POLYPOREAE OF SOUTH AFRICA. 265 



30. Polyporus colossus, Fries. 



Plants large, light, annual, sessile, or substipitate; pileus 

 pulvinate, 32 cm. by 23 cm. by 4 cm. to 8 cm.; surface azonate, 

 covered with a thin cuticle which becomes fissured, yellow fading 

 to lighter, soft to firm corky; margin thick, rounded; context 

 1 cm. to 6 cm., floccose, soft spongy to corky, yellow; tubes 0-3 cm. 

 to 1 cm. long, soft, becomes discoloured yellow within; mouths 

 subrotund to angular, 2 to 3 to the mm.; edges entire, yellow in 

 herbarium specimens; spores (teste Lloyd) coloured, ovate, apicu- 

 late, truncate, rough, 12jtx by 20/a; hyphae 4/4; stipe 3 cm. long. 



Distribution. — Recorded from Pretoria district, Transvaal, by 

 the Rev. N. Roberts (Herb. Div. Botany, 2043). 



This plant is described as sessile, but the specimen above 

 mentioned from which the description is taken and which was sub- 

 stipitate is surely the same. Recognisable by large, light pileus. 



31. Polyporus conduit us, Lloyd. 



Plants effused reflexed to entirely resupinate; pileus conchate, 

 1 cm. to 6 cm. by 0-5 cm. to 1-5 cm. by 01 cm. to 0-5 cm. ; surface 

 pale buff, becoming darker, uneven; context firm, hard, buff with 

 pinkish spots, or pinky tint throughout, 1 mm. to 4 mm.; tubes, 

 0-5 mm. to 1-5 mm., concolorous; mouths subrotund to irregularly 

 angular, unequal, 2 to 3 to mm. elongated on effused portion; 

 spores hyaline 3-7/x to 5-5/1, by 7-4/4 to 9-3/4; hyphae 4/x to 5/4 diam. ; 

 setae none. 



Distribution. — Found by the writer at Klapmuts, Cape Pro- 

 vince, on stump of Populus and known only from this collection. 

 The pinkish buff colour of context is peculiar. The plant would 

 also be looked for under Trametes. (Cotype in Natal Herbarium, 

 P. v. d. B., No. 358.) 



32. Polyporus arenosobasus, Lloyd. 



Plants annual, stipitate ; pileus circular, 8 cm. diam.; surface 

 with a thin pellicle, fawn coloured changing to sepia, rugulose; 

 context 0-1 cm. to 1 cm., fibrous, corky, firm, light yellowish; tubes 

 1 mm. to 3 mm. long, decurrent on stalk; mouths subrotund to 

 irregular, 3 to 4 to the mm. ; edges thin, entire; spores not f ound ; 

 hyphae 6/4 to 7-5//, diam. ; stalk arising from a false sclerotium con- 

 sisting of agglutinated sand; true stalk short, about 1-8 cm. diam. ; 

 false sclerotium 5 cm. long by 3 cm. to 4 cm. diam. 



Distribution. — A single collection at Durban, Natal, by J. B. 

 Leslie. (Type in Nataf Herb., No. 710.) 



The plant differs from others recorded in South Africa in its 

 false sclerotium. Polyporus tuberaster, Pers., a native of Europe, 

 has a similar false sclerotium. Here, as in P. arenosobasus, the false 

 sclerotium is composed of sand particles cemented together into a 

 hard body by the mycelial threads of the fungus. 



33. Polyporus sulphureus (Bull.), Fries. 



Pileus sessile or substipitate by a reduced base, dimidiate to 

 flabelliform, densely and closely imbricate, connate, fleshy and soft 



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