"On the hard, stony ridges about Brisbane, when trenching the land, large 

 masses of mycelium are often met with. Some of the masses would weigh over 

 a hundred weight. From its consistency one might fancy that a quantity of dough 

 had been buried. My idea has always been that it was the mycelium of some 

 Boletus." Quotation (from Bailey?). 



Cooke named this plant tumulosus under the impression that it produced 

 these mycelial masses. I can not see any direct connection between this fungus 

 in the account as published and these mycelial masses, and I think it is not 

 certain that there is any connection. 



POLYPORUS TASMANICUS (Fig. 507). Pileus fleshy, tur- 

 binate, with a brown, smooth surface. Flesh soft, white, thick. Pores 

 large, angular, white, decurrent, about 5 mm. deep. Stipe short, thick, 

 black. Spores 4-5 x 12-14, oblong, hyaline, smooth. 



This is based on a specimen and what appears to be an excellent drawing 

 (Fig. 507) made by Rodway in Tasmania. It is preserved at Kew and is known 

 from but this single collection. 



Polyporus novo-guineensis, from New Guinea, seems to belong in this section but little can be 

 told about it from the type material. Compare the note on page 90. 



GROUP 7. MELANOPUS. STIPE BLACK AT BASE. 

 PORES SMALL. 



POLYPORUS RADICATUS (Fig. 508). Pileus with a brown, 

 minutely tomentose even surface. Flesh white, soft. Pores small, 

 white, round, or elongated. Stem dark, velvety, mesopodal, tapering 

 to a long, rooting base. Spores oblong, 6-8x12-16 mic., hyaline. 

 smooth. 19 



This is a very striking and characteristic American plant, rather rare but 

 not unusual, at least in the vicinity of Cincinnati. 20 I have collected solitary speci- 

 mens several times and once I found quite a colony. As far as I have seen 

 it always grows in the earth and has a long, slender, radicating base to the 

 stem. I do not know, but presume this is attached to buried wood. It seems 

 to never grow on logs. Schweinitz named this plant years ago and Lea collected 

 it and sent a long account to Berkeley who correctly referred it. Peck called 

 it Polyporus Morgani but I think he has since corrected^ it, at least both he 

 and Morgan admitted years ago that it was but a synonym. 21 



POLYPORUS HARTMANNL Pileus with a brown, smooth, 

 minutely velvety surface. Flesh pale, soft, fragile. Pores minute, 

 decurrent, black in the dried specimens but according to collector's 

 notes were white when fresh. Stipe solid, excentric. covered with a 

 dark brown velvet, bulbose below but tapering to the base. Spores 

 not found bv me. 22 



19 They are given by Mr. Murrill as 5x6-8, about one-half their size, but many of his spore 

 records are inaccurate. I know not whether this is due to copying from inaccurate sources or to 

 careless w8rk. No two observers will measure spores exactly the same, and the most careful will 

 vary from one to two microns in their records. They ought, however, to be approximately the same. 



20 A specimen collected by Morgan was sent to Berlin and bears this endorsement" This fungus 

 is a species of Boletus probably new but from dried specimens not determinate . Also spores are 

 Boletus, pale yellowish, 5- x 10-12 mic." All of which goes to show that sometimes eminent author- 

 ities are in error. 



21 Mr Murrill adds two other alleged synonyms (chronologically arranged^ one of which ( Kan- 

 sensis) is most probably wrong, and the other ( hispidellus) is most assuredly wrong, for it has not the 

 slightest resemblance or relation to Polyporus radicatus. 



22Teste Cooke " minute, elliptic, white." 



87 



