attaining two or three feet in breadth. Colour yellowish, orange, red, or
a bright union of these hues, fading in age, the pores always of a fine
sulphur tint. Flesh thick, white. Pores very numerous, minute, roundish,
readily produced on any part of tlie fungus, according to situation
and position. Substance light, spongy ; when old, dry and friable, never
coriaceous.
Mr P u r t o n observes, in his Midland Flora, “ There can
be no doubt but many of tbe Fungi, on their properties becoming
better known, may be rendered subservient to various
uses: with tbis impression, it may be worthy of notice, that
Boletus sulphureus (more especially in the tubular part of it),
bas a remarkably pungent acid taste. This is retained by some
dried specimens, which have been more than twelve months
gathered.” Several years ago, Dr S c o t of Dublin discovered
that this species was occasionally covered with crystals of a
salt, which he determined to be oxalic acid. These crystals, he
observes, “ were formed on the fungus in consequence of its
drying, as none were observable while it remained on the tree.”
— Linn. Trans, v. 8. p. 262. Last autumn I found an enormous
mass of tbis fungus attached to the trunk of an old wil-
low-tree, and completely encrusted with a salt, which (without
being aware of Dr S c o t ’s or Mr P u r t o n ’s observations) I
communicated to my friend Dr T h o m s o n , the Professor of
Chemistry in the University of Glasgow. That learned and
indefatigable chemist decided it to be the Bin-oxalate of Potass.
Thus, we may conclude, from the similar result of the two analyses,
that this fungus has a remarkable, and, as far as we know,
a peculiar property. This subject is highly deserving of investigation.
Pol. sulphureus in its young state, is whitish, soft, and presents
nothing but a plane, convex, and somewhat effused surface.
Fig. 1. A rather small specimen, nat. size. Fig. 2. Section o f a portion o f a
pileus. Fig. 3. Pores. Fig. 4. Sporules.—Figs. 3. and 4. magnifed.