1920] 



I 1 'A L KER—C YA TH US 



17 



shows the interior of a mature peridiole with the cavity almost 

 completely filled with the oval binucleate spores. In thickness and 

 consistency the walls of the peridiole are more like those of C. fas- 

 cicularis, and like it are much thinner on the ends than on the sides. 



In Crucibulum, however, the filaments of the outer wall remain 

 entirely ungelatinized for a longer time, and this tissue is more 

 definitely separated from the gelatinizing filaments surrounding 

 it by a thin border layer of filaments which soon become entirely 

 gelatinized. The remnants of these gelatinized filaments border- 

 ing the peridioles take the red stains (saffranin and fuchsin) deeply, 

 thus giving the very conspicuous border to the outer wall of the 

 peridioles as seen in fig. 70. As can be seen in figs. 58 and 61, 

 much more of the undifferentiated glebal tissue remains and under- 

 goes complete gelatinization than in the species of Cyathus studied. 



The funiculus has its origin, as already pointed out, in a region 

 of more active growth just to the under side of the young peridiole 

 (figs. 56, 67). In this region the filaments elongate very rapidly, 

 and soon develop into a stout bundle of parallel filaments extending 

 from the young peridiole to the glebal wall (figs. 57, 68). The 

 filaments forming this bundle are surrounded by gelatinizin 



or 



filaments which extend in the same general direction, and will 

 form the sheath of the funiculus. The central strand of parallel 

 filaments continues its elongation as the basidiocarp develops, 

 and by the time a palisade layer is differentiated (figs. 58, 59) two 

 definite regions are easily distinguishable, a region of much coiled 

 and twisted filaments forming a knot just below the peridiole, and 

 a long slender strand reaching down much below the present posi- 

 tion of the peridiole and widening out as it attaches itself to the 

 peridium (fig. 59). This was also described by Tulasne. 



These strands are easily traceable far down the sides of the 

 peridium by the conspicuous clamp connections which are abun- 

 dantly present (fig. 60). The position of the clamps indicates- that 

 growth in the strand is upward from the peridial region. Among 

 the gelatinizing filaments surrounding the central strand of the 

 funiculus can clearly be seen the less gelatinized filaments making 

 up the sheath of the funiculus (figs. 61, 62, 70). A funiculus 

 from a nearly mature basidiocarp is shown in figs. 69 and 70. 





