SPHERIA HERBARUM. 51 
XXXxll., which accompanies the second volume of “Selecta Fun- 
gorum Carpologia” of the brothers Tulasne. 
Spheria herbarum is a very common fungus, and may be found 
on dead herbaceous stems, on pea and bean stems in particular ; 
though it may affect plants of very different genera, it is found 
wherever there is vegetation, and even upon decaying sea-weeds, 
so that the student need not seek long to find it. This fungus 
possesses at least five kinds of fruit, which circumstance has given 
rise, from time to time, to the formation of many spurious genera. 
This may be seen by reference to Plate IV., which is the reduced 
engraving already alluded to; but a photo-lithograph can hardly 
do justice to the original. ‘There are many persons to be found 
who aver that many of these sketches must have had their origin 
in the imagination of the delineators, rather than the result of 
observation, but as many have admitted that one and the same 
fungus may have several kinds of fruit, it behoves us to be charit- 
able, and allow, until it has been proved to the contrary, that the 
drawings of the brothers Tulasne are accurate in their details. 
If several kinds of fruit are to be found on one species of fungus, 
the student’s difficulty is increased ; in his studies he has to be 
able to recognise the plant by means of any one of these, but if he 
can trace a family connection, he will ultimately have no doubt as 
to what genus the secondary forms of fruit should belong, 
In S. herbarum the ascigerous form is that which is normal, 
but such forms as Cladosporium and Macrosporium are quite as often 
met with. 
It was pointed out by Rev. M. J. Berkeley, in his Introduction 
to Cryptogamic Botany, 1857, p. 78, that in Lvyszphe there are no 
less than five different forms of fruit, the moniliform threads on 
the mycelium, the asci in the sporangia, the larger stylospores in 
other sporangia, the smaller stylospores in other sporangia, and the 
separate sporules sorhetimes formed in the joints of the necklaces. 
How this has been modified by subsequent researches most of our 
readers will know, and the researches which form the subject 
matter of this plate are being confirmed more and more every 
day, showing that species and genera have been multiplied with- 
out occasion. 
The observer on perusing Plate IV. cannot but be struck with 
the very diverse forms of fruit which one fungus may produce,— 
figs. 1 and 2 show the macroconidia, which have been regarded, 
and may be still by some, as Macrosporium sarcinula, but which 
Dr. Cooke says in his handbook, is ‘‘ only a condition of .S. her- 
barum.” Fig. 3 is a good illustration of the pycnides which have 
been classified as Myxosporium orbiculare and Cyttspora orbicularts. 
Figs. 4a, 4b and 5, represent stylospores, while the figures 6 
and 7 show what is known to the beginner as Spheria herbarum, 
