198 BOTANY. 



(c) Make similar studies of the smuts of wheat, oats, or barley, 

 which may be readily collected in June or a few days after the 

 "heading" of the grain. 



Systematic Literature.— Sacca,iAo, Sylloge Fungorum, 7" : 449- 

 527. 



The Imperfect Fungi. 



There are many plants (about 12,000), resembling the Sac-fungi, 

 of which we know only the conidial stage. They have been brought 

 together temporarily in three orders under the general name of ' ' Im- 

 fect Fungi." 



The Spot-fungi (Sph^ropside^) are mostly parasitic on leaves 

 and fruits of higher plants, producing whitish or discolored spots, 

 and eventually developing small perithecia-like structures containing 

 conidia. Species of Phyllosticta are common on leaves of Virginia 

 creeper, wild grape, Cottonwood, vpillow, pansy, peach, apple, wild 

 cherry, elm, etc., while species of Septoria are to be found on leaves 

 of box-elder, aster, thistle, evening primrose, wild lettuce, plum, 

 elder, etc. 



The Black-dot Fungi (Melanconie^) differ from the preceding 

 mainly in the absence of a distinct peritheciam, the spores develop- 

 ing beneath the epidermis of the host and bursting through so as to 

 form small dark-colored or black dots. Species of Glceosporium 

 and Melanconium are common on leaves, fruits, and twigs. In the 

 Moulds (Htphomycetb^) the threads grow through the stomata of 

 the host, or penetrate the outer decaying tissues, forming mouldy, 

 patches or masses. Here are many common parasites (e.g., species 

 of Ramularia, Cercospora, Fusicladium) and saprophytes (Monilia, 

 Botrytis, etc.), some of which are both parasitic and saprophytic. 



Systematic Literature. — Saccardo, Sylloge Fungorum, 3, 4. 



Class 6. BASiDiOMYCETEa;. The Higher Fungi. 



361. The plants of this class are among the largest and 

 finest of the fungi. They are mostly saprophytes whose 

 abundant vegetative filaments {mycelium) ramify through 

 the nourishing substance, and afterwards give rise to the 

 spore-fruit. The spores are produced upon slender out- 

 growths from the ends of enlarged cells (basidia), usually 

 arranged parallel to each other so as to form a spore-bear- 

 ing surface [hymeniwm), which may be external (in Toad- 



