144 



ECHINODIA THEOBROMAE, Pat. 



{Translated fruiii ihr Fri'ncli.) 



TJii.s fmiu^u? was collected in the Botanical Gardens at Singa- 

 pore by Professor Baker on dead branches of Theohrowa Cacao — 

 the Cocoa tree (Xo. 5410). 



It lias tlie appearance of a small cushion, convex. orl)icular. 

 al:)out two centimetres in diameter, eight millimetres thick in the 

 centre., with thin margins applied to the surface towards the ivise 

 but free and a trifle raised forward, creamy white, ])ri-tlin<r witli 

 little stilhiform points which are cream coloured or reddi?h and are 

 scattered regularly over the whole surface. 



The body in general of the little cushion or stroma is in con- 

 sistence coriaceous to corky, and its colour within is a pale ochre 

 increasing in intensity towards the point of attachment. It is 

 made up of tough slender hyphae (4-6 microm.) with thick walls 

 and few septa with the buckles little marked, interlaced into a fairly 

 lax pseudo-tissue, which can l)e compressed, with angular mesh of 

 "2ri-;3u microm. diameter. 



The )>oiuts which cover the whole surface of the plant are 

 evenly cylindric. slightly ejdarged clavately upwaixls,. obtuse at the 

 top, sometimes enlarged at the base, ordinarily simple though rarely 

 ])rovidcd with one or two lateral outgrowtlis. They are inde])en- 

 dent of each other or else united in pairs or threes; their height is- 

 about one millimetre, aJid their thickness as they emerge from the 

 stroma 200-300 microm. The thin jnarginal part appears fimbri- 

 ated by quite a series of these points. 



Each ])oint taken by itself possesses the constitution of a 

 StUhum, that is to say it consists of an axis of thin filaments very 

 compact, which taking origin at the place where the fungus is 

 aflfixed upon its support runs right through the stroma, and ends 

 bevond in a little free column covered with fructifications. 



The colour of this axis is reddish oclire. and tu follow it 

 through the paler general mass is easy. 



The hyphae of the periphery of each " StiHium " diverge to- 

 wards the exterior and end each in a wreath of conidia. 



These are C()k)urless, smooth, ovoid, narrowed to l)oth ends, 

 straight or a littk' curved at the l)ase, measuring 9-12 x 4-(i microm. 



The method of the develojunent of these conidia is very 

 peculiar. The oldest is the lo-west. That which follows it appears 

 not at the extremity of it, but near to its summit a little to one 

 side; the third is nioujited upon \\w side of the second and so on 

 with all that follow giving rise to a sympudial wreath of 6 to 10 

 conidia. 



The hyi)hae themselves of the axis of the " Still)um " measur- 

 ing 3 to o microm. are septate here and there, and each of their 

 joints arises from that which has gone before on the side near the 

 apex. 



