Marshall Ward. — On a lily -disease. 
357 
of the nomenclature and systematic position of this fungus. 
It will have been noted that it has been referred to in this 
paper throughout, so far, simply as a Botrytis , and it should 
be added that I have used this term in a broad sense : it may 
now be useful to see if this sense can be narrowed. 
The genus Botrytis was first introduced by Micheli, but 
gradually became so split up and altered, that its original 
signification was practically lost. It used to include the 
group Peronosporeae, until Corda separated Peronospora , and 
De Bary showed that the so-called Botrytis infestans of the 
potato-disease must not only be separated as one of the 
Peronosporeae, but must be placed in a distinct genus 
among these, and he re-named it Phytophthora infestans. 
The old genus Botrytis also contained a number of other 
forms which have since been separated under various names. 
Thus Link removed Haplaria , a form common on water- 
plants ; and he divided many of the remaining forms into 
Botrytis proper and Polyactis. Allied to these, and variously 
arranged with them among the so-called Mucedines, were 
the forms Gonatobotrys , Bo tryosporiu m , etc . 1 
All such arrangements were based almost entirely on the 
description and figure of observers who took the forms as 
they occurred at the moment of observation, paying little 
or no regard to the possible changes they might undergo in 
the course of their life-histories. The classical case of Pero- 
nospora (. Phytophthora ) infestans may be quoted as showing 
the results to be obtained by patient and careful study of 
the details of development. When De Bary and others had 
elucidated the biology of the potato-disease fungus, it was seen 
1 See Berkeley’s Cryptogamic Botany, and Cooke’s Handbook. Polyactis is again 
united with Botrytis (as a sub-genus) by Saccardo in his 1 Sylloge ’ (vol. iv. p. 1 16), 
the group thus containing about ioo ‘species.’ The genus Botrytis is defined 
by him as follows : — ‘ Botrytis , Mich. em. Link. — Hyphae steriles repentes; fertiles 
vage dendroideo-ramosae, erectae. Ramuli modo tenues apice acutiusculi ( Eubo - 
trytis), modo crassiores obtusiusculi ( Polyactis ), modo apice inflato-verruculosi 
(. Phymatotrichum ), modo apice cristulati ( Cristularia ). Conidia prope apicem 
ramulorum varie congregatae nec vere capitata, continua, globosa, ellipsoidea v. 
oblonga, hyalina v. laete colorata.’ 
