CHAPTER XIII 



HEMIB A SIDIOM YCETES 



I. USTILAGINALES 



BREFELD, O. Die Brandpilze, I. Unters. a. d. Gesammtgeb. d. Mykologie 5 : 



1-220. ph. I-I3. 1883. 



IJRKFKLD, O., u. FALCK, R. Ibid. 13 : 1-75. pis. 1-2. 1905. 



CLINTON, (i. 1'. North American Ustilagineas. Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist 



31: 329-529- I95- 

 DAXCJEARD, P. A. Recherches histologiques sur la Famille des Ustilaginees. 



Le Botaniste 3 : 240-281. 1892. 

 DEBARY, A. Die Brandpilze. 144 pp. 8 pis. 1853. 

 DIETEL, P. Ustilagineae und Tilletiineae. Natiirl. Pflanzenfam. (Engler u. 



Prantl, Red.) 1 (Abt. i * *) : 2-24. figs. 1-13. 

 FISCHER DE WALDHEIM, A. Beitrage zur Biologic u. Entwickelungsges. d. 



Ustilagineen. Jahrb. f. wiss. Bot. 7: 61-144. pis. 7-12. 1870. 

 HARPER, R. A. Nuclear Phenomena in Certain Stages in the Development 



of the Smuts. Trans. Wis. Acad. Sci., Arts, and Letters 12 : 475-498. 



pis. 8-9. 1899. 

 PLOWRIGHT, C. B. A Monograph of the British Uredineae and Ustilagineae. 



347 pp. 8 pis. 1889. 

 TULASNE, L. R. et C. Memoire sur les Ustilaginees comparers aux Uredi- 



nees. Ann. d. Sci. Nat. (Bot.) 7 (3 Ser.): 12-127. pis. 2-7. 1847. 



The Ustilaginales, commonly known as the " smut fungi," repre- 

 sent, in the opinion of most mycologists, what may be considered 

 the lowest of the basidium class. Without exception, they are 

 parasitic fungi, and they occur upon herbaceous flowering plants. 

 Many species infect grasses. There are, however, thirty-five 

 families of host plants in North America alone, representing 

 (according to Clinton) one hundred and sixty-four genera and 

 four hundred and forty-two species. 



The method of infection is diverse. In a few species infection 

 is apparently limited to the germinating seedlings, in many cases, 

 however, taking place through any meristematic tissues. The 

 mycelium may extend throughout the entire plant or it may be 

 located in limited areas, sometimes being confined to particular 

 organs of the plant. It is commonly intercellular, frequently 

 developing huustoria. Upon the production of spores it may 

 disappear by a gelatinization process. Reproduction is seldom by 



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