ALBERT R. MANN LIBRARY NEw YorK STAI: COLLEGES OF AGRICULTURE AND Homer ECONOMICS AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY Tina Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924001327950 BRITISH FUNGUS-FLORA. BRITISH FUNGUS-FPLORBA. A CLASSIFIED TEXT-BOOK OF MYCOLOGY. BY GEORGE MASSEE, AUTHOR OF “ PLANT LIFE,” ‘THE PLANT WORLD,” ETC. IN THREE VOLUMES. VOL, I. LONDON: GEORGE BELL & SONS, YORK ST., COVENT GARDEN, AND NEW YORK. 1892. LONDON: : PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, Lourzp, STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS. PREFACE. —_+—-—. Ir is now twenty-one years since the last complete British Mycological Flora was published—Cooke’s “Handbook of British Fungi”—the number of species therein described being 2810, whereas the species now number 4895, and are distributed as follows :—Basidiomycetes, 1980; Ascomycetes, 1275 ; Sphaeropsideae, 685; Hyphomycetes, 580; Uredineae and Ustilagineae, 230; Phycomycetes, 145. In the Basidiomycetes, with which the present volume deals, the specific characters are mainly derived from morphological features, with the additional physiological characters furnished by colour, smell, and taste, and are consequently not so readily determined as in some of the ‘other groups, where the size of the spores in microns is by many considered, along with a knowledge of the host, to be all that is required for the discrimination of species; and when we bear in mind that no two persons ever succeed in making the same measurements of the spores of a given species, else the spores are very variable in the same species, the great increase in number of microscopic fungi is not to be wondered at. There are no better marked species to be met with anywhere in the vegetable kingdom than in the Agaricinae, but the majority of species vary within certain limits. I have vi PREFACE. observed this varietal difference to be very clearly marked between many species common to the north and south of England respectively, and the differences are in many cases yet more strongly emphasized in forms of the same species from different countries. To the expert, these modifications rarely cause embarrassment, but with the beginner the case is very different, and trivial modifications that do not in any way affect the true specific character, are not unfrequently considered as indicating a distinct species. It is one thing to recognise a species by some unimportant mark that may be constant in one locality, and another to thoroughly grasp the true specific characters that remain constant in every locality. With the object of lessening the difficulties indicated above, in addition to the specific diag- nosis, extracts have been given from one or more authorities, describing minor variations of colour, texture, form, &c., in the case of species prone to variation. The various works of the late Professor Elias Fries of Upsala, have served as the basis from whence specific characters have been drawn up, and in cases where the description covers the typical British form, have been given intact. Itis hoped that all sources of information have been acknowledged. As all the individuals of a given species are not cast in the same mould, it will be understood that the various measure- ments given apply to the average size of the part indicated. G. MASSEE. Kew, Surrey, 1892. INTRODUCTION BASIDIOMYCETES GaSTROMYCETES . Hymenogastreae . Octaviania . Melanogaster Hydnangium Hysterangium Rhizopogon Hymenogaster Sclerodermeae Scleroderma Polysaccum Nidularieae Cyathus Crucibulum Nidularia . Sphaerobolus Thelebolus Lycoperdeae Lycoperdon Geaster Tulostoma . Battarrea Phalloideae Ithyphallus CONTENTS. Viii Mutinus Clathrus Aseroe Pilacreae HYMENOMYCETES Tremellineae Auricularieae Auricularia Hirneola Tremellineae Exidia Ulocolla Tremella Naematelia Gyrocephalus Tremellodon Dacryomycetae Dacryomyces Dacryopsis . Guepinia Ditiola Apyrenium. Calocera Clavarieae . Sparassis Clavaria Pterula Typhula Pistillaria . Thelepkoreae Coniophora Aldridgea . Thelephora Soppittiella Exobasidium CONTENTS. PAaGk 45 46 46 47 49 53 57 57 58 58 58 59 60 64 65 65 66 66 68 69 70 70 71 73 74 75 87 88 89 93 - 98 - 103 . 103 - 106 - 108 Peniophora Hymenochaete Corticium Stereum Cladoderris Craterellus Cyphella Solenia Hydneae Hydnum Caldesiella . Sistotrema . Irpex Radulum Phiebia Grandinia . Porothelium Odontia Knieftia Mucronella Polyporeae Merulius Daedalea Trametes Poria. Polystictus Fomes Polyporus . Fistulina Boletus Agaricineae Melanosporae Coprinus Anellaria Panaeolus . VOL. I. CONTENTS. ix x CONTENTS. PAGE Psathyrella. , ae 5 . 338 Gomphidius : A : : : : : 346 Porphyrosporae " . ; : : . 350 Psathyra : . : . . : = 352 Psilocybe ee tt, WO, . 368 Hypholoma : : . . F . 5 378 Stropharia . ‘ z is 3 é é ‘ . 395 Pilosace. . : : . : c . 