30 | CONNECTICUT GEOL. AND NAT. Hist. suRVEY. [Bull 
the rupture of the enclosing plant membrane, a dusty, red- 
dish brown spore mass is disclosed. The spores usually show 
various stages of development, vary from light fo dark reddish 
brown, are subspherical or spherical, or occasionally elon- 
gated or irregular, have a thick wall (3-4#) apparently closely 
covered with verruculations (really very minutely areolately 
pitted), and are 18-27, in length. 
Host and Distr.: Panicum virgatum, Conn. (Herb. Far- 
low) ; East Hartford, July 7, 1903 (Weatherby). 
The wild grass which is host for this smut is often cut for 
hay in the state, but it is doubtful if the smut does enough 
damage to be of economic importance. 
Neovossia Korn. 
The sori occur in the ovaries, forming dusty spore masses 
protected at first by a membrane of plant tissue. The large 
spores are simple, separate, and produced singly in the swollen 
ends of the special fertile hyphz, which permanently invest 
them and taper into conspicuous elongated hyaline appen- 
dages. Fig. 13, 
This genus is closely related to Tilletia, but can be dis- 
tinguished by the tail-like appendage to thé membrane invest- 
ing the spores. There are only two species now known that 
properly come under this genus. 
Neovossia Iowensis Hume & Hods. Fig. 13. The sori 
are found in the ovaries, are ovoid, about 2-3 mm. in length, 
and show inconspicuously between the spreading glumes. 
Sterile cells, or immature spores, which are hyaline, thick- 
walled, and chiefly smaller than the spores, are found in the 
spore mass. The mature spores are reddish brown, subo- 
paque, ovoid, ellipsoidal, or rarely subspherical, provided with 
a hyaline envelope tapering into an irregular tail once or twice 
their length. They have a minutely reticulately pitted cell wall, 
and are 19-284 by 13-19p in size. 
Host and Distr.: Phragmites communis, Montowese, fall, 
1901 (Evans) ; Oct. 18, 1902. 
This rare species, which has been reported elsewhere only 
from Iowa, was first found in this state by Professor Evans 
of Yale. 
