66 BULLETIN 380, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTURE. 



ENDOTHIA PARASITICA ON HOSTS OTHER THAN CASTANEA. 



The first collection of Endothia parasitica on a host other than 

 Castanea of which the writers have any knowledge is that made by 

 J. Franklin Collins at Martic Forge, Pa., June 30, 1909. As an- 

 nounced by Dr. Metcalf at the Boston (December, 1909) meeting 

 of the American Phytopathological Society, the specimen consisted 

 of a small dead branch of Quercus velutina with several spore 

 tendrils typical of E. parasitica. This material, which consisted of 

 a terminal branch with leaves still retained, was at once sent to the 

 laboratory at Washington, and cultures obtained from it were sub- 

 sequently used in making numerous inoculations on Castanea dentata 

 on Long Island, N. Y., in July, 1909. On November 17 of the same 

 year, Metcalf reported that the inoculations were entirely successful 

 and had produced typical lesions, thus establishing without question 

 the identity of the fungus. 



Fulton (37, p. 53) reports E. parasitica on the dead bark of Quer- 

 us alba and Quercus velutina, but found no evidence that the fungus 

 produces in any sense a disease of such trees. Clinton (18, p. 428) 

 mentions cultures from three different species of Quercus and (p. 

 376) reports specimens on Quercus alba, Q. rubra, and Q. velutina. 



Anderson and Babcock, as quoted by Anderson and Rankin (6, p. 

 564), found Endothia parasitica on Quercus velutina, Q. alba, Q. 

 prinus, Rhus typhina, Acer rubrum, and Cory a ovata, but it seemed 

 parasitic only on Quercus alba. They made inoculations with mate- 

 rials isolated from Castanea on Quercus prinus, Q. velutina, Q. alba, 

 Q. cocdnea, Rhus typhina, Acer rubrum, Liriodendrontulipifera,^^ 

 Carya ovata. Two trees of Rhus were girdled and killed by the 

 growth of the fungus. On Quercus alba the fungus seemed slightly 

 parasitic, but none of the trees were killed. The fungus grew and 

 produced spore horns on the wounded tissue near the point of inocu- 

 lation on all the hosts except Acer and Liriodendron. 



Rankin (62, p. 238) also made inoculations with Endothia para- 

 sitica from Castanea on Quercus prinus. Q. rubra, Q. alba, and Q. 

 cocdnea. He found that the mycelium advanced into the living 

 tissues for a short distance in a few cases, but that in no case were 

 typical cankers formed. Py^cnidia were produced abundantly on the 

 injured tissues of all the hosts. 



During the course of this work only four specimens of Endothia 

 parasitica on hosts other than Castanea have come to the writers. 

 One was on chestnut oak (Quercus prinus) collected by F. W. Besley, 

 at Towson, Md., December 26, 1911; one from Quercus velutina, at 

 Germantown, Pa., as well as one from white oak (Quercus alba), at 

 Kennett Square, Pa., were collected by S. B. Detwiler; and one 

 from dead maple, Acer sp., at Florence, Mass., by Roy G. Pierce. 



