12 INTRODUCTION 



Erinaceus of Micheli and earlier botanists became Hydnum. Phallus was 

 made to include both Phallus and Morchella, being equivalent to Tourne- 

 fort's Boletus. Lycoperdon included Lycoperdaceae and some Mycetozoa. 

 Mucor included all molds such as Mucorales, Fungi Imperfecti, and 

 Erysiphaceae. Other genera recognized by Linnaeus were Elvela, Peziza, 

 and C lav aria. 



The most significant advance in the classification of fungi after 

 Linnaeus is to be found in the works of Christiaan Hendrik Persoon 

 (1755-1837). The number of recognized species had become greatly in- 

 creased and the great improvements in the microscope made it possible 

 to study the manner by which the spores were borne, so that the major 

 groups as now recognized began to appear. 



Probably the greatest contribution to the knowledge of the larger 

 fungi, particularly the "Hymenomycetes," was made by Elias Magnus 

 Fries (1794-1878), whose active mycological work extended over a period 

 of more than half a century. The impetus given to mycology by these 

 two great botanists was felt over the whole world and fungi unknown to 

 science were discovered by the thousands. 



In the first third of the nineteenth century the smaller Ascomyceteae, 

 especially Sphaeriales, and the pycnidial Fungi Imperfecti, were mostly 

 described superficially, often being thrown together in the same genus. 

 Little was known of the Rusts, Smuts, molds of all sorts, various Monili- 

 ales, Melanconiales, etc. Only when these were studied carefully with the 

 compound microscope did order begin to arise out of chaos. Of the many 

 workers in that period, mention may be made of August Carl Joseph 

 Corda (1809-1849) whose "Icones Fungorum," a six-volume work, pub- 

 lished from 1837-1854, showed the detailed structure of many of the 

 larger fungi but also threw light on hundreds of the microscopic forms. 

 Soon following this came the beautifully illustrated three-volume work of 

 the Tulasne brothers, "Selecta Fungorum Carpologia," 1861-1865 (Louis 

 Rene Tulasne, 1815-1885, being the chief author). 



In the United States the first extensive study of fungi was undertaken 

 by Lewis David von Schweinitz (1780-1834), a minister in the United 

 Brethren Church, who collected extensively in North Carolina and 

 Pennsylvania. His publications on American fungi (1822 and 1832) were 

 the first noteworthy ones that appeared. A third of a century later Charles 

 Horton Peck (1833-1917) began his work at Albany, New York, as state 

 botanist, a position which he held from 1867-1915. His chief interest was 

 in the fungi of which he described about 2500 species previously un- 

 recognized. His collections and descriptions formed the foundation for 

 many monographic studies of various genera by later students, especially 

 of the Agaricaceae. Other nations had similar lovers of fungi who added 

 greatly to the knowledge of these organisms, but space does not permit 



