CHAPTER XXIV. 



BARBEERY BLIGHT. 



^Ecidium Berberidis, Pers. 



THERE is perhaps no family of plants more free from 

 fungi than the Berberidacece, and in this fact the family 

 greatly differs from the Graminece, on various members of 

 which the fungi of spring and summer mildew of corn are 

 so prevalent. It is also noteworthy that the Boraginacece, 

 upon some members of the order, as already described, 

 the supposed second condition of spring mildew of corn 

 dEcidium asperifolii, Pers., occurs, are also free from 

 the attacks of fungi to an extraordinary degree. Grasses 

 are all badly infested with fungus parasites and epiphytes. 

 The only important fungus peculiar to the barberry is 

 the one named ^Ecidium Berberidis, Pers. The generic 

 name ^cidium has been explained; the specific name 

 Berberidis explains itself. 



jficidium Berberidis, Pers., is frequent on the common 

 barberry, Berberis vulgaris, L. It also grows rarely 

 on the more ornamental species of Berberis and on the 

 Mahonias of our gardens. 



At Fig. 82 is illustrated, natural size, a few leaves 

 attached to a small fragment of a branch of the common 

 barberry. The parasitic ^Ecidium almost invariably grows 

 on the under surface of the leaves, as there shown, although 

 it may be detected rarely on both sides, and indeed on 

 every part of the plant. The ^cidium growths are seen 

 at AAA. The A^cidium clusters, of which there are ten 

 in the illustration, are groups of little sulphur-coloured 

 spots embedded in dark red, swollen, or hypertrophied 



