Mycological System

10
GEASTER

(t. 100. f. E); when mature, it is entirely dissolved within. Spores are furnished with a pedicel or lack one; finally, they are always liberated and loose; the color is dark, purplish-brown, umber, reddish-brown, but in different species it is constant and joined with the nature of the peridia. But the mouth is more evidently connected with this and with the more or less emerged vegetation. In species where the exterior peridium is thinner and finally most superficial, the texture of the interior peridium (often pedicelled) dissolves into determined fringes; where the exterior peridium is thicker and the plants themselves less emerged, the texture is rougher and splits at the lacerated, glabrous mouth, and so on. — Compare Woodward l. c.; more remains to be observed. One might perhaps call the exterior peridium a volva, but not a stroma.

AFFINITY. A primary and most evident genus; the contiguous series of the following genera must never be broken by intermixing foreign ones. There is only an analogy with Sphaerobolus, Mitremyces, and even G. coliformis with Clathrus.

HISTORY. While we may easily dismiss the opinion of the first inventors (Sterbeck, Seger) that Geasters are the prototypes of humans, we rank them among the most memorable fungi. But both the vegetation and the limitation of the species are imperfectly known. The reasons for this are the initially subterranean, slow, late-autumn life; changes in color and stature, to which too much attention is commonly paid; and especially the sporadic occurrence. For Geasters, contrary to the custom of fungi, belong to those plants that, like the Orchids, Pedicularis, etc., are completely missing in many places, while elsewhere they are crowded with diverse species, and especially produce unique forms in unique places. (In contrast, the species of Lycoperdon are few, but are found everywhere with innumerable individuals.) From the tropics of America, they ascend to the northern Alps, but are missing in intermediate places, e.g., in the greatest part of southern Sweden. They seem to prefer loose soil (missing in the indicated locations of Sweden) and climate...