THE PROBABLE NON-VALIDITY OF THE GENERA 
BOTRYODIPLODIA, DIPLODIELLA, CHAETO- 
DIPLODIA, AND LASIODIPLODIA 
J. J. Taubenhaus 
In the course of my investigations on the diseases of the sweet 
potato (25) the name Java black rot was appHed to a disease caused 
by the fungus Lasiodiplodia tuhericola E. & E. The investigation 
plainly showed that the above fungus behaved very much like a 
Diplodia. Experiments were undertaken to prove the pathogenicity 
of the fungus, its relationship to the genera Diplodia, Chaetodiplodia, 
Botryodiplodia, and Diplodiella. 
The genus Diplodia founded by Fries (9) in 1849 shows the follow- 
ing characteristics: Pycnidia scattered, subcutaneous to erumpent, 
black, characteristically papillate at the mouth, spores one-septate, 
brown to dark. The genus Botryodiplodia founded by Saccardo (20) 
in 1880 is described as follows: Pycnidia caespitose (clustered) 
erumpent, and in a stroma; hairy or hairless, spores one-septate, dark. 
The genus Diplodiella founded by Karsten (14) in 1884 resembles 
Diplodia in every way except that the pycnidia are superficial instead 
of erumpent. The genus Chaetodiplodia was also founded by Karsten 
(15) in the same year; it resembles Diplodia in that the pycnidia are 
scattered. In this genus however they possess bristles, or hair; spores 
one-septate, dark. The genus Lasiodiplodia was created by Ellis and 
Everhart (6) in 1896 and described as follows: Pycnidia and subicle 
are enclosed in a hemispherical stroma. In addition there are para- 
physes intermingled with the basidia of the sporules in the pycnidia; 
otherwise as in Diplodia. 
From the above descriptions it is evident that the classification is 
without proper basis. To separate Diplodiella from Diplodia because 
the pycnidia are erumpent in the latter, while they are superficial in 
the former is not justified from a generic standpoint. The same is 
true for the other genera here mentioned. From what follows, it is 
evident that with the exception of the genus Diplodia, which was 
first described, the others are not valid. 
324 
