PORIA. 



Comme tous les champignons a resupin le genre Poria n'a ete que peu tudie 

 en Europe et je crois que la plus grande proportion des anciens specimens que 

 Ton voit dans les muse'es sont maldetermines ; il est certain qu'on ne peut en dire 

 grand'chose. Bresadola fut le premier a tudier srieusement ces plantes, si 1'on 

 excepte les premiers temps de Fries a Femsjo. Fries contribua beaucoup a leur 

 confusion ; et on constate dans ses collections et Icones des contradictions di- 

 rectes en ce qui concerne ces specimens; ceci a ete prouv6 par Bresadola. Tandis 

 que Fries observait et etudiait soigneusement ces specimens durant sa jeunesse 

 a Femsjo, toute son attention et tous ses efforts furent consacres pendant ses 

 quarante dernieres anne'es & 1'etude des agarics, si bien que les details concernant 

 les Porias et autres champignons a resupin sont assez confus dans ses derniers 

 ecrits. Je crois que ses dispositions des especes de Persoon furent presque toutes 

 erronees ; il n'avait d'ailleurs aucun moyen de connaitre les 6chantillons de 

 Persoon. 



Quant a Persoon, ses idees n'etaient claires en ce qui concerne les Porias que 

 pour un bien petit nombre d'especes. Ceci ressort de son herbier ou on voit des 

 uoms manuscrits sous un grand nombre de Porias, sans compter beaucoup de 

 specimens qu'il a marques d'un point d'interrogation. De plus, unequantite des 

 noins de sa Mycologia Europaea sont tires de Hoffmann et taient primitivement 

 bases sur des croissances anormales trouvees dans less mines et les caves. Sur 

 les dix-sept specimens incontestablement authentiques qui figurent dans son 

 herbier, six settlement furent recueillis par lui personnellement. Les autres sont 

 des noms donnes par lui a des echantillons qui lui furent envoyees et qu'il ne con- 

 naissait pas. Je ne sais si Persoon fut le premier a se tirer d'embarras en bapti- 

 sant du nom d' "especes uouvelles" tous les echantillons qui lui 6taient inconnus ; 

 je suis bien persuade qu'il ne fut pas le dernier a employer cette methode ! 



bibula. Persoon made but one collection. It is white and has large, 

 angular pores and may prove to be the same as ambigua. I found no cystidia 

 on it however that occur on ambigua. 



brunnea. Only one little fragment from Chaillet on which the species was 

 based. It is too scanty to tell much. The color was probably reddish as Persoon 

 first referred it to " rufus." 



byssina. It is evident that Persoon referred several things to byssina, 

 among others a specimen from Chaillet which Persoon also called "molluscus," 

 showing that he had no very definite idea as to the latter species. 



colliculosa. There is a good specimen in Persoon's herbarium. It was on 

 oak, is white and has large, rigid pores, about what Fries called Trametes ser- 

 pens, I think. 



contigua. It will be noted that Persoon (Myc. Europ., p. 74) placed conti- 

 gua in the pileate section, but it is usually held to be a Poria nowadays, and 

 Persoon's type is resupinate. It is in good condition and is very close to the 

 common plant in Sweden that Fries called Poria ferruginosa. Both have fer- 

 ruginous context and abundant colored setae on the hymenium. I found no 

 spores in Persoon's specimen. I think that ferruginosa and contigua are not 

 exactly the same plant, but I have no clear idea as to the difference between them. 



cribosa. This was based on one specimen from Helvetia still in Persoon's 

 herbarium. It belongs to the ferruginous section with abundant colored setae 

 and small superficial pores. I doubt if it is well developed. 



cruenta. Only one collection which is same general color, only much 

 darker as shown on Persoon's plate (t. 16 fig. 4). Strange as it may seem, I be- 

 lieve it is the same plant as shown Rostk. t. 58 which is orange when fresh and 

 changes to the color as shown by Persoon in drying. This plant is now called 

 by Rev. Bresadola (I am sure in error) Poria nitida, Pers. 



clentipora. Only the type, all that was known to Persoon. It has a thick 

 subiculum and superficial, lacerate pores. Persoon described it as " subnitidus." 



ferrea. I think ferrea and Racodioides are the same thing. Color pale 

 ferruginous with a spongy, sterile margin. Pores rather large (not minute, as 

 Persoon says for ferrea). Colored setae abundant. Spores I did not find. 

 Though I do not know the species, I think it can be identified from Persoon's 

 specimens. 



471 



