FOMES APPLANATUS 133 



drifting away from a fruit-body in curling clouds like wreaths 

 of very fine smoke as long as he cared to watch them ; and such 

 clouds were observed as late as October 15. Night examinations 

 of the spore-clouds were made with a lantern. 1 The discharge 

 of the spores did not appear to be affected by variations in light, 

 humidity of the air, or change in temperature within very wide 

 limits. However, frost caused an instant cessation of spore- 

 discharge and, thereafter, no further fall of spores took place 

 until a new set of hymenial tubes was organised in the spring. 2 



At the Spring Foray of the British Mycological Society held at 

 Haslemere, May 14, 1921, on ascending a steep slope, a fallen log 

 was observed from which projected a large fruit-body of Fomes 

 applanatus. Upon looking at the fruit-body, the members saw 

 spores emerging from its under side and floating away in the sun- 

 light. 3 At Kew Gardens, in the autumn of the same year, I found 

 a large fruit-body of Fomes applanatus, about 1 foot from the 

 ground, roofing over the space between two large buttress-roots 

 of a Beech tree. On watching the exit of the hole under the fruit- 

 body, with the aid of diffuse daylight only, I distinctly saw brown 

 spore-clouds drifting outwards at intervals ; and I repeated this 

 observation on August 29, September 9, and on several days in 

 between those dates. It was then necessary for me to leave Kew. 

 After my departure and at my request, Mr. S. Dickinson visited 

 the tree on October 16 and a week later on October 23 ; and he 

 kindly reported to me that on both occasions he clearly saw spore- 

 clouds emerging from beneath the pileus. Thereafter in 1921 

 no further observations were made. In the following year, 1922, 

 I observed spore-clouds coming away from the same fungus on 

 June 17, August 1, and September 4. The evidence thus obtained 

 goes to show that in England the spore-fall period of Fomes 

 applanatus extends from early in May until late in October, i.e. 

 for nearly six months. It is possible that, in England, owing to 

 the milder climate, the spore-discharge period of this species may 

 be even more prolonged than in Canada. 



Observations upon the Kew fruit-body just described convinced 



1 J. H. White, loc. cit., p. 140. 2 Ibid., pp. 141, 167. 



3 Trans. Brit. Myc. Soc., vol. vii, 1922, p. 221. 



