4 
Massee. — A Monograph of 
first described by Hoffmann 1 under the name of clamp-con- 
nections, is not uncommon, and originates as follows. A slender 
lateral branch springs close to a transverse septum separating 
two superposed cells, and after growing for some time its tip 
comes in contact with the wall of the adjoining cell just beyond 
the septum, absorption of the walls takes place at the point of 
contact, and thus at first an open communication is established 
by means of the lateral branch between the two adjoining 
cells ; at an early period this channel of communication is 
usually interrupted by the appearance of a septum at the 
point of origin of the lateral branch, and a second septum is in 
some instances formed at the point of contact with the second 
cell. The lateral branch is usually closely adpressed to the 
hypha from which it springs, but sometimes becomes arched 
and free from the hypha between the two points of attachment 
(Fig. 36). In the genus Tulostoma , in addition to clamp-con- 
nections, the hyphae are often swollen at the nodes, due to 
continued increase in diameter of the transverse septa (Fig. 
33, b). No explanation has been offered as to the meaning of 
these peculiar structures, which occur in most, if not all, genera 
belonging to the Basidiomycetes having the hypha furnished 
with transverse septa. Similar structures are characteristic of 
the genus Zygodesmus , which up to the present has been con- 
sidered as belonging to the Hyphomycetes , although, as I have 
pointed out elsewhere, it is impossible to separate by other 
than traditional ideas the present genus from Thelephora. 
The differentiation of hyphae is well seen in the group 
under consideration. In the gleba of the Lycoperdeae at a 
very early period, two sets of hyphae are present : one thin- 
walled, colourless, septate, and rich in protoplasm, give origin 
to the trama and elements of the hymenium, and usually dis- 
appear entirely after the formation of the spores (Fig. 73) ; 
the second type consists of long, thick-walled aseptate or 
sparsely septate, often coloured hyphae, which are persistent, 
and form the capillitium (Figs. 63 and 74). The latter are 
1 Bot. Ztg. 1885, p. 156. 
