1894. ] Briefer Articles. 297 
that carries in it many oil globules (fig. 4). The resting-spores show 
considerable variation in size, ard differ noticeably in the roughness 
of the outer surface. 
Along with the resting-spores, though in separate cavities, are occa- 
sionally found sori composed of a varying number of angular, poly- 
hedral sporangia enclosed in a delicate, transparent sac (figs. 6 and 
. Each sporangium has a thin, colorless wall and finely granular 
contents that are colorless when the sporangium is first formed, but 
change to a bright yellow as it matures. 
A section through a leaf or stem where the disease is in its earlier 
Stages shows many of the epidermal cells slightly enlarged and occu- 
pied by almost transparent spores that range in size from extremely 
small spheres to that of the average mature resting-spore. Now these 
may be early stages of either resting-spores or sori, but since in older 
diseased tissue, resting-spores are many times more numerous than 
sori, it seems probable that most of the immature bodies are resting- 
spores in process of formation (fig. 8). 
_ The size of the resting-spores and their rough, reddish-brown cover- 
ing agree with the description of Syxchytrium Stellarie Fuckel as given 
by Schroeter* and Fischer,* as do also the size of the sori and the 
variable number of sporangia. The host, too, is the same. The con- 
tents of the sporangia, however, are bright yellow instead of orange- 
ted, but it is possible that those examined were not yet mature. 
Schroeter states that in the same cavity with the sorus and lying 
Just above it, is always found an empty membrane. He explains this 
as the original wall formed around the swarm-spore after it enters the 
epidermal cell of the host, and out of which, through an opening at 
its lower pole, the contents pass when ready to form a sorus. De 
Bary* mentions this membrane as indicating a possible sexual origin 
for the sorus, but thinks Schroeter’s explanation probably the correct 
og This may also explain the empty membrane represented in 
g. 6. 
Some of the resting spores, in their earlier stages, show a pouch like 
body closely adhering to the outer surface (fig. 9). It is barely posst- 
ble that both sori and resting-spores result from the conjugation of 
the swarm-cells, 
So far, all efforts to induce the resting-spores to germinate have 
“en unsuccessful, and the writer is not able to state whether their 
Sontents first break up into sporangia, or pass directly into swarm- 
cells—Ipa CLENDENIN, Baton Rouge, La 
‘Schroeter, Krypt rz 
Sirens cr, Rabenhors's Krypt. Flora von Deutschland, CEsterreich und der 
De Ba thl. IV. 52. : q 
ary, Comp. Morphol. and Physiol. of Fungi. 168. 
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