LEPTONIA PARASITICA 437 



and Elaphomyces granulatus ^ form mycorrhizae with the roots of 

 trees. There can be no doubt that E. granulatus is dependent for 

 its nutriment on the Pines, etc., with which it is associated and, in 

 all probability, 8. vulgare is dependent on Oaks, etc. Granted that 

 S. vulgare and E. granulatus are both more or less parasitic on the 

 roots of trees, we are presented with two interesting chains of 

 parasitism in the web of life. On the one hand, a living Oak tree 

 may support a living Scleroderma vulgare and this in turn may 

 support a living Boletus parasiticus, the B. parasiticus plant thus 

 being dependent indirectly on the Oak ; and, .,— -^^^^^^ife,.^.^^ 



on the other hand, a living Pine tree may (/AS^'^^^^^^k^ 



support a living Elaphomyces granulatus, and ^^^^^^^^^^ 



this in turn may support a living Cordyceps ^ j^ ^vW 

 ophioglossoides, the C. ophioglossoides plant ^ %m 



thus being dependent indirectly on the Pine. x,^*^ 



Leptonia parasitica. — Leptonia parasitica >«ip^ 



(Fig. 183) is a small pink-spored lamellate ^^^:}^^--Leptoniapara. 



^ ° ' r r sitica, as a parasite 



agaric, with a short stipe and a pileus 5-7 mm. producing fruit-bodies 



. , 1-111 e 1 • -n • ^^ ^he under side of 



Wide, which has been found in !< ranee growing the pileus of Cantha- 

 on the under side of the pileus of Cantharellus tf thr kft"''QuS's 

 cibarius. It was described and illustrated bv illustration, copied by 



^,10. -r-r^in.. Dr. Nellie Carter. The 



Quelet ^ in 1878. In England it has never fruit - body, natural 

 yet been recorded. ^'^^' 



Quelet's description of Leptonia parasitica, translated from the 

 French, is as follows : " Finely tomentose-pubescent and snow- 

 white. Stipe slender, arcuate, dilated above. Pileus membran- 

 aceous, translucent, convex-plane (5-7 mm.), somewhat umbilicate. 

 Gills sinuate, ventricose, white then pink. Spores pentagonal 

 (12 /i), guttulate and pink. In summer, on Cantharellus cibarius 

 which its mycelium covers with a delicate arachnoid network." 



Claudopus subdepluens. — Claudopus subdepluens was discovered 



^ M. Reess, " Ueber den Parasitismus von Elaphomyces granulatus,'" Sitzungs- 

 berichte der phys.-med. Soc. zu Erlangen, Mai, 1880, pp. 729-733. Also M. Reess 

 und C. Fisch, " Untersuchungen iiber Bau und Lebensgeschichte der Hirschtriiffel, 

 Elaphomyces," Bibliofheca bokmica, Bd. II, Heft 7, 1887, pp. 1-26, Taf. I. 



^ L. Quelet, " Quelques esp^ces nouvelles 'de champignons," Bull. Soc. BoU 

 France, T. XXV, 1878, p. 287, Plate III, Fig. 6. 



