August , 1912.] 



155 



cases to be extravagant. It is im- 

 portant, however, if the timber be 

 allowed to remain on the land, that the 

 cases of disease should be properly 

 treated as soon as they are located, 

 There are some cases in which the land 

 should be cleared of as much timber as 

 possible. There have been some in- 

 stances on the lowlying land in which the 

 disease was not treated in the early 

 years of cultivation, and consequently 

 a number of older trees continue to 

 develop the root disease ; in such cases 



THE INFECTED AREAS ARE DIFFICULT 

 TO LOCATE, 



and the land should be cleared of timber 

 and properly drained. Again, in the 

 opening up of swampy land, where the 

 fungus is abundant and the conditions 

 are favourable to its spread, the land 

 should be cleared of timber and properly 

 drained from the outset. Such cases 

 which would appear to warrant the 

 outlay of expenditure necessary for the 

 complete removal of timber are, how- 

 ever, exceptional." The difficulty here 

 is that the Superintendent and the 

 Visiting Agent demand a universal rule, 

 and that it requires a knowledge of 

 mycology to discriminate in the matter. 



Only on one point do we find a diffi- 

 culty in agreeing with the author, and 

 that is on the question of the 



JUNGLE TREES WHOSE STUMPS AFFORD 

 A STARTING POINT 



for Fomes semitostus. In Ceylon, this 

 fungus has been found on Jak (Artocar- 

 pus integrifolia), the red cotton tree 

 (Bombax mnlabaricum), Ficus spp, and 

 ? Den is dalbergiodes. That shows a fairly 

 wide range, botanically considered. In 

 Malaya, however, it has been recorded on 

 meranti (Shorea sp.), merabau {Ajzelia 

 sp.), Kumpus {Koompassia malaccen- 

 sis), nibong (Oncosperma filamentosa), 

 Liberian coffee, Robusta coffee, Tapioca, 

 Bamboo and Pormosan camphor, records 

 which exhibit a range from one end of 

 the flowering plant world to the other. 

 However, there is nothing exceptional 

 in that since other fungi are known to 

 be equally catholic in their tastes ; 

 Fomes lucidus, for example, is a parasite 



on palms, oamboos, mango trees and 

 flamboyants. Therefore, since Fomes 

 semitostus is more abundant in Malaya, 

 it would seem that it can develop uu 

 any kind of stump. But there still 

 lingers a doubt, one which I may ven- 

 ture to express, as it is 



BASED ON THE EXPERIENCE OF SEVEN 

 TEARS' FUNGUS HUNTING 



in the Tropics. There are two 

 tropical fungi, quite commonly repre- 

 sented in botanical museums, which are 

 almost indistinguishable when dry. One 

 of these is our Fomes semitostus, and the 

 other Polyporus zonalis Berk. Mr. C, G. 

 Lloyd who is making a more thorough 

 study of this group than has ever before 

 been attempted, showed me the speci^ 

 mens of these two at Kew and stated 

 that he could find very little difference 

 between them ; and in a recent letter, 

 acknowledging the receipt of specimens 

 of both, he writes, " While you tell me 

 they are quite different when fresh 1 

 have trouble to distinguish them always 

 from the dried specimens I receive*" 

 They are fairly easily distinguishable 

 when-fresh. Polyporus zonalis is never 

 so red-brown as Fomes semitostus, nor is 

 its margin so yellow, and, in addition 

 to the concentric grooves which occur on 

 both, the former frequently bears radial 

 grooves also. Internally they are alike, 

 but while Fomes semitostus is orange 

 below, Polyporus zonalis is a peculiar 

 livid greyish colour ; this latter feature 

 decides its identity immediately, but it 

 is not evident except on fresh specimens, 

 Now, Polyporus zonalis is common every- 

 where, but cnly saprophytic. I have 

 found it in a rubbish heap developing 

 its fructification on stones ; and it is 

 very common on dead palms and bam- 

 boos. The idea which suggests itself on 

 perusing the records of Fomes semitostus 

 is that some of them may refer, not to 

 that species, but to the common sapro- 

 phyte, J'olyporus zonalis. I have not yet 

 met with the former on palms or bam- 

 boos in Ceylon. 



Fomes Semitostus vs. Polyporus 



Lignosus. 

 A further point may be noted* to com- 

 plete our knowledge of the common 



