Horn Of Plenty

Nomenclature, Classification

Nomenclature




crater (s,m): bowl shaped (hemispherical/concave)
cornu (s.n.): horn like process
copiose (adv): plentiful, beautiful
cornucopia (kornew-koh-piĆ ): a horn of plenty, a horn shaped container overflowing with fruits and flowers.

Other Names

Horn of plenty, Black trumpet, Horn of the dead (Trumpete de la morte)

Classification

Kingdom Fungi Division Eumycota SubDivision Basidiomycotiana Class Hymenomycytes Subclass Homobasidiomycytes Order Cantharellales Family Cantharellaceae Genus Craterellus

Classification History







There are studies amd reports pertaining to edible fungi and poisonous fungi dating back to ancient Rome, and were a puzzle for many years. They were regarded as vapours of moist soil, because they appeared so suddenly and were regarded as the work of the devil. Italian scientist Peter Anton Micheli discovered fungal spores in 1710, and found the key to multiplication. In 1750 Carl von Linnae designed a framework for all flora and fauna and placed fungi with plants. It was his compatriot, Elias Fries, (with work procured from Christian Peersons (1761 - 1836) work of 1793 'Observations Mycological'), describer of Craterellus, who first entered them correctly into this system. The theories were much ignored.

Evolution




Fungi first appeared on earth more than 1000 million years ago in the Cambrian period when oxygen became abundant. The earliest development stages of fungi and first fossil finds date back to the Palaeozoic, 300 million years ago, when the first veined plants came into existence. Most abundant species have been preserved in coal deposits in the fossil remains of Carboniferous virginal forests.

Collated by James M. Burton as part of H.N.D. course at Pencoed
Agricultural College. Taxanomical information correct as of 06:06:97.