Morfologia diNeobarclaya Natalensis Syd.

Abstract

Summary The morphology of Neobarclaya natalensis Syd., parasite on the leaves of Syzigium guineense DC., is described. Some characters are esp. stressed, such as the shape of the acervula, their position within the host tissues, some morphological peculiarities of the conidia, the nature and localization of their pigment. Considerations on the systematic position of the fungus are exposed and the original diagnosis of J. B. Ellis and B. M. Everhart is enlarged and emendated. Some morphological relations between the fungus under examination and the genera, esp. Melanconiales, showing dark, pluriseptate, appendaged conidia, are discussed. Systematical and morphological considerations are then reported on the other two species of the genus Neobarclaya Sacc.: N. primaria (Ell. and Ev.) Sacc. and N. flagellifera (Ell. and Ev.) Sacc., the first of which is to be considered as the type species of the genus and the second one, due to its single apical seta, is segregated from Neobarclaya as the type species of a new genus of Melanconiales: Uniseta, which is different from Neobarclaya because of the above mentioned character, from Monochaetia Sacc. because of its 2-cellular conidia and from Monotrichum Gaüm. because of the dark pigment present in its conidia.