38 Murrill: Polyporaceae of North America 



fugacious : context 1-1.5 mm. thick, tough, white ; tubes 0.5 mm. 

 in length, 2—4 mm. in diameter, very irregular, much elongated 

 radially near the stipe or in marginal folds, not noticeably decur- 

 rent, yellowish, polygonal to lamelloid, edges firm, entire, becom- 

 ing denticulate or fimbriate with age ; spores ellipsoid, smooth, 

 hyaline, 4 x 7 />« : stipe central, hollow, increasing above, lighter 

 than the pileus, subglabrous with a silky luster, 2 cm. long, 2—6 

 mm. thick, the buried base enlarged, tomentose and frequently 

 black. 



This species was collected by Earle on his recent trip to Porto 

 Rico. It grew on sticks buried in sandy soil in woods. The 

 thick stipe and irregular tubes suggest P. pacliypiis of Montagne, 

 but it is evidently not that species. It differs from nearly related 

 ciliated forms in being conspicuously tougher and thicker with 

 tubes that are in one place small, regular and polygonal and 

 in another transformed by confluence into long sinuate furrows 

 resembling the gills of an agaric. This transformation commonly 

 occurs near the stipe or in pockets made by the partial folding 

 of the pileus. 



18. PoLYPORUS Tricholoma Mont. Ann. Sc. Nat. Bot. II. 8: 

 365. 1837. PL Cell. Cuba, 249. //. /7,/. /. 1842 



This species was originally well described and figured by Mon- 

 tagne and several specimens of typical plants are still in existence, 

 so that no doubt exists concerning its identity. In addition to 

 this, a large number of fresh specimens have recently been col- 

 lected in Cuba and Jamaica by Earle and Underwood and some 

 study made of the habits and variations of the species. It is found 

 to grow in abundance throughout the West Indies and Central 

 America, varying but slightly in color, but more in size and sur- 

 face markings, occurring usually on dead sticks in woods, but 

 sometimes upon logs and even on cocoanut husks. When seen 

 in the fresh state it is commonly pure white and easily mistaken for 

 some small agaric, but often with age and always in drying the 

 color changes to pallid or light yellowish-brown, or even to a pale 

 reddish-brown. The type plants were, of course, dried specimens 

 and happened to be darker than is usual with the species. 



Another variation still more marked and the cause of consid- 

 erable confusion is in the size and persistency of the cilia around 



