MURRILL : POLYPORACEAE OF NoRTH AMERICA 43.'> 



tematic position. The name I have chosen for the genus refers to 

 this resemblance. There is only one species known. 



Porodiscus pendulus (Schw.) 



Peziza poidtila Schw. Syn. Funj:^. Car. 92. no. 1183. 1818. 



Cvphclia piudii/a Fr. Syst. 2: 203. 1822. 



Sp/iacria pocitla Schw. Proc. Acad. Sci. Phila. 4 : 1 89. pi. 2. f. 

 6. 1834. 



Etisliiiia pocnla Yx. Summ. Veg. Scand. 2: 399. 1849. 



Polyp07'us pocula Berk. & Curt. Proc. Am. Acad. Arts & Sci. 4: 

 122. 1859. 



Polyporiis cjipidacforniis Berk. & Curt. Grevillea, l: 38. 1872. 



This species has been much confused because of its similarity 

 to members of other groups. Schweinitz at fir.st called it Pedza 

 digitalis Alb. & Schw. (Consp. Fung. 315, no. 943. //. 5. f. i. 

 1805), a European plant which it outwardly resembles, but in pub- 

 lishing it he adds "nisi nova, minor, durior, pcitdnla a me nomi- 

 nata." That this name pcndula was unpublished previous to this 

 time is indicated by the fact that he cites this as the place of its 

 publication under Cyphella pcndula in Proc. Acad. Sci. Phila. 4 : 184. 

 1834. That it was in common use may be judged from the fact 

 that Fries got it in manuscript from Schwaegrichen, a friend of 

 Schweinitz and the editor of his work on the fungi of Carolina. 



When Schweinitz received more mature specimens of the same 

 species from Dr. Torrey collected on branches of ash, he named it 

 Sphacria pocula, at the same time stating that the plant was entirely 

 similar to his Cyphella pcndula, except for the presence of peri- 

 thecia. A southern form on sumac was later named Polyporus 

 cupulaefonnis by Berkeley and Curtis. The confusion that has 

 arisen is partly due to the small size of the plant and the changes 

 that take place in it as it develops. On emerging from the bark 

 of its host it is erect, sessile and depressed at the center without 

 the appearance of a Polyporus. Later, the central depression is 

 occupied by a porous hymenium and a stipe develops, which varies 

 in length and is more or less curved according to its position on 

 the branch. The surface could hardly be called tomentose, but is 

 uniformly covered with a brown powder, which bleaches and 

 partly disappears in age. 



