TYPES OF AGARICINEAE 237 



A comparison of the structure of the hymenium in a considerable 



number of Agaricineae has shown that each of the two general 



types of fruit-body organisation is made up of several sub-types. 



Now the Common Mushroom belongs to one of the sub-types. 



In order to avoid confusion, therefore, it has been found necessary 



to discard the term " Mushroom type " for one of the two generalised 



types and to adopt a more precise nomenclature. The first of the 



generic types, which includes all Agaricineae with the exception 



of the Coprini, will be called the Aequi-liymeniiferous or Non- 



Coprinus Type, and the second, which includes the species of the 



genus Coprinus only, will be called the Inaequi-hymeniiferous or 



Coprinus Type. The term aequi-hymeniiferous refers to the fact 



that the hymenium of the fungi belonging to the first type develops 



in an equal manner all over the surface of each gill both previously 



to, and during the period of, spore-discharge ; whilst the term 



inaequi-hymeniiferous indicates that the hymenium of the fungi 



belonging to the second type develops in an unequal manner. 



The" basidia in an inaequi-hymeniiferous hymenium develop and 



shed their spores in zones : a zone of spore- development, followed 



by a zone of spore-discharge, passes from below upwards on each 



gill. The Sub-types have been named after representative genera 



and species. A full list of the Types and Sub-types of fruit-body 



organisation which I have been able to distinguish is as follows : 



ORGANISATION OF SPOROPHORES 

 I. THE AEQUI-HYMENIIFEROUS OR NON-COPRINUS TYPE 

 Includes all Agaricineae except Coprini. 



A. The Armillaria Sub- type. 



Examples : Armillaria mellea, Collybia velutipes, 

 Eussula cyanoxantha, Pluteus cervinus, 

 Nolanea pascua. 



B. The Bolbitius Sub-type. 



Examples : Bolbitius flavidus, B. tilubans. 



C. The Inocybe Sub- type. 



Examples : Inocybe asterospora, Galera tenera. 



