Fungi: Their Nature and Uses Part 24

From the northern parts of South America, M. Leprieur collected in French Guiana.[W] Southwards of this, Spruce collected in the countries bordering on the River Amazon, and Gardner in Brazil,[X]

Gaudichaud in Chili and Peru,[Y] Gay in Chili,[Z] Blanchet in Bahia,[a] Weddell in Brazil,[b] and Auguste de Saint Hiliare[c] in the same country. Small collections have also been made in the extreme south. All these collections contain coriaceous species of _Polyporus_, _Favolus_, and allied genera, with _Auricularini_, together with such _Ascomycetes_ as _Xylaria_, and such forms of _Peziza_ as _P. tricholoma_, _P. Hindsii_, and _P. macrotis_. As yet we cannot form an estimate of the extent or variety of the South American flora, which has furnished the interesting genus _Cyttaria_, and may yet supply forms unrecognized elsewhere.

The island of Juan Fernandez furnished to M. Bertero a good representative collection,[d] which is remarkable as containing more than one-half its number of European species, and the rest possessing rather the character of those of a temperate than a sub-tropical region.

Australasia has been partly explored, and the results embodied in the Floras of Dr. Hooker and subsequent communications. In a note to an enumeration of 235 species in 1872, the writer observes that "many of them are either identical with European species, or so nearly allied that with dried specimens only, unaccompanied by notes or drawings, it is impossible to separate them; others are species which are almost universally found in tropical or sub-tropical countries, while a few only are peculiar to Australia, or are undescribed species, mostly of a tropical type. The collections on the whole can scarcely be said to be of any great interest, except so far as geographical distribution is concerned, as the aberrant forms are few."[e]

The fungi collected by the Antarctic Expedition in Auckland and Campbell's Islands, and in Fuegia and the Falklands,[f] were few and of but little interest, including such cosmopolitan forms as _Sphaeria herbarum_ and _Cladosporium herbarum_, _Hirneola auricula-judae_, _Polyporus versicolor_, _Eurotium herbariorum_, etc.

In New Zealand a large proportion have been found, and these may be taken to represent the general character of the fungi of the islands, which is of the type usually found in temperate regions.[g]

The fungi of Asia are so little known that no satisfactory conclusions can be drawn from our present incomplete knowledge. In India, the collections made by Dr. Hooker in his progress to the Sikkim Himalayas,[h] a few species obtained by M. Perottet in Pondicherry, and small collections from the Neilgherries,[i] are almost all that have been recorded. From these it may be concluded that elevations such as approximate a temperate climate are the most productive, and here European and North American genera, with closely allied species, have the preponderance. The number of _Agaricini_, for instance, is large, and amongst the twenty-eight subgenera into which the genus _Agaricus_ is divided, eight only are unrepresented. Casual specimens received from other parts of India afford evidence that here is a vast field unexplored, the forests and mountain slopes of which would doubtless afford an immense number of new and interesting forms.

Of the Indian Archipelago, Java has been most explored, both by Junghuhn[j] and Zollinger.[k] The former records 117 species in 40 genera, Nees von Esenbeck and Blume 11 species in 3 genera, and Zollinger and Moritzi 31 species in 20 genera, making a total of 159 species, of which 47 belong to _Polyporus_. Leveille added 87 species, making a total of 246 species. The fungi of Sumatra, Borneo, and other islands are partly the same and partly allied, but of a similar tropical character.

The fungi of the island of Ceylon, collected by Gardner, Thwaites, and Konig, were numerous. The Agarics comprise 302 species, closely resembling those of our own country.[l] It is singular that every one of the subgenera of Fries is represented, though the number of species in one or two is greatly predominant. _Lepiota_ and _Psalliota_ alone comprise one-third of the species, while _Pholiota_ offers only a single obscure species. The enumeration recently published of the succeeding families contains many species of interest.

In Africa, the best explored country is Algeria, although unfortunately the flora was never completed.[m] The correspondence between the fungi of Algeria and European countries is very striking, and the impression is not removed by the presence of a few sub-tropical forms.

It is probable that were the fungi of Spain known the resemblance would be more complete.

From the Cape of Good Hope and Natal collections have been made by Zeyher,[n] Drege, and others, and from these we are enabled to form a tolerable estimate of the mycologic flora. Of the _Hymenomycetes_, the greater part belong to _Agaricus_: there are but four or five _Polypori_ in Zeyher's collection, one of which is protean. The _Gasteromycetes_ are interesting, belonging to many genera, and presenting two, _Scoleciocarpus_ and _Ph.e.l.lorinia_, which were founded upon specimens in this collection. _Batarrea_, _Tulostoma_, and _Mycenastrum_ are represented by European species. There are also two species of _Lycoperdon_, and one of _Podaxon_. Besides these, there is the curious _Secotium Gueinzii_. The genus _Geaster_ does not appear in the collection, nor _Scleroderma_. Altogether the Cape flora is a peculiar one, and can scarcely be compared with any other.

At the most, only scattered and isolated specimens have been recorded from Senegal, from Egypt, or from other parts of Africa, so that, with the above exceptions, the continent may be regarded as unknown.

From this imperfect summary it will be seen that no general scheme of geographical distribution of fungi can as yet be attempted, and the most we can hope to do is to compare collection with collection, and what we know of one country with what we know of another, and note differences and agreements, so as to estimate the probable character of the fungi of other countries of which we are still in ignorance. It is well sometimes that we should attempt a task like the present, since we then learn how much there is to be known, and how much good work lies waiting to be done by the capable and willing hands that may hereafter undertake it.

