The Polyporaceae of North America.— III. The Genus Pomes 



r>V Wll.I.IAM AI.IIIdNSO MURRll.L 



The generic name Fames is usually accredited to Fries, but this 

 author never employed it to designate a genus. In Novae Sym- 

 bolae, 46, 185 1, the genus Polyporus is subdivided into Rupoly- 

 poriis and Fomes, the latter division being described as follows : 



" Pileus primitus lignoso-induratus (raro molles, plorantes), contextu floccoso inter- 

 texto, crusta rigida obductus, azonus, sed demum concentrice sulcatus. Fungi peren- 

 nes {vulgo straiose), reviviscetites, seJ stratum annuttm vegeliiin tatttum est.'^ 



In listing species Fries wrote the word Fomcs in parenthesis 

 after Polyporus. 



Gillet (Champ. France, I : 682. 1878) raised Fomes to generic 

 rank and described the group as follows : 



*' Hymenium poreux ; pores non separables entr'eux, distincts du chapeau, dis- 

 poses par couches stratifiees. Esp^ces ligneuses-subereuses, stipit^es, dimidiees ou re- 

 supinees, recouvertes d'une croute dure, epaisse et st. marquee de zones annuelles 

 separees par des sillons concentriques. Champignons vivaces a accroissement in- 

 defini." 



Under this genus Gillet lists thirteen species, the first being F. 

 marginatus, which is therefore considered its type. Most of the 

 remaining species of Fomes, as the term is used in Saccardo's Syl- 

 loge, were assigned to this category by Cooke in Grevillea (v. 1 3 

 and 14, 1884-85). Karsten was the first to divide generically this 

 large group of perennials, which now comprises a half dozen or 

 more genera, the name Fomes being connected with the natural 

 subdivision to which F. margimiUis belongs. Karsten's name 

 Fomitopsis, applied to this subdivision in 1881, unfortunately be- 

 comes a synonym of Fomes. His names Ganoderma and Elfvin- 

 gia, however, hold for other important subdivisions. 



Synopsis of tbe :Kortli American Species 



1. Context white or yellowish. 2. 

 Context flesh-colored, pileus often effused or effused-reflexed, flesh-colored, soon 



blackening, tubes round, 3-4 to a mm. I. /'. roseus. 



2. Pileus over 3 cm. broad. 3* 

 Pileus less than 3 cm. broad. 8- 



3. Pileus encrusted, surface darker than the context. 4- 

 Pileus rarely encrusted, surface concolorous with the context. 9. 



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