212 PHYLUM VII. CARPOMYCETEAE 



cells unnecessary. The vestiges of the plant body are 

 present mainly as root-like absorbing organs, which di- 

 rectly bear the reproductive structures. 



330. The Higher Fungi are propagated mainly by (1) 

 the separation of special terminal cells (conidia),and (2) 

 the separation of considerable fragments of the original 

 plant body. Zoospores are unknown in this phylum. 

 They generate by the union of the protoplasm of an an- 

 therid with the egg in an oogone, resulting in the produc- 

 tion of a spore-fruit (sporocarp) consisting of (1) sporog- 

 enous and (2) sterile tissues. In the fertilization of the 

 egg no instance is known of the production of motile 

 sperms. 



331. Because of the reduction of the plant body the 

 spore-bearing structures, asexual and sexual, appear to 

 be relatively large. Moreover, because of the dependent 

 habit of the Higher Fungi it is necessary that many spores 

 should be produced, so that correlated with their depend- 

 ence is the great increase in the number of spores, and the 

 size of the spore-bearing structures. Thus it happens 

 that in many cases there is an actual increase in the size 

 and development of the spore-bearing structures, espe- 

 cially of the spore fruits. In many Higher Fungi no 

 sexual organs have been found, and it is thought that they 

 may have disappeared through the degradation of the 

 plant body. 



332. This phylum contains about 64,000 known spe- 

 cies, and these may be arranged under three classes, with 

 an additional group of poorly understood, and unassorted 

 plants. 



A. Spore fruits containing one or more asci, with ascospores. 



Class ASCOSPOREAE. 



B. Spore fruits containing one or more basidia, with basidio- 

 spores. Class Basidiospgreae. 



