388 PROCEEDINGS: BOSTON SOCIETY NATURAL HISTORY. 
• 
sterile membrane as well as the semi-agglutinated black brown spore 
mass gradually wearing away leaving behind the small but evident 
columella; sterile cells hyaline, often separating into groups, sub- 
spherical, averaging slightly larger than the spores ; spores reddish 
brown, ovoid to chiefly subspherical occasionally angled, often with 
punctate contents, apparently smooth but really obscurely verrucu- 
lose, chiefly 8-11 g in length. 
Host: Chrysopogon nutans , Mex., Chapala (type). 
This species was collected by Holway the past season in Mexico 
and seems to merit distinct specific rank as it does not agree with 
S. Sorghi or S. monilifera between which it stands. It has a less 
robust sorus and larger spores than the former species and from the 
latter is distinguished by the smaller, less plainly verruculose spores 
which also seem to be lighter colored. It comes closest to this 
species. The germination is not known. 
Sphacelotheca monilifera (Ell. & Ev.) Clint. 
Ustilago monilifera Ell. & Ev., Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, 22 : 362. 1895. 
Ustilago Andropogonis-contorti P. Henn., in Herb. Holway, see Journ. 
Myc., 8:141. 1902. 
Sphacelotheca monilifera Clint., Journ. Myc., 8: 141. 1902. 
Exsiccati : Ustilago monilifera Ell. & Ev., on Andropogon contortus 
Griff., West Amer. Fungi, 215. 
Sori in ovaries of the spikelets, elongated, 4—7 mm. or about the 
length of the glumes and often completely concealed by them, with 
evident false membrane that ruptures into irregular lobes and dis¬ 
closes brown black spore mass, with evident columella; cells of false 
membrane adhering rather permanently, with those of the interior 
in loose subspherical groups, hyaline or slightly tinted, chiefly sub- 
spherical, about the diameter of the spores ; spores reddish brown, 
chiefly ovoid to spherical or somewhat angled, rather minutely ver¬ 
ruculose or echinulate, 9—13 y in length. 
Hosts : Andropogon contortus , Ariz. (type), Mex. (type If. An¬ 
dropogonis-contorti ), Hawaiian Ids. 
On this same host occur specimens that infest the entire inflores¬ 
cence. these have been placed here under Sphacelotheca Ischaerni 
and they form almost connecting links between these two species. 
The germination of this species has not been reported. 
