Norton — The Kansas Ustilaginea^. 235 



readily and quickly in water even before they are quite ripe, 

 I have found the germination in pure water much better than 

 is described by Brefeld and others. The germination of this 

 species is described by Brefeld,* Wolflf,t and Kiihn.t 



16. U. SrNTHERiSMAE (Schw.) Ell. & Ev., N. A. Fungi, no. 

 1890. 



Under this name I have placed provisionally several smuts 

 which are much alike yet different in many ways and occu- 

 pying different hosts. Those on Panicum capillare and P. 

 prolifei-um I have no doubt are the same and they answer 

 the descriptions of U. Syntherismae best. The smut on 

 Cfenchrus is different in form and size of spores and in 

 germination, yet I am not prepared to say that it is not 

 U. Syntherismae^ the only smut described on this host. The 

 smut on Andropogon scopaHus seems to be U. Syntherismaef 

 but in the germination, which, however, was under unfavor- 

 able conditions and only took place in one instance, is different 

 from that on other hosts. 



In the greatly enlarged ovaries or the whole inflorescence 

 of Cenchrus tribuloides (Plate XXVI. 11-13; XXVII. 1, 2). 

 Common all over the State. The stems of the host plant are 

 shortened and the enlarged ovaries or inflorescence, covered 

 with a yellowish or white membrane, project from or are en- 

 closed by the upper leaf-sheath. If the plant is not badly 

 affected the glumes and other floral organs grow out into long 

 leaf-like bodies sometimes two or three inches long. 



Germination as on all the hosts difficult in water. In a great 

 many cultures only a few spores germinated. In nutrient 

 solutions the germination takes place in one or two days, 

 almost always sooner than in water. Promycelium short and 

 septate, bearing conidia apically or in clusters at the septa or 

 producing germ-tubes without conidia. 



In the enclosed inflorescence of Panicum proliferum (Plate 



XXVI. 1, 2, 6-10; XXVII. 3), and P. capillare (Plate 



XXVII. 9-12), rather common on both at Manhattan. 

 Germination in both water and nutrient solutions usually 



* Untersuchungen, V. and X. X Krankheiten, pp. 36, 54. 



t Brand d. Getr., p. 11. 



