Puccinia Malvaceae, Geraniaceae. 179 



Puccinia malvacearum is one of the commonest of rusts, and the 

 different stages in the growth of the spore are well seen in this species. A 

 group may be observed springing from a common hypha, and at first they 

 are without septa, but soon a transverse septum is formed, and, although 

 specially looked for, I have never seen a partial septum as recorded by 

 Fischer 5 . 



Germination occurs as soon as the spore is ripe, but some may hibernate. 

 Occasionally the pedicel has a septum. Mr. French, Government Entomolo- 

 gist, has observed this rust on Hollyhocks in a nursery near Melbourne as 

 early as 1857. 



(Plate XII., Figs. 99, 100 ; Plate XV., Figs. 123-130; Plate F., Fig. 28.) 



Playianthus. 



112. Puccinia plagianthi Me Alp. 



McAlpine, Proc. Roy. Soc. Vic. VII, N.S., p. 218 (1894). 

 Sydow, Mon. tired. I., p. 480 (1902). 

 Sacc. Syll. XIV., p. 295 (1899). 



III. Teleutosori hypophyllous, sparingly epiphyllous, scattered, pul- 

 verulent, soon naked, up to 1-1 J mm. 



Teleutospores golden-brown, oblong to clavate, rounded at apex, 

 slightly attenuated towards base or rounded, slightly constricted at 

 septum, very rarely three celled, epispore with reticulated markings, 

 38-50 X 17-23 p, average 41 X 20 /u ; pedicel hyaline, short, 

 deciduous, but may attain a length of 60 p. 

 On leaves and flowers of Plagianthus sidoides Hook. Very common. 



Tasmania Mount Wellington, southern slope, Aug.-April (Rod- 

 way 1 ). 



The spore is described as smooth by Sydow, but it is seen to be covered 

 with a fine irregular network. 



(Plate XII., Fig. 98.) 



GERANIACEAE. 



Geranium. 



113. Puccinia geranii-pilosi McAlp. 



II. Uredosori hypophyllous, chocolate-brown, scattered or sub-gregar- 



ious, orbicular, soon naked and surrounded by ruptured epidermis, 

 compact, up to 1 mm. diam., often on purplish-red spots or portions 

 of leaf becoming coloured. 



Uredospores yellowish-brown, elliptical to obovate, echinulate, 

 epispore slightly thickened at base, 25-30 X 19-22 ^. 



III. Teleutosori elongated, dark-brown to black, sometimes confluent, 

 erumpent, compact, 1-1 J /< long, commonly on petiole. 



Teleutospores at first intermixed with uredospores, oblong to 

 oblong-clavate, chestnut-brown, smooth, slightly constricted at 

 septum, sometimes short and stout and about as broad as long, 

 32-48 x 22-32 //, average 36 X 25 // ; upper cell rounded at apex, 

 not or slightly thickened ; lower cell rounded at base or occasion- 

 ally slightly tapering; germ-pore generally indicated at apex by a 

 paler groove ; pedicel hyaline, deciduous, elongated, up to 80 ^t long. 