[A] Mr. E. P. Fries, in "Ann. des Sci. Nat." 1861, xv. p. 10.

[B] Berkeley and Broome, "Enumeration of the Fungi of Ceylon," in "Journ. Linn. Soc." xiv. Nos. 73, 74, 1873.

[C] Fries, "On the Geographical Distribution of Fungi," in "Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist." ser. iii. vol. ix. p. 279.

[D] The _Hypogaei_ are evidently intended here by Fries.

[E] Fries, "On the Geographical Distribution of Fungi" in "Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist." ser. 3, vol. ix. p. 285.

[F] Cooke's "Handbook of British Fungi," 2 vols. 1871.

[G] "Grevillea," vols. i. and ii. London, 1872-1874.

[H] Fries, "Summa Vegetabilium Scandinaviae" (1846), and "Monographia Hymenomycetum Sueciae" (1863); "Epicrisis Hymenomycetum Europ."

(1874).

[I] "Flore cryptogamique des Flanders" (1867).

[J] "Aine Plantes Cryptogames-cellulaires du Department de Saone et Loire" (1863); Bulliard, "Hist. des Champignons de la France"

(1791); De Candolle, "Flore Francaise" (1815); Duby, "Botanicon Gallic.u.m" (1828-1830); Paulet, "Iconographie des Champignons"

(1855); G.o.dron, "Catalogue des Plantes Cellulaires du Department de la Meurthe" (1845); Crouan, "Florule du Finistere" (1867); De Seynes, "Essai d'une Flore Mycologique de la Region de Montpellier et du Gard" (1863).

[K] Secretan, "Mycographie Suisse" (1833); Trog, "Verzeichniss Schweizerischer Schwamme" (1844).

[L] Pa.s.serini, "Funghi Parmensi," in "Giorn. Bot. Italiano"

(1872-73); Venturi, "Miceti dell' Agro Bresciano" (1845); Viviani, "Funghi d'Italia" (1834); Vittadini, "Funghi Mangerecci d'Italia" (1835).

[M] Schaeffer, "Fungorum qui in Bavaria," &c. (1762-1774); Tratinnick, "Fungi Austriaci" (1804-1806 and 1809-30); Corda, "Icones Fungorum" (Prague, 1837-1842); Krombholz, "Abbildungen der Schwamme" (1831-1849).

[N] Reichardt, "Flora von Iglau;" Niessl, "Cryptogamenflora Nieder-Oesterreichs" (1857, 1859); Schulzer, "Schwamme Ungarns, Slavoniens," &c.

[O] Rehm, "Ascomyceten," fasc. i.-iv.

[P] Weinmann, "Hymeno-et Gasteromycetes," in "Imp. Ross" (1836); Weinmann, "Enumeratio Stirpium, in Agro Petropolitano" (1837).

[Q] Karsten, "Fungi in insulis Spetsbergen collectio" (1872); Karsten, "Monographia Pezizarum fennicarum" (1869); Karsten, "Symbolae ad Mycologiam fennicam" (1870).

[R] Rabenhorst, "Deutschlands Kryptogamen Flora" (1844); Wallroth, "Flora Germanica" (1833); Sturm, "Deutschlands Flora, iii. die Pilze" (1837, &c.).

[S] f.u.c.kel, "Symbolae mycologicae" (1869).

[T] "Flora Danica" (1766-1873); Holmskjold, "Beata ruris otia Fungis Danicis impensa" (1799); Schumacher, "Enumeratio plantarum Sellandiae" (1801).

[U] Schweinitz, "Synopsis Fungorum," in "America Boreali," &c.

(1834). Lea, "Catalogue of Plants of Cincinnati" (1849); Curtis, "Catalogue of the Plants of North Carolina" (1867); Berkeley, "North American Fungi," in "Grevillea," vols.

i.-iii.; Peck, in "Reports of New York Museum Nat. Hist."

[V] Berkeley and Curtis, "Fungi Cubensis," in "Journ. Linn. Soc."

(1868); Ramon de la Sagra, "Hist. Phys. de l'Isle de Cuba, Cryptogames, par Montagne" (1841); Montagne, in "Ann. des Sci.

Nat." February, 1842.

[W] Montagne, "Cryptogamia Guyanensis," "Ann. Sci. Nat." 4^me ser.

iii.

[X] Berkeley, in "Hooker's Journal of Botany" for 1843, &c.

[Y] Montagne, in "Ann. des Sci. Nat." 2^me ser. vol. ii. p. 73 (1834).

[Z] Gay, "Hist. fisica y politica de Chile" (1845).

[a] Berkeley and Montagne, "Ann. des Sci. Nat." xi. (April, 1849).

[b] Montagne, in "Ann. des Sci. Nat." 4^me ser. v. No. 6.

[c] Montagne, in "Ann. des Sci. Nat." (July, 1839).

[d] Montagne, "Prodromus Florae Fernandesianae," in "Ann. des Sci.

Nat." (June, 1835).

[e] Berkeley, "On Australian Fungi," in "Journ. Linn. Society," vol.

xiii. (May, 1872).

[f] Hooker's "Cryptogamia Antarctica," pp. 57 and 141.