MUCOK. 



203 



The most interesting of all the species of Mucor is M~ 

 (Amylomyces} Rouxii, on account of the great use which is 

 made of it for the conversion of starch into sugar on a com- 

 mercial scale. It was isolated by Calmette in 1892 from 

 " Chinese yeast/' small greyish-white cakes, which consist of 

 rice grains kneaded together with different kinds of spice. 

 Calmette, however, only described the characteristic mycelium 

 which exhibited gemmae (chlamydospores), and called the 



Fig. 37. Mucor circinelloiden (after van Tieghem and Gayon). 1, Mycelium ; b, main branch ; 

 e, root-like branches ; r, axillary branches ; 2-4, development of sporangia ; 5, opened sporangia ; 

 <i, spores ; 7, submerged mycelium and budding cells. 



fungus Amylomyces. Wehmer subsequently described T the 

 sporangia, and Vuillemin described in detail its characteristic 

 features. On a solid substratum, such as rice, it forms a yellow 

 covering, which is due to an aggregation of yellow oil in the 

 cells. The same appearance is found when the mycelium 

 spreads over the surface of li quids, but the submerged portions 

 are grey in colour. A temperature slightly above 30 C. is- 



