Polyporaceae 



Poiyporus. They were pleasantly crisp when stewed and of fine flavor. Older 

 specimens were bitter and tough. 



III. MERISMA. 



P. umbella'tus Fr. umbella, a sun-shade. Very much branched, 

 fibrous-fleshy, toughish. Pileoli very numerous, /4 i% in. broad, 

 sooty, dull-red or pallid light-yellow, entire, umbilicate. Stems elon- 

 gated, separate, united at the base, white. Pores minute, white. 



The pileoli have occurred white. Fries. 



Edible. Fries. 



New York, Peck, Rep. 51; Richmond, Ind., Dr. J. R. Weist; Gou- 

 verneur, N. Y., Mrs. E. C. Anthony; West Virginia, New Jersey, Penn- 

 sylvania. On decaying roots in ground and on stumps. May to 

 November. Mcllvaine. 



Tufts dense, branches spreading from a center. The pilei up to 2 in. 

 across, connected at base. The dense spreading tufts, up to a foot 

 across and half as high, are very noticeable. The flesh is soft and of 

 good flavor. Cook like P. intybaceus. 



P. a'nax Berk. Fleshy, fibrous, rather tough, dusky-gray, branch- 

 ing out from a thick, single stem at the base and forming a large head 

 of branches and pileoli 1020 lines in diameter; the branches terminate 

 in numerous large pileoli of various forms and size, imbricating, con- 

 fluent and recurved. Flesh and pores white. Stems thick, growing 

 together, white. Pores large, unequal, angular, white. Spores white, 

 subelliptic, 7-8/x, long. 



Ohio, at the base of oak trees and stumps. Autumn. Morgan. 



This species has apparently been confused by some American my- 

 cologists with P. intybaceus. I have received specimens of it bearing 

 that name. The spores of that species are described as elliptic or ovoid. 

 The spores of Poiyporus anax, as shown by our specimens, are globose. 

 Peck, 5 ist Rep. N. Y. State Bot. 



Ohio, Morgan; New York, Peck, Sist Rep. ; New Jersey, Sterling; 

 Angora, West Philadelphia, growing on rotting stump. September, 

 1897, Mcllvaine. 



Edible when young and fresh. 



482 



