Phallus caninus . R ed-heAded Morel l .
PHALLUS Lin. Gen. PI. C r y p t o g am ia F ungi.
Fungus fupra reticulatusi fubtus lævis. .
Rail Syh. Gen-. F u n g i .
PHALLÜS Caninus volvatus; flipitatus, flipite 'e ellulofo, capituló impervio, rubro> rugofo.
PHALLUS exilis Marattæ; Batarr. Fung, pi 7. t. 40. F. ?
PHALLUS caninus volvatus ftipitatusi- pileö rübro eellulofo acütö, apicê claufd. Hudfin. Fl. Angl.
ed. || p; 6301 ,
VOLVA magnitudine nucis möfchata?-, oblongo-ovata, | VOLVA.
alba, laevis, intus gelatinofa, tunica interiorei
fuperne truncatd, fig. 1, 2. ^ f
STIPES extra volvam, fefquiuncialis, feu biuncialis, | STALK,
/ magnitudine calami anferini majoris, ; teres, |
filiformis, inferne acuminatus, cellulofus, fub-1
pellucidus, pallide aurantiacus, intus cavus, |
cito flaccefcens. fig. 3, 4, 5, 6. |
' I
CAPITULUM, nam pileus vix dici potefl, flipiti infi- | HEAD,
det, eftque feffile, femunciale, diametro fti-1
pitisi oblongum, fubacuminatum, apice im- ¥
pervio albefcente, primo lividum, membranä|
nitidä, tenuiffimä tedtum, infra quam exigua §
quantitas humoris virefcen'tis, feu materies fe-1
minalis fere inodori cernitur, qua rernota fu- ^
perficies capituli rubra et tranfverfim rugofa |
apparet, nequaquam vero cellulofa, ficut in |
impudico.
> Qr eggi the fize of a nutmeg, of ah oblong,
ovate fhape, white, fmooth, gelatinous within,
the inner coat cut off at top.- fig.- i, 2.
beyond the volva, an inch and a half or two
inches in length, the fize of a large goofe-
quill, round, filiform, terminating in a point
at bottom, cellular, fomewhat tranfparent, of
a pale orange colour, hollow within, foon becoming
flaccid, fig. 3,4 , 5, 6.
for it cannot properly be called a cap, fits on
the Hem, is feflile, about half an inch in
length, and of the diameter of the flem, oblong,
a little pointed, impervious and whitifh
at top, at firfl of a livid colour, and covered
with a very thin, fhining membrane, underneath
which is a fmall quantity of a greenifh
liquid, or feminal matter, aim oil fcentlefs,
which being removed, the l'urface of the head
appears of a red colour, and tranfverfely
wrinkled, but by no means cellular, as in the
I {linking Morell.
Mr. E hret * the celebrated botanic painter, appears to have been the firfl who difcovered this rare Fungus in
this country ; he found it in a wood near Salop*, and made drawings of it for one of his principal patrons. Mr.
H unter, gardener to the Earl of Man sfield, lately found it, though very fparingly, in Caen Wood, and communicated
feveral fpecimens of it to Mr. D ickson of Covent Garden. This autumn 1781, on the 20th of September,
I was fortunate enough to be prefent at the difcovering of one of them in Lord Man sfield’ s fmall Pine
wood, famous for producing the Phallus impudicus, Hydnum aurifcalpium, and other Fungi ; I was in fearch of
thefe when my draughtfman Mr. Sower b y pointed out to me a white fubftance, rifen a little above the furface
o f the ground, and which at a diftance refembled the cap of a fmall white mufhroom ; not fufpefting it to be anything
extraordinary, I took it up with lefs caution than I fhould otherwife have done, and on opening it found it
to be the Phallus caninus, in the ftate reprefented at fig. 1. From the hafty manner in which it was gathered, I
had no opportunity of obferving whether its roots were fimilar to. thofe of the Phallus impudicus, but fufpect they
were ; on exam ini no- it the next morning I was pleafed to find that the flalk had fhot out from its inclofing volva
more than an inch; the volva contained a jelly in the manner of the impudicus, in palling through which, the Halle
became covered with if, (this is prevented from taking place in the impudicus, becaule the pileus is much wider
than the flalk) the flalk was cellular and hollow, equally rapid in its growth as the impudicus, but as its bafe contained
within the volva ran out to a finer point, fo the body of it was more uniformly of a fize throughout, and
of a faint orange colour ; not having that firm waxy texture which enables- the impudicus to fupport ltlelf for
many days, it quickly became flaccid after attaining its full growth.
- Thus far we may obferve a great fimilarity in the flruflure and oeconomy of the two plants we have been- corn-
baring ; in the remaining part, containing the fruaification, we find an amazing difference. . The Phallus impu-
dicus carries on the top of the flalk a very diflinftand perfeft Pileus, or Cap, on the outfide of which the feminal.
matter is depofited in cells, without the leafl covering j in the caninus there is properly fpeaking no Pileus, the
part on the outfide of which the feminal matter is lodged, -forms a capitulum, or head, which is only a continuation
of the flalk, as appears on diffection, differing 'in its ftru&ure and colour, this head has a wrinkled, not a
reticulated furface, within thefe wrinkles, which are not very deep, the feminal matter is contained, and (contrary
to what we find in the impudicus) covered by a very thin membrane; we may obferve that this matter has very
little fmell in it, nor do flies appear particularly fond of it;
This unufual flru£ture of the capitulum by no means agrees with L innaeus’s generic chara&er of a Phallus,
as that implies a Pileus fmooth on the under ± and reticulated on the outer fide, with which the impudicus perfectly cor-
refponds-, and yet every botanifl wquld call this a Phallus-, hence there appears a neceffity for altering its generic
char after, the effeuce of which fedms to confifl in the Seeds being contained in a jelly-like liquifying fubfiance, on the
outfide o f a Capitulum or Pileus.
Ba t a r r a ' s figure and defeription may poffibly be intended for this Fungus, there is no knowing with.certainty,
fo great is their obfeurity.
* In the margin of a Ray’s Synppfis
nelly lent it me, there is the following
near Salop, with Mr. Moore 1741, t
been Mr. Ehrct’s, * 1
the Phallus impudic
fftink.”