9 I O 



Tlic Ascoiiiycote.s liave received rather more attention, but 

 chiefly of recent years. Specias of outstanding economic import- 

 ance; have been dealt with individually by different Malayan myco- 

 logists, but the largest additions to oiir collections are due to Pro- 

 .fessor C. Y. TJaker who served on the Stafl" of thf P.f)tanic (Ifirdfiis, 

 Singapore, in the year 1917. 



The l-Jasidiomycetes, except for the Agaricaceae form far and 

 ■away the bulk of our collections. Our earliest records are specimens 

 collected by Beccari l)etween 1865 and 1870 ap-))arently on hi.s way 

 to Sarawak, and by tlie l?ev. Father Scortechini in 188o, Kunstler, 

 a collector of Sii' (Jeo. King of Calcutta, was also one of the earlier 

 collectors, vvhilftt a large number of all groups have been collected 

 by Mr. liidley. The largest local fungus of whicli we have a record, 

 belongs to this section and is a specimen of Polyporus a])p]anatus, 

 witli a diameter of l.'] cm. and la thickness of 13 'cm. To Mr. C. G. 

 Lloyd our thanks are greatly due for his very kind assistance in 

 determining tlic many specimens of the Basidiomycetfs submitted 

 to him. 



'I'he majority of our collections of Agarioaceae are due to Mr. 

 II. \. T'idley and Mrs. Burkill.- It is evident that they will prove 

 to be as widely represented as any section of fungi when once the 

 study of them oan lie carried out on the spot with fresh material. 



Our records of the Fungi Imperfecti are again chiefly due to the 

 (;ollections of Prof. C. F. Baker. The study of this section, many 

 of the species of which are of economic importance, has only been 

 undertaken so far in individual cases, 'but with the provision of 

 laboratories and scientific a])|)aratus now being made investigations 

 .should go quickly ahead. 



It is interesting to note the general habitats favoured by the 

 various groups of fungi. The Myxomycetes appear as saprophytes 

 generally on dead Avood and similar matter. The Phycomycetes, so 

 far as our scanty knowledge goes at present, are both parasitic and 

 saprophytic, and provide the all-prevalent "mildews." The As- 

 comycetes are also both saprophytic and parasitic, and are respon- 

 si})le for a good deal of damage especially on trees and woody 

 plants. The i^usts and Smuts so far appear but poorly represented, 

 ])ossibly owing to the absence of any large tracts of land in this 

 countrv under cereal crops. Tlie Basidiomycetes with the exception 

 of the Agaricaceae and sul)sequent groups are nearly always to be 

 found on a woody stratum, and although the fructifications appear 

 most frequently on dead wood, it should by no means be taken that 

 they are saprophytic. Indeed many of our worst diseases of the 

 rubl)er plantations are due to this group. The Agaricaceae, Phal- 

 laceae, etc. are generally found on the ground. The Fungi Imper- 

 fecti, generally favour the same types of hosts as the Ascomycetes. 



III. The ix'rserrtiliou. of FuiKji iu- I he Tropics. 



A word may here be said on the preservatioji of h(>rbarium 

 specimens in the tropics as this has proved such a source of trouljle 

 in the past. It appears essential that when collecting fungi one 



