POLYPOREAE OF SOUTH AFRICA. 267 



surface of the pileus is frequently dark chestnut brown in part and 

 in a few specimens the main stalk branched below the soil. 



36. Polyporus mastoporus, Lev. 



Pileus sessile or effused reflexed to laterally stipitate; surface 

 horny encrusted, hard and laccate with a dark chestnut brown 

 varnish, concentrically sulcate; context fibrous, corky, dark brown, 

 1 mm. to 5 mm., often separated into an upper softer and lighter 

 region and a lower, dark coloured and harder region just above 

 tubes; tubes 0-5 cm. to 2 cm. brown, hard and compact, becoming 

 stuffed with white; mouths circular, 4 to 5 to the mm. edges 

 entire, purplish brown; spores not found, according to Lloyd 

 truncate, smooth, coloured 5/m, by 8/j, ; hyphae 3-5/i to 5/a. 



Distribution. — Recorded by W. Haygarth from the Ngoye 

 Forest, Zululand. 



This fungus is distinguished by its hard, compact, purple 

 brown tubes and pore mouths, in which characters it differs from 

 P. lucidus; it is also more woody than P. lucid us with a thicker 

 and harder crust. 



37. Poll/ par us lucidus (Leys), Fries. 



Plants varying, substipitate, stipitate or sessile; pileus cir- 

 cular, dimidiate or reniform, applanate, imbricate and connate, 

 corky when fresh, becoming woody on drying, 10 cm. to 25 cm. by 

 8 cm. to 30 cm. by 1 cm. to 4 cm.; surface covered with a thin 

 crust, yellowish to dark chestnut brown, or red, laccate, concen- 

 trically sulcate, at times tuberculate, conidial bearing; margin 

 entire to undulate, acute; context whitish to brown, 0-5 cm. to 

 3 cm. thick, duplex and usually separated into an upper light 

 coloured and softer region and a lower darker and firmer region 

 above the tubes, but frequently of the same colour and texture 

 throughout, often hard, concentrically banded; tubes 0-3 cm. to 

 1-5 cm. long, brown within; mouths circular to angular, 3 to 4 to 

 the mm., white becoming yellowish or brown, darker on being 

 bruised; spores ovoid, yellowish brown, smooth to punctate and 

 decidedly rough, apiculate, truncate, 9/x to 11/a by 5/x to 7-4/ut ; 

 hyphae 4ju, to 8ju, diam. ; stipe absent or present, central to lateral, 

 up to 8 cm. long, laccate like tho crust. 



Distribution. — A common fungus on live Salix sp. around 

 Pretoria, by H. F. Cuff; on live Acacia sp. in the. same locality; 

 on live Poinciana regia around Durban, Natal, by the writer; by 

 J. D. Keet in Eastern Cape Forest Conservancy on live 01 ea 

 verrucosa, dead Pta&royxlon utile and dead Zizyphus mucronata; 

 T. R. Sim on live Acacia- mollissima in midlands of Natal; on 

 Albizzia amara at Durban by the writer; at Howick, Natal, bv 

 Geo. Hobbs. 



P. fulvellus, Bres. and P. sessilis, Murr. Llovd are considered 

 synonymous and to be sessile forms of it. Lloyd described the 

 South African substipitate form under the name P. capense, Lloyd. 

 Polyporus curtisii, Berk, is very similar to P. lucidus, but con- 

 sidered specifically distinct by most mycologists. The difference is 



3a 



