Fungi with Pores—Polyporacese 
GENUS MERULIUS 
Merulius lacrymans 
The simplest of these Polyporacee is the dry-rot fungus, 
Merulius lacrymans. The food-seeking portion consists of fine 
white threads, mycelium, which penetrate the woodwork of 
buildings, causing it to crumble to dust. The fruiting portion 
consists of flat, irregular bodies whose under surface bears the 
spores in shallow pits separated by narrow ridges. Water is 
excreted from these flat disks, which, from the habit of dropping 
like tears, has suggested the specific name /acrymans, from the 
Latin /acrymare, to weep. 
GENUS POLYPORUS 
The genus Polyporus andthe genus Trametes have the pores 
closely packed and united to together. In Trametes the uniting 
substance is the same as the substance of the cap, but in Poly- 
porus the uniting substance is different from the substance of 
the cap. The genus Polyporus in its widest sense is a large, 
one, numbering some five hundred species, and containing every 
texture from fleshy or pulpy to woody. 
The fruiting portion is often seen in the form of brackets 
shelving out from standing or fallen trees. The mycelium pene- 
trates the wood, softening it, and causing it to crumble, so that 
in the course of time the tree dies. The external evidence that 
the tree has been attacked is the appearance of the fruiting por- 
tion, which often attains a very great size. 
Elfvingia (polyporus) megaloma 
Polyporus megaloma is attractive to frequenters of the woods, 
as its spore surface when fresh is soft and white, and furnishes 
an attractive surface for stencil drawings. 
Elfvingia (polyporus) fomentaria 
The brackets of Elfvingia fomentaria resemble horses’ 
hoofs. They are employed in the manufacture of amadou, or 
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