244 



Mycologia 



logically necessary to arrange them under the fungi, or under the 

 algae. It need only be borne in mind that the study of this inter- 

 esting class of plants will be rendered difficult for many because 

 we have hitherto considered them as a separate family. Syste- 

 matise if, 3, a?* 



Quotation 12 



It is not possible at present to intercalate the lichens in the 

 fungus system in a logical, satisfactory manner, nor is it oppor- 

 tune. In order to distribute the lichens among the fungi in the 

 proper places, we must know thoroughly those fungi from which 

 the individual lichen-series arose. Though the lichenists have 

 occupied themselves with this question for a long time, we do not 

 yet know the fungi which first entered into the consortium. Nor 

 is there much hope of knowing these fungi, since the fossil lichens, 

 which could serve as guides, are wanting and the recognition of 

 the original consortium fungi has been rendered difficult through 

 the fact that the primitive fungus has undergone transformation 

 in the consortium and probably, as a lichen- former, entered upon 

 a different phylogenetic path than that taken by the primitive 

 fungus which did not enter into the consortium. In this I fix my 

 eyes upon the present condition of lichenology, for we cannot 

 pass judgment on what science may yet discover. Now, one can 

 distribute the lichens in the fungus system according to the apoth- 

 ecium-type, but nothing new is gained thereby, indeed the parallel- 

 ism in this respect is sufficiently well known. Or one may insert 

 the lichen-groups in the fungus-system approximately according 

 to their points of departure : The Coniocarpei perhaps after Stil- 

 bnm, the Graphidaceae (including Rocella) after Hysterium, the 

 Lecidea-Usnea series after Patellaria and here also the Cyanophile 

 for most part, etc. Thereby would come about a quite bizzare 

 fungus-system. It would certainly seem odd to find the Opeg- 

 rapha-Rocella series after Hysterium and the related fungus- 

 genera, or the Lecidea-Usnea series after Pragmopara, etc. But 



* Da der Thallus von Lichenes eine Symbiose von Ascomyceten mit Algae 

 (Cyanophyceen oder Chlorophyceen) darstellt, so ist es wissenschaftlich wohl 

 notig, sie unter die Fungi, resp. Algae einzureihen. Zu bedenken ist nur, dass 

 fur viele das Studium dieser interessanten Pflanzenklasse erschwert wird, da 

 man sie bisher als eine geschlossene Familie betrachtete. 



