. The Canadian field-naturalist. ]Z The Canadian Field-Naturalist [Vol. XXXIV. to that of a pea, growing larger all the while, mak- ing their way to the surface of the ground, when if conditions are favorable mushrooms will mature in a short time. The cap or pileus of a mushroom is the expanded part; on its under side are gills or lamellae, thin plates radiating from the stem to margin of the pileus, affording a foundation on which club-shaped cells stand parallel to each other. The entire sur- face of the lamellae is covered with these cells, called basidia. In Ascomycetes, including morels,
. The Canadian field-naturalist. ]Z The Canadian Field-Naturalist [Vol. XXXIV. to that of a pea, growing larger all the while, mak- ing their way to the surface of the ground, when if conditions are favorable mushrooms will mature in a short time. The cap or pileus of a mushroom is the expanded part; on its under side are gills or lamellae, thin plates radiating from the stem to margin of the pileus, affording a foundation on which club-shaped cells stand parallel to each other. The entire sur- face of the lamellae is covered with these cells, called basidia. In Ascomycetes, including morels, the distmctive feature consists of spores enclosed m a long cylin- drical tube or ascus. Like mushrooms, morels con- sist of two prominent parts, stem or stipe, and cap or pileus; but are very unlike them in general ap- pearance. The pileus varies much in form being conical, ovate, rounded, bell-shaped, or cylindrical, and is always pitted. These depressions are usually regular, covering the entire outer surface, and are separated from each other by ridges with rounded blunt edges, thus forming a network assuming a honeycombed appearance. Unlike mushrooms, the upper or exterior surface is the spore bearing part in morels, and spore sacs are developed on both ridges and depressions. The pileus is hollow, closed at the apex, and attached throughout its length to the sides of the stipe. In color it varies from shades of olive, to greenish brown, and light ochre yellow. Its stipe is hollow and continuous with the cavity of the pileus. It is stout, smooth, but covered with minute granular par- ticles, and varies from Yz to I inch in diameter. Its spores as before mentioned contained in an ascus, are smooth, hyaline, elliptical, standing obliquely, eight in a continuous row, varying in size from 19 to 22 microns long by 11 microns wide. The plant is from 2 to 4 inches high, but is often found larger. The rare species referred to in the title of this article, namely Morchella bispora
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