1915] 



OVERHOLTS STUDIES IN THE POLYPORACEAE 689 



darker in mature plants but often remains white, sometimes 

 assuming an ochraceous tint in herbarium specimens. 



Of the above-named species, the first three have been re- 

 ferred to P. adustus by Murrill. P. adustus was described by 

 Willdenow 1 in 1787. P. crispus was first described as a 

 species by Persoon, 2 in 1799, and was later (1815) accepted 

 by Fries 3 and so maintained by him in his 'Hymenomycetes 

 Europaei.' P. Burtii was described from Vermont by Peck, 4 

 in 1897, and has not since been reported. P. fumosus was first 

 described by Persoon, 5 in 1801, and P. fragrans by Peck, 6 in 

 1878. There are several other names for plants closely re- 

 lated to, if not identical with, these species but the writer has 

 had no opportunity to study them. One of these, P. sub- 

 cinereus, described by Berkeley, in 1839, is said to have been 

 repudiated by its author and the plants referred to P. adustus. 

 P. Halesiae Berk. & Curt. 7 is probably distinct, and P. Lind- 

 heimeri Berk. & Curt. 8 is not at all related to P. adustus, as 

 stated by Murrill, but is a large-pored species with a brown 

 context. 



In working over the collections referred to P. adustus in 

 the herbarium of the Missouri Botanical Garden, the her- 

 barium of Dr. E. A. Burt, and the writer's herbarium, it be- 

 came evident that we are here concerned with a species that 

 has been used as a sort of dumping-ground for all plants with 

 a black hymenium and a rather thin context, while plants of 

 thicker context and lighter-colored hymenium have been re- 

 ferred to P. fragrans or to P. fumosus, according to whether 

 a pleasant odor was or was not noticed in the plants. Such 

 procedure has resulted in the bringing together of a heter- 

 ogeneous mass of material under the name P. adustus. This 

 material was very readily separated into three fairly distinct 

 sections besides the collections that properly belonged under 



1 PI. Berol. p. 392. 1787. 



2 Persoon, C. H. Obs. Myc. 2: p. 8. 1799. 



'Fries, E. Obs. Myc. 1: p. 127. 1815. 



4 Bui. Tor. Bot. Club 24: p. 14C. 1897. 



"Syn. Fung. p. 530. 1801. 



•Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 30: p. 45. 1878. 



7 Grev. 1: p. 52. 1872. 



8 Ibid. p. 50. 1872. 



