Dodge: Heart-Rot of Apple Trees 
7 
botanist, who recognized that it was a new species and described 
it in the Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club, Vol. 26, 1899, 
under the very appropriate name, Polyporus admirabilis, “ the 
wonderful polypore.” He added Dr. Burt’s remarks : “ The 
fresh tufts of clear white trumpet-shaped pilei are suggestive of 
clusters of giant calla lillies.” Peck originally described the fun- 
gus rather inadequately because of the lack of a large number of 
specimens at the time. He says : “ Pilei tufted, large, more or 
less imbricated, nearly entire, centrally depressed or subinfundi- 
buliform.” This would not cover the solitary, flatfish, nearly lat- 
eral forms. Such forms are shown in PI. f. i. Professor 
Underwood also found one of these flat forms on an apple tree at 
Redding, Conn., in August, 1906, and another less distinctive 
with much thicker flesh in 1907. These two specimens are in the 
herbarium of the New York Botanical Garden. 
Forms frequently occur that appear from a distance to be made 
up of several individuals crowded together forming a “ cluster.” 
Such specimens are shown in PI. //j, /. i, on the trunk, and PI. 
IJ4, f. 2. These are simply one fungus body so lobed and folded 
as to resemble a tuft or cluster composed of several individuals 
growing close together. Figure 2, on plate 174, looks like three 
punks (pilei), although it is only a peculiarly folded single speci- 
men. There are, however, such clusters as Peck described made 
up of individuals somewhat imbricated or fused together. 
Another specimen of this species mentioned by Peck (Annual 
Report 54, p. 154, 1901) came from Lake George. Of this one 
he says : “ The specimen here recorded is less regular and deeply 
depressed in the center than a typical form which was found 
growing at the base of an apple tree in Maine.” In the original 
description the surface is described as “ glabrous, white or slightly 
tinted with pale yellow or cream color ; pores minute, rotund, 
whitish; pilei 10-15 cm. broad, united at the base, forming tufts 
30 cm. or more in diameter.” 
The forms that I have found at Camp Columbia are beautiful, 
large, vigorously growing punks, easily recognizable and con- 
spicuous objects. One of their most characteristic features as 
compared with the forms of another type to be mentioned later. 
