P0LYP0REAE OF SOUTH AFRICA. 279 



mouths minute, circular, 3 to 4 to the mm. ; edges entire, white 

 when fresh, dark-umber in old or bruised collections; spores 

 obovate, truncate with thick walls, smooth to punctate or echinu- 

 late 6-6/ul to 8/i< by 8-3/i. to 10/x; hyphae 3jx to 6^. 



Fames vegetus (Fr.) Cke. is a form of F. applanatus with 

 context tissue between the annual pore layers, but hardly a distinct 

 species. It is a growth condition. Fomes leucophaeus (Mont) Cke. 

 is a form with lighter surface colour. Fomes austral is (Fr.) Cke., 

 the name by which this fungus is perhaps better known in South 

 Africa, is held to have a harder crust, scantier context, and longer 

 pores than typical F. applanatus. These characters, however, 

 intergrade and varv so much that it is difficult to know where and 

 how to draw the line. I do not think it can be considered a dis- 

 tinct species. When growing at the base of trees and partly 

 covered up with debris, a stipitate form of this fungus has often 

 been met with. In form and shape they agree with Polyporus 

 gibbosus, Nees, but only an examination of the type material of 

 Nees can decide the identity of his fungus. 



Fomes annularis, Lloyd, differs from typical F. applanatus in 

 its ungulate, pendent pileus with concentric raised annular rings. 

 It is a common form in South Africa. The form is peculiar 

 amongst the Fomes and it is probably best considered as merely a 

 growth variety of F. applanatus. 



Distribution. — Fomes applanatus is the commonest species of 

 the genus in South Africa, and occurs throughout the country. In 

 the Eastern Cape Conservancy J. D. Keet collected it on Olea lauri- 

 folia, Rhus laevigata, Curtisea faginea, Acacia mollissima, Celtis 

 hraussiana ; W. Haygarth has it from the Ngoye Forest, Zululand. 

 In the Lusikisiki Forest, Pondolond. it has been found on Olea 

 laurifolia (Herb. Div. Bot., Pretoria, No. 6940); in the Transvaal 

 on live Pyrus com munis, bv the writer; in Natal it has been found 

 on Podocarpus sp. in the Hlatikulu Forest, and also on stumps of 

 Acacia mollissima and on live Albizzia fastigiata at Durban. 



Typical specimens of var. "annularis" are from Olea laurifolia 

 at the Kologa Forest, Stutterheim, Cape, and on the same host in 

 Pondoland. W. Haygarth collected it also in the Ngov,e Forest, 

 Zululand, and I. B. Pole-Evans obtained it on Ciinonia. caqiends 

 at the National Botanic Gardens, Cape Town. 



The fungus is a facultative parasite and causes considerable 

 damage to Olea laurifolia and other trees. 



In the "South African Journal of Science," Vol. XIV, p. 485, 

 the writer dealt with the effect of this fungus on Olea laurifolia. 



Trametes, Fries. 



Plants epixylous, annual or perennial, sessile; pileus corky to 

 woody, flexible to firm ; context white, yellow, lilac, olive or some 

 shade of brown, corky, tough to woody, descending into and form- 

 ing the walls of the tubes; tubes typically appear sunken to 

 unequal depths in context tissue so that their bases are not in a 



