6 
JOURNAL OF MYCOLOGY 
[VoL. II, 
small but curious species. The soft, spongy pileus, conical in shape and 
about i or f of an inch high and broad, is suspended by its vertex or 
rather by a short stem rising from its vertex, and presents at the first 
glance much the same appearance as a cluster of Hemiarcyria rubifomm 
(Pers.) after the capillitium and upper part of the sporangia have fallen 
away, the broad, shallow pores of the Polyporus corresponding to the 
shallow, cup-shaped bases of the sporangia in the Myxogaster. The 
young specimen, before the pileus lias expanded, resembles a little brush¬ 
like tuft of coarse, rust-colored hairs. 
Polyporus Ellisii, Berk., Grev. VII, p. 4, appears to be a very rare 
species, only two specimens, so far as we know, having yet been found— 
the one from which the description in Grevillea was drawn, and one 
found near the same time by Mr. Ravenel in South Carolina. 
J. B. B. & B. M. E. 
NOTES ON FLORIDA FUNGI-No. 1. 
15Y W. W. CALKINS, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. 
My experience in the study of the Fungi has been short, but 1 may 
remark sweety if the satisfaction derived from finding a vast multitude of 
(to me) new forms amounts to anything. Then, there is the additional 
pleasure of causing others who make a special study of the Fungi, to 
rejoice in having placed in their hands elegant specimens in quantity, 
thus enabling them to make full investigations and comparisons calcu¬ 
lated to .determine definitely obscure points as to little known species. 
Florida offers an inviting field to the naturalist in any department, but 
not until lately was I aware that so much of interest is to be found in 
the cryptoyamic flora of this section. Stimulated into action by the zeal 
of the editor of the N. A. F., l.devoted a portion of last winter to col¬ 
lecting fungous forms in connection wiih the lichenoid species in which 
I had just become interested. As a result, more than one hundred and 
fifty species rewarded “my .work. The whole of these were obtained 
within no greater distance than two miles from my home in Jacksonville. 
If this is astonishing, what might we expect were explorations made 
over larger areas, and [particularly in the semi-tropical portions of the 
State ? The first fact impressed|upon my mind was, the teeming abun¬ 
dance of some species. The most beautiful, perhaps, and the first to 
attract my notice, was Xerotus viticola, B. & C., found exclusiuely on 
decaying and dead Carpinus Americana. This winter I liave seen none 
as yet. It would be sate to say that I sent Mr. Ellis over ten thousand 
specimens. Polyporus yilvus, Schw., and P. scruposiis, Fr., abundant. 
These two species are claimed to be identical, and I must defer to author¬ 
ity, while I stand in the forest and, observing theii- distinct habits of 
