638 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVII. No. 956 



Ascospores were taken from these fruit bod- 

 ies and placed in drops of water on the leaves 

 of Prunus avium seedlings in the greenhouse. 

 This was repeated several times and resulted 

 in every case in abundant infection, followed 

 in a few days by typical Cylindrosporium 

 acervuli. Later pure cultures were obtained 

 from the ascospores, and the inoculation tests 

 were repeated, using pure cultures, with sim- 

 ilar results. 



The study of the life history, relationship, 

 etc., of the fungus is being continued, the re- 

 sults of which will be published in the near 

 future. 



The fungus belongs clearly with the Pha- 

 cidiacese and is apparently an undescribed 

 species of Coccomyces. The fruit body is im- 

 bedded in the tissue of the leaf, extending 

 usually from one epidermis to the other. At 

 maturity the wall of the fruit body bursts ir- 

 regularly on the under side of the leaf, expos- 

 ing the grayish-white hymenium beneath. The 

 asci are club-shaped with a constricted, short- 

 pointed apex. The spores are elongate, one- to 

 three-celled, and borne in a fascicle in the end 

 of the ascus. 



Arthur,' in 188Y, described what is probably 

 the same ascogenous form (or closely related 

 species) on plum leaves which were affected 

 with Cylindrosporium the previous year. A 

 similar ascogenous fungus was also mentioned 

 and figured on dead leaves of Prunus by Pam- 

 mer in 1892, but in neither case was the 

 fungus named or its connection with the 

 Cylindrosporium stage proved. 



The question now arises as to what species 

 name should be applied to the perfect stage. 

 One might employ the combination Cocco- 

 myces padi were it not for the fact that we 

 are confronted with certain diiEculties in the 

 use of that name. In the first place we are not 

 certain that the European form on Prunus 

 padus is identical with the American form, 

 though there is little doubt that a similar, if 



'Arthur, J. C, "Plum Leaf Fungus," N. Y. 

 Agr. Exp. Sta., Eept. 5, 293-298, 1886. 



^ Pammel, L. H., ' ' Spot Disease of Cherries, ' ' 

 Iowa Agr. Exp. Sta., Bull 13, 55-66, 1891. 



not identical, ascigerous stage is present on 

 the dead leaves of that species in Europe. 

 Furthermore, several different names have 

 been used for the prunicolous species of 

 Cylindresporium in North America and a 

 similar difficulty would arise if a choice of one 

 of these were attempted. In the second place, 

 while a specific name already employed for an 

 imperfect stage might be used for a new 

 species there would always arise confusion as 

 to what principle of nomenclature was fol- 

 lowed in the combination if a name previously 

 employed for an imperfect stage were used. 

 According to the International code of nomen- 

 clature adopted at Brussels in 1910, relating 

 to polymorphic fungi, a species name applied 

 to the perfect stage has precedence over names 

 applied to an imperfect stage. In order, there- 

 fore, to avoid any confusion, I propose for the 

 perfect stage of the fungus on Prunus avium 

 the name Coccomyces liiemalis n. sp. with the 

 following brief diagnosis. 



Coccomyces hiemalis n. sp. : Ascomatibus 

 sparsis interdum subaggregatis, punctiformis, 

 nigris, ovatis vel orbieularibus, primum 

 claussis, deinde in lacinias plures acutas de- 

 hiscentibus ; disco pallido carneo, 125-210 jji, 

 lat. ascis clavatis, crassiuscule stipitatis, 

 70-95 X 11-14 octosporis, apice papillate ; 

 paraphysibus filiformibus, simplicibus aut 

 ramosis, apice curvato; sporidiis linearibus 

 33^5 X 2, 5-3, 5 fjt,, simplicibus aut 1-3 sep- 

 tatis. 



Hab. In pagina inferiore deiectorum folio- 

 rum Pruni avii. B. B. Higgins 



Department of Botany, 

 Cornell University 



on the history of cottons and cotton 



WEEVILS 



Referring to my first article on the Peru- 

 vian square-weevil,' in which were presented 

 data relating to the origin of the cotton plant, 

 it now seems possible to make certain well- 

 founded deductions. The presence of the 

 nearest wild relatives of Gossypium only in 

 the New World indicates that the stock from 



' Journal of Economic Entomology, April, 1911. 



