Order Hymenomycetes. Tribe Pileati. 



Plate LXXIII. 



AGARICUS ADUSTUS,p™.. 



(Var. ELEPHANTINUS, Sowerby:) 



Scorched Agaric. 



Series Leucosporus. Sub-genus Russula.' 



Spec. CJiar. A. adustus, var. Elepliantinus, Soicerby. Pileus large, inelegant, from four to seven inches broad; 

 whitish when young, becoming umber brown, at length black as if it had been exposed to the fire ; at iii'st Lncurved, 

 then piano-depressed, often cracking at the margin in a machicolated manner ; in wet weather slightly glutinous, in 

 diy weather clothed with a very fine pubescence, which retains the impression of the fingers, changing to umber 

 when bruised ; sometimes when broken, the juice turns rich blood-red, but is not of a milky consistence ; the flesli 

 of both pileus and stem is at first white but becomes more or less red, then purplish-brown, when cut across. 

 Stem from two to four inches high, one inch thick, solid, possessing the cellular texture proper to the genus Russida, 

 but extremely firm, almost woody, not brittle. Gills straw-coloured or cream white, thick, distant, rigid, brittle, 

 forked, very irregular, varying from adnate to decurrent, often rounded behind, and subdecm'rent attenuated behind, 

 in the same plant ; generally appearing decurrent in age from the depression of the pileus. Flavour agreeable. 

 Inodorous. In its extreme age this Agaric does not decay in the usual manner, but acquires a resemblance to a 

 piece of charcoal, in which state it wiU endure for many months. 

 Agakicus adustus, Persoou. 



adustus, var. Elephantinus, Berkeley, Greville. 



Elephantinus, Sowerhy, Withering. 



nigricans, Tries, BuUiard. 



Hab. Under trees, generally oaks. Summer and Autumn. 



There are exceptions to all rules, and two or three exceptions to this Agaric, as a genuine member of 

 the family Eussula ; but what is to be done ? it cannot be an outcast entirely, and has a better claim to be 

 included in that group than in any other. We speak of wliite black-birds, wliite Hlac, &c., so we need not 

 supercdiously object to a Eussula because it happens to be brown. " Veil none. Stem spongy within," 

 no one can object to, for hard and rigid as the stem and flesh of the pileus are, their substance is as truly 

 vesiculose and cellular, as that of the friable verdette — it is the strength of material only that differs. This 



' From Rasmlm, red, a predominant colour in the genus. Veil none. Stem smooth, spongy within. Pileus 

 with a fleshy disk and thin margin, which is not iuflexed at any period of gTowth. GiUs juiceless, either all equal, 

 or with a few shorter intermixed, or forked, rigid, brittle, broad in front, narrow behind, acute, properly free, but 

 apparently adnato-decm-rent from the ditfusiou of the stem into the pileus. Spores white or subochraoeous. Gills 

 white or yellow. Large or middle sized fungi, rigid, persistent, sohtary, growing on the ground. 



