38 MurRILL: PoOLypORACEAE OF NortTH AMERICA 
fugacious : context I-1.5 mm. thick, tough, white ; tubes 0.5 mm, 
in length, 2-4 mm. in diameter, very irregular, much elongated _ 
radially near the stipe or in marginal folds, not noticeably decur-_ 
rent, yellowish, polygonal to lamelloid, edges firm, entire, becom- q 
ing denticulate or fimbriate with age ; spores ellipsoid, smooth, | 
hyaline, 4 x 7: stipe central, hollow, increasing above, lighter — 
than the pileus, subglabrous with a silky luster, 2 cm. long, 2-0 — 
mm. thick, the buried base enlarged, tomentose and frequently 
black. 
This species was collected by Earle on his recent trip to Porto. ‘ 
Rico. It grew on sticks buried in sandy soil in woods. The 
thick stipe and irregular tubes suggest P. pachypus of Montagne 4 
but it is evidently not that species. It differs from nearly related 
ciliated forms in being conspicuously tougher and thicker wi 4 
tubes that are in one place small, regular and polygonal and 
in another transformed by confluence into long sinuate furro NS 
resembling the gills of an agaric. This transformation commonly — 
occurs near the stipe or in pockets made by the partial foldi g 
of the pileus. 
d 
bi 
18. Potyporus TricHoLtoma Mont. Ann. Sc. Nat. Bot. II. 
365. 1837. Pl. Cell. Cuba, 240. p/. 17, f. 7. . 1842 
This species was originally well described and figured by Mon- I 
tagne and several specimens of typical plants are still in existence, 
so that no doubt exists concerning its identity. In addition 10 
this, a large number of fresh specimens have recently been Ce : 
lected in Cuba and Jamaica by Earle and Underwood and some 
study made of the habits and variations of the species. It is fou 1 
to grow in abundance throughout the West Indies and Centr al 
America, varying but slightly in color, but more in size and sw 
face markings, occurring usually on dead sticks in woods, a 
sometimes upon logs and even on cocoanut husks. When see® 
in the fresh state it is commonly pure white and easily mistaken ol 
some small agaric, but often with age and always in drying the 
color changes to pallid or light yellowish-brown, or even to a pale 
reddish-brown. The type plants were, of course, dried specimé 
and happened to be darker than is usual with the species. 
Another variation still more marked and the cause of consi 
erable confusion is in the size and persistency of the cilia arou! 
