POLYPOREAE OF SOUTH AFRICA. 257 



smooth or rough with radial ridges, red-ochre to dark; context 

 white to yellowish 1-5 mm. to 5 mm., corky; tubes 0-5 mm. to 

 2 mm., white changing to cinnamon, decurrent on stalks; mouths 

 subrotund to angular, 4 to 5 to the mm., edges entire, white at 

 first but changing to cinnamon brown; stalk lateral or excentric 

 04 cm. to 4 cm. by 0-6 cm. to 2 cm., same colour as pileus and 

 glabrous, hyphae 2/x to 3-7 )i diam. 



Distribution. — Eastern Cape Conservancy on dry Gurtisea 

 faginea. 



In younger specimens the context appears homogenous but in 

 an old specimen I observed it divided into a lower dark brown 

 very hard and horny part and an upper lighter part. 



4. Polyporus arcularius (Batsch), Fries. 



Plants annual, stalked, pileus circular 0-3 cm. to 1 cm. diam. 

 by 1 mm. to 2 mm. thick, umbiliacate, rigid when dry, coriaceous 

 when fresh; surface concentrically rugose when dry, more or less 

 squamulose, brown, margin involute on drying, ciliated; context, 

 scanty white, tubes 1 mm. long, decurrent on stipe; mouths white, 

 discoloured in dried specimens, angular, radially elongated, averag- 

 ing 2 to 3 to mm. in radial direction and 1 to the mm. in axial 

 direction; stalk central 1-5 cm. to 2 cm. long by 0-5 mm. to 1-5 mm. 

 diam., hispid tomentose, brown. 



Distribution. — At Durban, Natal, on decaying wood, found 

 by the writer. 



The specimens seen by the writer were small and would have 

 been referred to P. arcxdariformis, Murr., which, however, appears 

 to be little more than a small form of P. arcularius and not speci- 

 fically distinct from it. 



5. Poli/j)orus xanthopus, Fries. 



Pileus thin, leathery, orbicular, infundibulifcrm, 4-5 cm. to 

 16 cm. diam. and 0-3 mm. to 1 mm. thick, borne on a short 

 glabrous stipe 3 mm. to 5 mm. long, which is usually centrally 

 attached, though at times more or less excentric, expanded at the 

 base into a disc ; surface zoned, multicoloured, light ochre, chestnut 

 red, purple brown to dark sepia-brown, glabrous; margin thin, 

 undulate to lobed, sterile; context 0-2 mm. to 0-8 mm. white, 

 fibrous; tubes exceedingly short; mouths circular 7 to the mm.;, 

 edges entire, white. 



Distribution. — Ngoye Forest, Zululand, on wood, by W. 

 Haygarth and E. Ballenden ; A. Roberts at Nelspruit, Transvaal. 



In specimens growing close together the pilei of separate plants 

 fuse. 



6. Polyporus dichrous, Fries. 



Pileus sessile or effused reflexed, dimidiate to conchate, imbri- 

 cate, coriaceous becoming firm and brittle on drying, 1 cm. to 

 12 cm. by 1-2 cm. to 5 cm. by 015 cm. to 0-6 cm. ; surface white 

 to yellowish, glabrous to velvety-villous ; context white, thin, 1 mm. 

 to 4 mm., soft-fibrous; tubes less than 1 mm. long, fleshy coloured 



