Notes on the genus Poria

The genus Poria is admittedly one of the most difficult groups amongst the Basidiomycetes to deal with from a systematic point of view. The position is to a great extent chaotic. Many of the descriptions are very meagre, and it is often impossible to refer plants correctly to known species.
without access to the actual type specimen.
Many species seem variable, due often to the differences between a young plant only establishing itself and an old one which has had ample time to develop fully. Through the kindness of the late Dr. C. G. Lloyd, Miss E. M. Wakefield, Dr. James R. Weir, and Dr. G. H. Cunningham, we have had some of our Australian species identified or have received identified foreign species for comparison.
The present paper is part of an attempt to hall-mark by specific names some of our Australian species.
From an examination of many specimens of Australian Porias and Poria-like fungi, we think that they are best divided primarily by the colour of the hyphae as seen under the microscope under two divisions, viz., those with the hyphae not coloured or only slightly so and into those with the hyphae quite distinctly coloured. With the latter We deal in this paper, dividing them again into those With hyphae dull yellowish, with hyphae yellowish-brown, and with hyphae livid brown or more or less fuscous or purplish brown. The following key is an attempt to differentiate briefly the Australian species we have examined under these three sub-divisions.