Pharmaceutical botany - Lighthouse Survival Blog

ALGA-LIKE FUNGI 59
water and are often highly differentiated both as to form and tissues.
Some reach hundreds of feet in length as, for example, Macrocystis
which grows in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. Other
forms typical of the group are Ectocarpus, Laminaria, and Fucus.
Class III. Rhodophyce^, The Red Alg^
A greatly diversified group comprising the majority of marine algae.
Their vegetative bodies vary from simple branching filaments through
all gradations to forms differentiated into branching stems, holdfasts
and leaves. Their color may be red, purple, violet, or reddish
brown and is due to the presence of phycoerythrin, a red pigment.
Among this group are classed Chondrus, Nemalion, Corallina, etc.
Chondrus is the sole official alga in the U. S. P. and belongs to the
family Gigartinacese.
SUBDIVISION IV.—FUNGI
This great assemblage of thallophytes is characterized by the total
absence of chlorophyll and so its members possess no independent
power of manufacturing food materials such as starches, sugars, etc.,
from CO2 and H2O. Consequently they are either parasites, depend-
ing for their nourishment upon other living plants or animals, called
hosts; or saprophytes, depending upon decaying animal or vegetable
matter in solution. Some forms are able to live either as saprophytes
or parasites while others are restricted to either the parasitic or sapro-
phytic habit. The vegetative body of a fungus is known as a mycelium.
It consists of interlacing and branching filaments called hyphae, which
ramify through decaying matter or invade the tissues of living organ-
isms and derive nourishment therefrom. In the case of parasites, the
absorbing connections which are more or less specialized and definite
are called haustoria. In the higher forms the hyphae become consoli-
dated into false tissues, and assume definite shapes according to the
species. Of this character are the fructifying organs which constitute
the above ground parts of Puff Balls, Cup Fungi, Mushrooms, etc.
Class I. Phycomycetes, or Alga-like Fungi
The Phycomycetes represent a small group of fungi showing close
affinity with the green algae. Their mycelium is composed of coenocytic