FUSCUS. CONTEXT BROWN. 



This is a small species, peculiar in its angular shape, collected 

 by Jintaro Umemura, Nagoya, Japan, growing on Pasania. It was 

 carelessly published as Fomes angulus. I have also some sub-resup- 

 inate specimens. 



FOMES PUSILLUS. Pileus unguliform, 1 to 1^ cm. in di- 

 ameter. Surface with smooth, ridged, brown crust. Context cinna- 

 mon brown. Pores very minute. Setae, none. Spores globose, hya- 

 line, 5-6 mic., smooth. 



A little species that was collected on stems of Zelkowa acuminata 

 by A. Yasuda, Japan. It is only known from this collection. It is 

 quite close to Fomes atro-umbrinus of Brazil, but crust is not black 

 and context is not so dark. 



FOMES ATRO-UMBRINUS (Fig. 587). Pileus small, unguli- 

 form, 1 to IX cm - Surface with an intense, black, smooth crust. 

 Context dark brown. Setae, none. Spores not found. 



This little species is hardly over a cm. in diameter. It is only 

 known from the Spruce collection, Brazil, at Kew. The best speci- 

 mens are found in the holomelanus cover. 



Compare holomelanus. 



D. Plants dark purplish black. Context dark brown, with a purplish shade. 



FOMES MELANOPORUS. Pileus applanate (from 1 to 3 

 cm. thick), dark, almost black when old. Surface (in the type speci- 

 men from Cuba) tomentose, sulcate, but in most specimens so re- 

 ferred the surface is hard and smooth. Context dark purplish brown 

 (seal brown), hard. Pores minute, the color when fresh, dark "atro- 

 purpureus" with velutinate mouths. The tissue color of pores is 

 darker than the context color. Setae, none. Spores hyaline, about 

 3x4 mic. 



Probably a quite frequent species in most tropical countries. 

 It is one of the heaviest, hardest species. I have noted specimens 

 from Florida, Central America, West Indies, India, Malay, Java, 

 Madagascar, Philippines, New Caledonia, Japan. The type specimen 

 is distinctly tomentose, sulcate, but it either loses that feature when 

 it becomes old, or else the usual plant is not the same as the type. 

 Some specimens also have velutinate pore mouths ; in others this is 

 hardly noticeable. Fomes melanoporus is exceptional among the 

 Fomes species in its dark "atro-purpureus" color, exteriorly so nearly 

 black that MurriU's invention "Nigrofomes" would not be a bad 

 name for it if it needed a new name. The dark coloring matter of 

 the plant is soluble in lactic acid. 



iCa ' Hen " Perrierdela Bathie ; Philippines, E. D. Merrill; Japan. A. Yasuda; 

 Compare melanoporoides, Cornu-bovis, endophaeus, phaenus. 

 240 



