THE STORY OF THE MOULDS 



689 



THE MOULD PLANT EXTENDING ITS BRANCHES WHICH 



GIVE ORIGIN TO THE SPORE-BEARING PARTS. 



(Magnified 100 diameters.) 



do they produce seed. The " seed " 

 in the case of fungi is termed a spore. 



Immediately the minute spore reaches 

 some suitable substance on which it can 

 develop, it commences to send out a 

 delicate, thread-like structure termed a 

 hypha, which grows rapidly, form- 

 ing branches which permeate in all 

 directions the substance on which 

 it is growing, as shown above. The 

 hyphce extend so quickly that in 

 the course of a few days they begin 

 to form the thick felt-like growth 

 previously referred to, which is 

 called the mycelmm. 



From the mycelium there then 

 appear numerous aerial hyphce ; 

 and eventually these produce at v 



their summits the apparent flowers. 

 These structures, however, when 

 ripe, are seen to consist of numer- 

 ous short branches crowded to- 

 gether in brush-like heads ; each 

 little branch as it develops becom- 

 ing a row of rounded spores. In 

 the lower illustration on this page 

 are shown some of these heads 

 magnified 130 diameters. 



The whole structure of lliese some of 

 mould plants is very simple ; the 

 hyphce are composed of long tube- 



like cells filled with protoplasm, 

 or living matter; there is none of 

 the com])lex and specialised cell- 

 structure such as we are familiar 

 with in all parts of the higher plants. 

 The structure of these lowly organ- 

 isms is much the same throughout ; 

 their " roots," " branches," and 

 spore-bearing parts all bear a struc- 

 tural likeness ; even the rows of 

 s]X)res arc but branches of the 

 hyphce divided into minute bead- 

 like constrictions. 



Structurally considered, they only 

 differ from the lowest of known 

 plants (whose structures are homo- 

 geneous throughout, and often con- 

 sist of only a single cell) in the 

 fact that the plant body is di\'ided 

 into distinct vegetative and repro- 

 ductive parts. 



It is only in a few species that 

 anything of the nature of sexual 

 reproduction is known, and that 

 aspect of the subject need not 

 concern us here. The non-sexual method 

 of reproduction we may, however, now 

 consider, for it is by that means that 

 these lowly fungi are so largely propa- 

 gated upon food and other materials. 

 From the innumerable spore-bearing 



4 





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/ 



// 



THE HEADS OF SPORES SHOWN 

 ILLUSTRATION ON PAGE 688. 



(Magnified 130 diameters.) 



IN THE 



