Gallacea Scleroderma [Cke.) Lloyd. 195 



several trabeciilae which arise from a basal disc, and ramifv in a 

 radial direction from it. At the base the trabeciilae are stout 

 and conspicuous, but as they approach the periphery they 

 become smaller, until finally they are barely discernible from 

 the tramal plates (fig. 13). They give off branches throughout 

 their length ; these merge with the tramal plates and probablv 

 serve to add rigidity to the plant. The majoritv of the tramal 

 plates arise from the trabeculae. 



A tramal plate consists of three parts : [a] an inner layer, the 

 trama, formed of h\*phae arranged in a parallel manner, with 

 their long axes parallel with the long axis of the plate; (6) a 

 layer on either side of this, the subh\inenium (fig. 6), composed 

 of several layers of subglobose or polygonal cells, somewhat 

 greater in diameter than the tramal hyphae ; these bear on their 

 proximal surfaces, basidia arranged in pahsade fashion collect- 

 ively forming (c) the h^Tiienium (fig. 6) . The basidia are some- 

 what inflated, and each bears, on short sterigmata, six minute, 

 continuous spores. Xo cystidia or other aberrant cells are 

 present. 



Development. 



General. The young plant is discernible first as a small 

 sweUing on the dorsal surface of the rhizoid, close to another 

 and usually larger developing plant. It increases in size until 

 it becomes somewhat pvriform, being at this stage about 

 I X 0'5 mm. Sometimes two or even more may be found growing 

 closely compacted together. In such a case it is not uncommon 

 to find them fused at a later stage. In fact the lobed appearance 

 of man\' mature plants is due to this fusion, as their structure 

 shows. 



Sections of the primordium of the peridium show that it first 

 consists of undifferentiated, closely woven hyphae. This 

 becomes less compacted, and in specimens of i'5 x i mm. a zone 

 of small ca\ities appears, surrounding a dense central mass of 

 hyphae (fig. 9). This zone is somewhat dome-shaped and the 

 ca\ities are few and ill-defined. For some time after, or until 

 the plant is about 7x5 mm. these ca\ities enlarge slightly but 

 do not appear to increase in number to any extent. Plants this 

 size begin to approach the surface, colour appearing in the 

 peridimn as it becomes exposed. When they are clear of the 

 surrounding soil, the plants commence to increase somewhat 

 rapidly in size, and soon reach maturity. 



Development of the peridium. Mention has been made of the 

 first appearance of a dome-shaped zone of irregular caxities in 

 the primordiimi of the gleba. This zone marks off a peripheral 

 mass of hyphae, the primordium of the peridium. At first it is 



