journal of rnrnm research 
Vol. XXIX Washington, D. C., September 1 , 1924 No. 5 
STRIPE RUST (PUCCINIA GLUMARUM) OF CEREALS AND 
GRASSES IN THE UNITED STATES 1 
By H. B. Humphrey, Senior Pathologist in Charge of Cereal-Disease Investigations, 
Office of Cereal Investigations, Bureau of Plant Industry; C. W. Hungerford, 
Pathologist, Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station, and Agent, Office of Cereal 
Investigations, Bureau of Plant Industry; and A. G. Johnson, Senior Pathologist, 
Office of Cereal Investigations, Bureau of Plant Industry, United States Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture 2 
INTRODUCTION 
Stripe rust was first reported from 
Europe by Schmidt {22) 3 in 1827. 
He described the fungus as Uredo 
glumarum. In 1894, Eriksson and 
Henning {4, p. 197 j reported their 
discovery of the telial stage of the 
fungus, and transferred the species to 
the genus Puccinia. This, summar¬ 
ized, becomes Puccinia glumarum 
(Schm.) Erikss. and Henn. Prior to 
1894, the fungus had been confused 
with Puccinia rubigo-vera DC., P. 
dispersa Erikss. and Henn., P. grami- 
nis Pers., and P. coronata Corda, 
specimens of which were deposited in 
several herbaria under the name P. 
glumarum. In North America, speci¬ 
mens 1471a and 1471b of the Ellis 
and Everhart Collection of North 
American Fungi, and referred to by 
them as P. glumarum, have since been 
found to have been erroneously classi¬ 
fied. Likewise this is true of RaveneTs 
specimen No. 100 of his Fungi Caro¬ 
linian i exsiccati. Rabenhorst's speci¬ 
men No. 3214, collected in North 
America, the writers have not ex¬ 
amined, but Sydow and Sydow {23) 
have questioned the correctness of its 
classification as P. glumarum. An 
examination of specimens in the her¬ 
barium of the New York Botanical 
Garden established the fact that P. 
glumarum was collected near Seattle 
and Everett, Wash., as long ago as 
June, 1892, when C. V. Piper reported 
it as P. rubigo-vera on Elymus glaucus 
Buckl. {E. americanus Vasey and 
Scribn.) and a month later on Bromus 
carinatus hookerianus (Thurb.) Shear. 
Other American collections, made 
prior to 1915, are listed farther on 
under Exsiccati. It should be noted 
here, however, that an examination of 
rust specimens contained in the Arthur 
Herbarium, La Fayette, Ind., brought 
out the fact that in August, 1911, E. 
and E. T. Bartholomew collected P. 
glumarum on Sitanion hystrix (Nutt.) 
J. G. Smith. This collection was dis¬ 
tributed as Puccinia agropyri No. 4611. 
In the specimen envelope, attached to 
the herbarium sheet, was found the 
following interesting note to Dr. Arthur 
in E. Bartholomew's handwriting: 
This differs so radically from what you have been 
calling P. rubigo-vera on this host as found in Iowa, 
Nebraska, and Kansas, that I am sending it to you 
for examination. Collected in an old, previously 
cultivated field where there is no hint of aecial in¬ 
fection. I have called it provisionally P. glumarum 
(Schm.) Erikss. and Henn., on H . jubatum, Rock 
River, Wyoming, August 24, 1911. 
Thus it is seen how close Bartholo¬ 
mew came to definitely recognizing 
stripe rust in America in 1911. 
Although stripe rust in the United 
States was not certainly identified as 
such until May, 1915, when it was 
1 Received for publication July 1,1924—issued January, 1925. It was originally intended to make of this 
paper a comparative study on the occurrence of Puccinia glumarum in the United States and Europe. 
That part of the proposed paper relating to this rust in Europe was to have been contributed by the late 
Dr. F. K01pin Ravn, of Denmark, as joint author. Owing to Dr. Ravn’s untimely death this plan was 
abandoned. However, the notes made in the United States in connection with Dr. Ravn’s trip here 
during 1915 are included because of their historic interest. 
2 The authors wish to make grateful acknowledgment to Dr. A. S. Hitchcock and Mrs. Agnes Chase 
for assistance in identifying the various grasses named in this paper, and to Dr. Ruth F. Allen, Mrs. Rose 
E. Gamble, and J. M. Shull for the preparation of certain of the illustrations. The authors are indebted 
to the Office of Pathological Collections, Bureau of Plant Industry, United States Department of Agri¬ 
culture, the New York Botanical Garden, Harvard University, the University of Minnesota, and the 
Washington and Purdue University Agricultural Experiment Stations for placing at their disposal the 
facilities of their several herbaria. 
3 Reference is made by number (italic) to “Literature cited,” p 226-227. 
Journal of Agricultural Research, 
Washington, D. C. 
Vol. XXIX, No. 5 
Sept. 1, 1924 
Key No. G-493 
