Order Hymenomycetes. Tribe Clavati} 



Plate XVII] . 



CLAVARIA INtEQUALIS, » 



Irregular Yellow Clavaria. 



Gen. Char. Receptacle erect, more or less cylindrical, homogeneous, conflueiit with the stem ; hymenium occu- 

 pying the whole surface. 



Spec. Cliar. Clavaria iN.^auALls. Fasciculate, unequal, brittle, yellow or yellow-white, acute, irregular, some- 

 what tufted or gregarious, fragile, compressed, angular, clianneled, often bifid and variously cut and jagged at the 

 apex ; more or less ventricose, smooth and mostly yellow but sometimes whitish. 

 Clavaria infequaHs, Millie/; Fries, Greville, BerMey. 

 venniculata, Sowerby. 



Hab. In grass, after stormy weather. 



The Funguses of tliis genus are (like all otliers) distinguished by the position of the receptacle, which 

 is erect, homogeneous, smooth, confluent with the stem, and covered exterioiu-ly with the fruit-membrane or 

 hymenium ; the ripe spores fall out as dust of various hues, wliite or ochraceous, and may be seen hke a 

 bloom or slight mouldiness shed from one part upon another, or ejected on any dark smooth surface in a 

 correct pattern of the branched madrepore-shaped stems. There are many species, wliich vary much in 

 colour and form ; the extremes being a fleshy moss, or a simj)le horn, in appearance. Some are most delicate 

 articles of food, and Yittadini recommends them when gathered fresh, as extremely digestible and agreeable ; 

 unfortunately they are not cpmmon enough in our woods and meadows to make this recommendation generally 

 useful. A course of stormy weather vrAh heavy rains, produces them in autumn, but not in large quantities 

 any where in England that we ai'e at present aware of. The Clavarias are all of a fleshy, not coriaceous 

 substance, nor fibrous, although some become rigid when di-y, and can be preserved in that state. Many 

 are branched, their stems being fasciculated and the whole growth resembling that of a cauliflower ; these 

 are the best for the table having much substance in the stems, wldch when cooked are of a very good con- 

 sistence ; the upper shoots, becoming flabby when stewed, and apt to retain any sandy grittiness should, be 

 trimmed ofl'. Other Clavarias preserve the true character of the genus, a simple stem, growing larger to 

 the summit like a club ; others again as onr C. inaqnalis are slightly swollen in the middle and again 

 restricted, or have tlu'oughout uniform vermicular proportions. 



The student vdU find many Funguses called Clavaria in the older botanical works, now divided from 

 that section, which is confined to the strict limits laid down in the general characters given above. Tijpliulas 

 and PistiUarias are minute members of the natiu'al family Clavaria, but they are parasitic on other vegetables ; 



' From clava, a dub. 



