96 MINNESOTA MUSHROOMS 



(2) Caps one-sided, very irregular; stems much 



fused P. frondosKS 



2. Cap stemless or nearly so, shelf-like 



a. Cap large, soft, fleshy, overlapping in dense clusters P. sulphur eus 



b. Cap more or less corky or woody, single or clustered 



(1) Cap 5-10 cm., corky to woody 



(a) Cap gray or smoke-colored P. adust us 



(b) Cap brown or rust-brown P. gilvus 



(c) Cap orange or vermilion P. cinnabarinus 



(2) Cap 10-30 cm., whitish to reddish brown, fleshy 



at first P. betulinus 



Polyporus brumalis Winter Polyporus 



Cap 2-10 cm. wide, grayish to soot-colored, smooth or slightly scaly, tough-fleshy 

 to leathery, more or less depressed; stem 2-5 cm. by 4-8 mm., grayish, hairy or 

 scaly ; pores more or less angled, somewhat toothed, whitish ; spores clear, ob- 

 long, curved. 6 X 2/x. The name refers to the late appearance, often in winter. 



Common on decaying twigs and branches in woodland ; too tough to be edible. 



Polyporus arcularius Fringed Polyporus 



Cap 1-4 cm. wide, yellow-brown to dark brown, somewhat finely scaly, long- 

 hairy or ciliate at the margin, tough-fleshy, depressed or umbilicate ; stem 1-3 cm. 

 by 2-4 mm., gray-brown to brown, finely scaly : pores angled, large, entire, white : 

 spores clear, ellipsoid. 6-7 X 3-4fi. The name refers to the form. 



Common on decaying twigs in woodland and thickets; edible when young, but 

 rather tough. 



Polyporus squamosus Scaly Polyporus 



Cap 10-50 cm. wide, yellowish or grayish yellow, covered with broad flat darker 

 scales, tough-fleshy, fan-shaped or irregular; stem excentric 1-4 cm. by 1-3 cm., 

 usually lateral, netted above, blackish downward ; pores angled or torn, white or 

 pale ; spores clear, ovoid, 1 2 X 5/x. The name refers to the scaly cap. 



Occasional on the ground in Avoods; said to attain a width of 7 feet and a 

 weight of 40 pounds. Tough, but with a pleasant flavor, according to Mcllvaine. 



Polyporus picipes Blackstem Polyporus 



Cap 10-30 cm. wide, pale brown to rust-brown or chestnut, smooth, fleshv- 

 leathery, more or less funnel-shaped, incomplete, lobed, often imbricated; stem 2-5 

 cm. by 1-3 cm., excentric or lateral, downy, then smooth, black ; pores small, white 

 or yellowish; spores globoid, 3-4;t. The name refers to the pitch-black stem. 



On decaying stumps or logs ; when young, of a delicate flavor. 



