Nature and development of plants . rather than the majority of the 5,000 species of the family are edible,some of them contain the most deadly poisons. No rule can begiven that will enable the collector to separate these fungi intothe two mythical groups of poisonous toadstools and edible mush-rooms. Each species must be known individually before it issafe to use them for food. All forms with a volva should bemost carefully identified, because this is a feature of the deadlyamanitas (Fig. 167), which are among the most poisonous plantsknown. The remaining orders of Basidiomycetes a
Nature and development of plants . rather than the majority of the 5,000 species of the family are edible,some of them contain the most deadly poisons. No rule can begiven that will enable the collector to separate these fungi intothe two mythical groups of poisonous toadstools and edible mush-rooms. Each species must be known individually before it issafe to use them for food. All forms with a volva should bemost carefully identified, because this is a feature of the deadlyamanitas (Fig. 167), which are among the most poisonous plantsknown. The remaining orders of Basidiomycetes are characterized bythe concealment of the basidia in cavities and are for this reasoncollectively known as the Gasteromycetes, meaning stomachfungi. Among the more common orders may be mentioned: 97. Order d. Lycoperdales or Puff Balls.—These familiarfungi are developed, as in the Agaricales, on strands of themycelium, which often form extensive net-like threads in rottenstumps, logs, sawdust and humus (Fig. 171). The puff balls. Fig. 171. Cluster of common puffballs, Lycoperdon. At left three olderones have opened, permitting discharge of basidiospores. vary in size from a pea to over a foot in diameter. When young,they consist of white cheesy masses of hyphae which form inthe interior of the puff ball a series of irregular cavities lined withbasidia and on the exterior, a rather firm skin or periderm (Fig.\y2). At maturity, the inner hyphae break up, leaving only adusty mass of spores and in some cases firmer hyphae, the capil-litium. The skin ruptures in various ways; often by one or DEVELOPMENT OF PLANTS 235 more pores at the top, and the least touch now causes the sporesto sift out in smoke-like puffs, hence the popular name of puffballs. In the earth stars (Fig. 173) the outer layer of the
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