Mar. 1904 ] Notes from Mycological Literature 89 
lichsten Ergebnisse einer umfrage liber den Getreiderost in Bel¬ 
gium ; P. Hennings, Die an Baumstamme und Holz auftretenden 
teilweise parisitaren Blatterschwamme. 
David Griffiths describes seven new species of Smuts 
and publishes notes on others, with illustrations, which are based 
on collections made in 1902 and 1903. See Bulletin of the Tor- 
rey Botanical Club, 31183-8, February 1904. 
Erwin F. Smith and Deane B. Swingle have issued a 
very extended and thorough study of the Dry Rot of Pota¬ 
toes due to Fusarium oxysporum, cf. U. S. Dept. Agr. Bur. PL 
Inds’y. Bull .55:1-64, PI. i-VIII, Feb. 16, 1904. This same dis 
ease under the name Brown Disease was formerly (by C. E.. 
Bessey, Science, N. S. 15:274, 14 Feb. 1902) referred to Stysanus 
stemonites which these authors say is not a true parasite.. The 
economic aspects are dealt with fully but the taxonomic as well 
receive proper attention. Synonomy with dates and quoted (and 
translated) descriptions occupies a page. The proper'name to 
be used for this fungus, generally called Fusarium solani, is said 
to be Fusarium oxysporum Schlectendal (1824). One of the 
eight illustrative plates gives outline drawings of the mycelium, 
spores and germ-tubes. 
The genus Polyporus (The Polyporaceae of North 
America —VI) is handled by William Alphonso Murrill in the 
January No. of the Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. Of 
this he makes Polyporellus, Leucoporus, Cerioporus, and Melan- 
opus synonoyms. The genus Polyporus was established by 
Micheli in 1729. Linneaus retained the name Boletus for all 
pore-bearing fungi, and it was Paulet (1793) who securely es¬ 
tablished the genus. “The general use of Polyporus instead of 
Boletus is chiefly due to Fries, who, without knowledge of Pau- 
let's work, 'restored’ the name in 1815 and made it popular in 
spite of Linnaeus”. The species of Polyporus are mostly small 
dark-colored plants, attached to fallen branches and decaying 
wood on or near the ground. But P. caudicinus is large and 
affects living trees. A good synopsis of the 23 North American 
species precedes the enumeration with comments, synonomy and 
distribution. Two new names or combinations are made and 
three new species described. 
New and Interesting California Fungi by Edwin Bing¬ 
ham Copeland, Annales Mycologici, 2:1-8, pi, I-II., Jan. 1904, 
contains descriptions of new species—three of Coprinus, one of 
Battarea, and one of Podaxon—and notes on Morchella conica, 
M. esculenta and M. hybrida, also a suggestion as to the Coprinus 
cystidia, namely, that they serve as props or braces to hold the 
lamellae apart. The author observes that in his C. alnicolus there 
can be no danger of the gills sticking together and cystidia are en¬ 
tirely wanting. 
