BioImages: The Virtual Field-Guide (UK)

Grove, W.B., 1937

British Stem- and Leaf- Fungi: Coelomycetes Vol. II ... Sphaeropsidales (rest) + Melanconiales

Ceolomycetes are parasitic or saprobic fungi which cause small infection spots on leaves and stems. They are a major component of our mycota.

Coelomycetes are anamorphic ascomycetes - ie they do not generally form asci - so they were named and classified according to their asexual morphology. This resulted in the so-called "form genera". Nowadays these have no taxonomic significance, although they are still used as names for the asexual morphology. For many years the only way to ascertain the true relationships of anamorphic fungi was to culture them under varied conditions until ascomata were formed. Nowadays DNA sequencing is used.

But Grove lived long before the culture work, let alone DNA, so the taxa are arranged in form genera. Within the (often rather large) genera, the species accounts are arranged in alphabetical order of host genus. There are line drawings of representative conidia at the start of each genus, and the occasional additional line drawing in the text.

Keys are given to higher taxa, down to the genera, but these are difficult, requiring dissection or sectioning of the minute conidiomata and it's much easier to use the host index, although there are some plurivorous species.

Following the species accounts are the addenda to volume I, latin diagnoses of new genera and species, epilogue (in which he invisages a time, "some distant future age", when "every Coelomycete is referred to its appropriate Ascomycete" and the form genera will be no longer needed, except to refer to the anamorphic growth forms. His distant future age took about 70 years - hardly longer than the gap between Cooke's account of the Coelomycetes and his own updating of it), "Phomopsis perniciosa" (a poem about a new disease of fruit-trees which appeared to be a mutation of a previously existing disease), Index of Ascomycetes (associated with Coelomycetes), Index of Hosts, Index of Binomial Names and a list of Author names and abbreviations.

Although 70 years old, this is still the best reference for our native coelomycetes. Volume I covers those species with colourless conidia, volume II those where the conidia are coloured.

The taxonomy of the fungi (and their hosts!) is very dated so care needs to be taken.

Malcolm Storey

Taxonomic Scope