136 



STUDIES OF AMERICAN FUNGI. 



above. It is, however, a very common and widely distributed one, 

 growing on wood, and may be found the year around. The pileus 



is 1-3 cm. in diameter, whitish 

 or grayish, very tough, ex- 

 panded in wet weather, and 

 curled up in dry weather. The 

 stem is very short, and attached 

 to one side of the cap. When 

 freshly developed the plant is 

 phosphorescent. 



I SCHIZOPHYLLUM Fr. 



This is a very interesting 

 genus, but the species are very 

 few. The plants are tough, 

 pliant when fresh, and dry. 

 The gills are very character- 

 istic, being split along the edge 

 and generally strongly revolute, 

 that is, the split edges curve 

 around against the side of the 

 gill. This character can be 

 seen sometimes with the aid of 

 a hand lens, but is very evident 

 when a section of the cap and 

 gills is made and then examined 

 with a microscope. The spores 

 are white. 



Schizophyllum alneum (L.) 



Schroet. This species usually 

 goes by the name of Schiqpphyl- 

 lum commune, but the earlier 

 name is 5. alneum. It is a very 

 common plant and is world wide 

 in its distribution, growing on 

 wood, as on branches, trunks, 

 etc. It is white, and the pileus 

 is very hairy or tomentose, with 

 coarse white hairs. It is 1-3 

 cm. in diameter, and the cap is 

 FIGURE 133. Schizophyllum alneum (=S. sess ji e , either attached at one 



commune). View of under side (natural 



size). Copyright. side when the cap is more pro- 



