(58 



JOURNAL OF MYCOLOGY. 



[Vol. I, 



SYLLOGE-VOLUME III. 



Saccardo — Sylloge Fungorum omnium hucusque cognitorum, Yol. 

 Ill, Sphceropsidece, Melanconieoe, has at length appeared. The volume of 

 860 pages contains descriptions of 4,212 species, divided into 165 genera, 

 of which Phoma embraces 632 species: Septoria, 581; Phyllosticta, 3 ^5 ; 

 Diplodia, 264. As in the two preceding volumes, the fundamental prin- 

 ciple of classification is based on the color, shape and septation of the 

 spores. The application of the carpological system of classification to 

 these families of fungi does not appear to have broken up and disar- 

 ranged the old established genera to so great an extent as in the Pyre- 

 nomycetes, though various changes of more or less importance are to be 

 noted. For instance, the Hendersonias with hyaline spores are made to 

 constitute a new genus, Staganospora, Sacc, separated from Hendersonia 

 by six intervening genera. 



Sphceronema, in the family Sphceroidece, is made to include only those 

 species with membranaceous, coriaceous or carbonaceous perithecia and 

 ovoid or oblong, continuous, subhyaline spores, while those with very 

 thin, soft, membranous, bright-colored perithecia, with ellopsoid, con- 

 tinuous, hyaline spores, are placed in a new genus, SplicEronemella, Sacc, 

 belonging to another family. Nectroideoe, Sacc, and those with conic or 

 spiniform, black perithecia an^ filifusoid, continuous, hyaline spores, 

 make the genus SphcerogmpMum, Sacc, and those with perithecia bulb- 

 ous at the base or equal, round or subclavate and spores fusoid-bacillary, 

 generally falcate, septate, hyaline or yellowish, m.ake the genus Cornu- 

 laria [Karst.) 



On page 442 we find Lichenopsis sphceroholoidea, Schw. This was 

 doubtless an oversight, as this is now known to be an ascigerous fungus, 

 with long, filiform, multiseptate spores, and the reproduction of the 

 original description of Schweinitz in this place without comment would 

 be apt to mislead. The true character of this fumgus is given in Grevil- 

 lea, ly , p. 7, and specimens have been distributEd in the i^orth American 

 Fungi, JSTo. 453. It is announced that Yol. IV of the Sylloge will con- 

 tain the Hyphomycetes, and will appear before the end of 1885, and also 

 that the Sylloge , Hymenomycetum now being prepared by Prof. Saccardo 

 and Prof. jos. Cuboni will appear, at least the first part, this year. 



The Sylloge is certainly a very valuable w^ork, and may be considered 

 almost a necessity for all who aspire to a thorough knowledge of the 

 fungi. Of course, if the author could have given us a thorough re elab- 

 oration of the species, in this and the preceding volumes, showing which 

 were worthy to stand and which were to be rejected, or reduced to syn- 

 onyms, the work would have been still more valuable ; but this was not 

 the original scope of the undertaking, and would have required an 

 amount of time and careful research (if carried through all the orders of 

 fungi) for which a single lifetime would hardly sufiice, and we are glad 

 Professor Saccardo has been able to give us the Sylloge, even such as it 

 is, and hope he may meet with such support as may enable him to go on 

 and finish up the work. J. B. E. 



Newfield, J., Feb. 11, 1885. 



