NYCTALIS ASTEROPHOllA 447 



and R. adusta, and R.icken 1 records it as occurring on Lactarius 

 vellereus. It appears to be most common on Russula nigricans. 

 All its hosts agree in being large, fleshy, and somewhat persistent. 

 It is thus described by Rea : ^ 



" Pileus 1-1*5 cm., ivhite, then fawn colour from the lurge stellate 

 chlantT/dospores, 15-20 fi, fleshy, conical, then hemispherical, _j^occoso- 

 pulverulent. Stipe 1-2 cm. x 2-4 mm., white, then fuscous, equal, 

 often twisted, pruinose. Gills white, then dingy, adnate, distant, 

 thick, tense and straight, somewhat forked, ofte^i wanting. Flesh 

 dark grey. Spores ivhite, ' elliptical, 6 x 4 yu, ' (Ricken). On dead 

 Russida nigricans. July-November. Common." 



A photograph showing N. asterophora on its host is reproduced in 

 Fig. 187. An excellent coloured drawing is given by Brefeld,^ and 

 other illustrations by Cooke * and Kauffman.^ 



The rather fleshy hemispherical pileus of Nyctalis asterophora is 

 characterised by two special features : (1) the poor development 

 of the gills, these being often either almost or entirely wanting 

 (Fig. 188, A, B, C, D, E, H), and (2) the bi-eaking up of the pileus- 

 flesh into a pulverulent fawn-coloured stratum containing a vast 

 number of stellate chlamydospores (Fig. 188, B, 1), E, F, G). 



The shallow obtuse gills of Nyctalis asterophora, as just pointed 

 out, may be altogether suppressed ; but, even when present, they 

 by no means always produce basidiospores. Brefeld ^ states that a 

 normal hymenium bearing basidiospores is only present on the gills 

 of the largest fruit-bodies, while de Bary ' remarks that, even when 

 fruit-bodies are fertile, the number of basidiospores produced is 

 relatively small (Fig. 188, H, I). Moreover, when ripe, the chlamydo- 

 spores are carried off by the wind like the spores of Smut Fungi or 

 Puff-balls. These facts suggest that N. parasitica reproduces itself, 

 not like most other Agaricineae by basidiospores, but by means of 

 its chlamydospores. 



^ A. Ricken, Die Bldtterpilze, Leipzig, 1915, p. 8. 

 ^ C. Rea, British Basidiomycetae, Cambridge, 1922, p. 541. 



^ 0. Brefeld, Untersuchungen Uber Pilze, Leipzig, Heft VIII, 1889, Tab. V., 

 Fig. I. 



* M. C. Cooke, Illusiraiions of British Fungi, Plate 11.32. 



5 C. H. Kauffnian, loc. cit. 6 O. Brefeld, loc. cit.. p. 79. 



' A. de Bary, loc. cit., p. 388. 



