110 MINOR PRODUCTS OF PHILIPPINE FORESTS 



them. The people seem to prefer to purchase the forms shipped 

 in from China. The fungus grows readily on any type of rotting 

 branches. The writer has cultivated them, back of his labora- 

 tory near a creek, with comparative ease (Figs. 7 and 8). As 

 will be seen from the following account, the various forms are 

 not at all particular as to the species of wood upon which they 

 will grow. In the culture work the primary point to be con- 

 sidered is that an abundance of moisture must always be 

 present. A location in a dense jungle near a creek is ideal. 



Except for slight variations, all edible forms are distantly 

 and vaguely ribbed and plicate, swollen, and somewhat tremel- 

 loid when moist, with a violet brown color, and collapsing and 

 becoming hard when dry. They may also be cup-shaped. The 

 following species are edible. 



AURICULARIA POLYTRICHA (Mont.) Sacc. 



Auricidaria polytricha is a tropical form of Auricularia auri- 

 cula-jvdae. Frequently the A. polytricha assumes a large form, 

 measuring from five to fifteen centimeters in diameter (Figs. 

 4, 5, 7, and 8) . The usual forms measure five centimeters in 

 diameter. They are rather thin, leathery, lobed plants with none, 

 or a very short stalk. The designation of rat's ear or taiiigang- 

 dag^ is rather appropriate as the fungus assumes this general 

 shape. Auricukuria polytricha merges into the Auricularia auri- 

 cvJa-judae. The former type is, however, usually thicker with 

 longer hairs and frequently more purplish than the temperate 

 zone form. 



Auricularia polytricha develops in abundance and has been 

 grown by the writer on the following woods : 



Acacia farnesiana (Linn.) WiWd., AlangiumlongiflorumMerr., 

 Aleurites moluccana (Linn.) Willd., Allaeanthus luzonicus (Blan- 

 co) F.-Vill., Allamanda cathartica Linn., Annona muricata Linn., 

 Annona reticulata Linn., Annona squamosa Linn., Antidesma 

 ghaesembilla Gaertn., Bambvsa spp,, Bauhinia malahoHca Roxb., 

 Bixa orellanu Linn.. Canarium villosum (Miq.) F.-Vill., Castilloa 

 elastica Cerv., Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr. (Citrus decumana 

 Linn.), Cleidion javanicum Blume, Clerodendron minahassae 

 Teysm. and Binn., Coffea arabica Linn., Columbia serratifolia 

 Blanco., Cordia myxa Linn., Diplodiscus paniculatus Turcz., 

 Elaeis guineensis Jacq., Ficus angustissima Merr., Ficus benja- 

 mina Linn., Fluggea virosa (Roxb.) Baill., Garcinia binucao 

 (Blanco) Choisy, Gliriddia maculata HBK., Gliricidia sepium 

 (Jacq.) Steud., Graptophyllum pictum (Linn.) Griff., Hevea 

 brasiliensis (HBK.) Muell.-Arg., Koordersiodendron pinnatum 



