PUFFING IN THE DISCOMYCETES 229 



sparks, either by a contraction of the fibres while the plants are 

 expanding or by the hghtest shake of even a gentle breeze." 

 Micheli's illustration of a puffing Discomycete is reproduced in 



Fig. 112. 



In 1791, Bulhard 1 described the phenomenon of puffing in 

 Helvella, Peziza, etc., and illustrated it as it occurs in a species of 

 Otidea. He says : "If you shake these fungi or blow upon them 

 from above, their seeds ascend like steam ; you may blow strongly 

 afterwards, you may break the fungus into pieces, but you will not 

 see a second jet of seeds follow the first one immediately ; to obtain 

 a second jet there must pass an interval of some 

 two or three hours, depending on whether the .:•:: •':::■. V'.- 



air is more or less free from moisture ; the parts ■.•:•■;.•■■.••;•■::•■ 



which compose the apparatus of the fructification ■/.'•:••;.•.■.•■:•;• 



are as a rule too delicate to allow one to dis- 

 tinguish the mechanism of discharge, however 

 carefully one observes them with the best in- 

 struments." Bulliard's diagram with which he 



,T, 1-1 nc J. i 1 Fig. 112. — Micheli's 



attempted to explam how puffing takes place illustration of 



shows that he knew nothing of the true structure puffing m the 



" _ Discomycetes, 



of asci, and Tulasne's criticism of Bulliard's views published 1729. 



on puffing was quite justified. Tulasne ^ says : ^ ^ Duller. 



" Bulliard's ideas on this point are based on an 

 imaginary structure of the organs and the author's great want of 

 knowledge. It is indeed doubtful whether he really knew from his 

 own experience that the smoke rising from Pezizas consists entirely 

 of their seeds." 



In 1801, Persoon^ recorded puffing in Rhytisma salicinum (his 

 Xyloma salicinum), for he says " In spring-time, the seed-dust was 

 blowing away from the cracks hke smoke." In 1805, during a rainy 

 May, Albertini and Schweinitz ^ saw R. salicinum " sending up clouds 



1 P. Bulliard, Histoire des Champignons dc la France, Paris, 1791, pp. 51-52, 

 Plate II, Fig. 6. 



2 L.-R. and C. Tulasne, Seleda Fvngorum Carpologia, Paris, Vol. I, 1861, p. 42 ; 

 also in the English Translation by W. B. Grove, Oxford, Vol. I, 1931, p. 44. 



^ C. H. Persoon, Synopsis metJiodica fungorum, Gottingae, Vol. I, 18U1, p. 103. 

 * J. B. de Albertini et L. D. de Schweinitz, Conspectus fungorum in Lusatiae 

 superioris agro Niskiensi crescentiuyn, Lipsiae, 1805, p. 62. 



