Abstract
The significance of E.A. Burt's “The Thelephoraceae of North America,” published from 1914 to 1926, to the current concept of the Corticiaceae is discussed. The numbers of species of the Corticiaceae reported from various regions of the World are compared. The principal portion of the text is a synopsis of the 165 genera comprising the Corticiaceae s.l. of Canada and the United States of America. The distinctive features for each genus are itemized. Comments are included to aid in the identification of specimens. For genera with a limited number of species, the diagnostic features are given for each species. For larger genera, references are given to keys which include all or most North American species. The generic name Leifia is proposed as a nom. nov. for Granulocystis Hjortstam.