The Minehead Foray. J. Ramsbottom. 3 
the party found it more advantageous to devote their attention 
to microfungi. The district is extremely rich in rust fungi (see 
Hadden in Journ. Bot. 1920, p. 37) and many of these were 
found including Puccinia Moliniae, P. Absinth, Milesina 
Dieteliana, M. Blechni and Uredo Scolopendrit. Pachyella de- 
pressa, Androsaceus Hudsonit, Paxillus panuoides, Hypochnus 
granulosus (Peck) Burt* and a lavender form of H roseo-griseus 
Wakef. and Pears} were also listed. 
Mr Carleton Rea opened the proceedings in the evening with 
a paper on the genus Ganoderma (Karst.) Pat. This genus is 
characterised by its shining, resinous, laccate crust and coloured, 
smooth or rough, oval spores which are truncate at the base. 
The species may be sessile or stipitate, and in this country 
include G. lucidum (Leyss.) Karst., G. applanatum (Pers.) Pat. 
and var. laccatum (Kalchbr.) -with verrucose spores and G. 
australe (Fr.) Pat. with its var. vegetwm (Fr.) Romell, and 
G. resinaceum Boud. with smooth spores. 
Mr Rea also exhibited a painting by Miss V. Rea of Phallus 
imperialis and showed some “‘eggs’’ which had been collected 
at Blakeney, Norfolk by Professor F. W. Oliver. 
Another interesting phalloid sent for exhibition was Clathrus 
cancellatus collected in the Isle of Wight by Mr W. Johnson. 
Mr J. Ramsbottom then gave an account of mycorhiza in 
orchids. A seed of such an orchid as Odontoglossum is un- 
differentiated except that the cells at the suspensor end are 
much the larger. If the seed be sown it merely swells: as 
Bernard showed, however, the seeds germinate readily if sown 
on a culture of the fungus extracted from the root of the orchid. 
The fungus passes through the suspensor into the large cells. 
Rapid division then takes place in the small cells at the anti- 
podal end of the seed. Here the growing point of the stem is 
laid down and later the growing point of the root. The young 
root absorbs its way through the tissues of the “protocorm”’ 
and emerges at the side without touching the fungus zone, thus 
being free from hyphae on entering the soil. It has usually 
reached a length of -5 cm. before it becomes infected from the 
soil. Flasks showing Odontoglossum seedlings grown on a com- 
mercial scale, a culture of the ‘‘fertilising”’ fungus and a series 
of microtome sections prepared by the late Mr J. Charlesworth 
were exhibited. 
The President gave a short account of a paper on Indian 
Polyporaceae by Professor S. R. Bose. 
Mr Ramsbottom then exhibited a “yeast” Medusomyces 
Givesii cultivated in tea, and also the Ginger Beer Plant f. 
On Friday morning the party made the short journey to 
2 SES Gre f See p. 57. t See p. 86. 
'—2 
