f> M. C. Montagne's Organography and Physiologic 



The Coniomycetes, which are real parasite.*, grow on dead or living 

 vegetables ; in the latter case they attack in preference herbaceous 

 plants, and rather the leaves than the stems, or the reproductive 

 organs, which unfortunately are not always exempt from their 

 ravages. It is in this class that the most injurious fungi are found, 

 producing rust, bunt, mildew, &c.*, the scourge of farmers. It is 

 not my intention to describe these here. It is among plants of this 

 family that we observe that method of reproduction by division f 

 (" tomipare"), which we shall again notice in the following family. 

 With regard to the mode of generation and propagation of Coniomy- 

 cetes, I shall make some observations in the general remarks on the 

 class. 



Hyphomycetes, N. von E. 



This family is not distinguished from the foregoing \ merely by 

 the presence of a vegetative system, as Fries supposes, for we have- 

 just seen that a great number of Coniomycetes possess one. We 

 must then look for the difference in a higher degree of development, 

 in a more complicated structure, and especially in the free evolution 

 of the mycelium and sporidia. 



It is divided into two grand sections, characterized by a filament- 

 ous stroma, but which differ in this, that in the one the sporidia are 

 naked or merely clothed with the same coat as the matrix, while in 

 the other they are at first contained in a sort of peridium, formed 

 by the swelling of the end of the filaments, from which they escape 

 when mature. 



The mycelium, though always free, is not alike in both these 

 sections. In the first its filaments form a sort of floccose stroma on 

 which the sporidia are fixed, or rather in the midst of which they 

 are dispersed ; these filaments are called flocci. 



In Sporotrichacea^ all the filaments recline upon the matrix, and 

 the spores, scattered amongst them, are in some degree covered by 

 them, as by a veil, an organ which we shall find more decided in 

 Phaneromycetes. Here then the mycelium is confused with the 

 fertile or spore-bearing threads, or rather the whole plant consists 

 of mycelium. But in the Botrytidea these filaments are of two 

 kinds ; the one erect and fertile (flocci fertiles), the other barren, 

 reclining on the matrix (hyphasma or hypopodium). These may be 

 regarded as the vegetative system, from whence spring the former, 



* It is curious, that in England, rust, though often extremely abundant, 

 is seldom considered injurious, except perhaps to some of the new wheats, 

 though it appears to be very destructive in France. See Henslow, /. c. — 

 M. J. B. 



+ Compare the observations of Mohl and others on the formation of cells. 

 — M. J. B. 



% It would be better perhaps to place this family first, at least if we adopt 

 a circular or reticulate system. There would then be a natural transition on 

 the one side to Hymenomycetes through Isaria, and on the other to some of 

 the more obscure Pyrenomycetes through Stilbospora, &c. This is of course 

 on the supposition that Gasteromycetes be entirely reviewed. — M.J.B. 



§ It is however to be remarked, that most species of Sporolrichum are 

 spurious. Trichothecium roseum is in reality a Dactylium, &c. — M. J. B. 



