Host: Calendula officinalis L.

Auckland: Epsom, March, 1945, G. H. C.

Taranaki: New Plymouth, July, 1943, I. Watkins.

Wellington: Palmerston North, May, 1932, J. G. Gibbs.

Distribution: Great Britain; Europe; North America; New Zealand.

Discoloured spots are produced on marigold leaves, sometimes disfiguring plants somewhat seriously and reducing their ornamental value.

3. Entyloma dahliae Sydow, Annales Mycologici, vol. 10, p. 36, 1912.

Sori embedded in leaves, forming scattered orbicular or irregular light-coloured spots visible on both surfaces, to 10 mm. diameter; pallid green with tobacco-brown centres, slightly depressed. Spores globose or shortly elliptical, 9–18 μ diameter, mean 13.9 μ; epispore smooth, tinted yellow, 0.75–1 μ thick, endospore hyaline, 0.5–0.75 μ.

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Spore length μ/Frequency (N):9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18/1 3 3 10 23 30 14 7 6 3=100 spores.

Type Locality: Natal, South Africa, on Dahlia pinnata Cav.

Host: Dahlia sp. cult.

Auckland: Mt. Eden, January, 1945, G. H. C.

Wellington: Palmerston North, February, 1932, A. J. Shailer.

Canterbury: Christchurch Botanical Gardens, April, 1945, G. H. C.

Otago: Alexandra, April, 1945, G. H. C.

Distribution: Great Britain; Europe; North and South America; Africa; India; New Zealand.

Conspicuous light-coloured spots which later turn brown are formed on leaves of most varieties of cultivated dahlias. Spots may show little change in colour even when leaves become yellow, or may turn brown and fall away at an early stage. The thin epispore and endospore separate the species from the preceding. First collected in Palmerston North in 1932, the smut has since become widespread through both Islands.

4. Cintractia waiouru sp. nov.

Ovaria incolens, aliqua vel omnia ovaria aggrediens. Sori partim glumis contecti, nigri, elliptici vel cylindrici, cylindricum ellipticum centrale tectorum vegetabilium, ad 4 ×2 mm.; primum membrana imbecilla grisea induti, mox nudi sed compacti. Sporae oblongae, late ellipticae, obovatae vel angulatae, raro subglobosae, 16–24 ×11–21 μ, mediae inter maximas minimasque 20.4 ×17 μ; episporium Sepia Brown, opacum, 1.5 μ crassum, dense minutis apice rotundatis verrucis obtectum, 0.25 μ longum.

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Spore length μ/Frequency (N):16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24/2 3 12 16 16 16 28 4 3=100 spores.

HOST: Carpha alpina R. Br.

Auckland: Waihouhounu Stream, National Park, April, 1945, Joan M. Dingley, type collection.

Spegazzini (1887) described Ustilago carphae from specimens of Carpha schoenoides collected in high country near Port Cook, Haten Island, South America. His description suggests that the species is a Cintractia, in general resembling C. waiouru, but differing in the smaller (18–20 μ) smooth spores. Unfortunately I have been unable to secure specimens of the South American species for comparison. The host is widespread through higher country of both Islands, and occurs also in Australia and New Guinea (Cheeseman, 1925, p. 226). I am indebted to Dr. H. H. Allan for compiling the Latin diagnosis.

5. Sphacelotheca cordobensis (Spegazzini) II. S. Jackson, Journ. Dept. Agric., Porto Rico, vol. 14, p. 298, 1930.

Ustilago cordobensis Speg., Anal. Soc. Ci. Argent., vol. 12, p. 64, 1881.

U. panici-leucophaei Bref., Unters. Gesammt. Mykol., vol. 12, p. 114, 1895.

U. insularis P. Henn., Hedw., vol. 35, p. 51, 1896.

Sphacelotheca panici-leucophaci (Bref.) Clint., N. Am. Flora, vol. 7, p. 28, 1906.

