EDIBLE MUSHROOMS. 35 



PARASOL MUSHROOM. 



Agaricus (Lepiota) procerus. 



(Plate II. Fig. 1.) 



The Parasol Mushroom is so designated 

 from its erect, straight, slender stem and 

 expanded cap, not very unlike the object 

 after which it derives its name. It is not 

 uncommon in summer and early autumn, 

 mostly amongst dead leaves, and occasion- 

 ally attains a large size, with a stem ten 

 inches long, and a cap six inches broad. 

 Sometimes it will be found in pastures and 

 under trees, and is of a very dry texture, 

 shrivelling when old before it decays. The 

 top of the pileus is conical and dark, but 

 the rest is paler and silky, covered with 

 scattered darker scaly patches. The gills 

 are white and broad, narrowed towards 

 each end, and not reaching the stem, which 

 consequently appears to be sunk into the 

 cap, with a hollow all round it. The base 

 of the stem is bulbous, and, for some 



