TLEUROTUS. 371 



A very variable spacies; according* to Kalclil)renner, the 

 spores have a faint tinge of lihic, and the pilens is Avhite, 

 tawnj', brownish, or umber on tlie same trunk, The white 

 form only has been met with in this country. 



Pleurotus mutilus. Fr. 



Pilens np to 1 in. across, flesh father thick, soft, irregu- 

 larly circular in outline and slightl}^ depressed, but very 

 variable in form, glabrous, silky when dry, white; gills de- 

 current, somewhat crowded, narrow, rather thick, simple ; 

 stem about v in. long, slender, expanding upwards into the 

 ilesh of the pileus, excentric or almost lateral, glabrous, base 

 downy, white. 



Agaricus (Pleurotas) iuntihis, Fries, Syst. M^'c, i. ]). 191 ; 

 Cke., Ildbk.; p. 10-1: Ckc., Illnstr., pi. 275d. 



On the ground among grass. Cooke says, also on dead 

 ^vood. 



Very similar to OmpliaVia scj/plioides, Fr. ; of which it may 

 pot^sibly be a variety; but although the two have grown 

 mixed together, I have never observed a direct transition. 

 P. mutilus differs in being almost glabrous, never regular in 

 form, and not infundiljuliform. (Fries.) 



{!;. jjj j!;- jjj 



Gills decurrent ; stem lateral^ short or ahsenf. 



Pleurotus ostreatus. Jacq. 



Pileus 3-6 in. across, fleshy, soft, at first convex and hori- 

 zontal, then expanded and ascending, glabrous, moist, even, 

 but the cuticle sometimes torn into squamules, dark and 

 almost blackish -when young, then brownish-grey, clear 

 bluish-grey with violet tinge, or lavender colour, often 

 becoming yellowish when old; stem short or obliterated, 

 firm, obliquely ascending, incrassated upwards, white, base 

 downy or strigose; gills decurrent, anastomosing behind, 

 rather distant, broad, Avhitc, sometimes tinged yellow, never 

 pinkish; spores elliptical, white, 10-12 X 4-5 fx. 



Agaricus ostreatus, Jacques., Austr., t. 2G8; Cke., Hdbk., 

 p. 105; Cke., Illnstr., pi. 195 and 953. 



Pleurotus columhinus, Quelet, in Bresad., Fungi Trident., 

 p. 10, t. vi. 



On trunks. 



2 c 2 



