78 INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF FUNGI 



vegetation and reproduction proceeds from within outwards, 

 and hence these Fungi are enclophytal. 



The life-history of some other types of endophytal parasites 

 is still incomplete. Amongst Mucedines we may instance 

 Ramularia, with some allied or analogous genera, in which 

 the mycelium pervades the tissues of living plants, and ulti- 

 mately hyphae break through the cuticle, and produce conidia 

 in the air ; such conidia, having the power of germination, 

 penetrate the host-plant, and cause a new infection. In the 

 Mclanconicae the species of Gloeosporium produce a plentiful 

 mycelium within the living plant before localised spore-beds 

 are formed beneath the cuticle, which latter at length is 

 ruptured and sporules escape, and these are also capable of 

 germination and the origination of a new mycelium. 



The Hypodcrmeae are, however, amongst the most potent of 

 endophytal parasites, and of these the Uredineae are almost 

 ubiquitous. Perhaps no Fungi have been studied more persist- 

 ently or closely than these, so that the literature would fill 

 volumes. We shall only select a typical instance from the 

 genus Fuccinia, as the readiest method of elucidation. The 

 one which attacks almost all the species of violet, Fuccinia 

 violae, will answer the purpose. First of all discoloured spots 

 are observed on the leaves, and then upon these spots small 

 convex elevations, which are ultimately rather darker in 

 colour and punctured; these are the spermogonia, which 

 enclose the minute bodies to which the name of spermatia has 

 been applied, without any clear idea of their functions, except 

 that they always are associated with the cluster-cups or aecidia 

 that appear simultaneously or soon afterwards. Sometimes the 

 spermogonia are seen on the upper surface of the leaves, with the 

 aecidia on the under ; or both may be on the same surface, with 

 the spermogonia in the centre and the cluster-cups surrounding 

 them. In the present species the aecidium appears in the form 

 of an orbicular spot on the leaves, or an elongated mass on 

 the swollen and distorted petioles ; on the leaves the spot is 

 yellowish, and the cluster-cups are densely packed upon it, 

 almost touching each other, the margin torn, whitish, and 

 turned back like a fringe. Within these cups the aecidiospores 

 are bright orange and in chains, separating themselves at the 



