956 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXVIII, No. 9 
development of conidia when cultivated on artificially prepared culture media, while strains of Monilia 
isolated from mummied plums obtained from France and Holland have proved to be culturally similar 
to the form occurring in Britain. The American Sclerotinia would appear, therefore, to be either a dis¬ 
tinct species or at least a form culturally distinct from the European Monilia cinerea Bon. * * * 
Believing these differences to be sufficient to justify the consideration of the 
American form as a separate species, Norton and Ezekiel ( 8 ) have recently pro¬ 
posed the name Sclerotinia americana for the American fungus, thus raising 
Wormald’s forma americana to specific rank. 
In 1909 Pollock ( 9 ) called attention to the fact that Saccardo in volume 18 
of the Sylloge Fungorum gives a description of Sclerotinia fructicola (Winter) 
Rehm, first described by Winter in 1883 under the name of Ciboria fructicola , 
from specimens on decayed peach fruits in North America, and later transferred 
to Sclerotinia by Rehm in a letter. He also states that as Winter’s measure¬ 
ments of asci and ascospores correspond very closely to those given by Reade 
(10) for the ascogenous stage of the American fungus, Winter must have had 
this species. Pollock concludes: 
If the rule of priority is to apply to the species name first associated with the perfect stage, the correct 
name of this fungus is Sclerotinia fructicola (Winter) Rehm instead of Sclerotinia fructigena (Pers.) Norton. 
It should be remembered that at this time the American form was commonly 
assigned to the last-named species. 
In 1920, Pollock,* at the annual meeting of the Botanical Society of America 
submitted data to show that the species of Sclerotinia common on American 
stone fruits is distinct from either S. fructigena or S. cinerea of Europe. Again 
he called attention to Winter’s description of the American form in 1883 under 
the name of Ciboria fructicola and Saccardo’s transfer of the species to Sclerotinia 
on the authority of Rehm. Winter’s (12, p. 181) description is as follows: 
Ciboria fructicola Winter nova spec. Cupulae gregariae, infundibuliformes, longissime pedicellatae, 
extus intusque brunnae, glabrae, usque 4 mill, diam., siccae margine involuto, extus grisae. Stipes 
eoncolor, flexuosus, usque 5 mill, longus, inferne fusco-villosus. ex epicarpio in corporem sclerotioideum 
fusco-atrum transforma to oriens. Asci cylindracei, apice obtusi, deorsum attenuati, 8-spori, 130-160 n 
longi, 8-8H m crassi, membrana ascorum apice incrassata et poro pertusa. Jod—. Sporae monostichae, 
ovoideae continuae, hyalinae, 10-12^ n longae, 4-5H m latae. Paraphyses filiformes, sursum parum in- 
crassatae hyalinae, ascos aequantes. Ad Persicae vulgaris fructus putridos. Bethlehem, Pennsyl- 
vaniae, U. S. A. leg. E. Rau. 
As indicated, Winter’s material was sent him from Bethlehem, by Eugene A. 
Rau. Recently Mr. Rau has donated his collection of fungi to the Office of 
Pathological Collections of the United States Department of Agriculture. 
Through the kindness of Dr. C. L. Shear, in charge of that office, the writers 
have been permitted to examine what is evidently a part of the type collection 
of Winter’s S. fructicola. The packet is labeled in ink “Peziza. On decayed 
peach in garden, May, ’83,” to which is added in pencil “new species Winter.” 
The number, 37, also appears on the packet. The contents consist of portions 
of dried peach fruits and sclerotia together with dried and shriveled apothecia, 
which appear to be identical with those of the common American brown-rot 
fungus. Microscopical studies of this material were made by the junior author. 
The method used was as follows: 
A small fragment of an apothecium was selected and placed in 95 per cent 
alcohol for a moment. It was then transferred to distilled water for several 
minutes. The purpose of the treatment with alcohol was to facilitate the ab¬ 
sorption of water. For the purpose of expanding the material to as nearly normal 
size as possible it was placed in a drop of 7 per cent solution of potassium hy¬ 
droxide on a microscopic slide. The material was then crushed and teased apart. 
The solution of potassium hydroxide was then withdrawn by means of a piece 
! Also in a letter to the senior author. 
