☰

Pictorial supplement to The Fifth Kingdom - Chapter 5e

Subphylum Basidiomycotina - part 5

Class Holobasidiomycetes

Orders: Sclerodermatales, Melanogastrales, Tulostomatales,
Lycoperdales, Nidulariales, Phallales
(Gasteromycetae)
(22 illustrations)


 Sclerodermatales - Scleroderma aurantiacum, an 'earth ball'     Note the thick peridium, lack of an ostiole, and blue-black gleba.
   X 2/3



 Sclerodermatales - basidioma of Pisolithus tinctorius cut open to reveal locules in gleba. 
   X 1



Sclerodermatales - Pisolithus tinctorius, an important ectomycorrhizal fungus.  
   X 1/2



Sclerodermatales - Sphaerobolus stellatus, with gleba ready to be shot away.
   X 18


Melanogastrales



Melanogastrales - Melanogaster, a basidioma (from my garden) bisected to reveal locules of dark spores.
   X 3/4


Tulostomatales    



Tulostomatales - tough, stalked basidiomata of Tulostoma found growing in sand dunes.  
   X 1



Tulostomatales - Calostoma rodwayi, with a gelatinous stipe and vividly coloured, branched ostiole. This is a New Zealand species, but similar taxa occur in North America. 
   X 1


Lycoperdales            



Lycoperdales - Lycoperdon perlatum, a very common puffball.
   X 1/2



Lycoperdales - a large specimen of Langermannia (Calvatia) gigantea, the giant puffball, found near Kitchener, Ontario..



 Lycoperdales - two earth stars, species of Geaster found in Algonquin Park, Ontario       
   X 2/3                                                                


Nidulariales    



Nidulariales - the bird's nest fungi  
   X 5



Nidulariales - vertical section of Cyathus, showing the deep funnel-shaped splash-cup, and the peridioles.
   X 5


Phallales       



Phallales - egg and fully expanded basidioma of Mutinus caninus, the dog stinkhorn   
   X 3/5



Phallales - fully expanded basidioma of Phallus.  Note the basal peridium (egg-shell), spongy stipe and apical receptacle bearing the slimy, odoriferous gleba.  
   X 1/2



Phallales - Phallus impudicus with an appreciative clientele of flies.
   X 1/2



Phallales - rather outré cartoon of Phallus impudicus as a flasher, from a French book, 'Le Gratin des Champignons,' by Sabatier and Becker.



Phallales - basidiomata of Dictyophora.  The distinctive skirt may be a waiting room for overflow crowds of hungry visiting insects.
   X 1/2



Phallales - bisected egg of Anthurus - see also next picture.
   X 2/3



Phallales - expanded basidioma of Anthurus.  Note that the gleba is on the inside of the arms, and that the arms are coloured like meat. Compare with the previous picture 
   X 1/2



Phallales - expanded lattice-work basidioma of Clathrus, with gleba on the inside.
   X 2/3



Phallales - eggs and expanded flower-like, meat-coloured receptacles of Aseroë from New Zealand  
   X 1/2



Phallales - hypogeous basidomata of Hysterangium.
   X 2/3



A sample of gasteromycete stamps (from M.O. Moss 1998
The Mycologist 12: 104-106)


  Go to Chapter 5f    Go to Table of Contents

© Mycologue publications 2020