264 



FAMILIES OF AGARICALES 



B. Clavariaceae or Coral Fungi. — This family includes the fairy 

 clubs and coral-like fleshy masses of various colors (Fig. 172, C). 

 The hymenium covers the branches. 



C. Hydnaceae or Prickly Fungi. — These fungi form masses of 

 widely various forms, but provided with spine-like outgrowths 

 upon which the hymenium is developed (Fig. 172, D). 



■<^~o=^ 



Fig. 172. Forms of the Agaricales: A, Stereum, top view. B, underside, 

 showing the characteristic smooth hymenial surface of the Telephoraceae. 



C, a coral fungus, Clavaria, with hymenium confined to the tips of the branches. 



D, a prickly fungus, Hydnum, with the hymenium on spine-like projections. 



D. Polyporaceae or Pore Fungi. — This group includes largely 

 leathery, woody or corky fungi in which the hymenium is de- 

 veloped on the surface of pores. They contain some of the most 

 destructive of the timber-destroying fungi. Many of the genera 

 of this family form shelf-like outgrowths on trees and are there- 

 fore known as bracket fungi (Fig. 173, B-D). Professor Duller 

 estimated that a single pore in one species of this group which he 

 found growing upon a decaying elm, produced no less than 

 1,700,000 spores and that the entire bracket, about 250 sq. cm. 

 in area, formed over eleven billion spores. The combined annual 

 output of the ten brackets growing upon this tree exceeded by 

 fifty times the population of the globe. This enormous spore 



