HIGHER FUNGI 121 



family PROXOMYCETACE.f:; is represented by the {genera Prolotnyces, 

 Monascus and Thclebolus. Protomyccs is a genus of fungi parasitic 

 in the higher plants; for example, P. macrosporus lives in Umbelli- 

 FER^, P. pachydermus in Taraxacum. The coprophilous fungus 

 Thclebolus stercoreus lives on the excrement of rabbits. It has a large 

 rounded sporangium surrounded by a cushion of hyphge. Numerous 

 spores suggestive of the moulds are formed within this sporangium. 



ORDER III. ASCOMYCETALES.— The fungi of this order are 

 characterized by a mycelium which lives either saprophytically, or 

 parasitically, with animals or plants. It has with few exceptions a 

 rank, or exuberant, development sometimes with apical growth. The 

 hyphae are septate and the cells are uninucleate, or plurinucleate. The 

 reproduction of the majority of species is through endogenous spores 

 known as ascospores, which are formed in definite numbers, usually 

 eight, sometimes less (four, two, one), and sometimes more (sixteen, 

 thirty-two, sixty-four, etc.) inside of a sporangium known throughout 

 the order as an ascus (dcr/cos = wine-skin, water bottle). Frequently, 

 they are called sac fungi, because of the sac-like ascus. The asci are 

 found either isolated, or more generally, they are in fruit bodies where 

 the asci are usually arranged along with the paraphyses between them 

 in definite layers, which may be termed ascigeral. The paraphyses 

 may assist in the discharge of the spores, but more usually their func- 

 tion is that of packing in which they serve also for the protection of 

 the adjacent asci. The fruit body is an apothecium, when it is open 

 with the ascigeral layer wholly exposed. Such apothecia may be 

 platter-like, saucer-shaped, cup-shaped, or goblet-shaped, and either 

 sessile, or stalked, the length of the stalks being a variable character. 

 The perithecium is a closed fruit body sometimes produced under 

 ground where it remains subterranean. It may be entirely closed with 

 no opening (cleistocarpous), or it may open by a pore at the top. 

 This pore may be borne directly at the top of the rounded perithecium, 

 or the perithecium may be drawn out into a larger, or a shorter neck, 

 so that it becomes flask-shaped, or bottle-like. A narrow canal may 

 lead through the neck, which may be straight, or variously curved. 

 Sometimes the paraphyses, which extend through the neck and out 

 of the pore, are designated periphyses. As accessory fruit forms, we 

 find the conidiospores, which are of various forms, and which are 

 borne singly, or in chains, at the ends of vertical hyphae (conidio- 



