XCVI. 



82 An HISTORY of FUNGUSSES. 



BOLETUS acauHs imbricatus tenuis coriaceis, fuperne villofus, 

 inj erne planus. H4/ve//a acaulis. Hudfon, 633. Hjhella 

 auriformh. vilhfa. Relhan, 463. Auricula refiexa. Bulliard, PI 274. 



Agaricus villojus tenuis, inferno Icevis. Ray Syn. P. 21. 



No. 4. 



EARLIKE BOLETUS. 



TAB. LXXXIf. 



'T~ S HIS plant at fir ft: grows flat, adhering by its whole breadth 

 ■*■ to the bark of the dead branches or flocks of trees ; it is 

 moil frequently of a circular figure, the upper fide quite fmooth, 

 and of a brownifh yellow , afterwards the under fide, which is 

 very hairy, begins to rife, and feparate itfelf from the bark ; 

 fometimes the whole margin rifes, and the plant refts on a cen- 

 tral bafe, as at c. — but more frequently it is raifed on one fide 

 only, the adhering part feving as a bafe or root to the part 

 which is feparated, and which turns to an horizontal direction, 

 grows, increafes, fends out other fpecimens from its extremi- 

 ties, in a double or imbricated order, and continues from year 

 to year, as at e. — the upper fide (which, by the bye, was the 

 under in the infancy of the plant) flill continues covered with 

 a fhort ftiff coat or fhag, which while the plant is young is 

 generally of a yellowifh buff, and is marked with concentric 

 lines of other colours ; but when old changes to an hoary grey, 

 the circles a little darker : the under fide changes to a dark 

 cheftnut brown. A fmall particle, as at a. is magnified at b. 

 the fhag confifts of filaments, divided, fubdivided, and very 

 much entangled : I fought for feeds, but could difcover none. 



I have placed this plant amongft the Bo/eti, becaufe it coin- 

 cides in fubftance, manner of growth, and in the whole habit, 

 with the firrr. divifion of that genus. 



A certain characleriflic of an HKvella is this, that when of 

 proper age, on being gently irritated, it will eject a fine pow- 

 der, in form of fmokej a property which is wanting in this 



plant. It poffibly may, though very rarely, produce feeds 



like its congeners :— we fee plants of the fame clafs which grow 

 in great plenty, and yet their fructifications are very rarely dif- 

 covered, as the Lichen pbyfodes, fur/uraccus, &c. 



