dering it quite concave and cyathiform, the extreme mai-gin being however
always involute; the surface is very smooth ; substance close, firm;
colour varies from a dead yellow-white to a reddish cream colour or even
pale red ? the centre generally remains umbonate to the last. Lamellæ
numerous, narrow, often lacerated, the long ones decurrent, whitish, becomes
tinged with red, especially at their margin. Slem 2 -6 inches high,
i - f of an inch thick, firm, solid, cylindrical, sometimes slightly attenuated
upwards, pale, usually nearly similar in hue to the pileus, the
base subradicating, i. e. penetrating somewhat into the ground.
The circumstance, that this variable species changes its appearance
completely, in advancing to maturity, has occasioned
so much confusion, as to render it a most unpleasant task to
follow it in its progress, under as many names as it has colours
and forms. Sowerby, I think, has made a just remark, in
supposing Bul l ia rd , and other authors, to have described
it before it had attained the proper stage of growth. P er soon’s
character is tolerably correct ; but he has added synonymes
which belong to another species, viz. A g . flaccidm of
Sowerby and F r ie s . B u l i.iaro gives a figure of our plant,
and under our name, but subsequently (not considering it worthy
of distinct letter-press) refers to it in his description of A g . geotropus,
which I certainly esteem a mere variety, though D e
Ca n o o l l e and F r ie s make it a separate species. Batsch,
in his text, seems to have the true plant in view, hut his figures
are very bad and doubtful. There are three plants which
appear to me still more suspicious, though cited by F rie s without
a question, A g . cinnammeus. Bol t , and A g . castaneus
and so rd id o fa vu s of W it h . Of the first no dissection is
given, but the stem hollow in age, tearing into filaments, and
incrassated upwards, is quite enough to dismiss it. For the
discrepancies of the two others, I refer the reader to W it h e
r in g , ed. 6. pp. 214. and 249.
Fig. 1. Seclion o f a mature plant. Fig. 2. Sporules magni/lal.
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