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POLYMORPHISM OF RHYTISMA RADICALE (Che), 
PROVING TO BE AN EPHELIS (Fyres.). 
By Mr. Wm. Putters, F.L.S. 
RuytisMA RavDIcALE, (Cke.), was first described by Dr. Cooke in ‘‘ Grevillea,” 
Vol. viii., p. 9., in 1879, in the following words :—‘‘ Black, opaque, ambient, 
splitting irregularly, and exposing the grey hymenium; asci cylindrical; sporidia 
uniseriate, clavate, hyaline, (.012 x .003 mm); stylospores, produced earlier in the 
season, fusiform, acute, triseptate (.07 x .005 mm). About the roots of Rhinanthus 
cerista galli, North of Scotland—found by Mr. Taylor. Gouty swellings are 
formed by the stylosporous and ascosporous conditions. The sporidia apparently 
not fully nature.” I have been allowed to copy Dr. Cooke’s drawing and to see 
the original specimen. The stems of the plant affected by this fungus have very 
much the appearance of having the lower part near the root, but above ground, 
surrounded by a coating of pitch from half an inch to one inch in extent from top 
to bottom, and swelling out near the centre. In June last my friend, the Rev. 
James Keith, of Forres, well known asa careful observer, sent me some stems of 
Rhinanthus crista galli, with the following remarks :—‘‘In August of last year I 
discovered, at the base of the stems of Rhinanthus cristi galli, swellings from half 
an inch to one inch long, coated over with a carbonaceous covering. There was 
no appearance of fruit of any kind. The substance when crushed under the 
microscope looked exactly like that of a Sclerotium. Nevertheless, having noticed 
Cooke’s Rhytisma radicale, I thought it might be an immature state of that species, 
and on submitting a specimen to him he so named it. I kept my eye on the plant 
during the winter. The smooth coating of the swellings gradually roughened, 
and became dotted over with what looked very like perithecia as if of a Cucurbi- 
taria. Owing to being unwell I have not been able to get to the place till to-day, 
when I have been much surprised to find that what I took for perithecia have 
developed into Peziza cups, or at Jeast some Discomycete.” 
On examining the specimens forwarded by Mr. Keith I found, as he described, 
a black stroma, the internal structure exactly resembling that of some Sclerotia, 
over the surface of which was a bed of closely set cups about the size and general 
aspect of peziza cinerea. From mutual pressure the cups were irregular in outline, 
with a thin, well developed margin. The hymenium concave, cinerous when 
moist, black when dry. The asci were cylindraceo-clavate, having eight sporidia 
in each. The sporidia were oblong-elliptic, colourless, frequently with three 
guttule. The paraphyses linear, and rather stout. I have examined these cups 
with a view of ascertaining whether there is any genetic connection between them 
and the stroma on which they rested, and I have fully satisfied my mind that 
there is such a connection. The tissue of the stroma runs up without any break 
into the cup forming the sub-hymenial tissue. The cortical layer of the stroma is 
also continued upwards without any sign of separation, so as to form the exterior 
