SECTION MERISMUS. 



ANTHRACOPHILUS. Pilei arising from a hard, woody root- 

 stalk, flabelliform, tapering at the base. Surface rugulose, dark. Pores 

 white when fresh. Spores 4x5 subglobose, hyaline, smooth. This 

 plant is very similar to giganteus in some respects but is smaller and 

 the dried specimens are hard and subwoody. It is only known from 

 one or two collections at Kew, from Australia. 



CREMEO-TOMENTOSUS (Fig. 451). Pilei thin, flabelliform, 

 tapering to the base and proceeding from the apex of a woody root- 

 stalk, contracted and curved in drying. Surface soft, velutinate. 

 Pores minute. The entire plant is a pale isabelline color. The sev- 

 eral pilei proceeding from the apex of a woody rootstalk might be 

 treated as simple pilei and classed in Section 12. It was described 

 by Hennings as a Fomes. It never was a Fomes. Known from a 

 single specimen from Ule, Brazil. 



MULTIPLEX. Pilei numerous, small, imbricate, with very much 

 the appearance of being small Polyporus frondosus with similar gen- 

 eral habits and pores. At the base, however, there are numerous white, 

 mycelial fibrils, and it grew on rotten wood, totally at variance with 

 the method of growth of frondosus. Known from a single specimen 

 at Kew from Mueller, Australia, but I believe was not formally pub- 

 lished. 



LITHOPHYLLOIDES. Only known from the types from Japan at Paris. 

 They are black now, probably discolored from having been sent in alcohol. 

 The small, imperfect pilei proceed from a thick, rooting system. It is quite 

 different in appearance from all others and was compared by the author to 

 the genus Lithophyllum, which seems to be a genus of seaweed. 



29. MERISMUS-POLYSTICTUS. THIN PLANTS HAVING 

 THE HABITS OF THE SECTION MERISMUS. 



RIDLEYI (Fig. 452). Pileus thin, flabelliform, tapering to the 

 base and proceeding from a rootstalk. Surface smooth, even, gray 

 and beautifully zoned. Pores white, rather large, shallow, elongated. 

 This is a fine species, having the same texture and color and zones 

 as Section 16, page 134, but is merismatoid in its habits of growth. 

 Known from one collection at Kew from Tasmania. 



COLENSOI. Pileoli very numerous, much branched and cris- 

 pid, thin with dark surface. Pores probably white when fresh, large, 

 shallow. Known from a single rather poor collection at Kew from 

 New Zealand. In general appearance it resembles Polyporus frondosus 

 but is much thinner and has smaller pileoli. 



FIMBRIATUS (Fig. 453). Pileus thin, usually imbricate-multi- 

 plex, but often more simple, variously cut and lobed. Color pale, 

 dark when dried. Pores white, shallow, usually imperfectly developed 

 and incomplete, the portions of the undeveloped pore walls resembling' 



152 



