LASIODIPLODIA. 449 



species are 20 X 10 ^ : it seemed certain therefore that the 

 Ceylon fungus was a different species, and as it did not agree 

 Avith anj^ of those described in Saccardo, it was considered new. 



Diplodia cacaoicola had not been recorded for Ceylon prior 

 to 1906, though the diseases of cacao had been under investi- 

 gation for several years. In 1906, however, it was found to be 

 fairly common on cacao in the Island, and on comparison with 

 Botryodiplodia elasticce, the two " species " were found to be 

 practically identical, though D. cacaoicola has not been observed 

 to form true erumpent sohd stromata on cacao. This was 

 recorded in the report of the Mycologist for 1906 : " There 

 seemed some probabihty that this fungus [i.e.. Botryodiplodia 

 elasticce) was identical with Diplodia cacaoicola Henn., which 

 is parasitic. or saprophytic on cacao, or at least with the 

 Diplodia on cacao in Ceylon. The descriptions of D. aicaoi- 

 cola, however, are contradictory, and our species does not 

 agree with those of recent writers." It was hoped to decide 

 this point by infections, but pressure of other work made this 

 impossible. 



Chcetodiplodia grisea Fetch was found on decaying cacao_ 

 pods wiiich had been kept moist. The pycnidia were scattered , 

 and clothed with erect hairs. The spores measured 24-28 X 

 13-14 jj., and the fungus possessed long paraphyses. 



A Lasiodiplodia has been recorded by V. K. Charles (6) as 

 parasitic on Theobroma cacao and Mangifera indica in San 

 Domingo, but apparently it has not been named. This record 

 has given rise, in the West Indies, to the idea that there are 

 two serious diseases of cacao there, one caused by Diplodia 

 cacaoicola P. Henn., and the other by Lasiodiplodia sp. 



Finally, in 1908, a Chcetodiplodia was recorded by C. J. J. 

 van Hall and A. W. Drost, as parasitic on cacao pods in 

 Surinam (12). 



From the descriptions briefly quoted above, the six fungi 

 referred to are clearly aU different. Macrophoma vestita has 

 hyaline spores; Diplodia cacaoicola (according to Hermings'- 

 description) and Botryodiplodia theohromce lack paraphyses ; 

 Lasiodiplodia nigra has spores which attain a breadth of 21 t*- ; 

 Chcetodiplodia grisea has pilose, scattered pycnidia ; and the 

 stromata of Botryodiplodia elasticce, in its most highly developed 



