236 
THE LAR(iE]{ FUNGI 
Wlion fresh anil exposed to light, the fruit-liodies may vary from orange to pale 
olivaceous. The mycelium may form extensive fan-shaped .sheets, whitish when 
young, tinged yellowish-olive to brownish when older. Rhizomorphs may be 
present. A Poria found on the underside of rotting ini|)orted softwood in a 
kitclien sink. Neutral Bay, Sydney, may have been this species. It has not been 
recoriled for South Australia. 
M()9. Poria macrospora Kodw. ct Clel. (dr., malcros, long; spora, seed). — At 
times forming long jiatches, up to d cm. in length, of white sterile subieulum, 
fairly sharply defined but very thin at the edge, which is not raised, the pores 
appearing first as faint raised meruloid reticulations, at first white, deepening to 
buff as they become older, when they are usually oblicpie from their situation, 
only in projecting pints pore-like. At other times forming determinate patches 
u]) to 7 X .'1 cm. with riiised sterile tomentose edges, tending naturally to separate 
a little from the substnitum rouml tlie ]ieriphery but not easily separable arti- 
ficiidly, corky, 1 mm. thick, consisting almost entirely of the tubes. The pore- 
bearing surfiice is diirker than Pinkish Buff (xxix.), the narrow edge being much 
paler, of the same tint though neaily white; when old the surface approaches 
(!hiy Colour (xxix.). In othei- specimens the colour is near Pinkish Buff 
becoming Cinnamon Buff or near ('lay Colour on a whitish background. In still 
othei' collections on the rough bark of Eucalypts, the plants ap]>ear as little 
patches, a few millimetres to several centimetres in size, occupying the interstices 
or spreading over them and bearing pores even when very small. The pores 
are usually very oblique, sometimes almost irjiicoid and when not oblique, as on 
a rounded edge, shallow and nearly llexagona-like, the orifices 0..5 to 1 mm. wide, 
dissepiments thin, not jagged. (Spores white, elongated, with an oblique apiculus 
and oval gutta, b! to 13 x 4.5 to <>.5 /r; hyphae irregular, sometimes much an, 
sometimes curly, usually in short lengths, tending to break up into granules, 
1.5 to 4 or 5 fi thick. (South Au.stralia. — Encountei' Bay, llindmarsh Valley, 
National l-*ark, Moiialta (at the base of Leptospermum pubescm.t Lamk.). 
.lanuai'y. May. 
This syiecies, as indicated in the descri|)tion, is variable, and were it not for 
the chai'acteri.stic very large spores and the fact that bridging forma between the 
extremes may be found in one collection, these extremes might be thought to be 
distinct species. The large spores are usually I'eadily found and “hall-mark’' 
the species. It may be added that we have hitherto not found any species of 
Australian Poli/porii.'i with corresponding spores, so this Poria is not likelv' to be 
a resiqiinate form of a Polyporus. The large syiores do suggest, however, 
Ileratjona (lunnii and to some extent the two sjiecies otherwise may resemble 
each other, in fact, so much so that it is cpiite yiossible that they are closely 
relat(>d yihylogenetically. The ])ores of Ilaxagona (iiinnii are however typically 
vi'ry large, the context has a darkish tint, and the plants form projecting masses. 
Occasionally one meets witli little pustules a few millimetres in size with the 
yiores rather smaller, but nevertheless decidedly larger than those of the Poria, 
l)ut in such specimens the jiustule forms quite a little knot) and the smokv brown 
context can be recognised. In the Poria, the supposed relationship mav be seen 
also in a slight tendency for the orifices to be liexagonal. 
;'.70. Poria dictyopora Cke. (Or., (Iwtyon, a network; poros, a pore). — Forming 
extensive patches, tending to be ciicular, from a few inches u|) to nearly 1 scyuare 
foot in area, when fresh soft and cutting like firm cheese, becoming rigid when 
dry and then tending to coil up, usually with a distinct smell of yihosphorus and 
oftim ('xuding drojis of moisture, remaining moist foi' long, occurring usually on 
the inside of charred stuiu])s and burnt hollow trunks (usually, if not always, 
on Eucalypts), occasionally when neai' the ground encrusting irregularly leaves, 
sticks, stones, and debris. The tubes creamy white or greyish cream witli brown 
tints as if scorched, becoming brownish to dirty dark brownish when dry. The 
context when fresii winter than the tubes, 1 to 2 mm. thick, with occasional 
s|iecimens much thicker (up to 7 mm.). Witii a. subdeterminate raised tomentose 
edge. Tile pore-bearing surface is very shallow up to 1.5 mm. thick, the whitish 
suiiiculum forming usually most of the tiiickness. Developing specimens may 
show extensive smootli ])atches on which islands of pores, often vertical, are 
ajqiearing. Tubes wlien vortical often irpiciform with the front wall absent and 
with tliin dissepiments on each side, up to 0.5 cm. long, or the dissepiments as 
parallel narrow ridges up to 1.5 cm. long. When more horizontal, the pores are 
very shallow meruloid ]>its (about 21 in 1 mm.) or a little deeper with thin dis- 
sepiments. 8pores numerous, white, oval or ])ear-shaped, 0 to 7, occasionally 
