SOME SOUTH AFRICAN FUSARIA.

T h e r e v i s e d list of plant diseases known to occur in South Africa, which was published in 1931 (8), records a large number of Fusarium spp. found in diseased tissues, particularly in connection with wilts and foot rots. That little is known of the role of these organisms in plant disease in this country, is indicated by the fact th a t comparatively few South African records are to be found in the recent book Die Fusarien,” by Wollenweber and Reinking (61) ; therefore as a first step in the study of wilts and foot rots and the. decay of storage organs, it was considered desirable, tha t as many strains as possible of the Fusaria associated with plant disease, should be studied and classified. The present account can only be regarded as a preliminary study of the genus Fusarium in South Africa ; the work is far from complete, and records are lacking of a number of forms said by Wollenweber (61) to be prevalent in all warm countries ; species of Fusarium are probably responsible for a number of wilt diseases which have not yet been investigated. A general survey of this kind, however, should be a useful basis for more detailed study, especially of the species causing vascular wilts of specific plants.