LYMAN: STUDIES OF HYMENOMYCETES. 
155 
This spot becomes sunken, due to the continued upward growth of the 
surrounding sterile tissue to form the raised sides of the cup. Patouil- 
lard (’91b) observed a young cup of this age with edges nearly meeting 
above, and supposed that the cup was primarily closed, and hence that 
the development of the hymenium was angiocarpic. The writer has 
in no instance observed the formation of spores within a closed fructi¬ 
fication. The origin of the hymenium is superficial and its develop¬ 
ment entirely gymnocarpic, for the cup makes its appearance by the 
continued upward growth of the tissue at the margin of the hymenium, 
not by the rupture of an originally closed vessel. The diameter of the 
fructification increases by the continued expansion of the hymenium, 
which develops not only in the bottom but also up the sides to the 
margin of the cup. The spores are produced continuously, and since 
their dissemination is retarded by the long paraphyses and by the en¬ 
tangling lashes of the spores themselves, they collect in the cup in a 
thick red-brown mass. 
The sporophore is a short hyaline filament of nearly twice the diam¬ 
eter of the sterile hyphae below, and bears a single terminal spore. 
The origin of the sporophore in the subhymenium is difficult to trace 
in the compact mature fructification, but is easily determined by the 
examination of very young hymenia formed in cultures, which may be 
dissected out under the microscope (pi. 18, fig. 8-9). The normal 
vegetative hyphae, with diameter of 1.5-2.5 [i , give off large branches 
(3.5-4.5 fj. in diameter) which act as sporophores. Frequently the 
increase in size is gradual and the hypha may branch repeatedly before 
it bears spores, forming a cymose cluster. After the formation of the 
first spores repeated basipetal branching takes place either just at the 
bases of the spores or from lower parts of the sporophores. 
In a young hymenium spores in all stages of development are met 
with, together with many abnormalities. The process of develop¬ 
ment of the spore is as follows (pi. 18, fig. 10-13). The end of a young 
sporophore, rich in protoplasm, enlarges to form the lemon-shaped 
spore. Meantime growth continues from the upper end of the enlarg- 
ment to form the slender appendage or lash, which has about one 
half the diameter of the sporophore. As the spore approaches full 
size it is cut off from the sporophore by a septum some distance below 
the swollen portion, thus forming the stipe. The terminal appendage 
and basal stipe become vacuolate and finally emptied of their proto¬ 
plasm as it gradually concentrates in the body of the spore. The 
