416 



RESEARCHES ON FUNGI 



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Fio. 146. Psalliota cinn/'ix/i'/x (cultivated form). Semi-diagrammatic surface view of the living hymenium of a 

 Mushroom, about 24 hours after the beginning of the spore-discharge period. The [length of each side of the 

 square is 0-1 mm., so that the area of the square is equal to 0-01 of a square mm. All the elements belong to 

 one or other of the following live groups : past-generation basidia, a a ; present-generation basidia, b b ; coining- 

 L'C IN ration basidia, c c ; futun-i'i n, r;i(ion basidia, d d ; permanently sterile paraphyses, e e. A wave of '!<- 

 velopment is proceeding from the light area on the left to the dark area on the right in tin 1 ilinvtiuns shown by 

 the arrows. The series 1 to 7 are basidia in successively younger stages of development. No. 1, basiilia with 

 s] mres which are full-sized but young (only about 1 hour old) and unpigmeiiteil ; no. 2, basidium with spmvs 

 not yet of full size (about 30 minutes old) ; no. 3, basidium with spores only one-third of their eventual 

 diameter (about 1U minutes old); no. 4, basidium with spores which have just begun their existence (about 

 5 minutes old) ; no. 5, basidiu with sterigmata fully developed but no spores ; no. G, basidium with sterigmata 

 just beginning to develop ; no. 7, basidium as yet without even a trace of sterigmata. Nos. 1 to 4 belong to 

 the present-generation basidia of the light area, while nos. 5 to 7 belong to tin- coining-generation basidia of the 

 dark area. Spore-discharge is taking place at the left-hand side of the dark area. The basidia * * have just 

 discharged their spores and an collapsing ; their sterigmata aiv sinking into a concavity which is forming at 

 the end of each basidium-budy. Tin' basidium w is just discharging the second of its two spores and, as a pre- 

 liminary thereto, a drop of water has been excreted within the last 10 seconds at the spore-hilum. Most of the 

 basidia of the present generation are bisporous, 6 6 ; but, here and there, certain basidia are mouosiiorous, 

 mm, and have larger spores. A past-generation basidium, if it has two sterigmatic stumps, has been 

 derived from a bisporous basidiuni ; but, if it has only one such stump, as shown at cm, it has been derived from 

 a monosporous basidium. in undischarged or waste spore lying on its side and adherent to the .-urt'aee ot 

 tin 1 liymenium is shown at u . (The present-urneration basidia are identical with those shown in the right 

 two-thirds of l''ig. 142.) iMagnilieation, l,oi;o. 



