20 ‘BOTANICAL GAZETTE [JANUARY 
binucleated condition would arise is not clear. There is little 
doubt, however, that the development of multinucleated cells in 
the group is correlated with the origin of large and complex 
carpophores, and that in lacking such cells Hypochnus rep 
resents a more primitive type. . 
- Basing his conclusion on the resemblance of certain conidio- 
phores of the Ascomycetes to the so-called protobasidia, Massee 
(11) seeks to connect the Basidiomycetes with the Ascomycetes. 
He believes that it is in asexual stages of the latter that the 
ancestors of the Basidiomycetes are to be found, accepting 
Brefeld’s conclusion that the basidium is a conidiophore which 
has become determinate in the number of spores which it pro- 
duces. Massee points out that the conidiophores of these asex- 
ual forms of the Ascomycetes conform very closely to the type of 
the Auricularia basidium. From the fact that about thirty species 
of the genus Stilbum and several species of the genus Tuber- 
cularia are known to be the asexual reproductive forms of species 
of the ascus-bearing genera Nectria and Sphaerostilbe, while 
other species of the former genera have never been found con- 
nected with ascus-bearing forms, Massee argues that these latter 
asexual forms are probably becoming independent and have lost 
the ascus-bearing stage permanently. The conidiophores of the 
Stilbum form of Sphaerostilbe microspora Cooke and Massee are 
already typical protobasidia. The same is true of Tubercularia 
typical protobasidia, z. e., two or three short swollen fertile cells, 
to forms with unmodified conidiophores, 7. ¢., two or three long 
narrow fertile cells forming the end of the conidiophore, can 
be made out. Asa rule, the conidiophores are found on forms 
which are still associated with an ascus-bearing stage. Sphaero- 
stilbe microspora, however, is an exception to this rule. Isaria, 
many of whose forms are connected: with. Cordyceps, while 
others are, the author believes, independent species, shows also 
typical protobasidia in 7. pulcherrima Berk and Broome; while 
- 
