Ill] 



PLECTASCALES 



In any case the archicarp becomes mure or less twisted and near it another 

 septate hypha appears, from the end of which the unicellular antheridium is 

 cut off. Like the cells of the vegetative mycelium, all parts of the sexual 

 organs are coenocytic. 



Fusion takes place between the antheridium and trichogyne, but the 

 contents of the male organ have not been seen to enter the oogonium. 



Fig. 30. Euroiium herbariorum (Wigg.) Link; <7. young archicarp; />. archicarp and 

 abortive antheridium ; f. ascocarp containing asci and spores; x 625. 



Dale has observed the fusion of nuclei in pairs in the oogonium of E. repens, 

 and Domaradsky in that of E. Fischeri, but it seems probable that we are 

 dealing here with a union of female nuclei such as occurs in various Disco- 

 mycetes. Even if normal fertilization sometimes takes place it is certainly 

 not general, for the antheridium often fails to reach the trichogyne (fig. 30^), 

 and is sometimes entirely absent. This appears to be always the case in 

 E. flavus and it is common in other genera. 



Nevertheless the oogonium becomes septate and from its several parts 

 branches develop, the nuclei pass into them, and at their ends eight-spored 

 asci develop. The ascus is formed from the terminal or the penultimate cell 

 of a hypha and in it a fusion of two nuclei takes place. 



Shortly before the septation of the oogonium, vegetative hyphae begin 

 to grow up about the sexual organs, from the stalks of which they mostly 

 arise as branches, and themselves branch freely. Some of the branches grow 

 inwards forming a nutritive layer, the cells of others, as shown by de Bary, 

 become tabular and more or less empty, they secrete a golden yellow 



