544 



JOUENAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Ramularia vallisumhrosae, Cavara, is the correct name of the fungus 

 to which I drew attention in the Gardeners' Chronicle, n.s. xxxix. 

 (1906), p. 277, as causing a troublesome disease of Narcissus poeiicus. 

 I there gave the name Ramularia narcissi to the fungus under the 

 impression that it was new to science. Subsequently I found that 

 Gavara had already described the same fungus causing a disease of the I 

 same plant at Vallisumbrosa, in Northern Italy. His name for the 

 fungus therefore has the priority, and the name R. narcissi must be 

 dropped. 



The present species agrees well with the form described and figured 

 by Fresenius''' in 1863 under the name Ramularia macrospora. His 

 fungus occurred in Germany (Frankfurt ?) on Campanula pyramidalis , 

 FucKELf records it on C. glomerata also in Germany, Krieger on C. 

 persicifolia, l and on C. ranunculoides.^ A variety to which the name 

 R. macrospora var. Campanulae-Trackelii, Sacc, was given occurred 

 in North Italy on C. Trachelium,\\ and AllescherU recorded the same 

 fungus in Bavaria. The last-named botanist also described a variety,*^ 

 wdiich he subsequently ft raised to specific rank under the name Ramu- 

 laria Campanulae-latifoliae, causing spots on leaves of C. latifolia. 

 Whether the fungus growing on one species of Campanula can infect 

 another species, or whether the different forms are physiologically dis- 

 tinct, is not known. The forms given varietal names, and the similar i 

 ones growing on Aster Novae-Angliae in Wisconsin, and on Senecio \ 

 vulgaris included by SaccardoU as varieties under Ramularia macro- 

 spora, are very similar in appearance, though differing slightly in 

 morphological characters. Their physiological identity and their 

 mutual powers of infection can be determined only by inoculation | 

 experiments, which have not yet been carried out. §§ j 



The fungus on Campanula persicijolia, however, agrees in every 1 

 way with Fresenius' description, and does not require a varietal name, j 



The circumstances under which this attack occurred are instructive, j 

 Mr. Ballard writes : — ' ' One would think the plants badly affected 

 were, from their appearance, extremely robust. . . . Owing to the 

 acute drought the plants were at a standstill all the summer, then in j 

 autumn they made very rapid growth indeed, and were growing i 

 vigorously when frost and rains began." 



Thus, as in so many other cases, the largest and apparently most 

 robust plants, growing vigorously at a season when damp conditions 

 came, were the ones to fall victims, while their less sappy companions 



* Fresenius. Beitrdge iii. (1863), p. 88. Taf. xi., fig. 29-30. 



t FucKEL. Fungi Rhenani, No. 2107. 



X Krieger. Vergl, Fungi Saxonici, No. 1540. 



§ Ibid. No. 638. 



II P. Saccardo. Flor. ital. t. 1003. 



H Allescheb. " Mykologische Mittheilungen aus Siid-Bayern." Hedwigia 

 (1895), p. 283. 



** Allescher. Verzeich. in Si/d Bai/crn, Pilze iii. p. 101. 

 . +t Allescher. Hcdivigia (1895), p. 283. 



Saccardo. Sylloge Fungorum, iv. p. 211, and Flora ital. t, 1003. 

 §§ P. Magnus describes yet another Ramidaria {R. Phyllostictae-michaux- 

 ioides) on Oanipamda michauxioides. 



