Gastromycetes is from two Greek words: gaster, stomach; mycetes, fungus. We have already seen that, in the group, Hymenomycetes, the spore-bearing surface is exposed as in the common mushroom or in the pore-bearing varieties, but in the Gastromycetes the hymenium is inclosed in the rind or peridium. The word peridium comes from peridio (I wrap around); because the peridium entirely envelops the spore-bearing portion, which, in due time, sheds the inclosed spores that have been formed inside the basidia and spicules, as will be seen in Figure 2. The cavity within the peridium consists of two parts: the threaded part, called the capillitium, which can be seen in any dried puffball, and a cellular part, called the gleba, which is the spore-bearing tissue, composed of minute chambers lined with the hymenium. The peridium breaks in various ways to permit the spores to escape. When children pinch a puffball to "see the smoke," as they say, issue from it, little do they know that they are doing just what the puffball would have them do, in order that its seeds may be scattered to the winds.
In case of the Phalloides, the hymenium deliquesces, instead of drying up.
Berkeley, in his "Outlines," gives the following characterization of this family: "Hymenium more or less permanently concealed, consisting in most cases of closely packed cells, of which the fertile ones bear naked spores in distinct spicules, exposed only by the rupture or decay of the investing coat or peridium."
The following families will be treated here:
- PhalloideÆ—Terrestrial. Hymenium deliquescent.
- LycoperdaceÆ—Cellular at first. Hymenium drying up in a mass of threads and spores.
- SclerodermaceÆ—Peridium inclosing sporangia.
PhalloideÆ. Fr.
Volva universal, the intermediate stratum gelatinous. Hymenium deliquescent. Berkeley's Outlines.
The following genera will be represented:
- Phallus—Pileus free around the stem.
- Mutinus—Pileus attached to the stem.
Phallus duplicatus. Bosc.[Pg 523]
[Pg 524]
Laced Stinkhorn.
Photo by C. G. Lloyd.
Plate LV. Figure 446.—Phallus duplicatus.
Natural size, showing veil.
Volva egg-shaped, thick, whitish, frequently having a pinkish tinge.
The stem is cylindrical, cellulose, tapering upward. The veil is reticulate, frequently surrounding the whole of the stem from the pileus to the volva, often torn. The pileus is pitted, deliquescent, six to eight inches high, apex acute. Spores elliptic-oblong.
I am sure I never saw finer lace-work than I have seen on this plant. A few years ago one of these plants insisted upon growing near my house, where a fence post had formerly been, with the effect of almost driving the family from home. One can hardly imagine so beautiful a plant giving off such an odor. It is not a common plant in our state.
Phallus Ravenelii. B. & C.
Figure 447. Figure 447.—Phallus Ravenelii. Natural size, showing volva at base, receptacle and cap.
This plant is extremely abundant about Chillicothe. I have seen hundreds of fully developed plants on a few square yards of old sawdust; and one might easily think that all the bad smells in the world had been turned loose at that place. The eggs in the sawdust can be gathered by the bushel. In Figure 449 is represented a cluster, of these eggs. The section of an egg in the center of the cluster shows the outline of the volva, the pileus, and the embryo stem. Inside of the volva, in the middle, is the short undeveloped stem; covering the upper part and sides of the stem is the pileus; the fruit-bearing part, which is divided into small chambers, lies on the outside of the pileus. The spores are borne on club-shaped basidia as shown in Figure 448, within the chamber of the fruit-bearing part, and when the spores mature, the stem begins to elongate and force the gleba and pileus through the volva, leaving it at the base of the stem, as will be seen in Figure 448. The large egg on the left in the background of Figure 449 is nearly ready to break the volva. I brought in a large egg one evening and placed it on the mantle. Later in the evening, the room being warm, while we were reading my wife noticed this egg beginning to move and it developed in a few minutes to the shape you see in Figure 447. The development was so rapid that the motion was very perceptible. The pileus is conical in shape, and after the disappearance of the gleba the surface of the pileus is merely granular. The plants are four to six inches high. The stem is hollow and tapers from the middle to each end. This plant is also known as Dictyophora Ravenelii, Burt.
Figure 448. Figure 448.—Phallus Ravenelii. Two-thirds natural size.
Figure 449. Figure 449.—Phallus Ravenelii. Two-thirds natural size, showing the egg stage.
Lysurus borealis. Burt.
The receptacle is borne on a stalk, hollow, attenuated toward the base, divided above into arms, which do not join at their apices, and which bear the spore mass in their inner surfaces and sides, inclosing the spore mass when young, but later diverging.
The stem of the phalloid is white, hollow, attenuated downward; the arms are narrow, lance-shaped, with pale flesh-colored backs, traversed their entire length by a shallow furrow.
The egg in the center is about ready to break the volva and develop to a full grown plant. The plants in Figure 450 were found near Akron, Ohio, and photographed by G. D. Smith.
Mutinus. Fr.
The gleba is borne directly on the upper portion of the stem, which is hollow and composed of a single layer of tissue; and the plant has no separate pileus, by which characteristic the genus differs from Phallus.
Mutinus caninus. Fr.
The gleba-bearing portion is short, red or flesh-colored, subacute, wrinkled, the cap or gleba forming the spore-bearing mass which is usually conical, sometimes oblong or ovoid, covering one-fourth to one-sixth the total length of the stem.
The stem is elongated, spindle-shaped, hollow, cylindrical, cellular, white, sometimes rosy. The spores are elliptical, involved in a green mucus, 6×4µ. The plant comes from an egg, which is about the size of a quail's egg. You can find them in the ground if you will mark the place where you have seen them growing. They are found in gardens and in old woods and thickets. I have found this species in several localities about Chillicothe, but always in damp thickets. Mr. Lloyd thought this more nearly resembled the European species than any he had seen in this country. Found in July, August, and September.
Mutinus elegans. Montagne.
Figure 452. Photo by C. G. Lloyd.
Plate LVI. Figure 452.—Mutinus elegans.
Natural size, showing an egg and a section of an egg.
Figure 453. Figure 453.—Mutinus elegans. One-third natural size, showing volva, white receptacle and red cap.
The pileus is acuminate, perforated at apex. The stem is cylindrical, tapering gradually to the apex, whitish or pinkish below, pileus bright red.
The volva is oblong-ovoid, pinkish, segments two or three. The spores are elliptical-oblong. Morgan.
The odor of this plant is not as strong as in some of the Phalloids. The eggs of Phallus and Mutinus are said to be very good when fried properly, but my recollection of the odor of the plant has been too vivid for me to try them. It is usually found in mixed woods, but sometimes in richly cultivated fields. I have found them frequently about Chillicothe six to seven inches high. In Figure 452 on the right is shown an egg and above it is a section of an egg containing the embryonic plant. This plant is called by Prof. Morgan Mutinus bovinus. After seeing this picture the collector will not fail to recognize it. It is one of the curious growths in nature. Found in July and August.
