12 Charles E. Bessey 



are the primitive Carpomyceteae, and it is through them that the higher 

 forms have been derived. Dr. Bessey presented these views in a paper 

 entitled " A Suggestion as to the Phylogeny of the Ascomycetes " read 

 before the Botanical Society of America in its meeting in Cleveland, on 

 January 2, 1913, and subsequently published in Mycologischcs Ccntralblatt, 



Vol. III. 



Manifestly such a theory of the origin of the Higher Fungi necessitates 

 a consideraisle rearrangement of their orders and families, so as to indi- 

 cate their phyletic taxonomy. For several years I have given this matter 

 consideration, and have ventured to construct a genealogical tree involving 

 this theory of the "lichen" origin of the Carpomyceteae, and have arrived 

 at a fairly satisfactory arrangement of the orders. I have not yet ven- 

 tured upon a rearrangement of the families in these orders, because of 

 the appalling multiplicity of details confronting me. In this tree the main 

 stem is made up of the Discolichenes, from which are derived such fungal 

 and " lichen " orders as Caliciales, Pliacidiales, Graphidales and Hysteri- 

 ales. These again give rise to other less primitive orders, all characterized 

 by the production of ascospores, and constituting the lower class Asco- 

 sporeac. From this class by further modification have come the two 

 classes Basidiosporcae and Teliosporeae. 



The taxonomy of the Carpomyceteae in my paper entitled " A Synopsis 

 of Plant Phyla," published in these Studies (Vol. VII, No. 4) nearly six 

 years ago, was based upon the usual theory that the " lichens " are modi- 

 fied, or at least peculiar fungi. The time has now come for a rearrange- 

 ment based upon the new theory. Accordingly on the pages following, 

 such a rearrangement is given, with a few additions and some slight 

 modifications of some of the descriptions. 



Class 15. ASCOSPOREAE. Asctis Fungi. Spore-fruits 

 spherical, cup-shaped, or irregular, simple or compound, always 

 including one or more spore-sacs (asci) containing spores (asco- 

 spores). (About 29,000 species.) 



Order Laboulbeniales. Beetle Fungi. Plants minute, few- 

 celled, erect, attached below, and bearing one or more antherids 

 and oogones, which produce one or more simple, ascigerous fruits. 



Family i. Laboulbeniaceae. Plants parasitic upon insects 

 (mostly upon beetles) or at least attached to them. More than fifty 

 genera, and about five hundred species are known. Lahoulhcnia, 

 Ceratomyces, Dichomyces. (Pf. I, i, 491.) 



Order Discolichenes. Disk Lichens. Plants parasitic upon 

 lower green plants (mostly Myxophyceae and Protophyceae) and 

 thus constituting " lichens." Apothecia circular, typically cup- 

 shaped or plate-shaped. (The hosts are still known as "go- 

 nidia.") 



Family 2. Lecanactidaceae. Crustaceous lichens with Trente- 



48 



