. The natural history of plants, their forms, growth, reproduction, and distribution;. Botany. 690 THE SUBDIVISIONS OF THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM. horns, &c. They are all of them more or less subterranean saprophytes, appearing above' the surface to discharge their spores. The arrangements for the accomplish- ment of this purpose are very varied. The PufF-balls include the genera Lycoper- don, Bovista, Scleroderma, &c. When young a large portion of the interior has a chambered structure (the gleba), and in these chambers the spores are budded off. At maturity the fructification appears abov
. The natural history of plants, their forms, growth, reproduction, and distribution;. Botany. 690 THE SUBDIVISIONS OF THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM. horns, &c. They are all of them more or less subterranean saprophytes, appearing above' the surface to discharge their spores. The arrangements for the accomplish- ment of this purpose are very varied. The PufF-balls include the genera Lycoper- don, Bovista, Scleroderma, &c. When young a large portion of the interior has a chambered structure (the gleba), and in these chambers the spores are budded off. At maturity the fructification appears above the surface of the ground, and the whole of the substance of the walls of the chambers breaks down, except for certain branching threads (the ca/pillitium, see fig. 391 % which persists along with the. Fig. 391.—G-aateromycetes. ' I/yeoperdim constellatwm. 2 Tvloatoma mammosum. ' Capillltlum and spores of Tulostoma. * Oeaster multifidiis. ^ deastet fomicatiis. « Cyathus striatus. » Longitudinal section of same. » Clathrus cancellatus. *x80; ' slightly enlarged; the rest nat. size. minute spores {Scleroderma has no capillitium). The latter escape by the peridium becoming perforated. Lycoperdon (see fig. 391 ^) differs from Bovista in having a sterile basal portion, which is sometimes considerably elongated. In Tulostoma (fig. 391 ^) the outer layer of the peridium bursts and the sterile basal portion elongates considerably, hoisting up the gleba inclosed in an inner peridium. The Giant Puff-ball {Lycoperdon giganteum) sometimes attains huge dimensions— occasionally a metre in diameter. Allied to the Puff-balls is Geaster, the Earth-star (figs. 391 * and 391 ®). In this genus the outer peridium splits into segments and folds back, the inner peridium becoming perforated and liberating the spores. Earth-stars are met with now and then, but they are not usually very common. In Cyathus (figs. 391^ and 391'') we have a form resembling a little bird's-nest. Please note that t
Size: 1929px × 1296px
Photo credit: © The Book Worm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbotany, bookyear1895
