436 



BOTANY OF THE LIVING PLANT 



branching and knotting together of its hyphae, form dense masses 

 stored with nutritive material, hard and dark coloured, called sclerotia. 

 When the rest of the mycelium is killed off by dry or cold weather 





Fig. 369. 

 a, fc = conidial stage of Clavkeps, developed in the flower of Rve. c=sr!erotia 

 replacing tlie grains of the ear of Rye. d, e — germination of the sclerotia in spring. 

 Sec Text. (After Tnlasnc.) (1-roni Marshall Ward.) 



these remain uninjured, and may germinate, forming at first fresh 

 superficial mycelium and conidia ; but, later on, outgrowths may 

 spring directly from them, as in some species of Peziza, which bear 

 broad disc-like fruits. Those Asconiycetes which have such flat open 

 fruits are ranked as Discomyceles (Fig. 368). The most notorious 

 sclerotia are those of Claviceps purpurea, the Frgot of Rye, a fungus 



