Mukrit-l: Polyporaceae of North America 343 



i. Coltricia cinnamomea (Jacq.) 



Boletus cinnamomeus Jacq. Collect. I : 1 16. pi. 2. 1786. 

 Strilia cinnamomea S. F. Gray, Nat. Arr. Brit. PI. I : 645. 1821. 

 Polyporus oblectans Berk. Lond. Jour. Bot. 4:51. 1845. 

 Polyporus splendcns Peck, Rept. N. Y. State Mus. Nat. Hist. 26 : 



68. 1874. 

 Polyporus subsericcus Peck, Rept. N. Y. State Mus. Nat. Hist. 33 : 



37. 1880. 

 Polystictus cinnamomeus (Jacq.) Sacc. Michelia, 1 : 362. 1878. — 



Atkinson, Stud. Amer. Fungi, 192. /. 182. 1900. 



This species appears to be truly cosmopolitan, being found in 

 both hemispheres in tropical as well as in temperate regions. In 

 habitat it differs from its nearest American allies in growing more 

 commonly on mossy soil or much-decayed wood and rather spar- 

 ingly on sandy soil, thus showing a preference for almost pure 

 humus rather than for sterile soil very poor in humus. In ap- 

 pearance it is small, slightly depressed, silky and shining, well de- 

 serving the name, P. splendens, assigned to it by Peck. Its first 

 name, however, refers to its cinnamon color and dates back to the 

 days of Jacquin, who received it from Westhofen in the month of 

 September. His description plainly refers to our plant : 



" Totus cinnamomeus, etiam in substantia interna. Stipes solidus, teres, villosulus, 

 plus minus uncialis, erectus, calamo gracilior. Pileus in centro infundibuliformis, in 

 limbo planus, lineam unam alteramve crassus, diametri uncialis, supra sericeus nitidus 

 et ad tactum holoserici adinstar mollis, subtus poris angulatis totus refertus. Sponte ex- 

 iccatus colorem servat, nee putrefecit, fragilis dumtaxit evadit, et parumper limbo cris- 

 patur. Crescit inter muscas in humo udo." 



Only two characters in this description need comment. While 

 the species is usually slightly depressed, it is sometimes more or 

 less infundibuliform, as our own plants show, and Jacquin seems to 

 have got some of the latter kind. The term fragilis seems to 

 have been incorrectly or rather freely used. Fries questions its 

 correctness, while S. F. Gray stumbles over it into erecting the 

 genus Strilia, which differs from Coltricia only in being fleshy in- 

 stead of membranaceous. 



P. oblectans was described from Australian material. Berke- 

 ley's description, though unusually complete, does not differ ma- 

 terially from that of Jacquin and the type plants cannot be distin- 

 guished from American specimens. Soon after Peck named the 



