348 TEXT-BOOK OF FUNGI 



the whole collectively affording a very much greater spore- 

 bearing surface than that present in C. pistillaris. 



Notwithstanding this line of development, which is so 

 pronounced within the family, it is not continued and 

 extended in succeeding families, but dies out with the 

 Clavariaceae, which for this reason must be considered as 

 a terminal group. It was an idea mooted at the com- 

 mencement of the Basidiomycetes, which for some 

 unknown reason was early abandoned. 



Bisporous and tetrasporous basidia respectively occur 

 constantly in different species belonging to the same 

 genus. Cystidia are sometimes present. All the species 

 are edible ; the absence of differentiated poisonous pro- 

 ducts, so common in the higher Basidiomycetes, is in 

 itself evidence of a primitive position in the order of 

 evolution of the families composing the Basidiomycetes. 



The spores range in colour in different species from 

 perfectly colourless, through various suggestions of yellow 

 up to deep ochraceous, when seen in the mass thrown 

 down on paper. 



The majority grow on the ground ; a few of the smaller 

 kinds are met with on dead herbaceous stems or amongst 

 decaying vegetable matter. 



There are no true parasites. 



The family is best represented in temperate regions. 



Certain members of the Thelephoraceae resemble species 

 of Clavaria and Pterula superficially, and one genus of 

 the last - named family called Lachnocladium has been 

 included in the Clavariaceae by Saccardo in his Sylloge 

 Fungorum. This is, however, undoubtedly a mistake due 

 to superficial resemblance. Lachnocladium is a typical 

 member of the Thelephoraceae, characterised by having 



