Nov. 1907] Notes from Mycological Literature 263 



Sumstine, David R. 



A description of "Polyporus Pennsylvanicus Sp. Nov." is 

 given in the July No. of the Journal of Mycology. The plant 

 is related to P. polyporus, P. arcularius, P. elegans, and P. lentus. 



Sheldon, John L. 



Diseased plants in the greenhouse of the West Virginia Ex- 

 periment Station harbored a Gloeosporium, from which pure 

 cultures were made and subjected to critical study. Perithecia 

 appeared containing slender paraphyses and club-shaped asci 

 with hyaline single-celled spores. The name given is Physalo- 

 spora Dracaenae Sheldon n. sp. See "A Study of the Leaf-Tip 

 Blight of Dracaena Fragrans," in the Journal of Mycology, July 

 1907. 



Christman, A. H. 



In the 15th volume of the Transactions of the Wisconsin 

 Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters, "The Nature and Devel- 

 opment of the Primary Uredospore" is discussed and illustrated 

 with a page of figures. The author says "The hyphae of the pri- 

 mary uredospores differ from those that produce the later uredos- 

 pores, in that they apparently also produce spermatia while those 

 of the secondary viredospores do not. In structure, too, there is 

 a difference. "Those hyphae associated with the spermatia, in 

 €very case that I have observed, are composed of uninucleated 

 cells, while the mycelial cells of stages unaccompanied by sper- 

 matia have regularly two more compact and smaller nuclei." 

 The development of the cells preparatory to fusion is sketched. 

 "The cells fusing are, as far as can be seen, equal, and the pro- 

 cess is, at least apparently, a fusion of equal gametes, rather than 

 the fertilization of an egg by the entrance of a nucleus from some 

 other cell." The fusion cell is therefore practically, at least, a 

 zygospore — but the reader must refer to the article to follow the 

 argument. 



Spaulding, Parley. 



A brief account is given, Science, August 16 (1907), of "A 

 BHght Disease of Young Conifers," due to a species of Pestal- 

 ozzia — here proven for the first time in America to be a true 

 parasite, as hitherto known in Europe. It occurred on two-year- 

 old seedlings of Pinus ponderosa and P. divaricata in a conifer 

 nursery in Nebraska. The disease is characterized by a gradual 

 dying back of the needles from the tip to the base, thence into 

 the stem, finally killing the tree. Pure cultures and successful 

 inoculations on Pinus ponderosa were made. It is recommended 

 to remove the diseased trees and spray with Bordeaux mixture. 



