THE CLASSIFICATION OF FUNGI 29 



Corticium, to the erect, central-stemmed species of Cralerellus, 

 with a large, thin, deeply funnel-shaped cap, and having vague 

 wrinkles or folds on the hymenium. In every instance the sub- 

 stance of the plant is quite tiiin, often rather leathery, sometimes 

 more or less gelatinous, a feature by which the members of the 

 present family are distinguished from those of the family Clavariacece. 



Clavariace^ 



This family agrees with the Thelephoraceae in having a smooth 

 hymenium, but differs very materially in the fleshy, club-shaped 

 or much branched structure of the sporophore. Tlie simplest forms 

 are literally club-shaped, growing erect, and in some species reaching 

 a length of six to nine inches, and a thickness of an inch at the 

 widest part. There are gradations through several species until 

 we arrive at some forms rarely more than one inch in height, and 

 correspondingly thin. In some species that are usually simply 

 club-shaped, we find a club bearing one or more short branches, 

 whereas in other kinds, instead of a simple club, a densely branched 

 tuft is produced, which in some species is three to five inches high, 

 and forms very large tufts. In Sparassis, the most highly organized 

 genus included in the family, the club idea is completely lost, and 

 in its place we find a compact mass varying in size from a cricket- 

 ball to that of a football, having the entire surface broken up into 

 numerous, variously twisted, flat plates, anastomosing with or 

 growing into each other. The flesh of the fungus is almost always 

 brittle, as opposed to the members of the Thelephoraceae, where it is 

 tough and leathery. The colours are often clear and bright, yellow, 

 orange, amethyst, red, etc. On the other hand, several species are 

 pure white. 



Sparassis is considered as a delicacy, and several other species 

 are edible, and above the average. One small white species, 

 growing in dense tufts among short grass (C vermicularis) , re- 

 sembles " cheese-straws " almost exactly when cooked. None 

 are known to be poisonous or in any way injurious when eaten. 



Tremellace^ 

 In this family the entire fungus is more or less gelatinous when 

 moist, sometimes so much so that when picked up it almost loses 

 its consistency, and is inclined to slip between the fingers. When 

 allowed to dr\/ the substance becomes rigid and horny, but regains 

 its gelatinous nature when moistened. According to some authors, 

 different and widely separated families are included under what 

 is here considered as one family, the differences turning on the 

 structure of the basidia. This, however, is too detailed for present 

 consideration, and can be adopted or otherwise as the student 

 advances in the study of the fungi. In the genus Tremella all the 



