NYCTALIS PARASITICA 463 



have also completely failed. Bref eld ^ states that fertile fruit- 

 bodies of iV^, jJCLrasitica are much more rare than those of N. astero- 

 phora, but that in one very vigorous fruit-body he did actually 

 observe basidia bearing sterigmata and spores (Fig. 189, no. 6, 

 p. 456). This instance of fertility, however, must be regarded as 

 very exceptional. 



Brefeld ^ succeeded in germinating the basidiospores and 

 chlamydospores of Nyctalis 'parasitica with results similar to those 

 obtained for N. asterophora. A basidiospore, on germination, gave 

 rise to a mycelium bearing oidia, and the oidia germinated and pro- 

 duced a myceHum bearing more oidia and finally chlamydospores in 

 chains (Fig. 189, no. 7). A chlamydospore, on germination, gave 

 rise to a mycehum devoid of oidia (Fig. 189, no. 9). From the point 

 of view of sex, the life-history of N. parasitica appears to resemble 

 exactly that of N. asterophora.^ 



Since the fruit-bodies of Nyctalis parasitica always bear chlamydo- 

 spores in their gills and but very rarely produce basidiospores on 

 their hymenium, one must infer that, normally, under natural 

 conditions in the open, the fungus is disseminated and reproduced 

 by means of its chlamydospores. 



The only other agaric with which Nyctalis parasitica can possibly 

 be confused in the field is N. asterophora. It may therefore be of 

 interest to contrast the two species. As compared with N. astero- 

 phora, N. parasitica differs in the following particulars : (1) the 

 stipe is often considerably longer ; (2) the pileus is more expanded, 

 less fleshy for its size, and often broader ; (3) the gills are often 

 fairly well developed, and never absent ; (4) the chlamydospores 

 are formed, not in the pileus-flesh, but in the gills, so that the upper 

 stratum of the pileus does not break up into a fawn-coloured 

 powdery mass, but remains firm and covered by a persistent pellicle ; 

 and (5) the chlamydospores are always smooth and elliptical, and 

 never stellate.^ 



1 O. Brefeld, loc. cil., pp. 93-94. 2 m^^^ p. 94. 3 cj. pp. 457-458. 



^ Rea {Brit. Bas., p. 541) says that N. parasitica has a smell like Pohjporus 

 squamosns. but he does not mention the scent of N. asterophora. On the other hand, 

 de Bary {Bot. Zeit., Bd. XVII, p. 393, cf. also p. 385) expressly states that N. para- 

 sitica has the same smell of meal as N. asterophora. The two species cannot therefore 

 be sejjarated by their smell. 



