THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 53 



A second species perhaps the most noticeable of all the 

 polypori is Polyponis hetulimis, or birch polyporus, so-called 

 from its habitat, invariably on the birch. I have heard it call- 

 ed the "hoof-fungus''also. but this name seems to be most ap- 

 plied to Fomes fomcntariiis. P. hetulinus grows in a hoof 

 shape from both living and dead birches and often attains very 

 large dimensions. Often the cap is evident before the fruit- 

 ing surface. In the ordinary plant the cap is white; spongy 

 when wet, but when dried it presents a hard, tough surface 

 which is often utilized in the manufacture of razor straps. The 

 under surface is a deep brown. Under the microscope, the cap 

 is seen to consist of multitudes of fine hairs somewhat analo- 

 gous to the hairs of the mycelium. In fact, any portion of the 

 woody fungi, when submitted to microscopical examinations 

 is found to consist of hairs. As the mycelium itself is compos- 

 ed entirely of fine hairs there can be no doubt but that those 

 which go to make up the fungus proper are merely processes of 

 the same. 



In the genus Loisites the spores, instead of being devel- 

 oped in tiny perforations, are borne on the sides of the gills 

 which radiate from that side of the plant which is attached to 

 the wood. Although, in the following species the caps vary 

 greatly in color, the plants may be at once identified by the 

 hymenium which never has any radical change. Lenzites 

 separia is perhaps the more common of the two, and may be at 

 once recognized by the brown paper}- gills. In my collection of 

 this species I have plants whose caps shade from almost pure 

 white to dark reddish brown, well illustrating its changeable- 

 ness. The average plant however is a deep brown, both above 

 and beneath and the cap is often zoned with darker shades. It 

 is a sessile species, often gregarious and sometimes imbricate. 

 Low. damp woods and high, dry woods are alike conducive to 

 the growth of this plant. It is a pretty and graceful species and 

 thrives under the most adverse circumstances. 



