TYPE STUDIES IN THE HYDNACEAE 1 — VII. 
THE GENERA ASTERODON AND 
HYDNOCHAETE 
Howard J. Banker 
The genus Asterodon is monotypic, having been established by 
Patouillard in 1894 on A. ferruginosum Pat. 2 The genus may 
be characterized as follows : 
Hymenophore epixylous, perennial, wholly resupinate, separ- 
able, umber to fulvous ; substance dry, fibrous, concolorous ; hy- 
menium setulose with reddish straight, simple or branched setae; 
teeth slender, terete, tapering; spores hyaline, smooth; hyphae 
slender, somewhat rigid, non-septate. 
The presence and character of the setae is one of the distinguish- 
ing features of the genus. They are modified free ends of single 
hyphae which may project as simple spines or may branch at 
right angles into three or four spines giving a stellate appearance. 
The end of the hypha in either case has the walls thickened and 
becomes darker, more reddish in color and tapers to a sharp point. 
These should by no means be called cystidia as they are distinctly 
spine-like and not at all of the form of sacs or cysts. It is to be 
observed that the term cystidium has come to be used very loosely 
and inaccurately in some late mvcological literature and is fre- 
quently employed where the term seta should be used. 
In 1897, Charles H. Peck founded his genus Hydnochaete on 
H. setigera Peck 3 a single species which proves to be identical 
with Asterodon ferruginosum Pat. Hydnochaete Peck is, there- 
fore, a typonym of Asterodon Pat. The name Hydnochaete, how- 
ever, had been previously used by Bresadola. Aware of this fact 
and not knowing the relation of Peck’s genus to Asterodon Pat., 
Saccardo in 1898 proposed the name Hydnochaetella 4 for Peck’s 
1 Investigation prosecuted with the aid of a grant from the Esther Herr- 
man Research Fund of the New York Academy of Science. 
2 Pat. Bull. Soc. Myc. 10: 130. PI. 5. 1894. 
3 Peck, Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 50: 113. 1897. 
4 Sacc. Tab. Com. Gen. Fung. 11. 1898. 
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