CHAPTER II 



THE HELIOTROPISM OF THE ASCI AND THE DISCHARGE OF THE 

 SPORES IN ASCOBOLI, CILIARIA SCUTELLATA, ALEURIA 

 VESICULOSA, THE MORCHELLACEAE, AND OTHER DISCO- 

 MYCETES 



Introduction — The Heliotropism of the Asci of Ascoholus magnifims — Ascoholus 

 stercorarius — Our Present Knowledge of Ciliaria scuteUata — The Heliotropism of 

 the Asci of Ciliaria scuteUata — The Heliotropism of the Asci of Melastiza miniata 

 and Cheilymenia vinacea — Aleuria vesiculosa and its Identification — Results of 

 a Previous Investigation on Aleuria vesiculosa — The Heliotropism of the Asci 

 and the Discharge of the Spores in Aleuria vesiculosa — Puffing of Aleuria 

 vesiculosa under Natural Conditions — The Heliotropism of the Asci and the 

 Discharge of the Spores in Galnctinia badia — JJrnula Craterium — Otidea onotica 

 and O. leporina — The Heliotropism of the Asci and the Discharge of the Spores 

 in the Morchellaceae — The Helvellaceae — Concluding Remarks. 



'(^ 



Introduction. — Sarcoscypha inotracta, which was treated of in the 

 last Chapter, is a rather specialised Discomycete, for : (1) its 

 hymenium, which lines the inside of the cup, has more or less the 

 shape of an inverted cone ; (2) its asci are straight ; and (3) the oper- 

 cula of its asci are not situated symmetrically at the ends of the asci 

 but obliquely, so that they look upwards toward the mouth of the cup. 

 Doubtless, there are a number of other Discomycetes which 

 resemble Sarcoscypha protracta in their general form and their mode 

 of producing and liberating spores. However, a very large nimiber 

 of Discomycetes differ from 8. protracta in that : (1) they have a 

 flat hymenium, e.g. Ciliaria scuteUata, or a more or less hemispherical 

 hymenium, e.g. Aleuria vesiculosa and Galactinia badia, or a cavernous 

 hymenium, e.g. MorcheUa crassipes and M . conica ; (2) their asci 

 are not straight, but are more or less curved at their free ends where 

 the spores are situated ; and (3) the mouth of each of their asci is 

 symmetrically situated at the end of the ascus. 



The ripe asci of the Ascoboleae protrude considerably above the 



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