[Vol. r 

 222 ANNALS OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 



73. S. versiforme Berk. & Curtis, Grevillea i: 164. 1873; 

 Sacc. Syll. Fung. 6: 580. 1888; Massee, Linn. Soc. Bot. Jour. 

 27: 193. 1890. Plate 6, fig. 73. 



Peniophora Ellisii Massee, Linn. Soc. Bot. Jour. 25: 144. 

 1889; Sacc. Syll. Fung. 9: 237. 1891.— An Thelephom obscura 

 Persoon, Myc. Eur. i: 146. 1822 (in **** Corticium)? See 

 Peniophora obscura (Pers.) Bresadola, I. R. Accad. Agiati Atti 

 in. 3:113. 1897. 



Type: in Kew Herb, and Curtis Herb. 



Fructifications at first thin, effused, resupinate, adnate, 

 orbicular, becoming confluent, finally thickening, cracking, and 



becoming narrowly reflexed and some- 

 what complicate and curling away from 

 the substratum, the upper side uneven, 

 plicate, somewhat fuscous or blackish; 

 hymenium velvety, Prout's brown to 

 bister, somewhat papillate; in structure 

 200-400 fx thick, composed of densely ar- 

 ranged, ascending and interwoven hyphae, 

 some of which are colored; hymenium 

 usually simple but sometimes with one or 

 two additional zones in some places, con- 

 ig. . . versijorme. ^aini^o; heavily incrusted, cylindric cysti- 



Cystidium, c, and para- ^ "^ ... 



physes, p, X 665. dia 45-75X12-24 ix, starting m various 



parts of the hymenium and subhyme- 

 nium, wholly buried below the surface of the hymenium or 

 emerging up to 15 /z; hymenial surface velvety, with very 

 numerous colored paraphyses with bushy-branched tips; spores 

 hyaline, even, curved, 5-7X2-3 m- 



Fructifications 2-10 mm. in diameter, confluent over areas up 

 to 7X1-2 cm.; margin reflexed about 1 mm. usually, rarely up to 

 2 mm. 



On the bark of dead limbs of oak, chestnut, birch, and other 

 frondose species. Canada to Alabama and westward to Iowa 

 and Arkansas. July to February. Common. 



S. versiforme is distinct among the Stereums by its Prout's 

 brown, velvety, or at least dull, hymenium, barely reflexed 

 margin, and colored, bushy-branched paraphyses, among which 

 are scattered large, incrusted cystidia. The presence of these 



