May 26 ,1923 Graminicolous Species of Helminthosporium 657 
phores arising in a group of five from a green substratum and bearing at 
the tip a single conidium. The latter were represented as dark green 
structures, thick walled, 4 to 5 septate, ellipsoidal or subcylinckical, 
tapering perceptibly toward the rounded ends. A part of a leaf, showing 
a green region interspersed with uniformal brown elliptical areas marked 
with short, black, longitudinal lines, was doubtless intended to represent 
the paliiological habit of the fungus. In 1882 (127), a brief diagnosis 
of the species was published: 
Maculis oblongis amphigenis, olivascentibiis; hyphis fasciculatis, 100-130=12, 
cylindraceis basi subincrassatis, fuligineis; conidiis acrogenis cylindraceis, rectis 
utrinque rotundatis, 110-115=18, 4-5 septatis, non constrictis, obscure olivaceis. 
Neither the figures nor the text make it possible to identify definitely 
Saccardo's fungus with any one of the three species of Helminthosporium 
parasitic on barley. The number of sporophores in a fascicle, and the 
number of septa in the spore, suggest the form causing stripe; the 
thick wall, tapering ends, color, and absence of constrictions in the con¬ 
tour of the spore, suggest that causing spot-blotch; while the excessive 
width of the sporophore and the relative straightness of the spores suggest 
that responsible for net blotch. Although size of spores and appearance 
of lesions clearly point away from the stripe fungus, the former is nearly 
equally applicable to the other two species, whfie the latter is scarcely 
characteristic of any. 
Nearly a decade later Briosi and Cavara ^ in an account of the fungus 
causing leaf spot of oats, recognized it as a form of Saccardo's species. 
Oudemans (roo), after examining Rabenhorst’s specimens of Helmintho¬ 
sporium gramineumy concluded that the latter fungus was identical both 
with the one redescribed by Eriksson (jy) under the same name and with 
H, teres Sacc. Ravn (1J5), however, did not accept Oudemans' views 
in their entirety, but in distinguishing two diseases of barley applied 
Rabenhorst’s binomial to the fungus causing stripe, and ^ccardo’s 
to the causal organism of barley Helminthosporiosis" or net blotch. 
In making these dispositions he took into consideration the destructive 
character of the parasite described by Rabenhorst in contrast to the local 
foliar lesions which, while figured and described very poorly by Saccardo, 
he was nevertheless able to identify with those characteristics of “ Helmin- 
thosporiosis " by an examination of Saccardo's original specimens. The 
Italian mycologist, moreover, confirmed Ravn's opinion that his H, teres 
was the species responsible for “ Helminthosporiosis." 
The disease itself had not escaped earlier observation by other students. 
As was pointed out in another connection, Eriksson's specimens of Hel¬ 
minthosporium gramineum Rab. showed typical lesions of net blotch 
as well as of stripe; and his note on the “bladflackensjukdom" indicates 
that the former was moderately abundant in the field. Kirchner (77), 
in 1891, had published an account of the “ brown-spottedness" (Braun- 
fleckigkeit) of barley leaves, observed in southern Germany during the 
preceding two seasons. The spots were described as blackish brown in 
color, narrow, often over i cm. in length, and surrounded by a narrow 
yellow zone while the leaf is still green. With the multiplication of the 
spots the leaves were observed to wither and give rise to the fructifica¬ 
tions of the fungus. Material was submitted to Eriksson, who pro¬ 
nounced the fungus identical with that distributed by him, although 
* Briosi, G. et J. Cavara. i fungi parassiti dbi.i.b piantb Cowivatb od umi. No. 8o, Pavia, 
Italy. 1889. 
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