1925] 



BURT — THE THELEPHORACEAE OF NORTH AMERICA. XIV 281 



& Litschauer, K. Akad. Wiss. Wien Sitzungsber. 117: 1088. 

 1908. 



Type: authentic specimen in Burt Herb. 



Fructifications longitudinally effused, small portions separable 

 when moistened, in the herbarium young specimen pale olive- 

 buff and older specimen wood-brown, contracting in drying and 

 cracking into small rectangular masses about 1 mm. in diameter, 

 separated by rather wide crevices and showing the paler floccose 

 subiculum, the margin thinning out; in section 150-300 \j. thick, 

 not colored, becoming stratose, each stratum 2-layered, with the 

 layer towards the substratum composed of loosely arranged, 

 suberect, branching hyphae 4J^-5 [l, rarely 6 [i, in diameter, not 

 incrusted, not nodose-septate, and the hymenial layer compact, 

 75 [I thick; no gloeocystidia ; cystidia not incrusted, cylindric, 

 obtuse, 4-6 [i in diameter, protruding up to 30 [x, none wholly 

 immersed; spores copious, hyaline, even, 43^^-6 X 2-3 [i. 



Fructifications 3 cm. X 7 mm. and 2^ X 1 cm. in the two 

 fragmentary pieces from Karsten, 3-10 cm. long, 7-15 mm. wide 

 in an American specimen. 



On decorticated wood of P. sylvestris and P. Strobus on the 

 ground. Finland and New York. October. Rare. 



Brinkmann distributed in his "Westfalische Pilze," 8, under the 

 name of Peniophora sordida (Karst.) Brinkmann, a specimen which 

 was later referred by Bresadola to Peniophora serialis. I have 

 not seen this specimen. Von Hohnel & Litschauer accepted this 

 reference, loc. cit., and placed Corticium sordidum Karst. as a 

 sjTionym of P. serialis. The study of other specimens of the 

 P. serialis complex shows that none of these others have the 

 structure of authentic Corticium sordidum although somewhat 

 resembling the old stage in general aspect. The problem with 

 me for a time was whether P. cremea is distinct from P. sordida, 

 but P. cremea occurs on frondose wood, is not cracked into rec- 

 tangular, completely separated masses, and has larger cystidia, 

 some of which are incrusted and wholly immersed. The Karsten 

 specimens of C. sordidum are in some places composed of a single 

 stratum 150 ^ thick of 2 layers and in others of 2 strata with 

 thickness together of 240-300 ^j-. 



Specimens examined: 



