BASIDIOMYCETES 



.391 



promyceles from teleutospores. 

 From the Tremellineae another 

 easy step leads us on to the 

 Thelephoreae, and it may be 

 borne in mind in this connec- 

 tion that certain Tremellinese, 

 as mentioned above, do not 

 possess gelatinous membranes. 



The THELEPHOREAE (Corti- 

 cium, Pers.) may be shortly 

 described as recalling in point 

 of simplicity of structure the 

 teleutospore-layer of Uredineae, 

 while they approach very closely 

 the club-shaped Hymenomy- 

 cetes such as the Clavariese, in 

 which the hymenium is dis- 

 posed on the outer surface of 

 erect club shaped cylindrical 

 and often much-branched com- 

 pound sporophores. Through 

 a series of intermediate forms, 

 the completeness of which may 

 be recognised from a systematic 

 study of the group, we proceed 

 to the more perfect types of 

 Hymenomycetes which possess 

 sporophores of more complex 

 structure. 



In the higher forms of 

 Hymenomycetes, the sporo- 

 phore consists of a cap ex pileus 

 borne on the summit of a stalk 

 or stipe. The mycele com- 

 monly vegetates in a soil rich 

 in humus or on old wood or 

 the like, and though usually of 

 loose filamentous texture it is in 



FIG. -$\<).Agaricus mellens L., in diffe- 

 rent stages of development on branched 

 rhizomorph-strands. The upper portion 

 of rhizomorph represents that formerly 

 known as RhizomorpHa fragilis Roth, 

 while the lower strap-shaped portion is 

 var. subcor tic alls. (After Hartig.) 



