104 THE POLYPORACEAE OF WISCONSIN. 



Polyporus distortus Schw. 



Pileus rather fleshy, circular, often aborted and very irregular or 

 entirely resupinate, alutaceous to whitish ; flesh white ; pores decurrent, 

 snow white, variable in size. 



Localities, Algoma (Dodge) and the Dells. 



Polyporus sulphureus (Bull.) Fries (Plate XII, fig. 40). 



Cespitose, multiple, moist, cheesy; pileoli very wide, imbricate and 

 undulate, smoothish, yellow with a tinge of red; pores small, plane, 

 sulphur-yellow ; pores ovoid, papillate 7x5 microns. 



Peck (22, 48, p. 301) describes the species in the following manner: 

 " Pileus broad, somewhat irregular and wavy, growing in tufts and 

 closely overlapping each other, uneven, reddish or orange color when 

 young and fresh, fading with age, flesh white ; tubes very small, short, 



sulphur yellow; spores elliptical, white, .0003 inches long, . In 



using the sulphury Polyporus for food, only the young and fleshy grown 

 caps were taken. These thinly sliced and fried in butter were much 

 better than I expected to find them. Mature specimens would prob- 

 ably be tough, dry, disagreeable and indigestible." 



"Specimens when dried," says Massee (17, p. 240)," are often more 

 or less incrusted with a deposit of crystals of binoxalate of potash. ' ' 



The species is quite common all over the state, growing on old logs 

 and stumps of various trees, as well as from trunks of living oaks and 

 maples. Specimens have been collected at Madison, Horicon, Bangor, 

 Elkhorn, Algoma, Milwaukee, Hazelhurst, Star Lake, Blanchardville, 

 Crandon and Shanagolden. Specimens can be collected from June to 

 September. Tufts have been found with a diameter of 40 cm. The in- 

 dividual pilei may grow to 10 cm. in width, 15 cm. in length and 1 to 

 2cm. in thickness. The color is sometimes sulphur yellow, sometimes 

 orange-red. The pores are always yellow when mature, whitish when 

 young. This color soon fades on drying and the whole plant takes on 

 on a pallid wood color. The substance on drying becomes brittle and 

 corky. 



The species attacks living oak, maple and hickory trees. It enters 

 the tree through wounds or exposed roots. It spreads chiefly through 

 the heart- wood upward as well as downward. However, a tree infected 

 may live many years. An oak tree near the Northwestern tracks near 

 Bangor had several pilei growing from the broken ends of exposed 

 roots. 



