MYXOMYCETES.
The plants under this head belong to the slime-moulds and at first are
wholly gelatinous. All the species and genera are small and easily
overlooked, yet they are intensely interesting when carefully observed.
In the morning you may see a mass of gelatinous matter and in the
evening a beautiful net work of threads and spores, the transformation
being so rapid. This gelatinous mass is known as protoplasm or
plasmodium, and the motive power of the plasmodium has suggested to many
that they should be placed in the animal kingdom, or called fungus
animals. The same is true of Schizomycetes, to which all the bacteria,
bacillus, spirillum, and vibrio, and a number of other groups belong. I
have only a few Myxomycetes to present. I have watched the development
of a number of plants of this group, but because of the scarcity of
literature upon the subject I have been unable to identify them
satisfactorily.
_Lycogala epidendrum. Fr._
[Illustration: Figure 494.--Lycogala epidendrum.]
This is called the Stump Lycogala. It is quite common, seeming in a
certain stage to be a small puffball. The peridium has a double
membrane, papery, persistent, bursting irregularly at the apex;
externally minutely warty, nearly round, blood-red or pinkish, then
brownish; mouth irregular; spores becoming pale, or violet.
_Reticularia maxima. Fr._
This is quite common on partially decayed logs. The peridium is very
thin, tuberculose, effused, delicate, olivaceous-brown; spores olive,
echinulate or spiny.
_Didymius xanthopus. Fr._
These are very small yellow-stemmed plants, found on oak leaves in wet
weather. The sporangium has an inner membranaceous peridium; the whole
is round, brown, whitish. The stem is elongated, even, yellow. The
columella is stipitate into the sporangia.
_D. cinereum. Fr._
Sporangia sessile, round, whitish, covered with an ashy-gray scurf.
Spores black. Very small. On fallen oak leaves. Easily overlooked.
_Xylaria. Schrank._
Xylaria means pertaining to wood. It is usually vertical, more or less
stipitate. The stroma is between fleshy and corky, covered with a black
or rufous bark.
_Xylaria polymorpha. Grev._
[Illustration: Figure 495.--Xylaria polymorpha. Natural size.]
Polymorpha means many forms. It is nearly fleshy, a number usually
growing together, or gregarious; thickened as if swollen, irregular;
dirty-white, then black; the receptacle bearing perithecia in every
part.
This plant is quite common in our woods, growing about old stumps or on
decayed sticks or pieces of wood. The spore-openings can be seen with an
ordinary hand-glass.
_Xylaria polymorpha, var. spathularia._
[Illustration: Figure 496.--Xylaria polymorpha var. spathularia. Natural
size.]
Spathularia means in the form of a spathula or spatula. It is vertical
and stipitate, the stem being more definite than in the X. polymorpha,
the stroma being between fleshy and corky, frequently growing in
numbers or gregarious, turgid, fairly regular, dirty-white, then
brownish-red, finally black. An ordinary hand glass will show how it
bears perithecia in all its parts. This will be clearly seen in the
section on the right.
These plants are not as common as the X. polymorpha, but are found in
habitats similar to those of the other plant, particularly around maple
stumps or upon decayed maple branches.
_Stemonitis. Gled._
Stemonitis is from a Greek word which means stamen, one of the essential
organs of a flower. This is a genus of myxomycetous fungi, giving name
to the family Stemonitaceae, which has a single sporangium or aethalium;
without the peculiar deposits of lime carbonate which characterize the
fructification of other orders, and the spores, capillitium, and
columella are usually uniformly black, or brownish.
_Stemonitis fusca. Roth._
[Illustration: Figure 497.--Stemonitis fusca. Natural size.]
Fusca means dark-brown, smoky. The sporangia are cylindrical and pointed
at the apex, peridia fugacious, exposing the beautiful net-work of the
capillitium. The reticulate capillitium springs from the dark,
penetrating stem.
This is a very beautiful plant when studied with an ordinary hand-glass.
I have frequently seen an entire log covered with this plant.
_Stemonitis ferruginea. Ehrb._
Ferruginea means rust color. The sporangia is very similar to that of S.
fusca, cylindrical, peridium fugacious, exposing the reticulate
capillitium, but instead of being dark-brown it is a yellowish or
rusty-brown color.