The occurrence and function of oidia in the hymenomycetes

TLDR: In the latter half of the eighteenth century the early mycologists, influenced by their knowledge of higher plants, searched for sexual organs in the fungi analogous to those with which they were familiar among the phanerogams, and showed that in ferns the sex organs are developed not on the spore-bearing generation but on the prothallium which is independent of the sporophyte.

Abstract: IN THI, latter half of the eighteenth century the early mycologists, influenced by their knowledge of higher plants, searched for sexual organs in the fungi analogous to those with which they were familiar among the phanerogams. Micheli (1729) had declared that the cystidia in the hymenium of a mushroom are apetalous flowers. Bulliard (1791) believed the cystidia to be male organs and described the manner in which their seminal fluid poured out over the basidia to fertilize the basidiospores. It has long been known that the mycelium of many fungi breaks up into short segments generally called oidia. Such commonly occurring structures as oidia did not pass unnoticed in the search for sexual organs and the questions of the significance and probable funietion of oidia engaged the attention of a number of workers. Tulasne (1851) discovered in the lichens and in many of the Ascomycetes structures in which were borne small spores usually incapable of germination. These spores he called spermatia and he considered that they are male cells. Later he discovered similar structures in the Tremellales and concluded that the pycniospores of the Uredinales are also true male cells (Tulasne, 1859). Hofmeister (1852) showed that in ferns the sex organs are developed not on the spore-bearing generation but on the prothallium which is independent of the sporophyte. This discovery provided mycologists with, a new clue and they began to search for sexual organs in the higher fungi not on the pileus but on the vegetative mycelium. Karsten (1860) described finding on the mycelium of Psalliota carmpestris reniform " female " cells which were fertilized by " male " elements. At the same time Oersted (1865) thought he saw female cells fertilized by ordinary hyphae. The suggestion that the commonly occurring oidia might be male cells was made again by Rees (1875), who germinated basidiospores of Coprinus stercorarius 2 and observed that, on the young mycelia, there were developed short branches bearing small cells which became detached from the parent filament. These cells failed to germinate and Rees believed that they must be spermatia. Seeing large vesicular cells on the same mycelium, he thought he had also found the female organs. Van Tieghem (1875a, b) reported similar spermatia and female organs in Coprinus ephemeroides and C.