408 Agaricus ‘ 3 = i : 4 $09 Chitonia . ‘ és 417 Lis 2 Agaricus campestris Agaricus comptulus Aldridgea gelatinosa Anellaria separata . Auricularia mesenterica .. Battarrea phalloides Boletus luteus Caldesiella ferruginosa Calocera viscosa Chitonia rubriceps . Cladoderris minima Clathrus cancellatus Clavaria abietina Clavaria inaequalis . Clavaria pistillaris . Coniophora olivacea Coprinus atramentarius Coprinus comatus Coprinus congregatus . Coprinus fimetarius Coprinus narcoticus. Coprinus platypus . Coprinus Spraguei . Corticium salicinum Craterellus cornucopioides Crucibulum vulgare Cyathus striatus Cyathus vernicosus . Cyphella capula. Dacryomyces chrysocoma Dacryomyces stillatus . Dacryopsis nuda Daedalea quercina . Exidia glandulosa Exidia recisa -. - Exobasidium vaccinii . xi OF FIGURES: eens PAGE 351 | Fistulina hepatica . 351 | Fomesigniarius . 97 | Geaster hygrometricus 303 | Gomphidius viscidus 56 | Grandinia granulosa 28 | Guepinia peziza. 185 | Gyrocephalus rufus . 149 | Hirenola auricula-judae 56 | Hydnangium carneum . 351 | Hydnum aureum 97 | Hydnum repandum 43 | Hymenochaete rubiginosa 74 | Hymenogaster citrinus 74 | Hymenogaster decors 74 | Hymenogaster tener 94 | Hypholoma hypoxanthus 303 | Hypholoma oedipus 303 | Hypholoma sublateritius . 303 | Hysterangium nephriticum 303 | Irpex obliquus . a Ai 303 | Ithypallus impudicus . 303 | Kneiffia setigera 303 | Lycoperdon nigrescens 94 | Lycoperdon pyriforme . 94 | Melanogaster variegatus 20 | Merulius corium 28 | Mucronella calva 20 | Mutinus caninus ‘ 94 | Naematelia encephala 56 | Nidularia pisiformis 56 | Octaviania asterosperma 56 | Odontia fimbriata 185 | Panaeolus retirugis 56 | Peniophora cinera . 56 | Phlebia radiata . Pilacre Petersii xi Pilosace algeriensis. Pistillaria quisquilaris ‘ Pistillaria tenuipes Polyporus fumosus Polyporus perenuis . Polysaccuin pisocarpium Polystictus versicolor Poria Gordoniensis . Poria medulla-panis Porothelium confusum Psathyra gyroflexa . Psathyra urticaecola -Psathyrella arata Psathyrella disseminata Psilocybe udus . Radulum orbiculare Rhizopogon rubescens Scleroderma vulgare Sistotrema confluens Solenia anomala LIST OF FIGURES, Soppittiella cristata Sparassis crispa Sphaerobolus stellatus Stereum ochroleucum . Stereum purpureum Stereum Sowerbei . Strobilomyces strobilaceus Stropharia aeruginosa . Stropharia melasperma . Stropharia semiglobata . Thelebolus terrestris Thelephora laciniata ‘Trametes gibbosa Tremella lutescens Tremella mesenterica Tremellodon gelatinosum . Tulostoma mammosum. Typhula erythropus Ullocolla saccharina FPUNGUS-FPLORA. —— INTRODUCTION, NATURE AND ORIGIN oF Funct. Ix a systematic work the very fascinating study of fungi, comprising general morphology, life-history, &c., can receive but very brief attention; nevertheless, a clear knowledge of such is indispensable to an intelligible appreciation of systematic work, which, if based on the system of natural affinities, is the outcome of a correct knowledge of the morphological and physiological peculiarities of the members under consideration. Fungi belong to the division of plants known as Crypto- gams, amongst which they are conspicuous by the entire absence of chlorophyll. This peculiarity determines the mode of life of the fungi, and limits their distribution to those places where organic matter is present, which serves as food, as owing to the absence of chlorophyll inorganic matter cannot be assimilated. Those fungi that feed on dead organic substances, as decaying wood, vegetable humus, &e., are called saprophytes: whereas thuse that derive their food from living plants ur animals are known as parasites. Some species are saprophytes during one period of their existence and parasites at another. Fungi are not the only Cryptogams devoid of chlorophyll ; two other groups, the Myxomycetes or Mycetozoa, and the Schizomycetes or Bacteria agree in this point, but these latter are distinguished by the absence of hyphae or my- celium. The tissues of fungi always consist of rows of cells, called hyphae; these may consist of very long continuous cells without transverse septa, or septa may be present, when VOL. I. B 2 FUNGUS-FLORA. the hypha consists of a row of superposed cells. In numerous _ species the hyphae form a loose, yielding structure, as in the common mushroom, where they are arranged in a more or less parallel manner in the stem or stipe, or intricately inter- woven, as in the cap or pileus. In perennial species, on the other hand, the hyphae are compacted to form a dense, elastic, corky tissue; or, in some species of Polyporus, the substance becomes dark-coloured and as hard as wood. The loose, floecose hyphae forming the vegetative portion of the fungus is called the mycelium, or spawn. In many species certain of the hyphae become differentiated into laticiferous hyphae, and contain a dense, granular liquid called latex, or ‘milk,’ as usually described in systematic works; such cells are exceedingly abundant in the genus Lactarius, and con- stitute one of its specific characters, the ‘milk,’ or latex, escaping in drops when the tissue is broken. Laticiferous cells are also present in many other genera. The Fungi are considered as having descended from the algae, the initial phase of departure being the suppression of chlorophyll, after which they gradually adopted an aerial mode of life; and at the present day we recognise two primary lines of departure and specialisation, the Ascomycetes and the Basidiomycetes. The first-named group is oldest in point of time, and, as would be expected, is structurally most in touch with the algae, especially the lower or algal-like forms, such as