Ustilago cacheutensis Speg., Anal. Mus. Nac. B. Aires, vol. 12, p. 293, 1909.

Sori in developing inflorescences and accompanying enveloping leaves, forming conspicuous linear masses to 50 mm. long; at first covered with a white false membrane of fungous tissue, which later becomes shredded and dissipated; ultimately pulverulent, leaving exposed shredded central fragments of plant tissue. Spore balls containing upwards of 100 spores, soon breaking apart. Spores commonly globose or subglobose, less frequently elliptical or obovate, 6–10 ×6–8 μ, mean 7.9 μ; epispore pallid olivaceous, smooth, or in occasional spores delicately granular on one face, 0 5 μ thick.

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Spore length μ/Frequency (N):6 7 8 9 10/10 25 37 22 6=100 spores

Type Locality: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Trichachne insularis (L.) Nees.

HOST: Panicum miliaceum L.

Auckland: Ruakura Farm, March, 1938, A. M. Lee.

Distribution: North and South America; New Zealand.

Spore balls are evanescent, and as a rule may be seen only in young sori before the enclosing membrane ruptures. Spores are mainly smooth, but a few bear delicate markings which are visible only under the oil immersion. Markings are confined to portion only of the wall, which makes detection difficult.

6. Sorosporium reilianum (Kuehn) McAlpine, Smuts of Australia, p. 181, 1910.

Ustilago reilianum Kuehn, in Rabh. Fung. Europe, No. 1998, 1875.

U. pulveracea Cke., Grev., vol. 4, p. 115, 1876.

Cintratia reiliana (Kuehn) Clint., Bull. Illinois Agr. Exp. Stn., No. 57. p. 346, 1900.

Sphacelotheca reiliana (Kuehn) Clint., Jour. Myc., vol. 8, p. 141, 1902.

Sori conspicuous, attacking inflorescences, forming thereon irregular masses which may include individual ovaries or embrace the entire panicle, at first covered with a whitish membrane, later becoming exposed when pulverulent, finally only fragments remaining of peduncles or columellas. Spore balls containing upwards of

100 spores, soon disintegrating. Spores globose or subglobose, 10–14 μ diameter, mean 12 μ; epispore fuscous, 1 μ thick, densely covered with short, round-topped verrucae.

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Spore length μ/Frequency (N):10 11 12 13 14/7 19 40 28 6=100 spores.

Type Locality: Egypt, on Sorghum vulgare Pers.

Host: Zea mays L.

Auckland: Gisborne, December, 1937, E. M. Bates.

Distribution: Europe; Asia; North and South America; Africa; Australia; New Zealand.

This is the first occasion on which a smut has been found on maize in the Dominion. Fortunately the destructive American species Ustilago maydis (DC.) Cda. has not yet made its appearance.

7. Tilletia inolens McAlpine. Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales, vol. 7, p. 154, 1896.

Sori in ovaries, completely enclosed within the glumes, globose or elliptical, small, 0 5–1 mm., black, pulverulent. Spores globose or subglobose, 36–44 μ diameter, mean 41.4 μ; epispore dark olive or fuscous, densely covered with irregular tinted tubercules, areolate, enclosed within a hyaline sheath forming a halo around the spores; epispore to 5 μ thick (including tubercules), endospore 1.5 μ.

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Spore length μ/Frequency (N):22 23 24 25 26/3 10 34 35 18=100 spores.

Type Locality: Ardmona, Victoria, on Deyeuxia, forsteri Kunth.

Host: Deyeuxia quadriscta (Labill.) Benth.

Auckland: Waiouru, January, 1916, D. Petrie.

Distribution: Australia; New Zealand.

Covered with coarse, irregular tubercules arranged in an areolate manner and enclosed within a hyaline gelatinous envelope, the spores are striking and facilitate ready identification of the species. Spores are more irregular and somewhat larger than those described for the type by McAlpine (his mean being 34 μ); but in other particulars are so similar that separation on this one feature is inadvisable. The host is widely distributed through both Islands and occurs also in Australia and Tasmania (Cheeseman, 1925, p. 162). Specimens were kindly communicated by Dr. H. H. Allan from a collection in the Petrie herbarium.

