Page:The Journal of Indian Botany, Volume III.djvu/50

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THE JOURNAL OF INDIAN BOTANY, temperate, and subtropical regions, and now has been found In tropical region also (Bengal, Hooghly District). So also Pohjstictus versicolor, Qanoderma hicidus , and Polyporus gilvits, while Fomes applanatiis is almost cosmopolitan). Others, so far as our knowledge goes, appear to have an extraordinary discontinuous distribution — for instance (l) Polystictus protea is found in Calcutta, Bengal, in forests near Uitenhage in South Africa and Mexico, America; (2) Trametes lactinea is found in Howrah District. Bengal, Ceylon, Singapur, New England, South Australia, and Cuba; (3) Daedalea quercina Is found in Hooghly District, Bengal, Great Britain, Denmark and Paraguay (SouthAmerica) ; (4) Polyporus luzonensis is found in Khulna, Chittagong, Mymensingh districts in Bengal and the Philippine Islands; (5) Trametes occidentalis is found in Hooghly, Howrah, Jessore and Asam in Bengal, Bombay, Mussorie, Ceylon, Malaya peninsula, Australia, the Philippine Islands, the Fiji Islands, Mauritius, Madagascar, East Africa, Guinea, South America, (Brazil and Paraguay), Central America, West Indies and United States of America. This might be due solely to our ignorance of the occurrence of obscure species in localities where they have not been properly sought for, or it may have some real significance as indicating that certain forms can not always increase and multiply even in those localities that appear most suitable for them. No generalisation how- ever, can be reached in the present state of our knowledge of the distribution of Polypores, one is bound -to wait till the fungus-flora of the whole world is fully worked out. Again there are some species of Polypores, which are strictly local within the limits of the British India (including Ceylon) and the Eastern tropics and have not up till now been found outside these limits — for instance (i) Polystictus suboccidentalis, was formerly reported from Bonhomme valley (India), but is now for the first time found in Hooghly district, Bengal; (ii) Polyporus fimoso-olivaceous — formerly reported from Ceylon only, and now found in Howrah district, Bengal ; (iii) Polystictus Berkley, formerly reported from Ceylon only, and now found in the interior of Hooghly District, Bengal ; (iv) Merulius similis’—ior - merly from Ceylon, now found In the interior of the Hooghly District, So also Fomes annularis, Polyporus Emerici , Fomes pallidus , Poria diver siporus, Polyporus secernibilis, Favolus scaber , Trametes fuscella and Polyporus Shorea confined to Jalpaiguri, Buxa range and not found on plains. Lastly the discovery of some Polypores in Bengal extends the zone of distribution of our old species, for Instance Lenzites alutacea, Polyporus Ehizophore , and Polyporus anebus were formerly recorded from the tropical region alone, now they have been found in