CEYLON FFNGI. » 59 



Berkeley and Broome incorrectly state that the colour of 

 the flesh is unchangeable, and that it is brownish beneath the 

 cuticle. 



Polyporus olivaceofuscus , B. & Br., was founded on a single 

 immature specimen of which no drawing was made : the layer 

 of pores in the dry specimen is scarcely a millimetre deep. 

 Berkeley and Broome state that the pileus is " pulverulento- 

 tomentoso," but there is no sign of this now. Sections of the 

 immature pores prove conclusively that the fungus is an 

 immature Boletus, and in general outhne and the relatively 

 enormous stalk it agrees with B, portentostis : the colour given , 

 " olivaceofuscus" is nearer that of B. portentosus than the 

 " hrunneus " which Berkeley and Broome give for the latter. 

 I have no doubt that Polyporus olivaceofuscus is an immature 

 example of Boletus portentosus. 



14.— Endothia gyrosa (Schw.), Fuck. 



This was recorded as Diatrype gyrosa, Schw., by Berkeley 

 and Broome in " Fungi of Ceylon." It occurs fairly common- 

 ly at Hakgala in the bark of trees. The Ceylon specimens 

 are red-brown externally, 4-5 mm. in diameter, erumpent, 

 roughly hemispherical, and tuberculate, with projecting, 

 cylindric, or shghtly tapering ostiola, "4^1 mm. long and '15 mm. 

 in diameter. Internally the stromata are orange-red and friable , 

 the colouring matter being readily soluble in alcohol. The 

 perithecia are black, •25-*5 mm. in diameter, and are embedded 

 in the stroma at aU depths. The interior of an ostiolum is 

 also black. I have not seen any specimens in which the 

 perithecia were discernible from the exterior, except such as 

 had been eaten by insects. The asci are fusiform, 40-50 x 

 7/f, eight -spored ; spores uniseptate, oval, not constricted, 

 hyaline, 9-10 x 4-4-5 /^t : no paraphyses. 



The Ceylon specimens appear to differ from those of Europe 

 to a slight extent in coV)ur, and in the larger size of the asci 

 and spores. According to " Saccardo," the spores are 

 spuriously one-septate, but they seem to be truly one-septate 

 in the Ceylon specimens. The projecting ostiola are easily 

 broken off, leaving black spots on the stroma • Berkeley and 



