CHAPTER XIX 

 LIFE HISTORIES OF FUNGI 



247. The Groups of Fungi. — We are all more or less 

 familiar with fungi, as represented by the common 

 molds, mildews, toadstools, and mushrooms. They 

 are all plants without chlorophyll, and are therefor>e 

 dependent upon green plants for their nourishment. 

 The Greek word for fungi is mycetes, and this word 

 terminates the names of the various groups, as follows : 



1. Phy corny cetes, alga-like fungi; so-called 

 because they closely resemble certain 

 algas, except for the lack of chlorophyll. 



2. Ascomycetes, sac-fungi; so-called because 

 their asexual spores are formed in tiny 

 sacs (asci). 



3. Basidiomy cetes, with spores borne on 

 little club-shaped hyphas, or basidia. In- 

 clude the smuts, rusts, and mushrooms. 



AN ALGA-LIKE FUNGUS (RHIZOPUS) 



248. Habitat.^ — Everyone is acquainted with "bread 

 mold," a plant without chlorophyll, and having a fila- 

 mentous plant body. There are many kinds of fila- 

 mentous fungi, more or less closely related to Rhizopus, 

 and growing on various substances or "substrata." 

 They all agree in at least three points: (i) they are always 

 filamentous; (2) they never possess chlorophyll; (3) they 

 always grow on some organic substratum. The sub- 



256 



