REPORT OF THE STATE BOTANIST I917 IO3 



The spores of this species are very unusual and unlike those of 

 any other species of Poria. In fact, as to color, they are unlike 

 those of any other species of pore-fungus known to the writer. 

 Under the microscope they are more or less fuscous, not unlike 

 those of certain of the dark-spored gill fungi. These spores are also 

 of larger size than the writer has seen in any other species of Poria. 

 They vary from 7.5 to 1 1 p in length and 4 to 7 /x in width. In shape 

 they are ellipsoidal to ovoid, and with smooth walls (plate 15, figure 

 6) . Dr Burt in a recent publication (Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard., 4 :36o-6i . 

 1917) gives the spore measurements for this species as 10 to 12 by 

 6 to 7 n, but my measurements make them considerably shorter. 

 There are no cystidia in the hymenium (plate 15, figure 2). The 

 basidia in the type specimens are quite conspicuous and in free- 

 hand sections (plate 15, figure 2) they have a tendency to separate 

 in a smooth layer from the trama. In all cases there is a distinct 

 line of cleavage between basidia and trama and in some cases the 

 basidial layer has separated and curled away from the trama. This 

 region of separation is represented in the microphotograph by a 

 whitish line or band. Such a character has not been seen by the 

 writer in any other species of pore fungus. It is probably correlated 

 with the parallel arrangement of the tramal hyphae mentioned 

 below. 



The trama is made up of closely compacted hyphae in which the 

 arrangement is more strikingly parallel than is usually the case. In 

 some the walls have apparently collapsed and so are more or less 

 irregular (plate 15, figure 3). Others are more definite. Cross 

 walls are visible and quite conspicuous in some hyphae, but appar- 

 ently absent in others. No clamp connections are present. The 

 hyphae are simple or sparingly branched (plate 15, figure 4). 

 Their diameter varies from 1 to 3 fx. In the subiculum the hyphae 

 are more regular and slightly larger, with a diameter of 2 to 6 fi. 

 On some of these hyphae clamp connections are present and quite 

 conspicuous (plate 15, figure 5). 



Dr Burt, in the above-mentioned paper, has listed this species as a 

 synonym for M e r u 1 i u s incrassatus B. & C, and trans- 

 ferred that species to the genus Poria. Merulius spissus 

 Peck is also given as a synonym. Poria pinea is undoubtedly 

 a Poria. In oblique situations the tubes of Peck's types sometimes 

 reach a length of 6 mm, while Dr Burt reports them as up to 3 mm 

 in length. The colors given by Dr Burt are probably based on the 

 Berkeley and Curtis types, as " mouse gray " has not enough brown, 



