YII. THE COMMOI^^ MUSHEOOM— ITS EELATIVES. 



ANALYTICAL TABLE OF AGAEICUS. 



Plants growing in pastures or open places, 



1. 



4. 

 2. 

 3. 



Plants groAving in woods and groves or their borders, 

 1. Stem stuffed or solid, 

 1. Stem liollow, 

 2. Gills at first pinkish, about as wide as the thickness 



of the cap, A. campester. 



2. Gills at first whitish, narrower than the thickness of 



the cap, A. rodmani. 



3. The collar radiately tomentose on the lower sur- 

 face, A. arvensis. 

 3, The collar evenly flocculose on the lower sur- 

 face, A. suhrufescens. 

 4. The flesh quickly changing to dull red where cut or 



broken, A. liemorrlioidarius. 



4. The flesh not changing to red where cut or brokpn, 5. 



5. Cap white, silky or smooth, A. silvicola. 



5. Cap brownish, or if white not smooth, 6. 



6. Cap with numerous minute persistent brown scales, 



A. placomyces, 

 6. Cap merely fibrillose, or with few evanescent scales, 



A. silvaticus. 

 The Common mushroom, sometimes called the Edible mush- 

 room, as if it were the only edible species, is perhaps more gen- 

 erally and better known than 

 anv other. It is the one com- 

 monly cultivated and most 

 often seen on the tables of the 

 wealthy and of public houses. 

 It is so eagerly sought in some 

 of our cities that it is difficult 

 to find wild specimens in the 

 vicinity of these toAvns. They 

 are gathered almost as soon as 

 they appear. 



In very young plants the 

 cap is somewhat globular or 

 hemispherical, and the gills are 

 concealed by the membrane or 



26 



Common Mushroom, AKarknis eampester. 



