Classification, 69 



According to Brefeld fungi are divided into two 

 groups, tlie Phy corny ceteSy or algal-like fungi, charac- 

 terized by tlie presence of sexual as well as asexual 

 modes of reproduction, and the Mycomycetes, charac- 

 terized by the absence of sexually produced repro- 

 ductive bodies, and consequently propagated entirely 

 by asexual conidia (=gonidia of the present work). 

 The Phyeomycetes are divided into two groups, dis- 

 tinguished by the nature of the sexually produced 

 reproductive bodies, namely Zygomycetes and 

 Oomycetes. The Mycomycetes are also broken up into 

 two primary groups, Ascomycetes, having the spores 

 produced in asci, and the Basidiomycetes, where the 

 gonidia are borne on basidia. The JJstilagmese, or 

 smut-fungi, are considered to form a transition from 

 the Phyeomycetes to the IfT/comz/ce^e.?, hence according 

 to Brefeld the phyllogeny of the primary groups may 

 be represented as follows : — 



'Basidiomycetes. Ascomycetes: 



USTILAGINE^. 



MYCOMYCETES. 



ZlGOMYCETES. OoMYCETES. 



PHYCOMYCETES. 



The above arrangement shows that all the Mycomy- 

 cetes are in touch with the Zygomycetes division of 

 the Pliy corny ceteSy whereas the Oomycetes are to be 

 considered as a terminal group, in other words, as not 

 being directly concerned with the origin or related to 

 any group of fungi higher in the series. The follow- 

 ing scheme of arrangement, copied from Brefeld s 



