PUFFING IN THE DISCOMYCETES 235 



The Significance of Puffing.— The puffing of Discomycetes has 

 excited the wonder of every field mycologist and is frequently 

 mentioned in mycological literature. Yet, hitherto, no one, except- 

 ing Richard Falck, seems to have enquired whether or not the 

 phenomenon is of any benefit to the fruit-bodies from the point of 

 view of the dispersal of the spores. Conceivably, the asci of a 

 Peziza might discharge their contents one by one in the order of 

 ripening. Why then does a Peziza puS ? Can it be that simul- 

 taneous ascus-discharge in the Discomycetes is more advantageous 

 to these fungi than successive discharge ; and, if so, wherein does 

 this advantage lie ? 



Falck has supposed that the dependence of Morchella, Gyromitra, 

 Verpa, etc., on a sufficiently high temperature for the discharge of 

 their spores causes spore-discharge to be delayed until the heat of 

 the sun brings into existence air-currents which may assist in spore- 

 dispersal 1 ; and he also holds that the dependence of many Pezi- 

 zaceae on the wind for the discharge of their spores causes spore- 

 discharge to be delayed in these fungi' until the wind is sufficiently 

 strong to be effective in carrying away the spores. ^ In these ecolo- 

 gical theories there may well be some truth. 



It was in the hope of throwing more hght on the phenomenon of 

 puffing that the investigation on Sarcoscypha protracta about to be 

 recorded was undertaken. 



The Genus Sarcoscypha. — -The genus Sarcoscypha, according 

 to Boudier,3 is a very natural one. It includes species remarkable 

 for their epixylous habit and the brilhant scarlet-red colour of their 

 hymenium. The receptacles are more or less stipitate, bell-shaped, 

 and tomentose on their outer side. The asci are very long, thin, 

 and at their base attenuated and flexuous. The paraphyses are 

 much branched, rather more pointed than clavate, and they contain 

 red granules which turn green wdth iodine. The spores are large 

 and oblong, and may or may not contain oil-drops ; in the latter 

 case their contents are finely granular.* Boudier includes in 



1 R. Falck, loc. cit., I, pp. 124-126, 134. 2 7^,-^.^ n, pp. 402-t03. 



^ E!. Boudier, Histoire et Classification des Discomycetes d'Europe, Paris, 1907, 

 p. 55. 



* Ibid. 



