66 

 resembles a parasite upon ergot rather than a true i^t-ulting conditiori of 

 ergot itself. Soiretinies this effused mycelium spreads over the ergot, and 

 several clubs arise from one stratum of mycelium, vAiich may have emerged 

 from one minute hole or crack in the sclerotium. The poles of the grass 

 flower are sometimes attached to tlie sclerotium. 



The perithecia are superficial, scattered throughout the upper 

 half or tv/o-thiipds of the club-shaped stipe, on the average the same in size 

 and character as those of C. -pur-purea. In cross section they do not differ 

 from C. Tourtsurea . The asci are cylindrical, 200 to 250 by 30|j,. The conidia 

 are elliptico- lanceolate, borne in chains on the end of branching 

 conidiophorous hypJiae, and 10 to 12 by 2 to 3|j.. 



C. wilsoni has been reported from Great Britian and Switzerland. 

 it is probable, ho\vever, that it occurs in other countries as well but has 

 been overlooked. 



Claviceps sp . on Spartina stricta 



Thaxter (248) who first found this fungus, thinks that it is a^ 

 species as different from C. •pur-purea as is C. microceTohala. He concludes 

 this from the fact that its sclerotia germinate first toward the end of June 

 and the beginning of July. No other information concerning this species 

 is available. 



Claviceps sp . on Zizania a\vuatica and Z. palustris 



This species of Claviceps which has not been studies in detail 

 has been referred to by several men under the nam e C. nur-purea Tul. Fyles 

 (76) who. studied it and conducted some inoculation experiments, finds that 

 its sclerotia germinate fcvo months after gathering and usually send out 

 numerous stromata. The greatest number he observed v/as forty-eight and the 

 least eleven. Broken pieces of ergots produced 3 to 7 stromata. The 

 spheiidia of the stromata are light buff in color with lavendar stalks, be- 



