Native or BlackfeUoios' Bread. 1017 



T. Baker in the Proceedings of the LinniL'an Society of N.S.W. for 

 19U2. From a good specimen of the bread, weighing 8 lbs., and cut 

 in half, he succeeded in raising several of the forms, but althougli 

 the cap measured over four inches in diameter and the ])ores were 

 developed, no spores were found. It was my good fortune in 

 November of last year to receive the specimen which is here repro- 

 duced (Figs. 2, 3) through Mr. Bastow, having been sent from 

 Southport, Tasmania, by Mr. T. P. Cowle. It was cut up, wrapped 

 in white paper and carefully laid aside to be kept as a natural history 

 specimen, but in the course of five days the fructification burst 

 through the paper, and in that condition it was brought under my 

 notice, with a request to say what it was. There was no difficulty 

 in recognising the Polijporus, and I saw at once that here we had 

 another good example of the fructification of native bread. It arose 

 from the inner or cut surface of the sclerotium, and was of a whitish 

 or creamy white color. Alongside of this and originating in the 

 same way, there was another smaller protuberance about | in. in 

 diameter, and somewhat oval, evidently a young fructification, which 

 did not develop further. 



The Polyporus is seen to be much mis-shapen, no doubt owing to 

 the confined condition under which it was developed, and evidently 

 consists of several caps merged together, and a smaller distinct pileus 

 springing from the common stem a little lower down. The spores 

 were produced in the tubes, and the fungus had fully developed. 

 The compound nature of the whole structure is seen in the indications 

 of the three stalks run together, and in the ]mrtially divided character 

 of the pileus or cap. 



The specimen just described had developed its fructification 

 under rather unnatural conditions, and the blending of several into 

 one was evidently due to the restrictions placed upon its free growth. 

 So a thick slice was cvit off from the native bread, and kept in the 

 laboratory in a glass dish in which several layers of moist blotting 

 paper wei'e placed, in order that any further growth might be care- 

 fully watched, and that any fructification which might develop 

 would be free to follow its natural tendencies. 



The free surface at first became overgrown with a dense whitish 

 to yellowish mould, and at one spot a slight swelling appeared which 

 gradually increased in size, until at the end of a fortnight a well 

 defined fungus was formed consisting of cap and stalk (Fig. 1). 

 The stalk was rather short, stout , irregular on surface and only 

 about half an inch high, and the cap or pileus, which was of a cream 

 colour with a canary yellow tinge, was somewhat kidney shaped, 

 having a slight indentation at one side. It was, however, roughly 

 round and measured about three inches across, the tubes on the 

 under surface being pure white. On tlie o])posite side of the slice, 

 which was lying fiat upon the damp blotting paper, a (juite unexpected 

 formation occurred. The dense white mould overspread the surface 

 as it did above, but since it was physically impossible to produce the 

 usual stalk and cap, groups of tubes were formed, similar in size and 



