54 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 



Damp woods and swamps seem best suited to Lenzites bet- 

 nliua. Of course the rule is not inflexible and one may often 

 come upon specimens growing where he least expected to find 

 them. For the most part, however, different species have dif- 

 ferent localities which seems best suited for their development 

 and for this reason I am safe in ascribing these different locali- 

 ties to these fungi. 



Lenzites hetuliiia is even more remarkable for the varia- 

 tion in the color of the cap than the preceding species. While 

 the cap is usually gray zoned slightly, and the gills are yellow, 

 there are many variations. In my collection I have plants 

 whose caps are white, grayish brown, and in one instance gray 

 with red zones. These changes are due, doubtless to differences 

 in the organic matter which they take up. Young plants are 

 soft and yielding but old plants are firm, though somewhat 

 spongy. The pileus in old plants is often tinted green, due to 

 the growth of algae. 



The plants in the genus Fomes were former^ classed with 

 the genus Polyporus, but modern mycologists prefer to classify 

 them in this group. Fomes fomentariiis is the most common 

 representative of this genus and is found in both dry and damp 

 wood on logs and stumps. The cap is dark brown, usually 

 with darker zones and the hymenium is the same. The mouths 

 of the fruiting tubes are large and irregular and may be readily 

 seen by the naked eye. 



The peculiar shape of the tubes distinguish this species 

 from all others. I have found the largest and most flourish- 

 ing plants growing in damp woods, particularly besides brooks 

 where the running water keeps the wood on which they grew 

 wet continually, thus aft'ording the plants sufficient moisture to 

 enable them to attain large dimensions. The caps of plants 

 found growing in dry places are lighter in color and more cor- 

 rugated than the caps of those found growing in damp places. 

 As a rule, the plants grow in single, sessile growths, but in 



