LEPIOTA CEPAESTIPES 



17 



sented only by their spores. The spores of the second-generation 

 basidia are all sketched in uniform black. The spores of the third- 

 generation basidia are all shaded, while those of the fourth-generation 

 basidia are left as plain circles. At C in Fig. 7 are shown the same 

 spores and first-generation basidia as are present at A ; but, in 

 addition, the bodies of all the basidia of the second, third, and 

 fourth generations, together with a background of paraphyses, have 

 been diagrammatically added in order to complete the figure. 

 At D is shown the same figure as at C, but in this only the fourth- 

 generation basidia are represented as bearing spores : it is here to 

 be supposed that the first-, second-, and third -generation basidia 



Fig. 10. — Lepiota cepaestipes. A §tage in the development of 

 the hymenium. No basidia of the first generation were 

 observed. Basidia of the second generation, b, bear full- 

 grown spores ; those of the third generation, c, are 

 developing spores ; whilst those of the fourth generation, d, 

 have not yet developed sterigmata. e, paraphyses. 

 Magnification, 350. 



have already shed their spores. Actual areas of the hj^^menium, 

 like that shown at D, were observed upon fruit-bodies toward the 

 end of the spore-discharge period. 



Two important facts are brought out by such studies of the 

 hymenium as those just described. The first is that the spores 

 are discharged by the different generations of basidia according to 

 their age. This can be put another way : the longest basidia shed 

 their spores first, then the next longest, then the next longest and, 

 finally, the shortest basidia or those of the fourth and last generation. 

 The second fact of importance is that, notwithstanding the rela- 

 tively large size of the paraphyses, the basidia of the four generations 

 are so crowded on any given area of the hymenium that, if they 

 were all of exactly the same length, the spores of adjacent basidia would 

 frequently touch and jostle one another, so that there would be serious 

 interference with their development and discharge. The camera- 



voL. in. O 



