SUB-CLASS BASIDIOMYCETES.
GROUP GASTROMYCETES.
Gastromycetes is from two Greek words: _gaster_, stomach; _mycetes_,
fungus. We have already seen that, in the group, Hymenomycetes, the
spore-bearing surface is exposed as in the common mushroom or in the
pore-bearing varieties, but in the Gastromycetes the hymenium is
inclosed in the rind or peridium. The word peridium comes from _peridio_
(I wrap around); because the peridium entirely envelops the
spore-bearing portion, which, in due time, sheds the inclosed spores
that have been formed inside the basidia and spicules, as will be seen
in Figure 2. The cavity within the peridium consists of two parts: the
threaded part, called the capillitium, which can be seen in any dried
puffball, and a cellular part, called the gleba, which is the
spore-bearing tissue, composed of minute chambers lined with the
hymenium. The peridium breaks in various ways to permit the spores to
escape. When children pinch a puffball to "see the smoke," as they say,
issue from it, little do they know that they are doing just what the
puffball would have them do, in order that its seeds may be scattered to
the winds.
In case of the Phalloides, the hymenium deliquesces, instead of drying
up.
Berkeley, in his "Outlines," gives the following characterization of
this family: "Hymenium more or less permanently concealed, consisting in
most cases of closely packed cells, of which the fertile ones bear naked
spores in distinct spicules, exposed only by the rupture or decay of the
investing coat or peridium."
The following families will be treated here:
I. Phalloideae--Terrestrial. Hymenium deliquescent.
II. Lycoperdaceae--Cellular at first. Hymenium drying up in a mass of
threads and spores.
III. Sclerodermaceae--Peridium inclosing sporangia.
_Phalloideae. Fr._
Volva universal, the intermediate stratum gelatinous. Hymenium
deliquescent. _Berkeley's Outlines._
The following genera will be represented:
I. Phallus--Pileus free around the stem.
II. Mutinus--Pileus attached to the stem.
_Phallus duplicatus. Bosc._
LACED STINKHORN.
[Illustration: _Photo by C. G. Lloyd._
Plate LV. Figure 446.--Phallus duplicatus.
Natural size, showing veil.]
Volva egg-shaped, thick, whitish, frequently having a pinkish tinge.
The stem is cylindrical, cellulose, tapering upward. The veil is
reticulate, frequently surrounding the whole of the stem from the pileus
to the volva, often torn. The pileus is pitted, deliquescent, six to
eight inches high, apex acute. Spores elliptic-oblong.
I am sure I never saw finer lace-work than I have seen on this plant. A
few years ago one of these plants insisted upon growing near my house,
where a fence post had formerly been, with the effect of almost driving
the family from home. One can hardly imagine so beautiful a plant giving
off such an odor. It is not a common plant in our state.
_Phallus Ravenelii. B. & C._
[Illustration: Figure 447.--Phallus Ravenelii. Natural size, showing
volva at base, receptacle and cap.]
This plant is extremely abundant about Chillicothe. I have seen hundreds
of fully developed plants on a few square yards of old sawdust; and one
might easily think that all the bad smells in the world had been turned
loose at that place. The eggs in the sawdust can be gathered by the
bushel. In Figure 449 is represented a cluster, of these eggs. The
section of an egg in the center of the cluster shows the outline of the
volva, the pileus, and the embryo stem. Inside of the volva, in the
middle, is the short undeveloped stem; covering the upper part and sides
of the stem is the pileus; the fruit-bearing part, which is divided into
small chambers, lies on the outside of the pileus. The spores are borne
on club-shaped basidia as shown in Figure 448, within the chamber of the
fruit-bearing part, and when the spores mature, the stem begins to
elongate and force the gleba and pileus through the volva, leaving it at
the base of the stem, as will be seen in Figure 448. The large egg on
the left in the background of Figure 449 is nearly ready to break the
volva. I brought in a large egg one evening and placed it on the mantle.
Later in the evening, the room being warm, while we were reading my wife
noticed this egg beginning to move and it developed in a few minutes to
the shape you see in Figure 447. The development was so rapid that the
motion was very perceptible. The pileus is conical in shape, and after
the disappearance of the gleba the surface of the pileus is merely
granular. The plants are four to six inches high. The stem is hollow and
tapers from the middle to each end. This plant is also known as
Dictyophora Ravenelii, Burt.
[Illustration: Figure 448.--Phallus Ravenelii. Two-thirds natural size.]
[Illustration: Figure 449.--Phallus Ravenelii. Two-thirds natural size,
showing the egg stage.]
_Lysurus borealis. Burt._
[Illustration: Figure 450.--Lysurus borealis.]
The receptacle is borne on a stalk, hollow, attenuated toward the base,
divided above into arms, which do not join at their apices, and which
bear the spore mass in their inner surfaces and sides, inclosing the
spore mass when young, but later diverging.
The stem of the phalloid is white, hollow, attenuated downward; the arms
are narrow, lance-shaped, with pale flesh-colored backs, traversed their
entire length by a shallow furrow.
The egg in the center is about ready to break the volva and develop to a
full grown plant. The plants in Figure 450 were found near Akron, Ohio,
and photographed by G. D. Smith.
_Mutinus. Fr._
The gleba is borne directly on the upper portion of the stem, which is
hollow and composed of a single layer of tissue; and the plant has no
separate pileus, by which characteristic the genus differs from
Phallus.
_Mutinus caninus. Fr._
[Illustration: Figure 451.--Mutinus caninus.]
The gleba-bearing portion is short, red or flesh-colored, subacute,
wrinkled, the cap or gleba forming the spore-bearing mass which is
usually conical, sometimes oblong or ovoid, covering one-fourth to
one-sixth the total length of the stem.
The stem is elongated, spindle-shaped, hollow, cylindrical, cellular,
white, sometimes rosy. The spores are elliptical, involved in a green
mucus, 6x4u. The plant comes from an egg, which is about the size of a
quail's egg. You can find them in the ground if you will mark the place
where you have seen them growing. They are found in gardens and in old
woods and thickets. I have found this species in several localities
about Chillicothe, but always in damp thickets. Mr. Lloyd thought this
more nearly resembled the European species than any he had seen in this
country. Found in July, August, and September.
_Mutinus elegans. Montagne._
[Illustration: _Photo by C. G. Lloyd._
Plate LVI. Figure 452.--Mutinus elegans.
Natural size, showing an egg and a section of an egg.]
[Illustration: Figure 453.--Mutinus elegans. One-third natural size,
showing volva, white receptacle and red cap.]
The pileus is acuminate, perforated at apex. The stem is cylindrical,
tapering gradually to the apex, whitish or pinkish below, pileus bright
red.
The volva is oblong-ovoid, pinkish, segments two or three. The spores
are elliptical-oblong. _Morgan._
The odor of this plant is not as strong as in some of the Phalloids. The
eggs of Phallus and Mutinus are said to be very good when fried
properly, but my recollection of the odor of the plant has been too
vivid for me to try them. It is usually found in mixed woods, but
sometimes in richly cultivated fields. I have found them frequently
about Chillicothe six to seven inches high. In Figure 452 on the right
is shown an egg and above it is a section of an egg containing the
embryonic plant. This plant is called by Prof. Morgan Mutinus bovinus.
After seeing this picture the collector will not fail to recognize it.
It is one of the curious growths in nature. Found in July and August.