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SUMMARY
Several monoconidial isolates of Colletotrichum graminicola from naturally infected corn leaves with typical anthracnose lesions produced fertile, erumpent, rostrate perithecia when grown on steam-sterilized corn leaves. The asci were cylindrical to davate, with a discharge pore and a thick refractive ring at the apex. The eight ascospores were arranged biseriately. Monoascospore cultures on oatmeal agar had the same morphological and cultural characteristics as the monoconidial isolates from corn. The mycelium in agar blocks from such cultures when allowed to grow on leaf tissue cultures formed fertile perithecia, indicating that the fungus is homothallic. When compared with other described species, perithecia produced by C. graminicola most closely resemble those of Glomerella tucumanensis, the causal agent of the red rot of sugarcane. Detailed comparison of the two perfect states has revealed differences in size of perithecia, asci, and ascospores. Moreover ascospores produced by cultures of C. graminicola are curved, whereas those of G. tucumanensis are elliptical to fusoid. It is concluded that the perfect state of C. graminicola is a new species, Glomerella graminicola.