1 66 Cintractia. 



Carex. 

 21. Cintractia caricis (Pers.) Magn. 



Magnus, Abli. Bot. Ver. Prov. Brand., XXXVII., p. 78 (1896). 

 Ustilago caricis (Pers). Ung. Eiufl. Bodens, p. 211 (1836). 

 Anthracoidea caricis (Pers.) Bref. Unters. Gesammt. Myk. XII., 

 p. 144 (1895). 



Sori in ovaries, at first hidden by the perigynium, then exposed, pro- 

 tected at first by a white membrane composed of semi-gelatinized 

 cells, which soon disappear. 



Spores firmly agglutinated, dark olivaceous, generally irregular, 

 polygonal, sometimes subspherical or ellipsoid, finely punctulate 

 16-23 X 9-15 i-i. 

 On Carex hreviculmis R. Br. 



Victoria — Mount Blackwood, Jan., 1903 (Robinson). 

 Tasmania — Hobart, Dec, 1907 (Rodway). 

 The smutted ovary is hard and black on the outside as if the spores origi- 

 nated there, but the spore-forming layer arises exclusively in the epidermis, 

 the cells of which are ruptured by the expanding spores. They are at first 

 minute, colourless, and of an irregular shape, and punctulate all over, then 

 they become dark and opaque at the circumference, forming a dense mass of 

 agglutinated spores. The fungus winters in the rhizome, so that the mycelium 

 is perennial. Brefeld^ has made this the type of a new genus, Anthracoidea, 

 on account of the special mode of germination. 



Germination. — The spores do not germinate at once but remain dormant 

 till the following spring. Then they germinate in water and push forth a 

 germ-tube into the air, which has not only a few septa, but is divided at the 

 apex, so that each of the two cells produces ellipsoid conidia. The upper- 

 most cell is elongated to form a sterigma — bearing conidia, which arise near 

 one another and form an irregular head, if not interfered with. The ripe 

 and fallen conidia do not sprout but only form simple germ-tubes, until 

 their contents are exhausted. 



It is this division of the apex of the aerial promycelium into two cells, 

 each of which produces conidia, that Bref eld considered sufficiently distinct 

 to form a new genus, which he named Anthracoidea. 



(Plate XXXIV.) 



Andropogon. 

 22. Cintractia columellifera (Tul.) McAlp. 



Ustilago carbo, var. columeUifem Tul., Ann. Sci. Nat. Bot. p. 81 

 (1847). 

 Sori in ovaries which are at first enclosed in the glumes. The walls of 

 the ovary are brown and firm, forming a continuous membrane, 

 but gradually decay in patches, exposing the dense agglutinated 

 mass of dark-brown spores with a central columella of plant tissue. 

 Spores pale-brownish to olive-brown, smooth, globose to sub- 

 globose, with finely granular vacuolated contents, very regular in 

 size, 7 fi diam., occasionally 8 jn. 



