478 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XI, No. io 
that is, chambering of the pycnidia, formation of sclerotial stroma, 
presence of pycnospores and stylospores, and structure of the pycnidial 
wall. No stroma is formed by this fungus on the leaves. If this fact 
should be disregarded and Saccardo’s classification followed, it should be 
classed as a Dothiorella or a Fusicoccum. Stylospores have been found to 
be abundant in most of the material collected and studied, but none were 
found in the herbarium material collected and identified by Ellis as 
Phoma subcircinata. However, isolations have been made from material 
which did not bear stylospores but developed them in cultures later, 
which shows that, although not always present, the fungus may pro¬ 
duce them. On the other hand, the organism isolated from specimens 
bearing stylospores do not always produce them in culture. This fun¬ 
gus is very similar to a large group of other organisms which have long 
been classed as Phoma. In a taxonomic study of the group Diedicke 
(ij) transferred a number of species of Phoma to the genus Phomopsis. 
The podblight fungus does not differ essentially morphologically from 
the conidial stage of Diaportke batatatis (E. and H.) Harter and Field, 
which was first described as Phoma batatae but found later by Harter and 
Field (21) to be a species of Phomopsis. It is similar also to the organism 
causing fruitrot, leafspot, and stemblight of eggplant, which was known as 
Phoma solani on the stem and fruit and as Phyllosticta hortorum on 
the leaves, both of which were found by Harter (20) to be caused 
by the same organism and to belong to the form genus Phomopsis. 
Some years before Phoma subcircinata was described by Ellis and Ever¬ 
hart, Cooke and Ellis (9, p. 93) described Sphaeria {Diaportke) phaseo- 
larum occurring on bean stalks as follows: 
.Gregaria, tecta. Peritheciis globosis, immersis, minimis. Ostiolis spinaeformibus, 
atris, erumpentibus, Ascis clavatis. Sporidiis lanceolatis, quadrinucleatis. Spo- 
ridia 0.016 mm. 
In the original description no type location was given; neither is it 
apparent in this or subsequent descriptions whether the fungus was found 
on Lima beans or other varieties. In the absence of these facts, together 
with the imperfect description, it would be difficult to identify correctly 
the fungus if it had not been more fully described later by Ellis and 
Everhart (14, p. 460) as follows: 
Diaportke pkaseolorum (C. & E.). 
Sphaeria pkaseolorum , C. & E. Grev. VI, p. 93. 
Diaportke pkaseolorum , Sacc. Syll. 2635, Cke. Syn. 2423. 
Exsicc. EU. N. A. F. 188. 
Perithecia gregarious, buried, very small. Ostiola spine-like, slender, projecting 
for mm - Asci clavate, 30-35 by 6-7 ju. Sporidia biseriate, oblong-lanceolate, 
4-nucleate, scarcely or only slightly constricted, 10-12 by 3 u (16 ja long, Cke.). 
On decaying bean vines left exposed through the winter, Newfield, N. J. Mostly 
around the nodes of the stem, the surface mostly blackened and the stroma limited 
within by a black line. 
