with a white film. Colored setae abundant. Spores pale colored, 

 3x5 mic. 4 



HISTORY AND DISTRIBUTION. A frequent plant in acerous woods in 

 northern localities. Specimens from Massachusetts are mostly mesopodal with 

 a short, thick stem. I found it frequent in northern Canada and there it was 

 more slender and usually pleuropodal. Similar specimens from Colorado are 

 thinner. It is known as Polystictus circinatus in Peck's work and in Miss 

 Marshall's book, and probably correctly, though there are a number [of discrep- 

 ancies between it and European literature. It has smaller spores than the 

 European plant as I have collected it in Sweden. 5 It agrees exactly with Fries' 

 description (save that his pore description applies only to young plants). It 

 differs from Polystictus tomentosus exactly as Fries says it does. It does not 

 agree with his figure ( Icon. T. 180) particularly as to color for it is more yellow 

 than red, nor does his figure show the dual character of the flesh which he em- 

 phasizes so strongly in his description. 6 The spores are smaller than as stated 

 by Bresadola (and found by myself ) for the European plant. So taking it all 

 together there is considerable doubt about it. 



SPECIMENS IN OUR COLLECTION. 



Sweden, C. G. Lloyd ( See Note 5 below.) 



Massachusetts, R. B. Mackintosh, Theodate L. Smith, J. W. Huntingtou, 

 Geo. E. Morris, Miss Cora Clarke, Lincoln W. Riddle: Maryland, W. T. Lakin: 

 Colorado, Ernest Knaebel : Canada, Thomas Langton, C. G. Lloyd. (One collec- 

 tion from Mr. Langton, Canada, is young and decidedly more yellow than usual.) 



Forms. 



As previously stated the plant varies very much from thick obese, short, 

 central stemmed forms to thinner, more slender pleuropodal stemmed forms, but 

 I do not believe they can be separated even under distinct, varietal names. They 

 usually grow in pine woods over pine needles. I have a single collection from J. 

 W. Huntington, Amesbury, Mass, which seems to be the same species in everything 

 excepting that the pores are decurrent to the base of the short stem. I think it 

 is a form, but it grew on "an oak stump" and Polystictus circinatus has no 

 business to be found in such a situation. 



POLYSTICTUS DUALIS (Fig. 199.) Pileus dimidiate, with a 

 short, rudimentary stem, fulvous, ferruginous. Surface, soft, velutinate. 

 Context dual, the lower subligneous, the upper about equal in thick- 

 ness and soft, spongy. Pores small, subregular, about 2 mm. long, at 

 first whitish, but soon dark. 7 Colored setae abundant, curved. Spores 

 unknown. 8 



4 Iii the American plant so referred. In the plants so referred from Europe I find them 

 7 x 12 mic. 



SThe first season I was in Sweden I got a few specimens which I thought were Polystictus 

 tomentosus The second season I found abundantly what I supposed was the same plant. As 

 I compare the specimens now I find my first season's collection has the dual context characters 

 as attributed to P. circinatus by Fries, and my second season's collection a single context as 

 he defines P. tomentosus. The specimens of first collection are old and those of the second are 

 all young. I can not decide whether I got different plants or the same plant at different ages. 

 If I did get the same plant then the dual context is developed as the plant ages and P. circinatus 

 is an old condition of P. tomentosus. 



6 It was described Fr. Monog. p. 268 not page 208 as erroneously stated in Hym. Europe, 

 and copied by Saccardo. 



7 As I remember them the fresh specimens had darker pores, than they are now when dry. 

 When I collected the plant my first impression was that it was related to adustus. 



81 find none in my specimens nor are they noted by Professor Peck. 



