( 209 ) 
III. — Some Bemarhs upon Sphseria (Gibhera) morbosa (ScJiw.). 
By Charles B. Plowright. 
The March, number of the Journal contains a paper by Mr. Thomas 
Taylor, Microscopist of the United States Department of Agri- 
cult are, upon " Certain Fungi Parasitic upon Plants," a subject of 
great interest not only to mycologists, but also to the scientific 
public at large. The two species treated of are the Sphteria 
morbosa, Schweinitz, which infests the living branches of plum 
and cherry trees in the United States, causing them to be covered 
by unsightly and destructive swellings, and ultimately causing the 
death of the affected branch. The other fungus [Erysiphe Tuckeri) 
is the parasite which, in some of its earlier stages, produces the 
too well known vine disease. Of it in the ascigerous condition we 
have seen no specimens, and therefore offer no remarks, but would 
only suggest that Fuckel, in his ' Symbolas Mycologicse,' places it 
in the genus SpJiserotheca, as a variety of S. Castagnei, and that 
it would be desirable in future observations to bear this in mind, 
with a view of ascertaining the correctness or otherwise of Fiickel's 
view. 
With regard to the Sphwria morbosa, the perusal of Mr. 
Taylor's paper has suggested the following considerations, which 
may be of interest to your readers. In the Quekett Journal for 
October, 1872, are " Some Notes on the Black Knot," by Mr. C. 
H. Peck, in which are detailed a series of observations on the life 
history of this plant. Mr. Peck finds the mycelium of it may be 
detected in the month of November by the swellings its presence 
produces in the bark of the young twigs. As this swelling increases, 
cracks appear in the cuticle which expose the inner bark. If a 
portion of the inner bark thus exposed be now examined, " slender 
jointed filaments may be seen, which have insinuated themselves 
between the bark cells." During winter these swellings remain 
quiescent, but in spring they enlarge, and by the end of May 
patches having a dark-gr^en velvet-like surface make their appear- 
ance upon them. On examination, these dark-green patches prove 
to be an assemblage of cladosporoid threads, bearing oval triseptate 
conidia. In course of time the perithecia appear in and amongst 
the conidia, but it is not until after the lapse of a considerable time 
— several months— that perfect ascigerous fructification is produced, 
namely, during the following winter and spring. 
Mr. Taylor informs us that the asci measure about yirV^fh inch 
in diameter by yoWth inch in length, and that he has " counted 
as many as ten sporidia in one ascus." See Plate XCYL, where 
figures C and U represent asci containing each ten sporidia. 
Now the very fact of a Sphaeria having asci containing ten 
