THE MORPHOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT OF 
CERTAIN PYRENOMYCETOUS FUNGI. 
Mary A. NICHOLS. 
(WITH PLATES XIV-XVI) 
Tue study of the morphology and development of the 
ascomycetous fungi comprises four essential questions : (1) 
sexuality; (2) structure of sporocarp; (3) origin and develop- 
ment of spore; (4) presence, structure, and behavior of nuclei. 
The literature includes the results of many valuable investiga- 
tions dealing with one or more of these questions throughout 
the great class Fungi. The thoroughness and accuracy of this 
work has advanced steadily with the improvement of methods, 
and much of the earlier work has been disproved later. In the 
meantime two opposed schools have arisen, one maintaining the 
sexuality of the higher fungi and their relation to the Floridex, 
the other denying the presence of sexual organs and tracing the 
development of the compound sporocarp through an asexual line 
of ancestry. 
Throughout the Phycomycetes there remains little doubt of 
the existence of a distinct sexual process. Representative forms 
n the different families have been described by De Bary (1) and 
many others. The structure of the sporocarp, and origin and 
development of the spore in this group are comparatively simple 
Processes, and have been more or less thoroughly demonstrated. 
Nuclear phenomena here have also received some attention. 
Among the later and more complete articles may be cited that 
’ Istvanffy (2) treating of numerous different species. 
he Mesomycetes (Brefeld) seem to lend themselves to 
cither line of development. Those leading toward the Ascomy- 
“etes furnish some instances of undoubted cytoplasmic fusion 
ge while in the Ustilaginee and Uredinee Dangeard (3) and 
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