a section appears quite different under the microscope. I notice that 

 Bresadola has recently determined it to have "cylindrical, subclavate basidia 

 4-5x30-35" and puts it in the genus Auricularia, calling it Auricularia 

 reflexa. I think it should not be included in Auricularia as it does not 

 have the soft, gelatinous texture that we associate with the Tremellaceae. 

 It reached Berkeley abundantly from Australia and he gave it two names, 

 Phlebia reflexa and Phlebia hispidula, and Cooke called it Stereum lugubre. 

 I think Cooke must have known that his Stereum lugubre was the same as 

 Phlebia reflexa for he named other specimens of same collection Phlebia 

 reflexa and kept all in the same cover. Subsequently Massee discovered 

 that it was a "new species" and called it Auricularia Butleri. In addition, 

 Bresadola cites Phlebia rugosissima Lev. and Auricularia sordescens Ces. 

 as synonyms. But exactly the same plant occurs in the United States and 

 we have our contributions to offer to this interesting collection of dis- 

 coveries, and one of them is said to be the "prioriest" of all. Schweinitz 

 named it Merulius strigoso-zonatus, which seems to have been skipped in 

 Saccardo's compilation. Peck called it Phlebia pileata, and Berkeley in 

 addition to the name he gave it from Australia called it from the United 

 States Phlebia rubiginosa and Phlebia zonata. It will be noted that most 

 of our discoverers put it in the genus Phlebia, and this genus (except- 

 ing as to basidia which have not been shown to be different) is where it 

 belongs on its hymenial configuration when fresh. In drying, the folds 

 and wrinkles largely disappear, but the hymenium is usually uneven and 

 ridged in the dried specimens. We could never see why Phlebia however 

 is classed in Hydnaceae. To our minds it should go in the Thelephoraceae. 

 When fresh the plant has a reddish-brown hymenium becoming very 

 dark (almost black) in the dried specimens. When soaked up a section 

 shows a uniform, homogeneous, compact tissue without a distinct, hymenial 

 layer. According to my notes, I suspected that the plant did not have 

 ordinary basidia before that fact was published. 



In addition to the interesting mistakes that have been made in naming 

 it, its distribution is next of interest. I have seen it from the United 

 States, Japan, Philippines, Java, Australia, and Africa, but it appears to 

 be absent from Europe. We have several collections from United States, 

 and the following from foreign countries: 



Australia H. B. Williamson and Edmund Jarvis. 



Madagascar^ Henri Perrier de la Bathie. 



Japan Prof. A. Yasuda. 



SPECIMENS THAT I DID NOT FIND NAMED IN THE MUSEUMS. 



I have little doubt that the following are unnamed species, at least I 

 have not found them in any of the museums. I would not wish to publish 

 them as such, however, until I have given the Stereums further investi- 

 gation. 



No. 1. Species common in Australia, which Berkeley referred to 

 albo-badium of United States. Similar as to color but very different as 

 to "structure." The Australian plant has "dendrophytes." I have speci- 

 mens from Miss E. J. Turner, Rev. James Wilson, Edmund Jarvis, and 

 Albert Green, all from Australia. 



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