Pythium, Saprolegnia, &c., which differ from certain algae, as: Vaucheria, more especially in the absence of chlorophyll, in other respects the general structure is almost identical; such fungi are in many instances aquatic, and possess sexual organs of functional value, an antheridium, or fertilising body—male—and a large cell, or oogonium— female—the contents of which, after fertilisation, become capable of reproducing the species; the fertilised bodies con- tained within the oogonium, or mother-cell, are called oospores, and the leading idea of the Ascomycetes is that of producing the reproductive bodies or spores in a mother-cell, where they remain till mature. As the evolution of the Ascomycetes proceeds, the sexual organs are gradually sup- pressed, until eventually the spores are produced in a mother- cell or ascus without the intervention of any sexual process. Along with the above mode of reproduction, a second or INTRODUCTION. 3 asexual mode is usually present in most species, consisting of minute, differentiated, spore-like bodies, borne at the tips of special branches, and not enclosed in mother-cells or asci, but naked. Such reproductive bodies are termed conidia, which in many instances have been proved to reproduce the fungus either directly or indirectly, as the spores produced in asci—ascospores—do. In many of the Ascomycetes the conidia and higher asco- spores are produced by the same structure, the two forms of reproductive bodies either appearing at the same time, or more frequently the conidia appear first, the ascospores being produced at a later stage. In other species the conidia and ascospores are respectively borne by two morphologically and organically distinct structures, which are often so dis- similar in general appearance, that before the relationship between the two was known they were placed in different genera, or even in different families. As already mentioned, a marked feature in the evolution of the Ascomycetes is the gradual suppression of the sexual organs of reproduction, accompanied by a corresponding evolution and differentiation of the sexual mode of reproduc- tion. On the total disappearance of the sexual mode of reproduction, we find the second great group of fungi—the Basidiomycetes—gradually evolving through the Ustilagineae, and the Uredineae, families including the well-known ‘ bunt,’ ‘rust,’ and ‘smut’ of our cereals, until finally, the character- istic features of the Basidiomycetes are clearly indicated in the Tremellineae, and the Thelephoreae, the most prominent character being the production of naked spores—that is, not formed in a mother-cell—at the tips of large, terminal cells known as basidia ; as a rule each basidium bears four spores, sometimes called basidiospores, at its apex. The basidia are packed side by side, their tips bearing the spores forming the free surface of the structure, the whole constituting the hymenium, or spore-bearing surface. The further evolution of the Basidiomycetes is most evident in connection with the development of the sporophore for the two purposes of pro- viding the greatest possible area of hymenium or spore- bearing surface with the least possible expenditure of material, and also for the most effective means of spore dissemination. : B 2 4 FUNGUS-FLORA. ' The mycelium or vegetative portion of a fungus, being concerned in obtaining and assimilating food, is usually buried in the substratum or matrix from which the fungus obtains its food, whereas the portion that appears in the air has to do entirely with the reproductive phase, in other words is either directly or indirectly concerned with the production of spores, and collectively coustitutes the sporo- phore, which in turn receives special names in the different ‘groups, or in complicated cases different paris are in- dividualised ; for example, in the common edible mushroom (Agaricus campestris), the vegetative portion or mycelium is buried in the ground, the whole of the above-ground structure being the highly differentiated sporophore, con- sisting of a stipe or stem, and a pileus or cap. A veil is also present in the form of a thin membrane stretched from the stem to the margin of the pileus for the purpose of protecting the gills during the young stage, while the spores are growing, the whole of this complex sporophore being for the purpose of producing spores on the gills or lamellae, protecting them during their development, and assisting in their dispersion at maturity. In addition to the two primary groups of fungi indicated above there exist others, included under the families known as Hyphomycetes, Melanconieae, &c. Most of the forms in- cluded: in these families are minute, and popularly known as ‘moulds,’ ‘mildews,’ &c.; many such have of late years been proved to be phases in the life-cycle of higher fungi, mostly belonging to the Ascomycetes. Numerous species, however, yet remain without any indicated connection with higher forms, and consequently must for the present be considered as species. Fuller morphological and physiological information re- specting the fungi, in addition to their evolution and inter- relationship, will be found in a work I have previously written on Cryptogamic Botany.* *