512 Schwartz.—Parasitic Root Diseases of the Juncaceae . 
Veronicae. The latter fungus, which is, I believe, new to Botanical science, 
I propose to name Sorosphaera Junci , as being closely allied to 5 . Veronicae , 
the Mycetozoan parasite which causes the gall-like swellings on the stems 
and leaves of Veronica plants, which has recently been described by Maire 
and Tison in the 4 Annales Mycologici ’ ( 9 ), and by Blomfield and the 
present writer in the ‘ Annals of Botany 5 (10). 
I have found tubercles on the roots of various species of Juncus , viz. 
bufonius , articulatus , and lamprocarpns ; these same three species at times 
were also to be found serving as host-plants for the Sorosphaera. Although 
I have not unfrequently found plants attacked simultaneously by both the 
Entorhiza and the Sorosphaera , yet on the other hand I have found no 
difficulty in obtaining plants the roots of which were infected only with the 
Sorosphaera , from sources which, after prolonged search, were found to 
be entirely free from plants attacked by the Entorhiza , and, vice versa, in 
obtaining roots with tubercles from sources free from the Sorosphaera 
disease. Of the two diseases, that caused by the Sorosphaera was con¬ 
siderably the more common, as far as my experience in finding diseased 
plants went. Roots of plants of yuncus ejfusns growing in the immediate 
vicinity of diseased Junci were microscopically examined and found to be 
free from disease of either kind ; roots and stems of Veronica Beccabunga 
were also examined to see if the Sorosphaera had attacked them, but were 
found to be quite healthy. Attempts were made to innoculate plants of 
Veronica Chamaedrys with the Sorosphaera Junci by growing them in soil 
taken from ditches in which the .S. Junci was abundant; the results, how¬ 
ever, were negative, none of the Veronica plants forming any galls or 
showing any trace of disease. Diseased plants of all three species of 
Juncus were kept growing under observation in pots filled with soil which 
had been mostly taken from infected ditches. A few Veronica plants and 
healthy Junci were planted amongst these; the former, however, kept quite 
healthy, whereas the latter became diseased. The material which I em¬ 
ployed in my investigation was collected by myself from marshy fields, 
ditches, and the margin of ponds in the neighbourhood of Sevenoaks, where 
many of the British Junci grow in abundance. I found J. bufonius growing 
in profusion in some trenches draining into the Darenth, near Dunton Green, 
where the soil was a rich alluvium resting on the Gault; only a few ditches, 
however, were infected by the Entorhiza , and in these the diseased plants were 
very rare, being found in a proportion of about one per cent.; not any 
plants infected by the Sorosphaera were obtained by me from this spot. 
Plants of J. articulatus growing in a sunny position directly on the Gault 
margin of ponds near to the former position were altogether free from 
disease of either kind, their roots being white and clean. After considerable 
further search for infected material I at length came across a marshy 
meadow in which were some springs breaking out at the junction of the 
