ASCIGEROUS FUNGI— ASCOMYCETES 169 



Acuminate paraphyses are confined to such minute hairy 

 Pezizae as formed a portion of the old series Dasyscypha before 

 the large genus Peziza was broken up into small genera. They 

 are slender, thickest in the middle, and diminished towards 

 either extremity, so as to be narrowly fusiform, with the apex 

 acutely pointed. As they are considerably longer than the 

 asci, they project on the hymenium and impart to it a velvety 

 appearance. 



Branched paraphyses may be met with amongst linear, 

 clavate, and capitate paraphyses, but not the acuminate, which 

 last are always simple. Usually the branching is a simple 

 furcation, with the branch reaching to the same height as 

 the main stem. Nodulose or inflated paraphyses are rare, 

 such as are found in Peziza sterigmatizans and Otidea 

 apophysata; but in these cases they do not seem to be 

 accidental, but normal, and therefore incidentally valuable in 

 the determination of species. In other species abnormal 

 developments of paraphyses have been seen and figured, but 

 they are not permanent to the species, and seldom to be met 

 with, so that they cannot be considered as other than abnormal 

 developments. 



Dissilient paraphyses are those in which the upper joint or 

 joints when mature break off, and give a pulverulent appear- 

 ance to the disc. They are not uncommon amongst the 

 Patellariaceae. There seems to be no valid evidence that the 

 cast-off cells partake at all of the character of gonidia, or are 

 capable of germination. 



The functions of paraphyses appear to be mainly the pro- 

 tection of the fructiferous organs. Surrounding the asci, they 

 seem to stand in a similar relationship to them as in flowering 

 plants the corolla bears to the essential organs. They con- 

 stitute in the earlier stage of growth the entire hymenium, 

 and in this stage form a disc with their upper extremities, as 

 witnessed in the Discomycetes ; whilst their parallel sides, 

 immersed in a gelatinous fluid, afford ready channels for the 

 growth and development upwards of the sporidiiferous asci. 

 It can readily be imagined that such a structure affords very 

 great protection for the asci during growth. It can hardly be 

 supposed that delicate asci could successively be produced on 



