﻿Repoet 
  of 
  the 
  Botanist. 
  73 
  

  

  are 
  equal, 
  or 
  nearly 
  so, 
  and 
  rotund 
  or 
  subrotund. 
  So 
  far 
  as 
  

   the 
  external 
  characters 
  are 
  concerned, 
  these 
  would 
  be 
  referred 
  

   to 
  the 
  genus 
  Polyporus. 
  Specimens 
  representing 
  all 
  these 
  

   forms 
  are 
  before 
  me 
  as 
  I 
  write, 
  and 
  yet 
  T 
  can 
  only 
  believe 
  that 
  

   they 
  are 
  all 
  forms 
  of 
  one 
  species. 
  For 
  besides 
  these 
  marked 
  

   types 
  all 
  kinds 
  of 
  intermediate 
  connecting 
  links 
  occur 
  among 
  

   the 
  scores 
  of 
  specimens 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  collected 
  from 
  various 
  

   localities. 
  What 
  shall 
  we 
  say 
  of 
  the 
  generic 
  distinctions 
  that 
  

   are 
  thus 
  swept 
  away 
  by 
  a 
  single 
  species? 
  In 
  which 
  genus 
  shall 
  

   we 
  place 
  our 
  protean 
  plant 
  ? 
  But 
  its 
  characters 
  are 
  not 
  yet 
  

   fully 
  recorded. 
  In 
  the 
  fresh 
  growing 
  state 
  the 
  dissepiments 
  are 
  

   thick 
  obtuse 
  and 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  whitish 
  pruinosity 
  which 
  gives 
  

   the 
  hymenium 
  a 
  whitish 
  or 
  cinereous 
  appearance, 
  but 
  with 
  

   advancing 
  age 
  this 
  pruinosity 
  disappears, 
  the 
  dissepiments 
  

   become 
  thinner 
  and 
  the 
  color 
  becomes 
  darker, 
  sometimes 
  even 
  

   darker 
  than 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  pileus. 
  They 
  at 
  last 
  become 
  

   toothed 
  or 
  lacerated 
  and 
  lamellated, 
  so 
  that 
  what 
  at 
  first 
  was 
  

   trametoid 
  often 
  in 
  old 
  age 
  becomes 
  lenzitoid. 
  If 
  a 
  horizontal 
  

   section 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  lenzitoid 
  hymenium 
  be 
  made 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  

   that 
  near 
  the 
  hymenophore 
  the 
  hymenium 
  is 
  still 
  trametoid, 
  

   and 
  that 
  there 
  the 
  dissepiments 
  are 
  still 
  thick 
  and 
  firm 
  and 
  

   the 
  pores 
  distinct. 
  The 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  hymenium 
  varies 
  from 
  

   slightly 
  concave 
  to 
  very 
  convex. 
  Most 
  often 
  it 
  is 
  nearly 
  plane 
  

   or 
  somewhat 
  sloping 
  or 
  deepened 
  toward 
  the 
  base. 
  Not 
  infre- 
  

   quently 
  it 
  is 
  slightly 
  decurrent 
  at 
  the 
  base. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  found 
  the 
  plant 
  growing 
  on 
  oak, 
  willow, 
  birches 
  and 
  

   alders. 
  It 
  matures 
  in 
  autumn. 
  

  

  Such 
  are 
  the 
  prominent 
  characters 
  of 
  this 
  remarkable 
  fungus, 
  

   which 
  probably 
  includes 
  at 
  least 
  five 
  so-called 
  species. 
  Three 
  

   of 
  these 
  are 
  described 
  as 
  being, 
  sometimes 
  at 
  least, 
  radiate- 
  

   rugulose 
  or 
  radiate-striate, 
  and 
  always 
  zonate. 
  Another 
  is 
  

   described 
  as 
  scabrous 
  and 
  subzonate. 
  These 
  characters 
  are 
  

   present 
  in 
  our 
  plant. 
  So 
  also 
  are 
  the 
  various 
  modifications 
  of 
  

   the 
  hymenium 
  which 
  determine 
  the 
  three 
  genera 
  to 
  which 
  these 
  

   five 
  supposed 
  species 
  have 
  been 
  referred. 
  The 
  texture 
  ascribed 
  

   to 
  them 
  all 
  is 
  essentially 
  the 
  same 
  and 
  the 
  special 
  features 
  of 
  

   each 
  are 
  exhibited 
  in 
  one 
  or 
  another 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  forms 
  of 
  

   our 
  plant. 
  I 
  would 
  therefore 
  group 
  the 
  following 
  as 
  forms 
  

   of 
  one 
  species 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  can 
  be 
  ascertained 
  from 
  the 
  published 
  

   descriptions 
  : 
  

  

  Deedalea 
  confragosa 
  Pers. 
  which 
  is 
  represented 
  by 
  forms 
  of 
  

   our 
  plant 
  having 
  a 
  scabrous 
  somewhat 
  zoned 
  pileus 
  of 
  a 
  red- 
  

   dish-brown 
  color 
  and 
  a 
  dsedaleoid 
  hymenium. 
  

  

  Our 
  specimens 
  exhibit 
  these 
  characters 
  combined, 
  except 
  the 
  

   color 
  which 
  is 
  paler. 
  

  

  Trametes 
  rubescens 
  A. 
  & 
  S. 
  which 
  is 
  represented 
  by 
  forms 
  

   that 
  assume 
  the 
  ruddy 
  color 
  and 
  have 
  the 
  trametoid 
  hymenium. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  such 
  specimens. 
  

  

  Lenzites 
  Cratcegl 
  Berk, 
  which 
  is 
  represented 
  by 
  forms 
  having 
  

   a 
  shining 
  pileus 
  attached 
  by 
  the 
  vertex 
  and 
  having 
  a 
  trameto- 
  

   lenzitoid 
  hymenium. 
  

  

  