44 MUSHROOMS. 



branched and decurrent. The genus is fleshy, 

 soft, and putrescent, and has no veil. Some 

 plants grow on the ground and others on 

 mosses. 



MARASMIUS = to wither. 



The genus is tough and dry, not decaying, 

 but shrivelling, and reviving when wet. The 

 stem is tough (cartilaginous.) The gills are 

 rather distant, the edge acute and entire. The 

 plants often have a peculiar smell and taste, 

 like garlic. They are small and thin, commonly 

 growing on the outside of another plant (epi- 

 phytal) on the ground, on putrid leaves, or on 

 roots of grasses. 



AMANITA. 



The origin of this name is doubtful. Galen, 

 an ancient Greek physician, is said to have 

 given the name to some edible fungi (Steven- 

 son). It is distinguished as the only genus 

 that has both volva and ring. The young plant 

 is enveloped by a universal veil which bursts 

 at maturity. The volva around the base of 

 the stem is formed by the splitting or bursting 

 of the veil, and its different modes of rupture 

 mark the several species. It is sometimes 



