20 



Bulletin 6 



protest against the unnecessarily and mischievously elabo- 

 rate classification of Koerber, who, in his last publication, 

 enumerates in Germany one hundred and thirty-six genera, 

 while I feel assured less than one-third would be found 

 amply sufficient. It is this splitting up of species and gen- 

 era, this multiplication of new and difficult names, this 

 complete changing of old and familiar terms, that operate 

 as one of the most powerful barriers to the study of lichen- 

 ology." If any knowledge of the more than six hundred 

 genera cited for the lichens in Kngler and Prantl may have 

 reached the heavenly abode of Lindsay's shade it must have 

 been profoundly depressing. As before mentioned, Buellia 

 parmeliarum is a parasitic lichen. There are many parasitic 

 lichens, but this particular plant, unlike many other parasites 

 among the lichens, emphasizes its parasitic character by the 

 peculiarity of causing a malformation of the thallus of its 

 host. The species occurs in this country on the thallus of 

 Parmelia saxatilis most commonly, but it is often found on 

 that of P. rudecta, occasionally on P. sulcata. Two other 

 hosts for the plant may be mentioned because of rarity. The 

 first of these is Parmelia caperata, and so far as I know the 

 plant on this latter host has not been recognized in this 

 country except on Knox County material. The other and 

 remaining host plant is Cladonia amaurocraea, on which it 

 has not been previously identified by lichenists. The Clado- 

 nia species forming its host was among specimens of that 

 genus collected by the late Prof. Clara E. Cummings in the 

 White Mountains. Miss Cummings was unable to make out 

 the peculiar deformations of the podetia and passed the mate- 

 rial along to Prof. T. A. Williams, and he called them 

 "galls." Certain little dark-colored bodies borne on the sur- 

 face of the swellings attracted my attention, and I was able 

 to demonstrate their identity with the Pycnides, which con- 

 stitute a characteristic accompaniment of fertile Buellia par- 

 meliarum. Just a few words now on the problem of whether 

 the plant is fungal or with affinity to the true lichens. The 

 one test that is best available in demonstrating the relations 

 of a doubtfully lichenose thing is that of ascertaining if the 

 organism is physiologically constituted to develop starch. 



