History of the Fungi of the Rimini Territory

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...Bellidiflorus daisy-flowered, printed at Zurich in the year 1753, a copy of which dissertation Plancus had provided to me, in which the author writes on page 3: original: "Mense Majo anni proxime elapsi 1752. Amicus meus honoratissimus D. C. Guffuveilerus Botanophylus insignis, & in album Societatis Caesareae Florentinae inscriptus, insolitum ex regno vegetabili spectaculum ad me misit, Ranunculum nimirum pratensem floribus Ranunculi una cum floribus Bellidis minoris onustum." In the month of May of the year just past, 1752, my most honorable friend Mr. C. Guffuveiler, a distinguished botanophile and inscribed in the album of the Imperial Florentine Society, sent to me an unusual spectacle from the vegetable kingdom, namely a meadow buttercup laden with flowers of the buttercup along with flowers of the lesser daisy. In this learned dissertation, various Peloriae monstrous growths, or monstrous plants which have been observed in a certain species of Antirrhinum snapdragon, Elatine starwort, etc., are reported.

However, if these had become known to me beforehand, perhaps I would not have been so anxious to demand from those sowing fungal seeds a consistency of nature with those from which they had taken the seed. For it can happen that fungi are of those plants, and indeed mostly parasitic ones, which very often and very easily alter their structure. Yet, it was most pleasing that it had happened thus: first, because I learned what was almost unheard of to botanists; second, since I seemed to be demanding that which was of no light weight for deciding the matter by my own right, no one will argue that I am a sophist. Hence, I judge that one must proceed very cautiously in distinguishing species, especially in the lamellate caps of fungi; for fungi of that genus undergo variations with little effort, either by the dryness of the soil, or by sterility, or humidity, or fatness, or the diversity of nutrient juices, etc., from which either the color undergoes alteration, or the stalk, or the cap, or the gills, by which the botanist will easily be deceived and will judge two or three or more of that kind of fungus to differ in species, when in reality they were of the same species.

Therefore, since all the systems which either refer fungi to putrefaction or which are fabricated to show that they are defects of plants waver too much from the things which have been said by us so far; furthermore, since an elegant structure thrives in them, and a general constancy of species and properties; finally, since seeds have been discovered which, when sown, produce fungi of the same species, it would be an imprudent counsel, in my judgment, to contend that fungi should be recalled among the games of nature or among the defects of plants. Having briefly completed these things which pertain to the generation of fungi, we shall add here certain chapters in which we shall touch upon a few things necessary for a fuller knowledge of fungi. Therefore, it is done.

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