Fig. 890. 



Lenzites Guineensis. 



plant before from Miss Duthie, South Africa, and it seems to be, as 

 far as we know, a form peculiar to this region. 



POLYPORUS (GANODERMUS) UMBRACULUS, FROM 

 J. GOSSWEILER, AFRICA OCCIDENTALS (Fig. 891). This 

 was named by Fries from Afzelius' collection from Sierra Leone about 

 ninety years ago, and I did not find a specimen in any museum of 

 Europe. While no type is known, coming from the same locality, 

 agreeing with the description, and agreeing with the figure that Fries 

 cites, there is no question of its identity. When Persoon published 

 the fungi of Gaudichaud's collection, he figured a Polyporus (t. 2, f. 2), 

 which in grosser features is the same as this plant. Persoon named it 

 Polyporus leptopus. It came from the East Indies, and the type is 

 preserved at Paris. Fries referred this figure to his previously pub- 

 lished Polyporus Umbraculus, and Patouillard accepted it, but in 

 my work I demurred, for we knew what Polyporus leptopus was, and 

 we did not know what Polyporus Umbraculus was. I feel that the 

 receipt of the 'specimen from the "type locality," agreeing exactly 

 with the figure and description, and differing entirely in spores from 

 Polyporus leptopus, justifies my conclusion. Both species have the 

 same strongly laccate, black stem, fragile and hollow, and the same 

 pileus and pores, but are quite different in their spores. 



Polyporus leptopus has globose spores, 12 mic., strongly rough 

 and without apiculus. It belongs in section Amaurodermus (6b). 

 Polyporus Umbraculus has obovate spores, tapering to a strong 

 hyaline, apiculate base, about 12 mic. long and 10 at the broadest 

 part. They are also strongly rough and are very abundant in the 

 specimens. It belongs in the section (3) Ganodermus. Polyporus 

 Henningsii (cfr. Stip. Pol., page 105, fig. 401) is probably the same as 

 Umbraculus a short-stemmed form of it. 



It affords me more gratification to get one of these ^ old puzzles 

 settled than it would to receive a hundred "new species." 



627 



