LARIODIPLODIA. 459 



of those Diphdias wliich possess them. Ellis and Everhart's 

 ffeueric description of Lasiodlplodia is incorrect in laying 

 special stress on this point, since species with and species 

 without paraphyses are, according to the accepted practice, 

 included indiscriminately in each subgenus. The distin- 

 guishing character of Lasiodiplodia is the pilose stroma. But 

 the presence of paraphyses might be used as a character 

 by which to spUt each of the present subgenera, if further 

 investigation should prove that paraphyses are really absent 

 from those species in which they have not been recorded. 

 It is evident that our information on this point is at present 

 insufficient. The paraphyses have been overlooked even in 

 species in which they are specially well developed, as is illus- 

 trated by Hermings' description of " Diplodia cacaoicolay It 

 may be noted that Koorders [loc. cit.) records that in Diplodia 

 Wurthii the basidia and spores are formed before the appear- 

 ance of the paraphyses. 



Griffon and Maublanc accept the subgenus Lasiodiplodia , 

 and liave therefore named the species under discussion Lasio- 

 diplodia theobromce (Pat.) Griff. & Maubl. But in view of 

 the fact that the genus Lasiodiplodia is based on a character 

 which is entirely dependent upon external conditions, it would 

 seem preferable to abandon it, and keep PatouiUard's name, 

 Botryodiplodia theobrotnce, for this fungus. 



Two other inconstant characters which often find a place m 

 descriptions of Diplodias may be referred to here. Longi- 

 tudinal striping of the spores, frequently a most striking 

 feature, may be present or absent, not only in spores of the 

 same species, but even on spores from the same specimen. 

 Further, the colom- of the spores of the same species varies 

 according to the age of the spore, but apparently each shade 

 of colour may persist for a long time under certain conditions. 

 For example, spores of Botryodiplodia theobromce extruded 

 from fresh specimens may be hyaline, dark gray, blackish-gray, 

 or violet-black, but in old specimens and material preserved in 

 alcohol they are brown or blackish-brown. 



Botryodiplodia theobromce Pat. has been found in Ceylon on 

 fruits and stems of Theobrotna cacao, on fruits and stems of 

 Hevea brasilietisis , on fruits and roots of Cocos niicifera, on the 



