Fungi : their nature, influence and uses / by M.C. Cooke ; edited by M.J. Berkeley.

  • Cooke, M. C. (Mordecai Cubitt), 1825-1914.
Date:
1894
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Fungi : their nature, influence and uses / by M.C. Cooke ; edited by M.J. Berkeley. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    31/322 (page 15)
    It appears to us that a great deal of confusion and a large number of errors winch creep into our modem generalizations and hypotheses, may be traced to the acceptance of analogies for identities. How many cases of mistaken identity has the improvement of microscopes revealed during the past quarter of a century. This should at least serve as a caution for the futui'e. Apart, however, from the gonidia, whatever they may be, is the remainder of the lichen a genuine fungus? JSTylander writes, The anatomical filamentose elements of lichens are distinguished by various characters from the hyphce of fungi. They are firmer, elastic, and at once present themselves in the texture of lichens. On the other hand, the hypha^ of fungi are very soft, they possess a thin wall, and are not at all gelatinous, while they are immediately dissolved by the application of hydrate of potash, &c* Our own experience is somewhat to the effect, that there are some few lichens which are doubtful as to whether they are fungi or lichens, but, in by far the majority of cases, there is not the slightest difficulty in determining, from the peculiar firmness and elasticity of the tissues, minute peculiarities whicli the practised hand can detect rather than describe, and even the general character of the fruit that they differ materially from, though closely allied to fungi. We have only experience to guide us in these matters, but that is something, and we have no experience in fungi of anything like a Cladonia, however much it may resemble a Torrubia or Clavaria. We have Pezizce with a subiculum in the section Tapesia, but the veriest tyro would not confound them with species of Parmelia. It is true that a great number of lichens, at first sight, and casually, resemble species of the Hysteriacei, but it is no less strange than true, that lichenologists and mycologists know their own sufficiently not to commit depredations on each other. Contributions are daily being made to this controversy, and already the principal arguments on both sides have appeared in * Grevillea, vol. ii. p. 147. in note.