CONTEXT AND PORES WHITE OR PALE. 



at length dark, easily separating. Context very soft, white, spongy, 

 crumbly, fragile. Pores medium, round, white, fragile, 6-12 mm. long. 

 Spores abundant, 8-10 mic., many smaller, subglobose, with granular 

 or guttulate contents. 



No type exists of this, but we take it in from the description and 

 specimens to which it applies, of which there are several collections in 

 the museums of Europe. Cooke misdescribed it under the name 

 Polyporus leucocreas. Fries' plant was described from Australia, on 

 Eucalyptus, but there are collections from New Zealand, and one 

 from New Caledonia. A marked feature of the plant is the very soft, 

 crumbly flesh, described by Cooke as "suberose, firm and tough" (sic), 

 which is exactly the contrary of its nature. When fresh, the flesh was 

 said to be "snow-white." Now the specimens are often discolored, and 

 dark isabelline. The crust was described by Fries as dark, and so it 

 is on several specimens we have seen ; but on Polyporus spermolepidis, 

 which we take to be same species, it is white. We think the dark crust 

 is a change due to age and exposure. 



Polyporus Eucalyptorum is the Australian analogue of Polyporus 

 betulinus, and so similar that we misnamed it, on receipt of the three 

 collections that we have from Australia. The flesh is usually much 

 softer and more fragile, the shape more ungulate ; but neither of these 

 two features can be depended on. We have specimens of the two 

 species that cannot be distinguished by the eye. The spores, always 

 abundant in Polyporus Eucalyptorum, are of a different type entirely. 



SPECIMENS. Australia, Edmund Jarvis, J. T. Paul, Rev. James Wilson. All were referred 

 to Polyporus betulinus when received. 



Compare caseicarnis, hololeucus, leucocreas, spermolepidis. 



POLYPORUS QUERCINUS. Pileus stipitate, with stem 2 cm. 

 thick, 3 to 7 cm. long. Pileus spathulate, 5-8 cm. wide, \^4-2 cm. 

 thick. Surface smooth, with a very thin, yellowish crust, turning 

 brown when dried. Flesh white, soft, drying light and spongy. Pores 

 small, round, the mouths pure white when untouched, but very sensi- 

 tive and bruising reddish. In dried specimens the pores become 

 almost black. Spores large, obovate, 5x12 mic., with granular con- 

 tents. 



This is a very rare species on oak in Europe, and is quite scantily 

 represented in the museums. We were fortunate enough to find a 

 specimen at Fontainbleau one season, but we have never gotten it 

 from a correspondent. All who find it speak of its rarity. Mrs. 

 Hussey was the first and only one, as far as we know, to find it in 

 England. Her specimen only is at Kew. There is a specimen from 

 Plowright at Berlin. These three specimens are all that we have 

 noted. Although Fries records having found it (rarely), his descrip- 

 tion was probably drawn from Krombholtz's figure, for he records the 

 pileus as "suberose," "soft then indurated," while the flesh of the 

 dried specimen is very light and spongy. Several have likened the 



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