THE AGARICACEAE OF THE PACIFIC 

 COAST— I 



William A. Murrill 



A list of the pileate polypores and boletes collected by the 

 writer on the Pacific coast in 191 1 appeared in Mycologia for 

 March, 1912, together with a descriptive list of the localities vis- 

 ited at that time. The present series of articles is more compre- 

 hensive in scope, including all the gill-fungi known to exist in 

 California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska, 

 as represented in the collections of McClatchie, Dudley, Trelease, 

 Baker, Abrams, Harper, McMurphy, M. E. Peck, Lake, Zeller, 

 and others. Naturally, the extensive collections and field studies 

 made by the writer in 191 1 will be used as the basis of these 

 articles. : ' 



The Pacific Coast is the fifth distinct region in which the writer 

 has been interested so far as the fleshy fungi are concerned. The 

 northeastern United States have many species in common with 

 Europe and a fair knowledge of European species is necessary to 

 the student of this section. Also, a number of prevailing types 

 circle the globe in temperate regions and extend southward along 

 the mountains. The southern United States show a large number 

 of distinct species which may well be studied as a group, although 

 northern species are not rare and some tropical species occur 

 there. As already stated in previous articles, the gap between 

 tropical and temperate American species is comparatively wide 

 and abrupt, although a few northern species are to be expected in 

 the high mountains of our tropical islands, probably owing to 

 former connections with the mainland. 



The region of the Pacific coast is of exceeding interest, and has 

 been so during recent geologic time, since the differentiation of 

 the seasons. It differs more from the eastern United States in 

 many respects than the eastern United States differ from northern 

 Europe, which is explained by former land connections with 

 Europe by way of Greenland. The difference in the fungi is not 



205 



