THE FUNGI : ASCOMYCETES AND BASIDIOMYCETES 333 



hyphae, which are attached to the centre of each peridiole by a small nipple- 

 shaped mass. When this funiculus is mature it is usually quite short. The 

 hyphae, however, are surrounded by mucilage, and when moistened they 

 swell and the whole thread becomes softened, so that it can be pulled out to 

 a length of 3 or 4 cm. Nothing is known of the function of this expanding 

 thread, though it has been suggested that it may assist in dispersal by 

 animals. 



As the development of the whole fruiting body proceeds lateral expansion 

 takes place, and the upper part of the peridium becomes ruptured, leaving 

 the inner tissues exposed. The gleba now undergoes gelatinization, begin- 

 ning at the base of the fruiting body, and finally the peridioles are left lying 

 freely in the central cavity of the fruiting body and covered only by an 

 epiphragm across the top of the cup, derived from the surface layer of the 

 gleba which has not gelatinized (see Frontispiece). 



When the whole fruiting body is mature the epiphragm finally ruptures 

 leaving the sporophore open at the top. The moisture resulting from the 

 gelatinization of the gleba dries up and the peridioles sink to the bottom 

 of the peridium whence they are finally scattered. 



Phallus impudicus (The Stinkhorn) 



This Fungus is well known in woods in this country where its presence 

 may often be detected by its strong repulsive smell, before it can be seen. 

 In the young state it appears as a mass of white gelatinous material, about 

 the size and shape of a hen's egg (Fig. 328). Under conditions of sufficient 

 water supplv the fruiting body emerges from the egg with surprising rapidity, 

 taking about half an hour to grow to full size. When mature the fruiting 

 body consists of a white basal cup or volva, derived from the wall of the egg, 

 which has burst to liberate through its top a long, thick, but very spongy 

 stipe or stalk. On the top of this is borne a small conical cap or pileus, whose 

 outer surface is convoluted or thrown into shallow folds and is covered by a 

 gleba, consisting largely of greenish, gelatinous material and of basidiospores. 

 It is this greenish slime which gives off the nauseating odour which attracts 

 flies, who eat the sweet slime and at the same time the basidiospores. In 

 fact it has been proved that the basidiospores germinate better after passage 

 through the alimentary canal of a fly than otherwise. These basidiospores 

 on germination give rise to a fresh mycelium from which a fresh fruiting 

 body arises. No details of the cytology have yet been studied, and it is not 

 known whether a union of two monoploid mycelia is necessary before the 

 fruiting body can be formed. 



Development of the Sporophore 



The details of this process are elaborate, and it is difficult to indicate any 



homology between the structures in Phallus and those in other Basidiomycetes. 



Before a fruiting body is initiated the hyphae of the mycelium become 



