. long, 0-1-0'12 mm. diameter, with slightly 

 projecting ostiola. The asci are narrow-cyUndric, 180-220 /^ 

 long, 6-8 M diameter, eight-spored. The spores are arranged 

 in a parallel bundle, almost equal in length to the asci, 2 a* 

 diameter, hyaline, and apparently not septate. 



Recent specimens on Anthisteria (?) have been found at 

 Thumpalamcholai . 



63. — Sphaerella cleidii Sacc. 



Sphceria cleidionii B. & Br., Fungi of Ceylon, No. 1119, 

 Joum. Linn. Soc, XIV., p. 129. 



On leaves of Cleidion javanicum Bl. 



Spots blackish- broMTi with a bro\\Ti radiating margin, 

 about 1 cm. diameter, suri'ounded by a pale yellow ring : 

 afterwards becoming whitish owing to the elevation of the 

 cuticle. Perithecia minute, spherical or conical, 80 A* diameter, 



