602 MuRRiLL : The Polyporaceae of North America 



cays or falls a prey to insects. So subject is it to insect attack 

 that recognizable specimens are rare in the herbarium. As its 

 ordinary host is confined to America, there is no reference to it in 

 European literature, unless the plants found on Picca cxcclsa by 

 Karsten in Sweden belong here rather than with G. psciidoboletus. 

 Extensive collections of various forms of this species were 

 made by Professor Underwood at Syracuse, N. Y., in July 1884, 

 and at West Goshen, Conn., August 1896. Miss A. M. Vail 

 brought specimens from Tyringham, Mass., in August 1897,* 

 Professor G. F. Atkinson has figured the species in plate 66 of 

 his work on mushrooms. Wherever the hemlock grows it appears 

 to be common. It is nearly related to G. pseiidobolctus, but is 

 annual, grows on coniferous trees, decays soon after maturity, and 

 is usually much lighter in weight and paler in substance. 



2. Ganoderma pseudoboletus (Jacq.) 

 AgaricHS pseudoboletus Jacq. Flor. Austr. i : 26-27. //. ^/. 



1773- 



Boletus rugosus Jacq. Flor. Austr. 2 : 44. //. i6g. 1774. 



Boletus lucidus 'Ltyss. Flora Halensis, 300. 1783. 



Boletus obliquatus Bull. Herb, de la France,//. 7. 1780; //. 



459- 1790. 



Poly poms lucidus Fries, Syst. Myc. i : 353. 182 1. 



Polyporus laccatus Pers. Myc. E!ur. 2: 54. 1825. 



Poly poms Curtisii Berk. Kew Gard. Misc. i : 10 1. 1849. 



A large fungus common on decaying trunks and stumps of 

 deciduous trees conspicuous on occount of its brilliant varnished 

 appearance. Pileus corky to woody, usually kidney-shaped, 

 convex above, concave below, 2—20 x 2—25 x i— 5 cm., yellow to 

 reddish-chestnut or black ; surface glabrous, shining, laccate, 

 broadly sulcate and usually marked with concentric lines or bands 

 of a darker color ; margin white or light yellow, sterile, thin, 

 acute, becoming truncate, sulcate, and concolorous as new strata 

 are added ; context soft-corky or woody, radiate-fibrous, concen- 

 trically banded, ochraceous above, tawny next to the hymenium : 

 tubes one- to many-layered, the strata varying in distinctness, 

 0.5-2 cm. long, 3-5 to a mm., brown within ; mouths circular to 



* During the summer of 1902 fine specimens have been collected in the hemlock 

 grove of the New York Botanical Garden by Messrs. Burnham and George, in 

 Connecticut by Miss White, and in Ohio by Professor A. D. Selby. 



