MURRILL : POLYPORACEAE OF NORTH AMERICA 475 



Hymenophore annual, epixylous, sessile, dimidiate, simple or 

 imbricate, rather large; surface white, anoderm, sodden and bibu- 

 lous ; context white, duplex, spongy above, firm below ; hymenium 

 concolorous, tubes thin-walled ; spores smooth, hyaline. 



Synopsis of the Xortli American species 



Context coarsely fibrous ; tubes medium ; plant common on coniferous wood. 



S. borealis. 

 Context liner ; tubes smaller ; plant found on deciduous wood. S. galactinus. 



Spongipellis borealis (Fr.) Pat. Tax. Hymen. 84. 1900 



Poly poms borealis Fr. Syst. Myc. I : 366. 1 821. 



Described from material collected on trunks of Abies in the 

 mountains of Smoland as follows : 



" P. albus, pileis fibroso-suberosis mollibus subvillosis, demum 

 subfulventibus, poris tenuibus inaequalibus. 



" Recens inodorus, siccus odorem aniseum debilem spargit. 

 Imbricatus, subconcrescens, 2 unc. & ultra latus & crassus, 

 superne convexus, nunc velutinus, nunc strigosus, margine acuto, 

 subtus planus. Pori albi, lacerati, sinuoso & subrotundi, angustis- 

 simi, tubulos longos formant." 



In the Elenchus, Fries separates two varieties, montanus and 

 spathulatus, and notes that the species is extremely abundant on 

 fir trunks in the mountains of Omberg. 



This plant, although well known in Europe and fairly common 

 in the northern parts of America, is still very imperfectly known 

 by many of the botanists and most of the collectors in this 

 country. It occurs on coniferous trees only, being found most 

 frequently in America on the hemlock. Much more needs to be 

 learned of its distribution. From what is known of it in Europe, 

 one would expect to find it throughout North America as far 

 south as Virginia, but American collections are very meager, as 

 the following will show : 



Finland, Karsten ; Sweden, Rome 11 ; Germany, Allescher ; 

 Tyrol, Brcsadola ; Scotland, Berkeley; Canada, Dearness ; New 

 York, Cook, Atkinson, Murrill, Mrs. Livingston ; Pennsylvania, 

 Gentry, Stevenson. 



Spongipellis galactinus (Berk.) Pat. Tax. Hymen. 84. 1900 

 Polyporus galactinus Berk. Lond. Jour. Bot. 6: 321. 1847. 



Collected by Lea on rotten trunks near Waynesville, Ohio, in 

 the autumn of 1844 and thus described by Berkeley : 



