226 



BULLETIN 193. 



usually ascribed to this species, I searched diligently for speci- 

 mens on the trees. In no case in the Adirondacks have I yet 

 found Polyporus sulphureus on conifers, although it probably 

 does occur on them. This suggested that the sheets of punk in 

 the conifers examined were connected with Polyporus pinicola, 

 and many examples were studied in an endeavor to trace the 



connection of the sheets of punk in 

 the trunk with the fruit bodies on 

 the exterior. 



The direct connection was diffi- 

 cult to trace although in most 

 examples it was not difficult to trace 

 the punk through the log radially 

 to the bark, but at this point in 

 splitting the bark radially the direct 

 connection of the punk was not seen. 

 The most favorable examples for 

 study were those in which the fruit 

 body was just originating as a tuber- 

 cle 4 to 6 cm. in thickness on the 

 outside of the bark. In splitting 

 several of these from the tree a cir- 

 cular patch of the punk was found 

 on the inner surface of the bark 

 and looked very much as if the 

 mycelium issuing from the tree and 

 connected with the fruit body had 

 been riveted on the inner surface of 

 the bark, but on splitting such 

 structures radially no evidence of 

 the connection of the bark with the fruiting body was presented. 

 However, on splitting the bark tangentially successive sheets of 

 punk were found between the inner sheet and the fruit body. 

 These sheets at certain points extended obliquely and connected 

 so that they formed a zig-zag connection. The firm layers of 

 the bark prevented the direct radial exit of the mycelium, but 

 by working in a zig-zag fashion between the bark layers it was 

 enabled to make its exit. Having discovered this, it then became 



85. Dead stub oj red spruce 

 iv here the mycelium entered. 



