CLINTON: NORTH AMERICAN USTILAGINEAE. 
413 
lobes, with black brown agglutinated spore mass that wears away 
from apex disclosing the flattened columella of plant tissue; spore 
balls oblong to subspherical, composed of many rather firmly agglu¬ 
tinated spores, usually 55-125 g in length ; spores reddish brown, 
inner often nearly hyaline, polyhedral or sometimes ovoid to sub- 
spherical, smooth or outermost spores granular-verruculose, chiefly 
8-12 jx in length. 
Hosts: Andropogon macrourus, Fla.; A. scoparius , Ala., 
Conn.; A. Virginians , Ala., Ga., Miss., N. J. (type). 
The above species is distinguished from Sorosporiurn Ellisii by 
the firmer spore balls which are composed of smaller spores and 
by the occurrence of the sori in the ovaries of the spikelets. It has 
considerable resemblance to Tolyposporium, under which genus it 
has been placed by Dietel, but on the whole seems more properly 
to come under Sorosporiurn, where it is closely related to several 
other species. Its germination has not been reported. 
Sorosporiurn contortum Griff. 
Sorosporiurn contortum Griff., Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, 31 : 83. 1904. 
Sori in the inflorescence, forming linear bodies often 3-5 cm. in 
length, with basal part concealed by leaves but apical end exposed, 
rupturing upon maturity and scattering the black granular spore 
mass and leaving behind the prominent shredded false membrane 
and the filaments of plant tissue; spore balls opaque, ovoid to sub- 
spherical or occasionally more irregular, firm, composed of many 
spores, chiefly 50-90 g in length; sterile membrane composed of 
hyaline thick walled cells rather firmly bound together and cubical 
or 2-3 times as long as broad; spores reddish brown, interior ones 
often scarcely colored, ovoid to subspherical or polyhedral, smooth 
or outer ones becoming obscurely verruculose, 9-13 g in length. 
Host: Andropogon contortus , Ariz. (type), Mex. (Guadalajara). 
It is rather doubtful if this will prove distinct from Ustilago Jili- 
formis P. Henn. (Engl. Bot. Jahrb., 30: 254. 1901) on the same 
host. The writer has not seen the description of this species yet, 
but a fragmentary specimen sent by Hennings is very similar to the 
American specimens. It differs in the sori being confined to the 
spikelets and perhaps in smaller spores. Whether these are con¬ 
stant differences remains to be seen. Griffiths writes that in south- 
