MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 363 



No. XVIII —FOUR INTERESTING BOMBAY PLANTS. 



LEPIOTA ALTISSIMA, Massee, Kew Bull, 1898, page 114. 



{With a plate?) 



The Giant Mushroom of the Western Ghats, named Alim by Khandala people, 

 is a very distinct new species, attaining in the fresh state 10 inches in height and 8 

 inches in width of cap. The cap is membranaceous, but in the centre somewhat 

 fleshy and with a slight boss ; the gills are white, but with age assume a pale yellow. 

 It is eaten by the Ghat people, and is described as follows by Mr. G. Massee : — 



Lepiota altissima, Pileus membranaceous, albidus, centro tantum carnosus, 

 e convexo-plano subumbonatus, squamis concentricis innatus subsquarrosus, ad 

 marginem fimbriatus, fibrosus, circiter 8 cm. latus ; Lamella? liberas, sub-confertse 

 albas, dein pallide flava ; Sporse ovatse 8 X 5 u ; basidia subclavata 28-30 x 8-10 u ; 

 Stipes a pileo discretis albus cylindraceus bulbillosus fistullosus tandem usque 

 25 cm. longus, apice vix 1 cm. crassus ; annulus persistens, fimbriatus. 



AGARICUS WOODROWII, Massee, Kew Bull, 1901, page 151. 



THE POONA BROWN MUSHROOM. 



[With a plate.) 



A Mushroom abundant on the golf links at Poona and similar dry upland 

 pastures in the Deccan during a short season about September-October ; it 

 attains 4i inches in width of cap and 4 inches in length of stalk. The cap is 

 nearly globular, but at length becomes umbrella-shaped and irregularly cracked, 

 displaying the white underlayer ; the stalk is swollen in the centre, white and 

 as long as the breadth of the cap ; the gills and spores brown ; and the ring 

 ultimately drying up and disappearing. 



It is a valued esculent which might be cultivated with great advantage. 



" Ag. Woodrowii, Massee (Sp. nov). Pileus subglobosus glaber primitus Iasvis, 

 dein centro rimoso-arcolatus, ex albido fuscescens, 3 — 5 cm. latus, caro 1 cm. 

 lato, fuscescens. Lamella; confertse, liberae sed approximates, umbrinas. Sporm, 

 ellipticse, glabrae, umbrinse 8 x 5 u. Stipes ventricosus, albidus, deorsum fus- 

 cescens, glaber, 3 — 5 cm. longus : annulus superus, evanescens " 



" On the ground, Poona, Woodrow, Edible. Allied to Agaricus silvaticus, 

 Schaeff; distinguished from this and all known species by the ventricose stem 

 and crowded approximate gills." 



FREREA IN DIC A, Dalz. Marathi Shindul maludi. 



[With a plate.) 



A very rare plant which commemorates the Bombay Government House 

 Party of circa 1865. It is of very local occurrence ; found originally 

 by Mr. Dalzell on a? hill near Junir and more recently on the same place by 

 Mr. N. B. Ranade, who took plants to Poona which flowered, and the figure § 

 natural size has been produced from a photograph. 



At Poona it proved to be a prostrate herb with thick branches, and the leaves 

 oblong, subsessile, fleshy, 1| inches in length ; flowers, solitary or in pairs, f inch 

 diam., rotate, purplish, fringed with vibratile hairs. 



