106 



Mycologia 



observations with what we are confident were sclerotia similar to 

 our own. Dr. Fletcher planted some of these sclerotia in 1906, 

 and a year later he had the great satisfaction of finding two fleshy 

 " toadstools " growing from the sclerotia, which he stated he had 

 so far not identified. He gave a very brief description of the 

 fungi, and referred them to the genus Polyporus. The photo- 

 graphs which accompany his note unfortunately show nothing 

 beyond the fact that the sclerotia produced fruiting bodies. 

 Similar success attached to some specimens of the same consign- 

 ment which Professor Thaxter planted. His, also, after being 

 planted two years, yielded a fruiting body, a form of Polyporus, 

 which he turned over to Dr. Farlow. 



Dr. Farlow mentioned in this connection a popular article by 

 J. H. Gore (2) dealing with a Southern Tuckahoe or "Indian 

 Bread."' The fungus dealt with by Gore is obviously not the 

 same as ours. 



Some time ago, on August i, 1914, we planted a sclerotium 

 recently received, and in splendid condition, which produced ten 

 months later a fruiting body. The sclerotium in question weighed 

 about 13 ozs. and came from Manitoba, where it had been dug 

 up in a field formerly a poplar bush ; it was planted in a nine-inch 

 flower pot about three inches below the soil surface and the pot 

 was embedded in the ground outdoors. Towards the beginning 

 of June, 191 5, we observed a small fungus body developing. 

 This grew to the size of a filbert and then died. A few days later 

 another more vigorous fruiting body made its appearance, but so 

 close to the edge of the pot that we feared its shape would be 

 affected. So far as we could observe without disturbing the 

 specimen, the margin of the cap was but slightly incurved. To- 

 wards the end of June the sporophore had matured, and began 

 shedding large masses of white spores (Plate 8). 



The cap was almost sessile, the stem proper being only about 

 half an inch above ground. 



The surface of the cap measured 5 inches by y/2 inches. The 

 pileus was thick, soft fleshy, like cheese in texture, and irregularly 

 lobed, with one particular prominent imbricate lobe. This made 

 the stipe appear almost eccentric. The pileus was at first hemi- 



