BASID10MYCETES. 159 



Dacryomycetes. 



The long, club-shaped basidia bear two tapering sterigmata, which 

 develope remarkably large basidiospores (Fig. 162 II, XI) and 

 form gymnocarpic fruit- bodies with hymenium. 1 order : 



Orpte? 1. Dacryomycetacese. This order comprises 4 genera 

 of Which the first two develope the hymenium on the whole surface 

 of the fruit-body, but the two last only on its apex. 



Dacryomyces : the folded, gelatinous, Tremella-like fruit-bodies break out in 

 winter on dried wood (hedges) in the form of red or yellow drops. D. deliques- 

 cens is very common (Fig. 121). The following genera have cartilaginous 

 fruit-bodies. Calocera (Fig. 162), with club-like, simple, or branched, Clavaria- 

 like, fruit-bodies ; the orange coloured fruit-bodies of C. viscosa grow aggregated 

 together on the wood of Conifers. Guepinia resembles a Peziza, and has the 

 Lymenium only on the hollow upper surface. Dacryomitra resembles a Mit- 

 rula (Fig. 162). 



Family 2. Hymenomycetes. 



This family is very rich in species (more than 8000 have been 

 described), and to it belong all the " Mushrooms " and " Toadstools." 

 The fruit-bodies present very various forms ; they are generally 

 fleshy, very perishable, seldom leathery or corky, in the last case 

 often perennial. The basidia are more or less cylindrical and bear 

 generally 4 (seldom 2, 6 or 8) sterigmata and basidiospores. The 

 hymenium in the fully-formed fruit-bodies lies free on the sur- 

 face : in orders 1 and 2 and a portion of order 6 it is from the 

 commencement exposed, fruit-bodies gymnocarpic ; orders 3-6 have 

 hemiangiocarpic fruit-bodies (p. 157). In the first order the 

 basidia (or the hymenium) are developed immediately from the 

 mycelium (Fig. 163) ; the fruit-bodies of orders 2 and 3 present a 

 higher grade of development, and have between the mycelium and 

 hymenium a special hyphal-tissue, a stroma, which is crustaceous, 

 club-like, or coralloid, etc., and in general bears the hymenium on 

 the largest part of the free, smooth surface. In the forms most 

 highly developed (orders 4-6) a new tissue the JiymenopJiore is 

 introduced between the stroma and hymenium, which appears on 

 the under side of the fruit-body in the form of warts, projections, 

 tubes, folds or lamellae (Figs. 166, 167, 174 be). Paraphyses are 

 frequently found in the hymenium, among the basidia. In the 

 Hymenomycetes few examples of conidia can be recognised at 

 first. More frequently clilamydospores are found, particularly oidia. 

 The mycelium is richly branched, generally colourless, often peren- 

 nial ; it lives in humus or decaying wood, and is seldom parasitic. 



W. B. Af 



