WHAT IS A PHALLOID? 



It would be out of place in a work of this kind, intended for gen- 

 eral distribution, to enter upon any technical, botanical discussion of 

 what constitutes a phalloid. Most persons know them by reputation, 

 and with certainty if they have met them. If not, they will know 

 them as soon as they look through our pictures. 



Phalloids are always fleshy fungi, always fetid, and appear as if 

 by magic in our woods and fields. When young, they are enclosed in a 

 gelatinous membrane called a volva, which breaks, and the plant de- 

 velops so rapidly that I will not go into details for fear that some 

 of my readers will think I am not telling the truth. I have often 

 carried home the eggs, but have never seen them develop, as my 

 specimens have always developed during the night. In a single night 

 the species observed have reached a height of eight inches. One 

 author has a picture showing a plant to have grown 4 cm., or an inch 



and a half, in one min- 

 ute of time. Of course 

 this is not true growth 

 by the accretion of 

 cells, but rather a me- 

 chanical process by the 

 > . expansion of cells. 

 k The "roots," or my- 



celium, as it is correctly 

 called, of p h a 1 1 o i d s 

 grow in the earth, or 

 rotten wood, and take 

 the form of long, white 

 cords. The illustration 

 on the opposite page is 

 a cluster of this myce- 

 lium, which has devel- 

 oped several "eggs," or 

 young phalloicls. If we 

 cut open one of these 

 eggs we will find it to 

 contain an undeveloped 

 plant, as shown in' the 

 figures herewith. But 

 it is best not to cut 



them open, but to take them home and place them on a dish, and in 

 a few days you will have some perfect plants. 



THE COLOR OF PHALLOIDS. 



There are only three colors known in the phalloids : red, yellow,. 

 and white. Most species are red, or some shade of red, pink, flesh, or 

 orange. A few are \ellow, and many are white. The yellow and red 

 phalloids seem quite distinct, and do not run into each other, but 

 the red species are apt to have white forms. 



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