2 Transactions. 



first appearance. On the other hand, the species of Forties are 

 all perennial, hard, and woody, and form a new hymenial layer 

 of tubes each year ; conseqiiently in old specimens the tubes are 

 described as " stratose," each stratum of tubes corresponding to 

 one year's growth. 



As illustrating the variety of form included in the family, 

 in Boletus, also in some species of Polyporus and PolysticUis, 

 there is an agaric type of structure, consisting of a pileus and 

 central stem, pores replacing gills on the under surface of the 

 pileus. In other genera the stem is lateral or altogether absent, 

 the fungus being fixed by a broad base and forming bracket- 

 or hoof-like horizontal projections. In other genera, again, as 

 Porta, the entire fungus is quite thin, forming more or less 

 extended patches firmly fixed to the matrix, and having the 

 free surface completely covered with the hymenium. Some 

 species are quite minute ; others, again, are veritable fvmgal 

 giants, certain species of Poly for us and Fomes numbering amongst 

 the largest of known Fungi. 



The family includes a considerable number of destructive 

 parasites ; species of Polyporus, Fomes, Merulius, and Poria 

 being more especially destructive to forest and orchard trees ; 

 worked timber also suffers unless special precautions are taken. 



Boletus alone, so far as is known, contains a few edible 

 species, the members of the other genera being either woody 

 or coriaceous. Strohilomyces, a genus closely allied to Boletus, 

 contains several species from Australia, some of which may 

 prove to be edible. 



It is somewhat remarkable that no specimens representing 

 the genera Boletus or Strohilomyces have as yet been recorded 

 as occurring in New Zealand. It would appear highly impro- 

 bable that representatives of these genera should be entirely 

 absent, considering their comparative abundance in Australia. 



Analysis of the Genera, 



36. Polyporus. Pileus smooth, fleshy, flesh soft ; tubes sharply de- 



fined but not separable from the flesh, not stratose. 



37. Fomes. Pileus smooth, flesh thick, woody ; tubes woody, stratose. 



38. PoLYSTiCTUS. Pileus hirsute or silky, flesh quite thin; tubes short, 



not stratose. 



39. Poria. Entirely resupinate ; flesh usually very thin ; tubes short. 



40. Trametes. Pileus corky, sessile ; tubes penetrating different depths 



into the flesh, not stratose. 



41. D^dalea. Pileus corky, sessile; tubes elongated and sinuous, walls 



tliick, elastic. 



42. Favolus. Tubes elongated and lamellose, radiating from point of 



attachment of pileus. 



43. Laschia. Stipitate or dimidiate ; tubes as in Polyporus, but along 



with the pileus soft and subgelatinous. 



44. Merulius. Resupinate, subgelatinous ; pores very shallow, irregular, 



often reduced to irregular wrinkles or folds. 



