PROTOMERULIUS FARLOWII BURT, N. SP. 1 



EDWARD A. BURT 



Mycologist and Librarian to the Missouri Botanical Garden 

 Professor in the Henry Shaw School of Botany of 



Washington University 



During his last illness and only two days before his death, Dr. 

 Farlow had mailed to me a very interesting fungus which he 

 collected near his summer home at Chocorua, New Hampshire. 

 This fungus, which I have named Protomerulius Farlowii, has 

 apparently more minute pores than have been recorded for 

 any species heretofore described. The pores are so minute that 

 to the naked eye the fructification has the aspect of a very thin 

 Sebacina with its hymenial surface slightly pruinose. This 

 pruinose surface becomes barely visible as irregularly angular 

 and somewhat sinuous pores with very thin dissepiments when 

 viewed through a pocket magnifier of fine definition having a 

 magnification of 10 or more diameters, and is beautifully shown 

 under the compound microscope with an objective of about 16 



mm. focal distance. 



Under this higher magnification the dissepiments appear as 

 thin, irregular folds up to 30 n high and about 20 n thick, with 

 the edge acute and lacerate. The angular pores are incompletely 

 enclosed by the dissepiments ; the hymenial configuration is that 

 of Merulius rather than Poria. 



Preparations of the hymenium show longitudinally cruciately 

 septate basidia 9-10 X 7 p. Hence this fungus is a member of the 

 Tremellaceae and has the hymenial configuration of a Merulius. 



A. Moller collected at Blumenau, Brazil, a fungus having the 

 form of a Merulius and longitudinally cruciately septate basidia, 

 which he published 2 as Protomerulius brasiliensis new genus and 

 species. Although the hymenial folds and pores are much 

 smaller and less perfectly developed than those of Protomerulius 

 brasiliensis, the generic description of Protomerulius applies well 

 to the New Hampshire specimen. 







Although 24 years have elapsed since the publication of Proto- 



1 Issued October 11, 1919. 



* Bot. Mitt. a. d. Tropfen 7:60. 1895; 8: 129, 172. pi. S. f. S, 4, pi- 6. f. S6. 



Amu. Mo. Bot. Gabd., Vol. 6, 1919 



(175) 



