GENERAL PHYSIOLOGY OF FUNGI 



63 



{PsalUota) campestris with a diameter of 8 cm. produced 1,800,000,000 

 spores, one of Coprimis annatus 5,000,000,000 and one of Polyporiis 

 sqnamosus 11,000,000,000 spores. Buller has estimated that a large 

 fruit body of the giant puffball Lycopcrdon bovisla (40 X 28 X 20 cm.) 



Fig. 17. — Diagram of the discharge of spores from a fruit-body of Polyslictus 

 versicolor as seen by a beam of light. A stream of spores is carried round within 

 the beaker very slowly by convection currents and recorded. Reduced about 2/3. 

 {After Buller: Researches on Fungi, 1909: 97.) 



contained 7,000,000,000,000 spores, or as many as 4000 mushrooms 

 of the size above mentioned. 



Spores dropping from any fruit body which is suspended in a 

 closed glass chamber can be seen in clouds, or individually, without the 



