98 l'Ri:.SIl)Ei\TIAL AHDRKSS SKCTIOX C. 



It is not generally known that " the father of the science of 

 mycology "" came from South Africa. I refer to I'ersoon. Per- 

 soon was born at the Cape of Good Hope in 1755. At this time 

 fungi were practically unknown from this country. Although 

 Persoon left the Cape at an early age, went to Germany, and 

 afterwards settled in Paris, it is rather interesting to find that 

 some of the earliest references to Cape fungi are in his " Synop- 

 sis Methodica Fungorum," published in 1801. 



Persoon's (67 and 68) "Observations Mycologicse," pub- 

 lished in 1795, his " Synopsis Methodica Fungorum," and his 

 " Mycologia Europaea," will ever remain as masterpieces in the 

 annals of mycology. His herbarium is now preserved at Leyden. 



The earliest mention of South African fungi are, of course, 

 to such fragmentary specimens as were sporadically' collected 

 from time to time by travellers and botanists who visited the 

 country, and who natttrally sent back to Europe those unusual 

 forms of growth w"hich attracted most attention. 



Amongst the pioneer collectors of South African fungi must 

 be included Thunberg, Zeyher, Btirke, Drege, Harvey. W'ahlberg, 

 Queinzius, and Boivin. 



All these workers were busy before the latter half of the 

 nineteenth century, at a time when mycology was anything but 

 an organised science. In fact, the appearance of Persoon's work 

 mentioned above is generally regarded as the beginning of a 

 new era in mycology. 



Just as these early fungi were collected perhaps more as 

 objects of curiosity than as material for systematic research, so 

 we find that the first records refer to isolated and odd specimens. 



A few examples will suffice. Thus it is interesting to note 

 that these ])lants did not escape the attention of Thunberg. " the 

 father of Ca])e Botany," during his brief stay in the country, 

 for one of the earliest references to Caj^e fungi relates to Pod- 

 axon carrinoiiialls (Linn.) Fr., the fungus so commonly seen on 

 antheai)S tliroughout South Africa just after soaking rains. This 

 plant was first collected by Tlumbcrg and described by Linnreus 

 as Lycopcrdon carcinomalc in 1781. 



Persoon (67) in 1801 referred the specimen to the genus 

 Scleroderma, and named it S. earcinojiiale. whWc Fries a few years 

 later placed it in the gcntis Podaxon. where it has since remanied. 



The fungus is usually from about 7 to 12 inches in length, 

 and is remarkable in that the stem is continued right up to the 

 apex of the ])lant, and forms an axis for the glel)a. i^he i)eridium 

 is cylindrical; when ripe it (lehisces at tlie base, and an ink\- mass 

 of sjHires escapes. 



Whether the fungus is actually cultivated by white ants we 

 do not yet know . 'IMiere are about 18 species of Podaxon known. 

 and all are found in the warmer regions of the world. 



In 1829 we find Rudolphi (76) describing the i)arasite 

 (Aicidiitiit resi)neoliiiii Ku W'int.), which produces such re- 

 niarkable galls on Raphnia angulata, and which is so common 



