1859.] CHAPTERS ON FUNGI. 371 



Class THALLOGENS. 



Alliance Mycetales. 



A. Fungales. 



They are defined to be, " Hysterophytal or Epiphytal Myce- 

 tals, deriving nourishment by means of a mycelium, from the 

 matrix, and never producing green bodies resembling chloro- 

 phyl.'' 



In Lindley^s ' Vegetable Kingdom ' the following definition 

 of Fungi is given : — " Cellular flowerless plants ; nourished 

 through their thallus (mycelium or spawn) ; living in air ; pro- 

 pagated by spores, colourless or brown, and sometimes enclosed 

 in asci ; destitute of green gonidia." 



These two definitions, taken together, may probably give the 

 student some idea of the nature of Fungi ; but it is almost im- 

 possible to convey even a general conception of so extensive and 

 varied a class of plants by any definition. 



Fungi are distinguished from Algae, on the one hand, by living 

 in air and not in water (though one two species do occur in 

 water or its vicinity) ; and from Lichens, on the other hand, by 

 being nourished by the matrix (or substance on which they grow), 

 and by not producing the little green globular bodies, called go- 

 niclia, which are found in Lichens. 



In proceeding to divide the Fungi into Orders, etc., Mr. 

 Berkeley takes, as the basis of his arrangement (which he states 

 to be essentially the same as that of Fries), the diSerent modes of 

 fructification I have already alluded to, viz. the production of naked 

 spores, and of spores enclosed in asci. The former are denomi- 

 nated " spores," the latter " sporidia -" and two principal divi- 

 sions are formed termed " Spo7'iferi " and " Sporidiiferi." These 

 two great sections are again divided into groups, analogous to 

 the Natural Orders of phsenogamous plants, as follows : — 



I. Sporiferi (naked spores). 



Order 1. Hymenomycetes. Spores naked, hymenium free, 

 mostly naked, or, if enclosed at first, soon exposed. 



2. Gasteromycetes. Spores naked, hymenium enclosed in a 

 peridium, seldom ruptured before maturity. 



3. Coniomycetes. Spores naked, mostly terminal, seated on 

 inconspicuous threads, free, or enclosed in a perithecium. 



