444 



CLASS BASIDIOMTCETEAE 



Fig. 145. Order Auriculariales, Family Auriculariaceae. Auricularia auricularis (S. 

 F. Gray) Martin. (A) Expanded, moist spore fruit. (B) Stages in the development of the 

 basidium. (C) Tubular extensions from basidium, each with its sterigma and basid- 

 iospore. (D) Stages in germination of basidiospore. (A, after Buller: Researches on 

 Fungi, vol. 2, p. 162, London, Longmans, Green and Co. B-D, after Brefeld: Unter- 

 suchungen aus dem Gesammtgebiete der Mykologie, Heft 7, pp. 1-178.) 



appearance. No sharp distinctions into hypobasidium and epibasidium are 

 apparent. (Fig. 145.) 



Family Phleogenaceae. In this family the fleshy or gelatinous 

 spore fruit is a stalked structure of ascending hyphae. At the top the 

 hyphae flare outward to form a head. The outer hyphae form a sort of 

 loose peridium. Within this the straight or curved basidia arise. They are 

 transversely one to three septate and the basidiospores are practically 

 sessile. There is no distinction between the hypobasidium and epibasid- 

 ium. Clamp connections are abundant. The only common genus in the 

 temperate regions is Phleogena (Pilacre of some authors), with a single 

 species P. decorticata (Schw.) Mart. (P.faginea (Fr.) Link). This grows on 

 dead stumps, logs, etc., and forms colonies of stalked structures 5 to 7 mm. 

 tall, including the head which is 1 to 3 mm. in diameter. When young they 

 are fleshy but at maturity dry. The spores are yellow-brown. Superficially 

 they resemble the Ascomycetous genus Onygena. Shear and Dodge (1925) 

 described the life history and cytology of this species very fully. Other 

 genera more or less probably belonging in this family are Pilacrella, fleshy, 

 with a disk-shaped head and hyaline spores; Hoehnelomyces, tropical, 

 slimy cartilaginous, or even waxy, with hyaline spores and with a round 

 head with loose wavy hairs; and perhaps Stilhum, in which the stalk and 

 head are fleshy but the surrounding peridial hyphae are lacking. The ba- 



