GENERAL PHYSIOLOGY OF FUNGI 



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second and the spores of the common mushroom shortly after leaving 

 the cap fall at the rate of i mm. per second approximately. 



The violent discharge of the spores prevents the adhesive spores 

 from massing together and from sticking fast to the gill surface. At 

 first the spore is shot out horizontally, then under the influence of 

 gravity, it describes a sharp curve and then falls vertically. The 

 path described by the falling spore has been appropriately called a 



Fig. 19. — Amanitopsis vagineta. Relations of spores to the fruit-body. A, 

 Transverse section through two gills, h, basidia projecting, the arrows show spore 

 parts (sporabola), Magn. 15; B, vertical section of hymenium and subhymenium, c, 

 paraphyses, a-c, basidia stages, Magn. 370; C, isolated basidium with two basidios- 

 pores; D, discharged spore; E, basidium, Mayer, mo. (After B idler, 1909: 165. )j 



sporabola (Fig. 19). There are two distinct types of fruit bodies as to 

 spore production and spore liberation. These are the Coprinus comatus 

 and the mushroom types. The deliquescence, or melting of the fruit 

 bodies of the Coprini is a process of auto-digestion and it assists mechan- 

 ically in the discharge of the spores. Spore discharge precedes deliques- 

 cence. The spores are set free from below upward and by auto-diges- 

 tion those parts of the gills are removed from which the spores have 

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