186 FUNGUS-FLORA. 



I. Spores coloured. 



Merulius lacrymans. Fr. 



Broadly effused, usually entirely resupinate, but sometimes 

 effuso-reflexed, thick, soft and rather moist, silky or minutely 

 velvety below, yellowish-brown or dark brown in the centre, 

 shading off to the tumid, sterile, silky, white or yellow sterile 

 margin ; folds large, gyrose, sometimes irregularly toothed ; 

 spores rusty yellow, obliquely elliptical, 1012 x 5-6 //,. 



Merulius lacrymans, Fries, Syst. Myc. i. p. 328 ; Stev., 

 Fung., p, 230. 



On trunks, worked wood, carpet, &c. Patches varying 

 from 2-3 in. to a foot and more in diameter, ^ in. or more 

 thick at times. Very variable, but distinguished by the 

 slightly gelatinous substance, irregularly rugulose hymenium, 

 and bright rusty orange spores. Exuding drops of water 

 when growing. 



Whole plant generally resupinate, soft, tender, at first 

 very light, cottony and white. When the veins appear they 

 are of a fine yellow-orange or reddish-brown, forming irre- 

 gular folds, most frequently so arranged as to have the 

 appearance of pores, but never anything like tubes, and 

 distilling, when perfect, drops of water. Sometimes the 

 pileus or substance of the plant, from its situation, produces 

 pendent processes like inverted cones. (Grev.) 



II. Spores white. 

 * Crustaceo-adnate, margin more or less tomentose. 



Merulius Carmichaelanus. Berk. 



White, forming a very thin, adnate pellicle irregularly 

 effused for 12 in., folds very slightly prominent, very thin, 

 forming a fairly equal, angular network ; whole plant 

 becoming brown when dry. 



Merulius Carmichaelanus, Berk., Outl., p. 256; Stev., Fung., 

 p. 230. 



On bark. Pores often hexagonal, very shallow, by which 

 character it is distinguished from the white species of 

 Poria. 



