Polyporus volvatus. Pk.
Figure 340.—Polyporus volvatus. Natural size.
Volvatus, bearing a volva. This is a most interesting species. The pileus seems to be prolonged, making a volva-like protection of the spore surface. When this volva is ruptured small heaps of spores will often be seen on the volva, having been protected from the wind.
The plant is small, somewhat round, and before the volva is ruptured it is very like a puffball; fleshy, smooth, attached by a small point, whitish, slightly tinged with yellow, red or reddish-brown; the cuticle of the pileus enveloping the entire pore-surface, thick and firm. The pores are rather long, small, the mouths yellowish, with a tinge of brown. The spores are elliptical and flesh-colored, .0003 to .00035 inch long and about .0002 broad.
This plant has a wide distribution, being found in the New England and Eastern States, and the States of the Pacific slope. I presume it will be found wherever the spruce tree is a native.
The specimens in Figure 340 were found near Boston and were sent me about the first of May by Mrs. Blackford. The first package I took, before examining them, to be a new puffball, which they seemed to resemble in their undeveloped state.