DopGE: LACHNEA WITH A BOTRYOSE CONIDIAL STAGE 305 
with a Papulospora* similar to those forms hitherto thought to 
belong to Melanospora. If one, following Saccardo, for example, 
seeks to find a description which might apply to the conidial 
stage of Sclerotinia Geranii or of Lachnea abundans he turns 
directly to the forms along with Botrytis cinerea on the basis 
of the spore clusters. It seems to the writer, therefore, an im- 
possible task to determine the real generic affinities of species 
of form genera from a study of the conidial or pycnidial stages 
alone. Brierly* has recently published a paper on Botrytis 
cinerea. His argument is based entirely on the assumption that 
this species has no perfect or ascogenous stage. It is certainly 
unusual to state that a fungus has no ascocarpic stage simply 
on the basis of large numbers of cultures that produce only 
conidial fructifications. The recent work of Bensaude, Kniep 
and others, on several of the well known Basidiomycetes em- 
phasizes the importance of growing in pairs strains or races 
derived from different spores, at least as a last resort, in attempts 
to obtain the “‘perfect’’ stages. We are finding more and more 
forms in which a strain, which is sterile when grown alone, still, 
when grown together with sume other strain, at once takes 
part in the development of a ‘‘perfect”’ stage. 
There is no question that Lachnea abundans is homothallic, 
a culture from a single conidium or a single ascospore being 
capable under suitable conditions of giving rise to ascocarps. 
Whatever may be the standing of the species now commonly 
referred to the form genus Botrytis, after study has revealed 
their ascomycetous connections, it is interesting to find an 
“imperfect” fungus with a botryose conidial stage connected 
with a little Lachnea which may be so easily cultured on ordinary 
media. 
BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY, 
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 
WaAsHINGTON, D. C. 
yo 12: 115-134. 1920 
* Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. B. 210. 83- II4. 1920. 
