24 SOUTHERN POLYPORES 



to lateral, obese, reticulate above, clothed at the base with short, 

 dark-brown or black, velvety tomentum, often reduced, variable 

 in length. 



Occasional northward on decayed trunks of various deciduous 

 trees, appearing in the spring. This fungus is one of the worst 

 enemies of shade trees in Europe, but it is fortunately too rare 

 as yet in this country to be dangerous. 



10. POLYPORUS ELEGANS (Bull.) Fries 



Pileus flabelliform to subcircular, scarcely depressed behind, 

 convex or nearly plane, 2-6 X 3-10 X 0.2-1 cm.; surface dis- 

 tinctly radiate-striate, pruinose when young, becoming glabrous 

 and pale-ochraceous at maturity; margin thin, at first inflexed, 

 often becoming wavy or much lobed and folded with age, not 

 ciliate; context white or pallid, corky, 1-5 mm. thick; tubes pale- 

 avellaneous, 1-3 mm. long, cylindric, mouths angular to sub- 

 circular, entire, at first white, glistening, pale-umbrinous with 

 age, 4-5 to a mm., edges thin, entire ; spores oblong,J7-8 X 3-3.5 M ; 

 stipe eccentric or lateral, rarely central, woody, smooth, pallid 

 above, abruptly black and scutate below, 1-4 cm. long, 2-5 mm. 

 thick. 



Occasional in the southern Appalachians on fallen branches 

 and trunks of deciduous trees. 



ii. POLYPORUS FISSUS Berk. 



Pileus flabelliform to subcircular, often depressed at the disk 

 or behind, convex, very variable in size, 5-15 X 7-20 X 0.3-1 

 cm.; surface glabrous, minutely radiate-striate, bay or fuliginous, 

 rugose on the disk; margin thin, fertile, wavy or lobed, often 

 splitting with age; context corky, pallid, 2-8 mm. thick; tubes 

 white to yellowish-brown, decurrent, 2 mm. long, cylindric, 

 slender, mouths subcircular, very minute, 6-7 to a mm., edges 

 thin, entire, becoming elongate with age; stipe eccentric, varying 

 to central or lateral, usually tapering above, fuliginous to nearly 

 black, pruinose, rugose, 2-6 cm. long, 0.5-2 cm. thick. 



Frequent in the southern Appalachians on fallen dead wood of 

 deciduous trees. 



14. ABORTIPORUS Murrill 



Hymenophore annual, tough, humus-loving; stipe normally 

 central, often obsolete; context yellowish-white, duplex, spongy 

 above, woody below, tubes thin-walled, mouths polygonal; 

 spores smooth, hyaline. 



