780 SUMMARY OF OaRRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Calostoma Desv. (Mitremyces Nees).* — Mr. G. Massco discusses 

 tho morphology of the genus Calostoma Dcsv. Ho was enabled in ono 

 case especially to follow the course of development from the period of 

 ditfcrentiatiou of tho globa to that of dehiscence. The structure was 

 found to be in every respect homologous with tho pcridium of tho 

 Phalloidea), but differs in being entirely deliquescent at au early period. 

 Calostoma is morphologically most nearly related to the genus Gcastcr, 

 the homology in many respects being absolute, the differences at tho 

 same time extreme. The external pcridium of Gcaster, which splits in a 

 stellate manner when ripe, corresponds to the exoperidium and cndo- 

 peridium in Calostoma, the inner pcridium in Geaster being the morpho- 

 logical equivalent of the spore-sac in Calostoma. Although the species 

 of the genus Calostoma are, with two exceptions, restricted to narrow 

 areas, the genus is widely distributed, extending from Massachusetts to 

 the south of Tasmania, and from New Granada to Tasmania, with a 

 vertical range from near the sea-level to 9000 feet in the SikkimHimalayas. 

 The author concludes with descriptions of the various species of tho 

 genus. 



Pimina, a new Genus of Hyphomycetes-t— Mr. W. B. Groves 

 describes a new genus of Hijphomycctes parasitic on the hyphio of 

 Polyactis, and on the leaves of Passiflora princeps and P. quadrangu- 

 laris from Monkstowu, Dublin. Pimina: — Hyphai sterilcs repentes, 

 hyaliuoB v. subcoloratEe ; fertiles erectte, fuliginea, sursum basidiis 

 corouata;. Conidia simplicia, hyalina, acrogena. 



Fungi of Fruit-trees.:j: — Herr F. v. Thiimen enumerates 4202 species 

 of parasitic fungus which attack 77 different kinds of fruit. The sweet 

 chestnut appears to have the largest number of enemies, as many as 326 

 species, and the vine comes next with 323. The author remarks that 

 when the same fungus ajipears on different organs of the same plant, it 

 is constantly described under different names. 



Parasitism of the Truffle.§ — M. H. Bonnet states that M. Tulasne 

 first observed truffles entirely covered by their mycelium. Numerous 

 white cylindrical threads were noticed, and these adhered to particles of 

 earth by the extremity of their branches. Microscopical examination of 

 these threads shows them to be composed of septated cylindrical fila- 

 ments which are straight and parallel to one another. As to the 

 anatomical relation of the mycelium with the surface of the fungus, the 

 filaments which compose the first are all connected with the surface of 

 the truffle, and it is not at all easy to discover where the pcridium 

 separates itself from its byssoid envelope. 



Fungus Parasitic on the Pine-apple. |1 — M. J. de Seynes, in a 

 recent work on the formation of acrospores, described a Hyphomycete 

 belonging to the genus Sporoscliisma, which he calls S. paradoxum. In 

 this paper he adds more particulars about the same species. This 

 fungus vegetates in the pulp of the fruit of the pine-apple. The 

 mycelium is composed of filaments which intertwine with the elements 

 of the parenchyma of the host ; these filaments are colourless, and but 



* Ann. of Bot., ii. (1888) pp. 25-45. f Journ. of Bot., xxvi. (1888) p. 206. 



X 'Die Pilze der Obstgewachse,' 126 pp., Vienna, 1887. See Bot. Centralbl., 

 sxsiv. (1888) p. 307. 



§ Rev. Mjcol., X. (1888) pp. 69-73. Cf. this Journal, 1887, p. 791. 



II Soc. Bot. et Mycol. de France, Session Cry])togami<iuc, 1887 (1888) pp. 26-30. 



