PLEUROTUS. 365 



Often large and showy, usually solitary, but sometimes 

 truly caespitose. The presence of a ring, and the deeply 

 decurrent gills anastomosing behind stamp the present 

 S2:)ecies. 



A large and noble Agaric, perhaps too closely allied to 

 P. dryinus. Pileus exceutric, 7 in. across, exj^anded, swollen 

 in the centre ; disc, especially in tlie centre, broken up into 

 brownish-grey silky scales, w'hicli are more minute towards 

 the thin, strongly involute margin. Stem 3 in. high, 1^ in. 

 thick, pitted and silky below the evanescent ring, firm and 

 tough, mottled. Gills rather broad, pure white, very de- 

 current, anastomosing behind, sometimes forked ; edge en- 

 tire. Smell rather strong. (B. and Br.) 



Pleurotus dryinus. Pers. 



Pileus 2-4 in. across, flesh thick at the vertex, becoming 

 thin at the margin, white, becoming yellowish when broken; 

 oblique or sometimes almost circular, compact and hard, 

 whitish, varieo-ated with innate, brownish scales, margin 

 incurved and bearing fragments of the torn veil ; stem 

 very exceutric, but not truly lateral, rarely almost central, 

 about 1 in. long, | in. thick or even more, whitish ; gills 

 decurrent narrow^ almost simple, not anastomosing, white, 

 becoming tinged wdth primrose yellow when bruised; 

 spores elliptical, 10 X -i /x. 



Agaricus (Pleurotus^ dryinus, Cke., Hdbk., p. 102 ; Cke., 

 niustr., pi. 226. 



Agaricus dryinus, Persoon, Syn., p. 478. 



On trunks of oak, hornbeam, &c. 



Small, hard, stem short, oblique, but not truly lateral, 

 the pileus being marginate behind. 



Pileus |-3 in. broad, exceutric, white, the surface broken 

 into light brown adpressed scales, the margin involute, 

 wdth fragments of the broad woven veil adhering to it, 

 flesh continued into the stem. Gills white, not very broad, 

 decurrent, forked, crisp. Sporules white. Stem 3 in. high 

 (in my specimen elongated from growing in a hollow ash), 

 attenuated downwards, firm, almost woody, tomentose but 

 not scaly. Taste like that of A. campestris. The plant 

 assumes partially a yellowish tint when dry or cut. (Berk.) 



