8 



Mycologia 



peculiar thing. He published the Swartzian plant in his Synopsis 

 Methodica Fungorum, in 1801, as Hydnum parasiticum, but 

 stated that it was not Hydnum parasiticum L. Persoon appears 

 to have disposed of the Linnaean plant by transferring it to the 

 genus Sistotrema, for he says, " quod vide sub Sistotremate/' but 

 in his treatment of the genus Sistotrema there is no citation of 

 the Linnaean species and none of the descriptions seem to apply 

 to that form. From this date the Linnaean plant appears to have 

 been disregarded by botanists. 



In 1810, Swartz himself described the plant which he had sent 

 to Persoon and named it Hydnum strigosum."^ Neither Swartz 

 nor the later European botanists have laid any special emphasis 

 on the branched processes which are a peculiar characteristic of 

 the body of this Swartzian plant, although this feature is figured 

 and mentioned by Persoon ; nor have we noted any mention of 

 the hot, peppery taste of the fresh plant, which is a striking 

 and characteristic feature. 



About 1840 or a little later, T. G. Lea collected in Ohio a 

 resupinate plant which in other respects possessed all the char- 

 acteristic features of H. strigosum Sw. This was sent to Rev. 

 M. J. Berkeley, of England, who described it in 1845 Hydnum 

 stratosum.-\ Berkeley commented extensively on the unique fea- 

 ture of the branched processes, remarking that it was one of the 

 most remarkable species with which he was acquainted. He 

 likens the plant to Hydnum parasiticum," but says it " has not 

 like that a coriaceous pileus." His citation of name without 

 author has in this case little significance. H he referred to H. 

 parasiticum Pers., it was the same as H. strigosum Sw., but in 

 that case his comment is misleading, since the structure and sub- 

 stance of the pilei of H. strigosum Sw. and H. stratosum Berk, 

 are essentially alike and both are characterized by the branched 

 processes. 



H. stratosum Berk, appears never to have been reported from 

 Europe and seems to be rare in this country. A. P. Morgan, who 

 lived and collected in the same region of Ohio where Lea did, 

 commented many years later on the fact that H. stratosum Berk. 



* Kongl. Vetensk. Acad, nya Handl. 1810 : 250. 1810. 

 t Lond. Jour. Bot. 4: 307. 1845. 



