450 FETCH : 



form, are glabrous. Yet, as the sequel shows, these names all 

 refer to the same fungus ! 



This chaptor of errors has been partly corrected by Griffon 

 and Maublanc (14). These authors had occasion to investi- 

 gate a disease of cacao branches and roots from the Congo , and 

 found in the diseased tissue a fungus with pycnidia either 

 simple or grouped in a common stroma ; its spores were ovoid 

 and hyahne, and measured 25-30 X 12-15 [J-. Tliis was 

 apparently Macrophoma vestita, though the pycnidia of the 

 latter were figured as scattered. An examination of the type 

 specimens, however, showed that the pycnidia were either 

 scattered or grouped, and therefore this apparent difference 

 vanished. Moreover, tliis re-examination proved that Macro- 

 phoma vestita is really a Diplodia, and a further comparison 

 with the type specimen of Botryodiplodia theohromce showed 

 that it is identical with the last-named species. The supposed 

 Macrophoma spores were immature Diplodia spores. As a 

 result of this re- investigation, an additional character was 

 added to the description of Botryodiplodia theohromce, viz., 

 that it possesses long paraphyses. 



Griffon and Maublanc further conclude tliat Diplodia cacao- 

 icola is the same species. From Howard's account and from 

 the examination of this species in Ceylon, there is no doubt 

 that their conclusion is correct ; Howard's spore measure- 

 ment is unaccountably small, and in this he is followed by 

 Butler (8). They also regard Cliarles' Lasiodiplodia from San 

 Domingo, and Lasiodiplodia nigra Appel and Laubert as 

 identical with Botryodiplodia theohromce Pat., both of which 

 conclusions may be accepted. 



Griffon and Maublanc 's paper reduces three names to 

 synonyms. A further reduction results from a paper by Brick 

 (15). A consignment of young Hevea plants (" stumps ") 

 was forwarded from Ceylon to German West Africa, via 

 Hamburg. They were packed in latticed cases, with their 

 roots embedded in damp coconut fibre and earth. On arrival 

 in Hamburg, 87 per cent, of the plants were found to be dead, 

 and the remainder were diseased. Brick, who examined them 

 in Hamburg, found a Lasiodiplodia on the dead plants. 

 This he considers is Lasiodiplodia nigra, and is identical with 



