52 



CLASSIFICATION AND TAXONOMY OF FUNGI 



Globose 



Cylindrical 



which ends in the ascus stage in Ascomycetes, in the basidium in 

 Basidiomycetes, and in the teHospore in Uredinales and Ustilagi- 

 nales. 



Changes in systems of classification. An appreciation of 

 the need for changes in nomenclature and taxonomy that may 

 arise in the classification of fungi can be gained if it is borne in 



mind that 10 genera contain- 

 ing fe\\'er than 100 species are 

 included in Linnaeus' Species 

 Pla32tarii772, and that now, ac- 

 cording to Saccardo's Sylloge 

 Fungorwn, there are approxi- 

 mately 5000 genera contain- 

 ing more than 80,000 named 

 species. 



Linnaeus included in Cryp- 

 togamia Fungi 27 species of 

 Agaricus, 12 of Boletus, 4 of 

 Hydnum, 2 of Phallus, 3 of 

 Clathrus, 2 of Elvela, 8 of 

 Peziza, 8 of Clavaria, 9 of 

 Lycoperdon, and 1 1 of Mucor. 

 In Syjwpsis Methodica Fim- 

 gonmi Persoon divided all 

 fungi into 2 classes, Angio- 

 thecium and Gvmnothecium. 

 These two classes included 6 orders and 71 genera. 



In Fries's Sy sterna Mycologiciim expansion and changes were 

 provided for by grouping the fungi into four classes: Coniomy- 

 cetes, Hyphomycetes, Gastromvcetes, and Hymenomvcetes, and 

 then further dividing these classes. The Coniomycetes, for ex- 

 ample, were eventually subdivided into Ordo I, Tubercularini; 

 Ordo II, Stilbosporei; Ordo III, Sporodesmiei; and Ordo I\", Hypo- 

 dermii seu Entophyti. At the present time it is estimated that 

 more than 50 orders have come to be recognized. 



On the basis of Saccardo's Sylloge Fiingorum the fungi are 

 classified into the following classes: Schizomycetes, Myxomy- 

 cetes, Phycomycetes, Ascomycetes, Basidiomycetes, and the 

 form-class Deuteromycetes or Fungi Imperfecti. Bisby and 

 Ainsworth (1943) report that the approximate number of Myxo- 



Muriform 







Bacilliform 



Echinulate Setose 



Filiform 



Fig. 8. Types of spores and the 

 terms used to designate each kind. 



