Winter, “Die Deutschen Sordarien” (1873).
Corda, “Icones Fungorum,” 6 vols. (1837–1842); Sturm, “Deutschlands Flora,” Pilze (1841); Tulasne, “Selecta Fungorum Carpologia;” Bischoff, “Kryptogamenkunde” (1860); Corda, “Anleitung zum Studium der Mykologie” (1842); Fresenius, “Beiträge zur Mykologie” (1850); Nees Ton Esenbeck, “Das System der Pilze” (1816); Bonorden, “Handbuch der Allgemeinen Mykologie” (1851).
VII.
GERMINATION AND GROWTH.
In describing the structure of these organisms in a previous chapter, the modes of germination and growth from the spores have been purposely excluded and reserved for the present. It may be assumed that the reader, having followed us to this point, is prepared for our observations by some knowledge of the chief features of structure in the principal groups, and of the main distinctions in the classification, or at least sufficient to obviate any repetition here. In very many species it is by no means difficult to induce germination of the spores, whilst in others success is by no means certain.
M. de Seynes made the Hymenomycetes an especial object of study,[A] but he can give us no information on the germination and growth of the spore. Hitherto almost nothing is positively known. As to the form of the spore, it is always at first spherical, which it retains for a long time, while attached to the basidia, and in some species, but rarely, this form is final, as in Ag. terreus, &c. The most usual form is either ovoid or regularly elliptic. All the Coprini have the spores oval, ovoid, more or less elongated or attenuated from the hilum, which is more translucent than the rest of the spore. This last form is rather general amongst the Leucospores, in Amanita, Lepiota, &c. At other times the spores are fusiform, with regularly attenuated extremities, as in Ag. ermineus, Fr., or with obtuse extremities, as in Ag. rutilans, Sch. In Hygrophorus they are rather irregular, reniform, or compressed in the centre all round. Hoffmann[B] has given a figure taken from Ag. chlorophanus, and Seynes verified it upon Ag. ceraceus, Sow. (See figures on page 121.)
The exospore is sometimes roughened, with more or less projecting warts, as may be seen in Russula, which much resembles Lactarius in this as in some other particulars. The spores of the Dermini and the Hyporhodii often differ much from the sphærical form. In Ag. pluteus, Fr., and Ag. phaiocephalus, Bull, there is already a commencement of the polygonal form, but the angles are much rounded. It is in Ag. sericeus, Ag. rubellus, &c., that the polygonal form becomes most distinct. In Dermini the angles are more or less pronounced, and become rather acute in Ag. murinus, Sow., and Ag. ramosus, Bull. The passage from one to the other may be seen in the stellate form of the conidia of Nyctalis.