SECTION GANODERMUS. 



The section Ganodermus is characterized by peculiar spores (see page 99) 

 and also usually the stipe and pileus are laccate (viz. : covered with a dark, 

 resinous, shining crust). The context and spores are colored. 



2. SPORES SMOOTH OR BUT SLIGHTLY ROUGH. 



LUCIDUS. Stipe and pileus strongly laccate. Context cinna- 

 mon or fulvous, varying lighter. Pores not stratified. Spores 6x 10, 

 slightly rough. A strongly marked species of Europe and America 

 and its forms (?) are found in the tropics. It is difficult to draw the 

 line as to the tropical forms, although I am disposed to refer to luciclus 

 all those with the same stem insertion and similar context color. The 

 stipe is usually pleuropodal, rarely mesopodal, but the pileus is never 

 in my opinion sessile. The three following I think are but forms of 

 lucidus. 



VALESIACUS. Only a form with paler context, and not really a form 

 at that, for lucidus varies much as to context color and is never very dark. 

 The common American plant that corresponds to this European form has been 

 called Ganodermus Thugae. 



JAPONICUS. Europeans usually refer the Japanese form to lucidus. In 

 the Japanese lists it figures as Polyporus Japonicus. I think both are right. 

 Forms that I have seen from Japan are blacker than the European plant but 

 are surely the same species. 



LAUTERBACHII. A thin, tropical form of lucidus. It seems thinner 

 and more rigid, but for me it is only a form. 



OTHER FORMS. Plants received from India I would refer to lucidus as 

 forms. They are not so strongly laccate, more dull, and often mesopodal. 



INCRUSTANS. We have in the United States a curious form, or perhaps 

 an abnormality, of lucidus which instead of taking the usual shape with a 

 lateral stem is often thin, cup-shaped, with an indistinct stem. It has usually 

 been referred to lucidus, but is quite different in its habits. It grows usually 

 in grassy places, incrusting the blades of grass. 



CURTISII. Context, spores, and stipe as Polyporus lucidus, but 

 not strongly laccate and color is yellowish. I have collections which 

 are pale, almost white. It is a plant of a southern type in the United 

 States, frequent in the South and extends up the coast to New Jersey 

 and is rarely found in New England. In the museums of Europe 

 there are several specimens exactly the same, from Africa. 



AMBOINENSIS. This is based on an old figure by Rumphius. 

 Many specimens so named are in the museums, but I have seen but one 

 that resembles the figure. This is a Philippine collection in the British 

 Museum. The stem attachment is like that of fornicatus, but the stem 

 is very slender and the plant appears to have grown erect as Rumphius 

 shows it. The stem is not branched as originally shown, otherwise the 

 specimen corresponds exactly. This was the first foreign species in 

 this section to be illustrated. Fries referred to it pictures that appear 



