There is an intimate relation between this plant and Daedalea 

 Eatonii of South Africa, but we believe them to be distinct. 



POLYSTICTUS MAXIMUS. This plant of the American 

 tropics is the analogue of Polystictus obstinatus of the East, but is 

 not the same, I think, as has been held. The surface has similar, 

 hirsute covering, which first takes glabrous, bay zones and finally 

 becomes glabrous in very old plants. The context is always white. 

 The pores are not so rigid and are disposed to become irpicoid when old. 

 The spores, recently observed fresh in Cuba, are cylindrical, 4 x 12 

 straight. The whole plant is more flaccid than the Eastern plant, 

 never takes the rigid Trametes form. This is a common species in 

 American tropics. First called Polyporus labyrinthicus by Montagne, 

 it was changed to Irpex maximus when Berkeley pointed out that it 

 could not be the former. What Fries called it I do not know, but it is 

 probably his Trametes cingulatum from Brazil. 



Fig. 1079. 



POLYSTICTUS HIRTELLUS (Fig. 1079). The abundant 

 collections of Polystictus maximus in the Botanical Garden at New 

 York, appear to me to include two species. The small plants with 

 unicolorous, soft, cottony pubescence I refer as above. It is possible 

 that they are the young of Polystictus maximus, but I believe not. 

 Of course no one knows what Polystictus hirtellus of Fries was, but 

 it came from this region (Mexico) and appears to answer the descrip- 

 tion. 



NOTES ON THE XYLARIAS 



We shall be very glad to receive from any correspondents, particularly from 

 tropical countries, specimens of Xylarias. We have done considerable work on the 

 genus, and have photographs of all the historical specimens we noted in the various 

 museums of Europe. Xylarias will be found abundantly in every locality, usually 

 growing on rotten logs. 



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