very small. In this country the plant was first collected by Richardson in Brit- 

 ish America and named by Klotzsch Polyporus parvulus. 1 ' Then Peck discovered 



fjf 



Fig 200. 

 Polystictus cinnaraomeus. 



it was a new species and named it Polyporus splendens, afterwards changed it 

 to Polyporus subsericeus. Cooke referred it to a very similar plant of Australia, 

 Polystictus oblectans. 10 The reference of the American plant to the European 

 was due I think to Rev. Bresadola. At any rate it was a matter of common 

 knowledge years ago to all of Bresadola's correspondents. Cinnamomeus is a 

 specific name given by Jacquin, more than a hundred years ago. As a general 

 rule I do not favor digging up the old names based on old pictures for most of 

 them are more dubious than true. Jacquin however gave such a correctly drawn 

 colored picture that I do not see how his work can be ignored, and this is the 

 only plant known in Europe that agrees with it in any respect. Fries never re- 

 ferred any plant to Jacquin's picture, and carried it as a doubtful species through 

 all his works. He balked at the one word " fragilis " in Jacquiu's description, as 

 Persoon had done before, and he called the plant when he received it from France 

 Polyporus Montagnei. The co-types in Montague's herbarium are the same as 

 our American plant. Bresadola has given a very good figure of it in Fung. 

 Trident, not as bright colored however as our American plant. The coloring of 

 Ouelet's figure (T. 17) is too yellow and the plant too obese. I think it must be 

 some other species but know no plant that agrees with it in any degree. 



SPECIMENS IN OUR COLLECTION. 



Europe, Tirol, Rev. G. Bresadola; Prance, L. Ludwig; Italy, Rev. L. Badet. 



America, Canada,]. Dearness; Minnesota, Dr. M. S. Whetstone; Michigan, 

 O. E. Fischer; Massachusetts, Simon Davis, Lincoln W. Riddle, Geo. E. Morris, 

 R. B. Mackintosh; Maryland, W. T. Lakin; Washington, D. C., Dr. A. Hrdlicha; 

 New Jersey, E. B. Sterling; Ohio, M. Bubna, C. G. Lloyd; Florida, Mrs. M. A. 

 Noble, C. G. Lloyd. 



POLYSTICTUS PERENNIS (Figs. 201). Pileus plane or in- 

 fundibuliform, minutely velvety, becoming smooth, zonate dull cinna- 

 mon color, often bleaching whitish. Context thin, particularly toward 

 the margin, concolorous. Stipe central, concolorous, varying from 



9 It is not the plant, however, usually called Polystictus parvulus in American mycology. 

 The name was switched, first due to an error of Fries who referred to it P. com 



iiitz and then to a second error of Berkeley who misinterpreted P. connatus. The plant usu- 

 ally called Polystictus parvulus in American mycology is Polystictus focicola. 

 was some reason for Berkeley's conclusions for Schwemitz's description of conna 

 Polvstictus focicola better than the plant from which it wa drawn. But I see no good excuse 

 for any one who has seen both Schweinitz's and Klotzsch's types perpetuating this old error. 



10 Polystictus oblectans is a similarly colored plant of Australia, very common there I 

 judge from the number of specimens at Kew. I have it from several collectors It >s a sh. 

 thicker plant, but in the American plant the fibrils of the pileus are appressed and tht 

 smooth. In the Australian plant the fibrils in the center of the pileus are ,-rrct and the pile 

 subsquamous. In addition the spores of the Australian plant are more round being abou 



