Aecidium Ranunculaceae. 201 



RANUNCULACEAE. 



Caltha. 



144. Aecidium calthae Grev. 



Greville, Fl. Ed., p. 446 (1824). 



McAlpine, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., XXIV., p. 301 (1899) 



Sacc. Syll. VII., p. 602 (1888). 



0. Spermogonia arranged in small groups, honey-coloured. 



1. Aecidia distributed on upper surface of leaf and often confluent, about 



J mm. diam. ; pseudoperidia white, margin laciniate ; peridial 

 cells pentagonal or hexagonal, margin finely streaked, 28-32 p. 



Aecidiospores bright orange, angular to sub-globose or oval, finely 

 echinulate, average 22-23 x 17-20 p. 

 On living leaves of Caltha introloba F. v. M. 



New South Wales Mt. Kosciusko, Jan., 1899 (Maiden). 

 I have provisionally named this as above, although Greville describes the 

 aecidium as hypophyllous and on the petioles, while here it was epiphyllous, 

 and only on the blade of the leaf. However, the spores and pseudoperidial 

 cells quite agree with British specimens. The host-plant is indigenous to 

 Australia, and was found in a rocky creek, on eastern side of Mueller's 

 Peak, Mt. Kosciusko, at a height of about 6,500 feet. This was the only 

 micro-fungus found there by Mr. Maiden. The Puccinia-stage of this 

 fungus occurs in Europe and America, and has hitherto only been found on 

 the marsh marigold (Caltha palustris L.) ; until that stage has been dis- 

 covered here, it cannot be definitely stated that the two fungi are the same. 

 (Plate XXXIX., Fig. 295.) 





 Ranwwulus 



145. Aecidium ranunculacearum DC. 



De Candolle, Fl. fr. VI., p. 97 (1805). 

 Cooke, Handb. Austr. Fung., p. 340 (1892). 

 Sacc. Syll. VII., p. 776 (1886). 



I. Aecidia hypophyllous or surrounding lobes of leaf and on stalk, 

 densely crowded, very bright orange, often causing a swelling ; 

 pseudo-peridia cup-shaped to cylindrical, whitish, with margin 

 brittle and lacerated, 1 mm. high ; peridial cells somewhat quadrate 

 and tapering to a point where they dovetail into each other, 

 with striated margin, 27-28 X 18-22 p. 



Aecidiospores orange-yellow, polygonal to oblong or ellipsoid, 

 very finely echinulate, 17-30 x 14-20 p, average 22 x 17 p. 

 On Ranunculus parvi/lorus L., R. rivularis Banks and Sol., R. lappaceus 

 Sm. and R. gunnianus Hook. 



Victoria Mount Emu Creek, 1854. Omeo, Nov., 1882 (Stirling). 

 Ardmona, 1896 (Robinson). Near Dimboola, Nov., 1897 

 (Reader). Murramurrangbong Ranges, Nov., 1902 (Robin- 

 son). Buffalo Ranges, Dec., 1904 (C. French, jun.). 

 On Ranunculus sp. 



New South Wales Guntawang and Mudgee (Hamilton). Rich- 

 mond (Musson). 



Tasmania St. Patrick's River, Nov., 1844 (Gunn), (Berkeley 1 ). 

 This aecidium occurs on several species of Ranunculus, and varies some- 

 what in general characters, although the aecidiospores all agree in being 

 very finely echinulate. As the result of cultures, this has been found to be 



