. Botany for agricultural students . Botany. 366 THALLOPHYTES other agents. When located on favorable organic matter, the spores grow directly into new mycelia. Although Morels spring up quickly, often apparently over night, much time is required for the development of the sub- terranean mycelium before the aerial portion is developed. No sexual reproduction has been discovered in the Morels, and the only spore known is the ascospore. Some other edible Ascomycetes, which command high prices in Europe, are the Truffles, which belong in the order Tube- rales. The distinctive feature of the Truff
. Botany for agricultural students . Botany. 366 THALLOPHYTES other agents. When located on favorable organic matter, the spores grow directly into new mycelia. Although Morels spring up quickly, often apparently over night, much time is required for the development of the sub- terranean mycelium before the aerial portion is developed. No sexual reproduction has been discovered in the Morels, and the only spore known is the ascospore. Some other edible Ascomycetes, which command high prices in Europe, are the Truffles, which belong in the order Tube- rales. The distinctive feature of the Truffles is that the ascocarp occurs wholly underground. The ascocarp, which is tuber-like, is closed except for a small opening and the spores are released by the decay of its walls. Since they are underground, they are very difficult to find, and experts hunt them by the aid of trained pigs or dogs which detect them through the sense of smell. No sexual reproduction has been dis- covered, but not much is known of their life cycle. Cup Fungi (Pezizales). — The Cup Fungi include many species most of which are saprophytes. The loose my- cplium develops in decaying rich humus, decaying wood, or leaf mold, and when well established it produces above the surface an ascocarp which has the form of a disk, funnel, or cup. Such an ascocarp is called an apothecium to distinguish it from other types of ascocarps. Peziza. — This genus, a species of which is shown in Figure 317, is common in the woods and the cup-shaped apothecium is sometimes 2 or 3 inches across and often brightly colored. In one common form the interior of the cup is bright scarlet. The interior of the apothecium is lined with a hymenium consisting of parallel, sterile, hyphal threads or paraphyses among which occur the asci each containing eight spores. By the swelling and rupturing of the asci the ripe spores are expelled and then scat-. FiG. 316.—Asci (a) of the Morel, showing the ascospores (X about 200). The hypha
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectbotany, bookyear1919
