MORPHOLOGY 
other forms of ascocarp. The group is also often called the Discomy- 
cetes, on account of this characteristic apothecium. In some of the 
forms sex organs have been discovered, and the ascocarp follows from 
the sexual act; in others the ascocarp 
may perhaps arise vegetatively, or at 
least from no apparent sex organs. 
Some familiar forms of Pezizales are 
as follows: 
Peziza. This genus is conspicuous 
FIG. 175. Peziza: ascocarps (apo- 
thecia) arising from the mycelium, and r ,. " >,, ,. *, 
lined with the hymenium. n aCCOUnt f the bn g htl y hned CU P S 
(ascocarps) that arise from the my- 
celium in. decaying wood, humous soil, etc., one of the most common 
forming a cup with scarlet lining (fig. 175). In the development of 
the ascocarp, fertile branches (ascogenous 
hyphae) arise and give rise to asci; sterile 
branches intermixed with these give rise to 
paraphyses (fig. 176); while other investing 
sterile branches form the cup. The origin of 
these structures and their probable relation to 
the act. of fertilization is suggested by the fol- 
lowing investigated forms: 
Pyronema. In this genus well-developed 
sex organs have been found (fig. 177). The 
female sexual apparatus superficially resembles 
the procarp of Nemalwn (see p. 56) in con- 
sisting of a globular cell (oogonium) and an 
elongated, tubelike cell (trichogyne or con- 
jugating tube). The antheridium is a terminal, 
more or less club-shaped cell which comes into 
contact with the tip of the conjugating tube and 
fuses with it. The contents of the antheridium 
pass into the conjugating tube, whose basal 
wall is then resorbed, and the antheridial 
material passes on into the oogonium (fig. 177). 
... FIG. 176. Peziza: f rag- 
Both anthendia and oogoma are multmucleate, ment of a section through the 
SO that fertilization Consists of multinucleate hymenium, showing three 
pairing (see under Albugo, p. 66). The fer- asd > each ^^ining eight 
.... . . _, , ascospores, and the hair- 
tihzed oogonium is cut off from the conjugating uke paraphyses . _ After 
tube again by a wall, and gives rise to branch- CHAMBERLAIN. 
