352 PROCEEDINGS : BOSTON SOCIETY NATURAL HISTORY. 
transparent membrane that soon ruptures exposing the dusty olive 
black spore mass surrounding the prominent, elongated remains of 
the plant tissues ; spores olive brown, chiefly ovoid to spherical, 
contents often punctate, smooth, 7-10 p in length. 
Host: Panicum proliferum var. acuminatum , Mex. (type). 
So many species have been described as occurring on Panicum 
that one may not feel sure of their ultimate nomenclature until a 
careful comparison has been made of their types. This species is 
much like the specimen of JJstilago ( Uredo) Digitciriae in Klotz., 
Herb. Viv. Myc., n. 1199, but differs in the somewhat darker spores 
that average a trifle larger. Its germination has not been reported. 
Ustilago Panici-leucophaei Bref. 
Ustilago Panici-leucophaei Bref., Unters. Gesammt. Myk., 12 : 114. 1895. 
Ustilago insularis P. Henn., Hedw., 35 : 51. 1896. 
Exsiccati: Ustilago Panici-leucophaei Bref., on Panicum leucophaeum, 
Seym. & Earle, Econ. Fungi, Clinton Ust. Supp. C 82. 
Sori possibly involving the very young inflorescence but appar¬ 
ently chiefly in the enveloping leaves, projecting from between the 
leaf sheaths as conspicuous linear bodies often 1.5 dcm. in length, 
eventually becoming shredded into longitudinal filaments of plant 
tissue and the brown black spore mass scattered ; spores reddish 
brown, ovoid to chiefly subspherical or spherical, often slightly 
angled, easily collapsing, smooth or very minutely granular, chiefly 
6-8 p in length. 
Host: Panicum leucophaeum, Cuba; Jamaica; Mex. (Cuautla); 
? P. saccharaturn, Ariz. 
This description is based on the collections from North America. 
The specimens agree with the type of Ustilago insularis as issued 
by hie, no. 2102, on Panicum sp., from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 
Hennings in his description gives the host as Tricholaena insularis 
which is given by some authorities as a synonym for Panicum 
leucophaeum. The writer has not seen a specimen of Brefeld’s 
species but the description agrees with the Jamaica specimens and 
the host is the same. Hennings in his note on Ustilago insularis 
calls attention to the close similarity to Ustilago Panici-leucophaei. 
The species evidently comes under Sorosporium or Sphacelotheca 
rather than Ustilago but its exact position will have to be determined 
