REVISIONS OF CEYLON FUNGI. 409 



0-25 to 0*5 mm. diameter, surrounded by a broad, yellow, or 

 white, swollen sterile margin. 



The vertical sheets which ascend the bamboo stems give 

 rise to horizontal, imbricated, often confluent, semicircular 

 pilei, up to 10 cms. long, 5 cms. broad, and usually 1 to 2 cms. 

 thick. The upper surface of these is plane or sUghtly convex, 

 sometimes undulating ; it is densely fibrillose or tomentose at 

 first, but the hyphse become matted with age, and the surface 

 often becomes more or less glabrous ; the colom' is white at 

 first, then pale yellow ; internally it is soft, fibriUose, faintly 

 zoned, wMte becoming pale yeUow. The hymenium is at first 

 pale ochraceous with a network of shallow labyrintliine pores, 

 but becomes deep ochraceous as the pores become more 

 differentiated. The pores ultimately form a stratum distinct 

 and separable from the pileus ; they vary in depth from 2 to 

 6 mm. In section they are circular or ovoid, 0'25 mm. 

 diameter, or labyrintliiform, 0*25 mm. wide and 1 mm. or 

 more long; the dissepiments are soft, 0-25 mm. thick, with 

 a rounded edge ; the basidia are borne on the edges of the 

 dissepiments as well as in the tubes. The margin of the pileus 

 is swollen, and exudes drops of water ; there is a broad white 

 or yellow sterUe margin on the lower surface. The spores 

 are ochraceous in mass, brownish-yellow when magnified, 

 smooth, oval or subglobose, 5-8 X 3-4 /« ; they have usually 

 a large central gutta, but the larger oval spores may be 

 biguttulate. The pileus turns red or purple when bruised 

 or cut. 



In the remains of old bamboo clumps, when all the stems 

 have been cut down, it forms large, yellow, irregular, nodular 

 masses, 10 cm. or more in diameter. These become rather 

 hard and cheesy internally, or almost woody, the outer layers 

 remaining soft and becoming shppery in wet weather. These 

 masses sometimes remain sterile, but in favourable seasons 

 they produce imbricated pilei identical with those described 

 above. Pilei developed at the close of the rainy season 

 frequently remain white above and on the margin. 



This species appears to live on the decaying vegetable refuse 

 in the base of the bamboo clump, not as a parasite on the living 

 plant. It is readily separable from the living stems. 



