: 
The Polyporaceae of North America, 1, The Genus 
Ganoderma * 
By WiLtiaAm ALPHONSO MURRILL 
It is evident, even to the beginner in mycology, that the present 
classification of the higher fungi is not satisfactory. This is par- 
ticularly true of the group containing Polyporus and its allies, 
which is at present very imperfectly divided into genera, and con- 
tains many species which are confused and uncertain, because of 
_the incompleteness of the original descriptions. Before the group 
can be reduced to order, full descriptions must be had of all its 
Species, the type specimens in Sweden, England, Germany, and 
elsewhere must be examined, and sufficient knowledge gained of 
the life and habits of each plant to determine its natural position 
in the group. In this paper an attempt is made to present in 
order the members of the “ /ucidus” group of Polyporus occurring 
in North America. A large number of the specimens examined 
have been collected during several years past by Professor Lucien 
M. Underwood, and by various contributors to his private herba- 
rium. The extensive literature and large collections of the New 
York Botanical Garden and Columbia University have also been 
Most generously placed at the writer’s disposal. 
I desire also to express my appreciation of the many courtesies 
€xtended me by Professor Paul Magnus, Mr. P. Hennings, Pro- 
fessor Kjellman, Professor T. M. Fries, Professor H. Von Post, 
Mr. Lars Romell, Mr. W. B. Hemsley, Mr. George Massee and 
others, while studying forms of this group in Germany, Sweden, 
and England. 
HisToRY OF THE GENUS 
The Species upon which this genus was founded was first 
described in its immature form as an agaric, but when perfect 
Specimens were obtained it was placed in Boletus, a genus es- 
tablished by Dillenius in 1719 to include all pore-bearing fungi, 
~ later adopted by Linnaeus, although Micheli had erected 
* Read by invitation before the Botanical Society of America, Pittsburg, June, - 
1902, 
599 
