340 POLYPORACEiE Polyporus 



long, rarely stratose, yellowish-white, clouded pale brownish. 

 Flesh tan-brownish. 



Single to caespitose. On and about stumps, hornbeam ; frequent. Oct -April. 

 7 X 6 x 15 in. Sometimes sessile. Occurs in peat-beds in the fens of the 

 Eastern counties and in the lake-side pile-dwellings of Switzerland and 

 Italy. The varnished appearance of the pileus is due to the presence of 

 resin. This species has been placed in Fomes by Cooke and Saccardo. 



Merismat/e. 



a. Carnosce. 



1536. P. umbellatus Fr. (from the many stems and pileoli forming 



an umbel) a. 



Pi. very numerous, entire, umbilicate, fibrous-fleshy, warm-umber, 



or yellowish-reddish- or slate-umber, rarely white. St. white 



to yellowish-white. T. short, subdecurrent, colour as St. 



Po. minute. 



Said to be edible. Woods, near and on stumps. July. Mass 9! x 9! in. 

 Pi. \\ X \\ x \ in. 



1537. P. frondosus Fr. (from the branching habit ; frons, a leafy 



branch) a c. 



Pi. numerous, dimidiate, rugose, convex to recurved, somewhat 

 thin and tough, yellowish-umber to pale purple-slate. 

 St. yellowish-white. T. decurrent, somewhat short, yellowish- 

 white. Po. small. 



Stumps, trunks, roots, oak ; rare. Oct. Mass \o\ x 9! in. Pi. 3f X if X fin. 



1538. P. intybaeeus Fr. (from a fancied resemblance to succory, 



C ichor him Intybus) a b c. 



Pi. numerous, dimidiate, fragile, sepia, not dark, lighter at mid. 



St. white. T. decurrent, very short, pale sepia. 



Edible. Taste usually pleasant, sometimes slightly astringent when raw ; 

 odour of mice, in decay like japanners varnish. Stumps, trunks, oak ; rare. 

 Sept. -Dec. Mass \2\ x 7J in. Pi. 3 x if X J in. The cauliflower- 

 like stems are the edible parts, not the pileoli. The "cock of the woods " 

 (grey grouse-hen) of the Vosges and Ardennes. 



1539. P. eristatus Fr. (from the crested appearance ; crista, a 

 crest) a c. 



Pi. numerous, dimidiate, somewhat thick, fragile, bright yellow or 

 greenish, sometimes clouded reddish. St. irregular. T. very 

 short, whitish. Po. minute, angular, torn. Flesh white, becoming 

 ochre. 



Woods, beech ; rare. Mass 7f in. in diam. Pi. 3^ in. 



b. Lentce. 



1540. P. giganteus Fr. (from its great size) a b c. 



Pi. several, dimidiate, thick, umber ; z. darker. St. short, pale 

 yellowish-white, brownish or ashy where bruised. T. somewhat 



