I'OMiES APPLANATUS (PERS.) WALLR. IN SOUTH 

 AFRICA, AND ITS EFFECT ON THE WOOD OF 

 BLACK IRON WOOD TREES (OLEA LAURI FOLIA). 



Bv Paul Andries van der Bijl. Al.A., D.Sc, F.L.S. 



{Plates 14-17, and two text figures.) 



Introduction. 



The ifungus Pontes applanatiis (Pers.) Wallr. is about the 

 commonest of the Poh-porace^e occurrin»- in South Africa, and 

 is perhaps better known under the name Pomes australis Fr. 

 There is. however, no specific distinction between the alx)ve 

 two fvmgi. and many of our specimens agree exactly with Pomes 

 applanatiis as known from Europe and America. 



Lkiyd* writes: "In a narrow sense this (P. australis) is a 

 tropical form of Pomes applanatiis with a thin context and lon.i,'- 

 pores." " It is a time-honotired custom to refer every Pomes 

 oi the section Canodermus that came from the tropics to P. 

 australis." And againf : " In the tropics Pomes applatiafits often 

 takes a form exactly the same as the European form, but 

 generally the crust is hard and l:)rown. and then it is classed as 

 Pomes australis." 



MurrillJ places this fungus in his genus Elf^'ingia, and 

 cites Pomes australis as a synonym of his Elfi'ingia tornata 

 (Pers.) Mur. 



Heald§ describes Elfvingia inegaloma (Lev.) Mur. as 

 causing a disease oif cotton-wood, and cites Pomes leueopheeus 

 ( Mont. ) as a synonym. 



Pomes leucophccus can, however, hardly be regarded as a 

 distinct species, and the only difference between it and P. appla- 

 natiis is that in the former the crust is of a lighter colour. 



Under the name Pomes australis, Petch l| mentions this 

 fungus from Ceylon on palms and bamboos as well as on 

 dicotyledonous trees, and states that whereas it is usually 

 saprophytic, several instances had been noticed in which it began 

 to grow on the exposed surface of a wound, and from that 

 starting-point proceeded to destroy the tree. This was observed 

 on a large Zisyplius Xylopyrus in the Peradeniya Botanic Gar- 

 dens. As far as Aeacia decurrens (cultivated wattle) is con- 

 cerned, he writes : 



Onl}- tlie old trees at Hakgala are known to liave been attacked, l)Ut 

 it is evident from an examination of the stumps that most of the Acacias 



* Lloyd. C. G., " Synopsis of the Genus Foiiics.'' 265. 



t Lloyd. C. G.. ibid.. 264. 



JMurrill, Wm. A.. "North American Flcra,'' 9 [2], 115. 



§ Heald, F. D.. "' A Disease of Cottonwood due to Elfvingia inega- 

 loma." Nebraska Agric. F.xpt. Stn.. Nineteenth Ann. Report, 92. 



Petch, T., Circulars and .lyric. .Joitni. of the Royal Botanic Garden. 

 Peradeniya. 5 [10]. 92. 



