Cultural Characters and Carpophore Constructi of Some Poroid Hymenomycetes^

The cultural characters and construction of the carpophores of 24 species of poroid Hymenomycetes were studied. The microstructures formed in culture and oxidase reactions of the cultures were compared with the microstructures present, the construction and type of decay of the carpophores from which they were made. Fhe type of interfertility of seven species was determined. Intercollection pairings of haploid mycelia derived from single basidiospores and the technique of dikaryotizing a large haploid mycelium growing in culture by pairing it with a small dikaryotic mycelium, were used to confirm the identity of different collections of eight different species. The literature on the classification, structure and anatomy of the carpophores and pure culture studies of Hymenomycetes. was reviewed. It was found that the 24 species were distributed among nine of the groups proposed by Nobles (1958) on the basis of their cultural characters. TTie structures formed in culture were also found to be present in the carpophores so that the carpophores could also be assigned to the some groups as their cultures. The carpophores did not indicate the same relationships as the cultures however. Differences in the micromorphological characters of hyphae and in the types of hyphae present in carpophores of species in the same group were found. Differences in construction of the carpophores were noticed in species with similar types of hyphae. Micromorphological characters of hyphae and the microstructures as well as the construction of the carpophores are constant for each species. Differences and similarity of micromorphological characters and construction of carpophores of different species are not adequately conveyed by the concept of hyphal systems.