Polyporus.] FUNGI. ' 137 



On the stumps of old trees : summer. In all parts of Great Britain 

 occasionally, but seldom in abundance. — Pileus 2 — 6 inches broad, 

 generally more or less oblique, very variable in thickness, rugose, often 

 marked with concentric grooves or ridges, chocolate-brown, the edge 

 often tawny or bright-chestnut, shining as if varnished, with occasionally 

 a vitreous appearance. Pores very minute, subrotund, pale, equal, at 

 length cinnamon. Stem 6 — 10 inches high, 1 inch or more thick, rugose, 

 marked occasionally with transverse lines of growth, shining like the 

 pileus; sometimes obsolete. Both the pileus and stem are occasionally 

 marked with minute wavy wrinkles. A most beautiful and highly 

 curious species, occurring in most parts of the world. 



•\\ Stem branched, 



9. P.frondosus, Schrank. {small-headed branched Polyporus) ; 

 very much branched, pilei dimidiate rugose dingy-grey, pores 

 white. Fr. Syst. Myc, v. I.j9. 335. Rogues, Hist, des Chawp, 

 p. 57. Rostk, /. c. t, 18.— B.Jro?idosus, Schrank, Fl. Dan. t. 952. 

 Dicks, fasc. 1. p. 18. Sow. t. 87. With. v. 4. p. 284. Tratt, 

 Essb. Schiv. t. U. — B. rajnosissinnis, Schceff. t. 127, 128, 129. 

 — Agaricus intybaceus, Ray, Syn. p. 23. Deering, Nott. p. 7. 



On the roots of Oaks. Sept. — Oct. Not common. In England it 

 has been found by Diclisoii, Woodward, and Sowerbi/, and in Scot- 

 land by the Rev. Colin Smith, at Inverary. — " Pilei very numerous, 

 dimidiate, condensed into a convex tuft, ^ — 1 foot broad, imbricated, 

 variously confluent, irregular, at first downy, dusky, then smooth, livid- 

 grey ; disc depressed dilated above, ^ — 1 inch broad, convex, the base 

 confluent with the compound stem. Swell like that of mice." Fr. I. c. 

 Esculent. I do not understand Fries' remark " pori vix fuscescentes 

 ut Sow. t. 87," since in the figure the pores are white, and in the text 

 it is expressly said " pores and inner substance very white." This 

 species, which is reported as excellent for food, sometimes attains a 

 wciiiht of thirty lbs. or more. Indeed Clusius states that he had seen 

 in Hungary masses three feet high. Woodward found a mass two feet 

 broad, and the tiled lobes near the tree more than six inches deep. 



10. P. gigdnteus, Pers. {giant Polyporus) ; *' imbricated and 

 branched, pilei very broad somewhat zoned rivulose ash-coloured 

 to brownish-yellow or dusky-brown, pores unequal greyish- 

 white." Piirt. MSS. Fr. Syst. Myc. v. ]. p. Sd6.—P im- 

 bricatus. Hook. Fl. Lond. N. S. cum ic. FL Dan. t. 1703. — 

 BoL gigantcus, Pers. Syn. p. 521. — B. weseyitericus, Schieff, 

 t. 2G7 — B. clegans. Bolt. t. IG.— B.acanthoidcs, Bull. t. 486. — 

 B. imbricatus, Sow. t. 86. — Dccdaka imbricata, Part. Midi. FL 

 V. 3. n. 1493. ,^ 



On stumps of felled trees, hedge-banks, &c. Oct Jan. : rare. Near 



Halifax, Jiolton. Kensington (tardcns. Sowerlti/. Wixford ; Binton ; 

 Oversley. Purlon. — P'orming large tufts, 1—2 feet or more broad, 

 branched in an imbricated manner. " Pilei sublatcral, fliicciil, various 

 in form, the smface granuhitcd with minute brown flucci, rigid, when 

 dry sqiiamoso-fibrillose ; at first pale, then brownish-ydlow i disc de- 

 pressed at length black. Pores n)inute, dirty-brown when bruised 

 at length torn." Fr. I. c. A description of this species, with which I 



