The Victorian Way With Words

The fruiting body of the fungus
Pilobolus. This specimen was found
on cow dung. Courtesy of Microbe Library.org

In 1884, W. B. Grove, Honorary Librarian of the Birmingham Natural History and Microscopical Society, wrote these golden words on Pilobolus, a small dung-inhabiting fungus. Why the name was later appropriated by a famed dance group is shrouded in mystery.

And a bit farther on...

Addendum 1:  Bora Zivkovic, better known online as 'Coturnix,' has a splendid piece about Pilolobus on his science blog: A Blog Around the Clock. Stunning pictures and an amazing story about the clock in this humble fungus.

Addendum 2:  We neglected to suggest two reasons why you should visit the Cornell Mushroom Blog in connection with Pilobolus. First, you will find there the amazing story of a hitchhiking lungworm of cattle that takes advantage of the propelling action of the fungus for dispersal. Worms in the soil climb up the stalk of Pilobolus fruiting bodies and go along for the ride when the spore cap is shot off. Second, there is a stunning movie of the Piloboli doing their thing.

Comments

[Brett]

A lovely description of a beautiful fungus! Thanks for sharing!