Lloyd Mycological Writings V4.pdf - MykoWeb

CONTEXT AND PORES WHITE OR PALE.
at length dark, easily separating. Context very soft, white, spongy,
crumbly, fragile. Pores medium, round, white, fragile, 6-12 mm. long.
Spores abundant, 8-10 mic., many smaller, subglobose, with granular
or guttulate contents.
No type exists of this, but we take it in from the description and
specimens to which it applies, of which there are several collections in
the museums of Europe. Cooke misdescribed it under the name
Polyporus leucocreas. Fries' plant was described from Australia, on
Eucalyptus, but there are collections from New Zealand, and one
from New Caledonia. A marked feature of the plant is the very soft,
crumbly flesh, described by Cooke as "suberose, firm and tough" (sic),
which is exactly the contrary of its nature. When fresh, the flesh was
said to be "snow-white." Now the specimens are often discolored, and
dark isabelline. The crust was described by Fries as dark, and so it
is on several specimens we have seen but on ; Polyporus spermolepidis,
which we take to be same species, it is white. We think the dark crust
is a change due to age and exposure.
Polyporus Eucalyptorum is the Australian analogue of Polyporus
betulinus, and so similar that we misnamed it, on receipt of the three
collections that we have from Australia. The flesh is usually much
softer and more fragile, the shape more ungulate ; but neither of these
two features can be depended on. We have specimens of the two
species that cannot be distinguished by the eye. The spores, always
abundant in Polyporus Eucalyptorum, are of a different type entirely.
SPECIMENS. Australia, Edmund Jarvis, J. T. Paul, Rev. James Wilson. All were referred
to Polyporus betulinus when received.
Compare caseicarnis, hololeucus, leucocreas, spermolepidis.
POLYPORUS QUERCINUS. Pileus stipitate, with stem 2 cm.
thick, 3 to 7 cm. long. Pileus spathulate, 5-8 cm. wide, \^4-2 cm.
thick. Surface smooth, with a very thin, yellowish crust, turning
brown when dried. Flesh white, soft, drying light and spongy. Pores
small, round, the mouths pure white when untouched, but very sensitive
and bruising reddish. In dried specimens the pores become
almost black. Spores large, obovate, 5x12 mic., with granular contents.
This is a very rare species on oak in Europe, and is quite scantily
represented in the museums. We were fortunate enough to find a
specimen at Fontainbleau one season, but we have never gotten it
from a correspondent. All who find it speak of its rarity. Mrs.
Hussey was the first and only one, as far as we know, to find it in
England. Her specimen only is at Kew. There is a specimen from
Plowright at Berlin. These three specimens are all that we have
noted. Although Fries records having found it (rarely), his description
was probably drawn from Krombholtz's figure, for he records the
pileus as "suberose," "soft then indurated," while the flesh of the
dried specimen is very light and spongy. Several have likened the
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