116 EXOASCI. 



123 a ; 124 &.). These last occur partly as the so-called " spermo- 

 gonia " (that is, pycnidia with microconidia). The conidiophores 

 never approach the basidia. 



In many species the ascospores germinate and form conidia immediately 

 (Nectria cinnabarina, Sclerotinia, Taphrina, eic.)j sometimes while they are 

 still in the ascus and before their ejection (Taphrina, Fig. 105 a). In many in- 

 stances the conidia by means of continued budding can, for a longer or shorter 

 time, produce yeast-conidia, e.g. Taphrina. In many other cases the conidia 

 arise from the germ-tubes of the ascospores, or at any part of the mycelium. 

 The unripe asci of Taphrina, when placed in water, develope conidia at their 

 apices. The Sclerotinia-species produce numerous conidia whose germination 

 has never been observed. The formation of conidia and asci sometimes takes 

 place on the same fruit-body. In Heterosphteria patella the conidia and asci 

 are developed successively in the same fruit-body ; in the ascocarps of Derma - 

 tea frangida and Sclerotinea sclerotiorum the formation of conidia may take 

 place. The ascocarps frequently arise from the conidial-layers (Nectria cin- 

 nabarina, etc.). This relationship of the two forms of reproduction to each 

 other may be explained by considering that both have descended phylogene- 

 tically from sporangia. 



Sometimes chlamydospores and oidia also appear in the Ascomy- 

 cetes ; on germination, however, they do not, as in Protomyces, 

 form sporangia, and on this account cannot be distinctly distin- 

 guished from conidia. 



The asci are morphologically the highest form of reproduction 

 and are always found at the close of the development of these 

 Fungi ; the accessory forms of reproduction are first developed, but 

 a well-defined alternation of generations does not occur. 



In the Ascomycetes there are more than 11,000 described species, which can 

 be classed as follows : 

 Series 1. EXOASCI. Only one order. 

 ,, 2. CARPOASCI. 



Family 1. Gymnoascales, -\ 



2. Perisporiales, > Angiocarpic Carpoasci. 

 ,, 3. Pyrenomycetes, ^ 



4. Hysteriales, | Hemiangiocarpic Carpoasci. 

 ,, 5. Discoinycetes, ) 



,, 6. Helvellales, Gynmocarpic (?) Carpoasci. 

 Additional Ascolicfienes : Lichen-forming Ascomycetes. 



Series 1. Exoasci. 



Ascomycetes with FREE ASCI; sometimes also conidia, chlamydo- 

 spores and oidia. One order. 



Order. Taphrinacese. Of the genera belonging to this order, 

 Taphrina, Endomyces, and Ascocorticium, the first is most important. 



