TWO MAMMOTH POLYPOROIDS. 



When I was at Leiden recently, I saw in the Rijks Herbarium two 

 of the largest polyporoids I have ever seen. It may be that larger ones 

 grow in the tropics somewhere, but I am sure that none larger have 

 ever been sent to Europe. I was not familiar with either of them, but 

 when I went to Kew I found that one of them had been named Poly- 

 porus talpae by Cooke, from Brazil, and Bresadola informed me that 

 the other has been called Fomes pachyphloeus at Paris. 32 



I am under special obligations to Dr. J. W. C. Goethart for the 

 photographs (Figs. 360 and 361) that we present. They are, of course, 

 much reduced, and alone would give an inadequate idea of the mam- 

 moth size of these plants. 



X !'' \.-\\~ 



Fig. 359. 

 Cut arranged to show relative size of Fomes pachyphloeus and Polyporus talpae. 



It is not easy to appreciate the large size of these two specimens 

 from a description, and the photographs of the bare specimens tell 

 nothing as to size. We have therefore introduced them (photographed 

 to relative size) into a comic street scene in Paris, which by contrast 

 will give a better relative idea. 



32 It was described by Bresadola from Africa, Bull. Soc. Myc., vol. 6, p. XLI, from a 

 specimen "15 to 17 cm." broad, which was evidently a pigmy compared to the specimen at 

 Leiden, which is 250 cm. broad, or a hundred times as large in cubical contents. 



34 



