264 
Journal of Mycology 
[Vol. 11 
ferent hosts are biologic forms or not, or whether the form in 
Texas is a different species can only be determined by cultural 
work. At any rate they are very closely related and have with¬ 
out question descended from one and the same species. So that 
whether in the future it shall be shown that these are but one 
species viable on several hosts or whether there are biologic forms 
or biologic species with considerable fixity confined to distinct 
species of host, does not militate against the possibility of a still 
further extension in the range of hosts or the virulence of their 
attack. So far as we know at present the Banansia hypoxylon at¬ 
tacks only the fruiting spike and causes abortion of the same so 
that seeds are not developed. Affected plants, therefore, are not 
productive and should the fungus ever become very prevalent and 
common it would seriously interfere with the normal means of 
propagation of the host species. 
The species of Dothlichloe are much more common, are 
abundant and widely distributed in the Southern United States 
and rare in the Northern United States. Dothichloe atramentosa 
especially is common on Andropogon and other grasses. While 
strictly parasitic so far as we know it is more viable on different 
hosts than Balansia hypoxylon, though it must be borne in mind 
that the same problem of biologic forms holds good here which in 
this case also can only be settled by future investigation. This 
species as limited here attacks only the leaves, but seems to be 
tardy in development so that the leaves are often well formed. 
Whether plants affected by this parasite ever form seed or not I 
have not observed, but in many cases the attack as I have seen it 
does not seem to be sufficiently severe to prevent the development 
of the axis and of mature seed. 
Dothichloe aristidae attacks the stems which it surrounds and 
injures to such an extent that, so far as I have observed no spikes 
or at least no seeds are formed. 
During the coming season, or at any future time, I should be 
- very glad to receive in abundance or in small quantity specimens 
of these or other related species in a fresh condition with a suf¬ 
ficient portion of the host for photographing and for identification. 
I wish to acknowledge my obligations to Dr. T. Dyer, di¬ 
rector of the Royal Herbarium at Kew, Mr. Massee of the same 
Herbarium, Mr. Hariot of the Herbarium of the Musee d’historire 
Naturelle at Paris, Dr. P. Hennings, of the Berlin Museum, 
and Dr. Britton, director of the New York Botanical Garden, 
for courtesies shown in allowing me to examine the herba¬ 
rium specimens; to Dr. K. Miyaka and Dr. Charles E. Lewis, 
formerly graduate students and assistants in the Department of 
Botany at Cornell University for sectioning the material of Ba¬ 
lansia hypoxylon and Dothichloe atramentosa; and to Dr. Thax- 
ter of Harvard University and Professor Kellerman of Ohio 
State University for contributing specimens from their herbaria; 
