Lloyd Mycological Writings V4.pdf - MykoWeb

SPORES HYALINE.
drying discolored and agglutinate. Spores ovate, or subglobose,
hyaline, transparent, smooth, 6-7 mic., with large guttae.
European mycolpgists agree on Polyporus spumeus in the sense
of Fries at least. It is evidently a heart rot, and always comes from
decayed portions of living trees. In the park at Upsala it prefers the
maples; rarely we found it on poplar. It has never been observed by
me on elm, where Sowerby and Fries record it. In America, in the
East, it seems frequent on apple trees, and is one of the few fungi that
infect the apple tree stems. We have never collected it out West, but
have specimens. Fries refers it to Sowerby's figure (t. 211), and,
from Sowerby's remarks rather than from his figure, we think correctly.
It first appears as a soft, white, rounded or amorphous mass,
but it is not strictly correct to state that "it oozes as a soft, frothy
mass."
The spores, each with a large gutta, are characteristic, also the
incised, floccose surface such as shown in our figure 641, which disappears
in dried specimens. The pores and flesh both discolor in drying,
the pores slightly darker than the flesh.
SPECIMENS. A number from Europe and three thick forms from United States.
ILLUSTRATIONS. Two are cited, Sowerby 21 1 and Berkeley's Outlines, t. 16, fig. 4. Neither
well represent the plant, showing dark surface and tubes. The noticeable feature of the fresh, growing
plant is that it is pure white.
Compare mollissimus.
VAR. MALICOLUS. The usual American form of Polyporus spumeus is
thinner than the European plant and usually grows on the apple tree. The flesh is
usually less than 2 mm. thick, and the spores are smaller, measuring 4-5 mic. Otherwise
it is the same as European plant as to color, surface, appearance, pores and
peculiar, guttulate spores. It is the white species that occurs on the apple tree in
New England. It occurs less frequently further west, and on other hosts. It is the
basis of Polyporus galactinus of Murrill's work, a mistake, however, for it is quite
different from the true Polyporus galactinus.
SPECIMENS. We have twenty collections from the United States, mostly from the New
England States, and a number where apple is stated to be the host, a few on chestnut. We do not
know this thin form in Europe. We have also three American collections with thick flesh corresponding
to the plant in Europe.
POLYPORUS SPRAGUEL Pileus when growing, white, but
dried specimens are dirty white, or cinereous. Surface hard, rough,
uneven, with no distinct crust. Flesh white, drying white, hard, firm,
rigid. Pores small, round or angular, white, drying discolored,
cinereous. Spores subglobose hyaline, 4-5 mic.
This is a rather frequent plant in the United States, and when
fresh is decidedly malodorous. It sometimes occurs in abundance on
beech, around Cincinnati, and is quite large a foot or more in diameter.
We have only found it on beech, but Murrill records it on oak
and chestnut. For years the plant was in our collection as Polyporus
foetidus, as we could get no name for it, every one to whom we sent it
calling it a different name. It is Polyporus epileucus of Morgan's
flora. Murrill was the first man to get it right in the United States,
and we first learned it from specimens that he had named. We after-
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