422 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



A search was then made for mycozymases in various edible and 

 poisonous fungi: — Agaricus campestris, A. ruhescens, A. vaginaius, A. 

 phalloides and A. csesarius contain a mycozymase similar to that of 

 Boletus ; these fungi (excluding A. ruhescens), and also Boletus edulis, 

 appear to be perfectly innocuous to frogs, while A. ruhescens contains a 

 substance which is extremely poisonous to these animals. The very 

 poisonous fungi A. muscarius, A. mappa, and A. pantJierinus do not 

 appear more poisonous to frogs tban do the edible fungi. A. phalloides 

 has a marked action. The principle poisonous to frogs contained in 

 A. ruhescens is distinct from mycozymase ; it is soluble in alcohol, and is 

 probably an alkaloid or a glucoside. 



New Cases of Mycorhiza.* — Herr A. Schicht finds this phenomenon 

 much more widely distributed than is generally supposed. He has 

 detected it in species belonging to the following natural orders : — 

 LeguminossB, Eosacese, Onagracese, UmbellifersB, Geraniacese, Oxalidefe, 

 Hypericaceae, Violaceas, Kanunculaceae, Primulacese, BorraginesB, 

 Labiatae, Plantaginese, Campanulaceaa, Eubiacese, Compositae, Dipsacaceae, 

 Valerianaceae, Smilaceae, and Gramineae ; while in other species belong- 

 ing to these or to other orders, the result was negative. He attribxites 

 the fact of its being frequently overlooked to the extreme fineness of 

 the hyphae, the diameter of which often does not exceed • 04 mm. 



Simple Mucedinese.'j' — M. J. Costantin distinguishes between the 

 simple and the compound Mucedineae, including under the former all 

 the Hyphomycetes except the Stilbieae, Tubercularieae, and Melanconieae. 

 The former are divided into fourteen groups, in three of which the spores 

 or chaplets of spores are inserted on a special apparatus, and in nine 

 directly on the filaments ; while in one they grow in a chaplet at tho 

 extremity and in the interior of a filament which remains an open tube 

 after their escape; in the last group, Bacodium, Mj/corhiza, &c., no 

 spores are produced. 



One of the fifteen groups is made up of genera usually regarded as 

 nearly allied to the Mucorini, e, g. Piptocephalis, being, like them, 

 parasites ; they may be classed as a separate family, the Martenselleae. 

 In another group are placed genera which are parasitic on fungi, such 

 as Sepedonium, Asterophora, Mycogone, Bamularia, and Helminthosporium ; 

 these are related to the Hymenomycetes through Ceplialosporium and 

 Zygodesmus ; while Mycogone appears to have alliance with Hypomyces 

 and Melanospora; and the species of Bamularia constitute, in their 

 perfect state, Sphaeriaceae, belonging to the genera Stigmatea and 

 Sfhserella. 



The general conclusion drawn by M. Costantin from his researches 

 is that the Mucedineae should not be considered as belonging exclusively 

 to the Ascomycetes, but partly also to the Basidiomycetes ; while others 

 should be constituted into the distinct families Martenselleae and 

 llhopalomycetes. 



Biology of Chytridiaceae.J— M. P. A. Dangeard regards the Chy- 

 tridiacesB as never true saprophytes. Light appears to favour the 



* Ber. Deutsch. Bot. Gesell., vi, (1888) pp. 269-72. 



t ' Mate'riaux pour I'hist. des Champignons,' ii., 8vo, Paris, 1888, 210 pp. See 

 Bull. Soc. Bot. France, xxxvi. (1888), Kev. Bibl., p. 181. 



X Me'm. sur les Chytridinees, Ire ser., fasc. 2 (2 pis.) 1888. See Morot's Journ. 

 de bot., iii. (1889), Rev. Bibl., p. ii. Cf. this Journal, 1888, p. 783. 



