Fitzpatrick, Thomas, Kirby : Ophiobolus 35 



of S. cariceti. Instead of lying beneath the outer leaf sheath as in 

 the latter species they occur within the tissue of the sheath itself. 

 They possess much shorter beaks, lacking any pronounced tendency 

 toward curvature, and protrude less evidently. The spores, al- 

 though of about the same length, are considerably narrower and 

 more flexuous. The asci are also correspondingly narrower. 

 (Text Figure la.) In fact, the fungus differs strikingly from 

 5. cariceti in several respects, the spores, though different, consti- 

 tuting the most evident point of resemblance. Since this material 

 is not the type collection, and since it was found on another host 

 plant, the possibility exists that it is not in reality" S\ eucrypta. It 

 agrees, however, with the original description 9 of this species, ex- 

 cept in the possession of somewhat longer spores, and is probably 

 identical with it. In the original description the spores are said to 

 be one five-hundredth of an inch (50/x) in length. Saccardo 

 states erroneously that they measure 125 Since his description 

 is based on that of Berkeley and Broome, this is merely an evident 

 error in conversion of inches to microns, and has already been 

 noted by Berlese, who gives the dimensions as 70-74 x 3 /jl. Even 

 if it were assumed that the type collection of S. eucrypta was in 

 fact a different organism from that on Iris foetidissima there 

 would be no justification for the assumption that it was identical 

 with vS. cariceti. The original descriptions of S. eucrypta and S\ 

 cariceti and the drawings which illustrate them are clearly based 

 on two different species, and it is evident that Berlese was in error 

 in regarding them as identical. Also it is evident that the name 

 Ophiobolus graminis, widespread in the literature of the take-all 

 disease, must be supplanted by the less familiar name, 0. cariceti 

 (B. & Br.) Sacc. If the examination of the type specimen of 

 0. graminis shows it to be identical, as we believe, with O. cariceti 

 the Saccardo name, being more recent, must be relegated to syn- 

 onomy. If, on the other hand, it should prove to be specifically 

 distinct, it will then have no significance in connection with the 

 take-all disease. 



Several other species of Ophiobolus have been described as 

 occurring on the culms of grasses, but none of them resemble 



o Berkeley, M. J., and Broome, C. E. Notices of British Fungi. Ann. and 

 Mag. Nat. Hist. 9: ser. 2. 383. PI. 12, fig. 40. 1852. 



