15 



ment. The specimen found at ]\Iurfreesboro grew about 40 feet 

 from the ground, and proved to be one of the Basidiomycetes belong- 

 ing to the g^^nus Polyporus. The mycelium had grown out through 

 the wood of a dead l)ranch, as shown in tig. 2 and PI. IV, and had 

 spread around this l)ranch, forming a more or less hoof-shaped sporo- 

 phore. The latter was several years old when examined, as shown by 

 successive layers, which are plainly visible in the tigure referred to. 

 It is very hard and woody, and its upper surface is rough, irregular, 

 and ytdlow brown at the margin (which is the youngest layer), soon 

 becoming deeper brown, and linally nmch cracked and overgrown with 

 mosses so that no color is distinguishable. The hymen ial layer is 

 almost horizontal, and is yellow brown in color, the yellow predomi- 

 nating. It extends to the very edge of the pileus and even somewhat 

 over the edsfe. Each vear when a new laver is added several rows of 





■'■-'■:, - ■..■-' - ■ ■ / 



Fig. ■l.—l'(iujiiiiia!-jnitip(.riiiut< growing out from cedar trunk (xf). 



tubes of the hymenium may be seen on the edge of the ridge, indicating 

 where the edge of last year's pileus was. This feature is very character- 

 istic, being well marked in both specimens mentioned, and readily dis- 

 tinguishes this form irom. PoJyporiis foinentarim and P. Igniarliis, its 

 nearest allies. The pores of the hymenium are small and very numer- 

 ous. Man}^ of them are irregular, but the majority are quite round. 

 The hymenium is almost smooth, for there are no hairs and the blunt 

 cystidia project but little over the surface. The basidia are numerous, 

 and each has four short sterigmata bearing four red-brown spores, 

 which are more or less flat on one side. (PI. VII, fig. 2.) 



This Polyporus is one of the fomentarius type, differing from that 

 species (a typical form of which occurs on birches in New England) 

 in being flatter, in the character of its pores, in the color of its hyme- 

 nium, and in its physiological behavior. It differs still more from 

 P. igniarius, and for this reason it is proposed to call the species Poly- 

 poriis j\miperinus n. sp., to be characterized as follows: A Polyporus 



