1030 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



stems and roots of other orchids have long been known, and have heen 

 variously interpreted hy different observers. Herr W. Wahrlich has 

 examined these organs in Orchis metadata, Gymnadcnia albida, 

 Platanthera bi/olia, Ophrys mvscifera, Epipogon aphyllum, Serapias 

 lingua,) Goody era repens, Corallorhiza innata, and in about 500 exotic 

 orchids, and found them all more or less infected by a parasitic 

 fungus, the hyphne of which are densely interwoven round a body of 

 the naturo of a haustorium. Fructification of the kind designated 

 Fusisjxtrium-sporcs was observed, as well as megalospores, and, in 

 the case of Vanda suavis and tricolor, perithecia with ascospores. 

 Differences in tho thickness of the hyphse, in the behaviour of the 

 haustoria to chlor-zinc-iodide, and in the fructification, indicate pro- 

 bahly a variety of species of parasitic fungus, but all included in one 

 group helonging to the Pyrenomycetes. The perithecia of the species 

 parasitic on the two Vandse are of a bright red colour, isolated or in 

 small groups of two or three on a moderately developed reddish-brown 

 stroma, which however seldom emerges from the tracheids ; when it 

 does so it consists of a strong compact weft of hyphae. The asci contain 

 eight spores arranged in an oblique row ; the ascospores are elliptical, 

 two-celled, and constricted in the middle. These characters seem to 

 determine the fungi in question to belong to the genus Necfria, of 

 which the author establishes two new species, N. Vandse on Vanda 

 euavis, and N. Goroshankiana on V. tricolor. 



New TJredineae parasitic on Himalayan Coniferae.* — Dr. A. 

 Barclay describes a species of Uredineaa parasitic on Abies smithiana 

 in the Himalayas, possibly identical with the JEcidium Thomsoni 

 gathered by Dr. Thomson. It occurs in great abundance throughout 

 the forests of the Sutlej valley, at elevations of from 7000 to 10,000 

 feet. The author met with it during May, and believes that it 

 disappears entirely during the rains of July. It occurred in two 

 forms, which he describes as the aecidial and uredinal, found on 

 the same host-species, though often on different individuals ; but he 

 was not able actually to demonstrate the genetic connection between 

 them. No form corresponding to the teleutosporal was observed. 

 The SBcidial form causes a real or pseudo-hypertrophy in the tissues, 

 with a pale yellow colour, always attacking a youug terminal shoot. 

 The spermogonia occur in great numbers ; they are deeply set with 

 their bases beneath the hypoderma, and measure about 0*139 mm. in 

 length and breadth, the conical neck protruding 45 /x above the level 

 of the epidermis. The secidiospores are long irregularly oval bodies, 

 measuring when dry about 38 by 16 fx, and are densely beset with 

 minute spines or tubercles. The uredinal form is much more 

 frequently met with than the secidial. The uredospores are spherical, 

 and, when moistened, measure on an average 9 • 5 /x in diameter ; they 

 are entirely destitute of surface-markings. 



A second species is described, also growing on Abies smithiana, of 

 which the secidial form only was observed. It attacks only a few 

 " needles " in a shoot, instead of the whole shoot, as in the previous 



* Journ. Asiatic Soc. Bengal, lv. (1886) pp. 1-11, 140-3, 223-6 (5 pis.). 



