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TEXTBOOK OF BOTANY 



A related group of fungi are the truffles, which are widespread in 

 Europe; in the United States they have been found in CaHfornia. Truffles 

 are considered a dehcacy and gathering them is an industry in France. 

 The plants, which generally grow from 3 to 12 inches below the surface 

 of the soil, have a peculiar odor which is not evident to most people. 

 Pigs and dogs have been trained to locate the plants. The fruiting body 

 of the truffle is a globose, warty structure enclosing the spore-bearing 

 tissues. This fungus is spread by rodents that eat the truffles and scat- 

 ter the undigested spores. 



Fig. 245. Spore prints may be used to identify spore color and the arrangement 

 of spore-bearing surfaces of mushrooms. C is a spore print of a pore fungus repre- 

 sented by A. D is a spore print of a gill fungus represented by B. The method of 

 obtaining spore prints is represented by E. The inverted vessel is used to prevent 

 air currents from scattering the spores as they fall on the paper from the cap of 

 the mushroom. The cap should be carefully lifted as soon as enough spores have 

 fallen to form a distinct print. Permanent mounts can be made if the spores fall 

 on a paper covered with a thin coating of mucilage; this may then be moistened 

 enough to hold the spores in place by carefully placing the paper on a wet 

 towel until the moisture has penetrated through the paper to the mucilage. From 

 W. Hamilton Gibson. 



