Name
Mushrooms
From Among the Mushrooms, by Ellen M. Dallas and Caroline A. Burgin
Fungi have existed from early
geological ages. They flourished in
the Carboniferous period, when the
enormous beds of coal were formed,
a space of time that occupied
many millions of years. Bessey says
that the oldest known member of
the order of membrane fungi,
Hymenomycetes, was called by the
name of “Polyporites Bowmanii.”
During the Tertiary period members
of the genera now known under the
names of Lenzites, Polyporus, and
Hydnum were all in existence. It is
interesting to know that even before
the Tertiary period the undergrowth
consisted of ferns and fleshy fungi.
What a time of delight for the
botanist! But there were no human
beings in those days to roam
amongst that luxuriant undergrowth,
and only the fossil remains in the
deposits of coal and peat are left to
tell of their former existence. Fungi
are either solitary, grow in clusters, in
groups, or in rings and arcs of circles.
Many mushrooms have distinct odors
and are distinguished by this feature.
It is interesting to observe where
different mushrooms love to dwell.
Some are always found on
roadsides, as if seeking the notice of
passers-by. These are the Clitocybes
and Stropharia, and many of the
cup-fungi, while the Boleti take
shelter in clay banks and hide in
every cranny and nook that they
can find. Russulas are seen in open
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10th Grade Reading Comprehension
woods, rising out of
the earth, also the
Lactarius, which seems to like the
shade of trees. The Cortinarius also
prefers their shelter. The Coprinus
loves the pastures and fields, near
houses and barns, and dwells in
groups upon the lawns. The
Hypholoma grows in clusters on the
stumps of trees. Marasmius is found
among dead twigs and leaves. The
white Amanitas flourish in woods and
open ground. There are some, like
Pleurotus, that grow in trunks of trees,
and make their way through
openings in the bark. Every dead
tree or branch in the forest is
crowded with all species of
Polyporus, while carpets, damp
cellars, plaster walls and sawdust are
favorite abodes of many fungi.
Mushrooms consist wholly of cells.
These cells do not contain either
starch or the green coloring-matter,
called chlorophyll, which exists in
other plants. They are either
parasites or scavengers, and
sometimes both. The food of fungi
must form a part of some animal or
plant. When they commence to
grow it is by the division of cells, not
laterally, but in one direction,
upward. As the mushroom grows the
stem lengthens, the cap expands
and bursts the veil that surrounds it,
and gradually gains its perfect
shape.