24 NORTHERN POLYPORES 



sterile, concolorous, entire, acute, inflexed when dry; context 

 less than I mm. thick, spongy, white, somewhat fragile when 

 dry; tubes 1-1.5 mm. long, white, mouths angular, regular, 

 even, 5 to a mm., edges glistening, thin, white to pallid, slightly 

 dentate; stipe lateral, compressed or cylindric, 2.5-5 X 0.3-0.6 

 cm., resembling the pileus in surface and substance. 



Occasional in New York on buried wood in open woods. Also 

 reported from Missouri. Considered by some a synonym of P. 

 fractipes Berk. & Curt. 



7. POLYPORUS ARCULARIUS (Batsch) Fries 



Pileus circular, convex, umbilicate, 1-2.5 X 0.1-0.2 cm.; 

 surface azonate, concentrically rugose when dry, fuscous- 

 squamulose to fulvous and nearly glabrous ; margin acute, ciliate-- 

 dentate, straight, inflexed on drying; context white, membranous; 

 tubes slightly decurrent, rather firm, white to brownish, 1-2 

 mm. long, mouths large, oblong-rhomboid, 1-2 to a mm., edges 

 thin, elongate, denticulate; spores cylindric, pointed at the ends, 

 2-guttulate, copious, 7-8 X 1.5-2.5 /*; stipe central, slender, 

 even, fuscous-gray to fulvous, subsquamulose to glabrous above, 

 hispid-tomentose at the base, 2-4 cm. long, 2-3 mm. thick. 



Common throughout from Connecticut southward and west- 

 ward on dead branches and trunks of various trees. P. arculari- 

 formis Murrill may be a depauperate form of this species. 



8. POLYPORUS CAUDICINUS (Scop.) Murrill 



Sporophore of immense size, reaching 50 cm. in breadth and 

 3 cm. in thickness, usually found in imbricate masses projecting 

 from the trunks of living trees; pileus subcircular and umbili- 

 cate when young, soon becoming flabelliform and explanate; 

 surface ochraceous to fulvous, covered with broad, appressed, 

 darker scales, which are very close together in young specimens; 

 margin involute, thin, entire; context fleshy-tough, juicy, milk- 

 white, very thick, odor strong; tubes decurrent, white or pale- 

 yellowish, very short, mouths large, alveolar, I mm. or more 

 in diameter, edges thin at maturity, toothed at an early age, 

 becoming lacerate; spores broadly ovoid, 12X5 M; stipe eccentric 

 to lateral, obese, reticulate above, clothed at the base with short, 

 dark-brown or black, velvety tomentum, often reduced, variable 

 in length. 



Frequent throughout on decayed trunks of various deciduous 

 trees, appearing in the spring. This fungus is one of the worst 