8. Tilletia fusca Ellis & Eyerhart, Journal of Mycology, vol. 3, p. 55, 1887.

Sori in ovaries, covered by the glumes, black, compact, elliptical, to 3 ×0.5 mm. Spores globose or subglobose, 22–26 ×20–24 μ, mean 24.5 μ; epispore strongly and coarsely reticulated, reticulations to 2 μ tall, wall 2 μ thick, fuscous or olivaceous, spaces to 4 μ, ridges 1–1.5 μ thick.

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Spore length μ/Frequency (N):22 23 24 25 26/3 10 34 35 18=100 spores.

Type Locality: North America, on Festuca microstachys Nutt.

Host: Vulpia dertonensis (All.) Volk.

Marlborough: Fairhall Creek, April, 1943, A. J. Healy.

Canterbury: Teviotdale, Waipara County, December, 1941, A. J. Healy; Lyttelton Harbour, March, 1945, A. J. Healy.

Distribution: North America; Australia; New Zealand.

The host is an introduced grass common in waste places throughout both Islands. The differently shaped larger spores separate the smut from T. vulpiae Magn.

9. Urocystis agropyri (Preuss) Schroeter, Abh. Schles. Abth. Nat. Med., 1869–72, p. 7, 1870.

Uredo agropyri Preuss, in Sturm. Deulsch. Flora, Ser. III, vol. 25, p. 1, 1848.

Urocystis occulta trilici Ellis, N. Am. Fungi, No. 293, 1879.

U. feslucae Ule, Abh. Bot. Ver. Prov. Brand., vol. 25, p. 215, 1884.

Sori in leaves, amphigenous, forming lines many centimetres long, bullate, long covered by the epidermis, finally rupturing when pulverulent and black. Spore balls 20–30 μ diameter, subglobose or broadly elliptical, composed of from one to three fuscous spores enclosed by 12–20 or more smaller, tinted brown sterile cells. Spores subglobose, elliptical or D-shaped, 14–20 ×12–18 μ, mean 16.4 μ; epispore smooth, 2 μ thick, deep chestnut brown; sterile cells subglobose or elliptical, smooth, to 10 μ diameter, wall 1 μ thick.

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Spore length μ/Frequency (N):14 15 16 17 18 19 20/10 14 35 19 15 4 3=100 spores.

Type Locality: Germany, on Agropyron repens (L.) Beauv.

Host: Festuca arundinacea Schreb.

Marlborough: Picton foreshore, May, 1943, A. J. Healy.

Distribution: Europe; North America; Australia; New Zealand.

Tall fescue, the host, is relatively abundant in wet places throughout both Islands. The smut forms linear covered sori on leaves which are conspicuous when infection is severe. According to Fischer & Holton (1943) Urocystis tritici, flag-smut of wheat, is identical both morphologically and biologically and should therefore be treated as a synonym.

10. Urocystis cepulae Frost, ex Farlow, in 24th Annual Rept.

Sec. Massachusetts Bd. Agric., p. 175, 1877.

Sori in leaves and bulb scales, forming bullate lines, continuous or broken, extending for many centimetres, at first grey and covered by the epidermis, becoming pulverulent and black. Spore balls oval or spherical, composed of one—rarely two—spores enclosed within 16–25 sterile cells, 14–26 μ diameter. Spores globose or elliptical, 12–20 μ diameter, mean 15.1 μ; epispore chestnut brown, 2–2.5 μ thick, smooth; sterile cells globose, sub-globose, or flattened, 4–6 μ diameter, wall smooth, tinted, 0.5 μ thick.

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Spore length μ/Frequency (N):12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20/4 5 26 24 31 5 3 1 1=100 spores;