280 POLYPOREAE OF SOUTH AFRICA. 



continuous line; mouths circular to angular, rarely becoming 

 daedaloid (e.g., Trametes obstinatus), edges entire, rarely toothed; 

 spores hyaline; in Tr. albotexta lightly coloured. 



The main characteristics of the genus are the unequal depths 

 of the tubes and the homogeneous texture of context and tube 

 tissue. These characters combined give the tube an appearance of 

 being sunk in the context tissue. Some difficulty may at time be 

 experienced in deciding between Trametes and Polyporus, and 

 some species of the latter (cf. P. occidentalis) at times show thick 

 trametoid forms. 



KEY TO TEE SPECIES. 



1. Context white. 



2. Pileus one cm. or less thick. 



3. Surface black, discoloured with age but black spots 



usually remaining. Tr. cingtdata 1 



3. Surface white or whitish, minutely pubescent. 



Pileus applanate. Tr. glabrescens 2 



Pileus effused-reflexed or largely resupinate. 



Tr. varians 3 

 2. Pileus more than 1 cm. thick. 



4. Pileus rarely imbricate; spores large, guttulate. 



Vide P. robintiophila, p. 262. 



4. Pilei imbricate, spores subglobose, 5-5^ to 8(x diam. 



5. Surface hard. Tr. sycomori 4 



5. Surface soft, densely tomentose when young. 



Tr. lactinea 5 



1. Context olive brown. Tr. protect 6 



1. Context purple. Tr. violacea 7 



1. Context lilac-mauve. Tr. griseo-lilacina 8 



1. Context brown but not olive or purple. 



6. Setae present. Tr. Jceetii 9 



6. Setae absent. 



Context reddish brown. 



7. Tissue of tubes white, hymenium red. Tr. albotexta 10 



7. No contrast in colour of context, hymenium and pore 



walls as above. 



8. Surface with a dense hirsute or hispid reddish brown 



pubescence. Tr. hispida 11 



8. Surface creamy white to fuliginous minutely pubescent. 



Tr. moesta 12 



1. Context yellow. 



9. Pileus ungulate. Tr. subflava 13 

 9. Pileus not ungulate. 



10. Surface velvety tomentose; pores becoming daedaloid; 



pileus frequently large and woody. Tr. obstinatus 14 



10. Pores not becoming daedaloid. 



11. Surfaces of pileus with a conspicuous hairy covering. 



12. Tomentum villose, soft, cinnamon brown. 



Tr. tomentosa. 15 



