Medical Officers of the Army of India.
77
existed there. The measurements of his æcidiospores are 25.4 x 28.6, on an
average. The whole length of his peridial tube is about 2 m.m., of which the sub
- m e r g e d p o r t i o n m e a s u r e d 0 . 5 m . m . , l e a v i n g 1 . 5 f o r t h e p r o j e c t i n g f r e e g r a y p a r t .
In diameter the peridium measured 0.25 m.m. He represents in a figure, which
I do not reproduce, a few spermogonia as occurring on the lower or æcidial sur
-face. I have never myself seen spermogonia on the lower surface. The sper
-matia measured 3.17 x 6.35µ. These figures are sufficiently near mine to render
it probable that the fungus is identical. It is quite possible, however, that the
Almora species is distinct, more especially as there is some doubt whether Cup
-ressus torulosa exists there.
It now remains for me to consider whether this Himalayan Gymnosporan
- g i u m i s i d e n t i c a l w i t h a n y o f t h e h i t h e r t o d e s c r i b e d s p e c i e s . I n t h e p a p e r
above referred to in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, I tentatively
named the species G. clavariœforme,mainly because the dehiscence of the pe
-ridium corresponded fairly closely with that of the latter species; but the dis
- c o v e r y o f t h e c o m p l e t e l i f e - h i s t o r y o f t h e f u n g u s e n a b l e s m e t o c o n s i d e r t h i s
poi nt mor e f ul l y, and I am now convi nced t hat t he Si ml a s peci es i s not i dent i cal
with G. clavariœforme. Whilst the æcidium of G. clavariœformeo c c u r s o n
several species, here it occurs invariably on one only. In the former the teleu
- t o s p o r e b e d s a r e l i g h t y e l l o w , e v e n w h e n d r y , a n d w h e n s w e l l e d a r e m o r e
cartilaginous than gelatinous: in the Himalayan species the dry beds are dark
brown, and when moistened are essentially gelatinous. Moreover, the shapes
of the swelled beds in the two varieties are very different. The teleutospores in
both agree in shape, but whilst some of those of G. clavariœformea r e l i g h t b r o w n ,
all are pale yellow in Simla: the length of the spores in the former varies
rom 65 to 95µ and the breadth from 14 to 16µ: in the latter the length is 63 to
78, and the breadth 20 to 25µ. Again, whilst the former are said to have four pores
to each cell, the latter have only two. The fine slit-like pits distributed over the
endospore in G. clavariœformeare entirely absent in the Simla species. The pro-
mycelium in the former divides into three, forming three kidney-shaped sporidia,
10µ long: in the latter it divides very regularly into four, bearing four oval sporidia,
15 to 20µ long by 9 to 14µ broad. The æcidia in Simla are seen only on the
leaves. The peridial cells about the middle in G. clavariœformea r e 2 1 X 3 0
against 70 X 22µ in the Simla species. The æcidiospores in the former are
26 X 30µ and have six germ pores, whilst in the latter the spores measure
28.6 X 24.6µ but present, as a rule, the same number of pores. These differ
-ences make it clear, I think, that the Simla fungus is specifically distinct from
G. clavariœforme.
Compared with G. fuscum (D. C.), Oerst., there are many differences espe
- c i a l l y i n t h e d e h i s c e n c e o f t h e p e r i d i u m .
But there are some points of similarity with G. conicum (Hedw. f.) (D. C.),
Oerst., especially in the form of the teleutospore beds; but there are important