210 THE AGARICACEAE OF MICHIGAN 



187. Coprinus ovatus Fr. (Edible) 



Fries, Epicr., p. 242. 



Illustrations: Schaeffer, Icon., Tab. 7. 

 Cooke, 111., PL 059. 



PILEUS about 5 cm. across when expanded, at first ovate and 

 covered with an even pale ochraceous cuticle, which becomes broken 

 into large concentric scales, the apical portion remaining intact like 

 a cap, margin striate. FLESH, thin, white. GILLS about 4 mm. 

 broad, free, distant from the stem, whitish then black. STEM 6-10 

 cm. long, 10 mm. thick, attenuated upwards, flocculose or fibrillose, 

 white, hollow, the lower portion bulbous, solid, rooting, ring 

 evanescent. SPORES smoky black. 11-12x7-8 micr. 



This plant, which is often considered as a smaller form of Cop- 

 rinus comatus Fr., was found but once growing upon a lawn at 

 Palmyra, Mich. It differs from Coprinus comatus Fr. in that it has 

 a smaller ovate pileus and smaller spores. In the specimens found 

 the pileus was about 3 cm. high ami the spores ll : 13x7 mm. But 

 for its much smaller spores the plant might easily be taken for a 

 form of Coprinus sterquilinus growing in soil. In shape and color 

 the spores of Coprinus comatus, C. ovatus and C. sterquilinus are 

 very similar. In size, however, there is much variation, the meas- 

 urements running from 11 microns in C. ovatus to 26 microns in C. 

 sterquilinus. 



188. Coprinus sterquilinus Fr. (Edible) 



Fries, Epicr., p. 242. 



Illustrations : Patouillard, Tab. Analyt., No. 437. 



Gillet, Champignons de France, PI. 130 (as C. oblectus Fr.). 



Cooke, 111., PI. 660. 



Murrill, Mycologia, Vol. 3, PL 49, Fig. 3. 



Plate XXXII of this Report. 



PI LEUS 5-6 cm. broad when expanded, at first short cylindrical, 

 conical then expanded, white tinged with brown or fuscous at disk, 

 cuticle at first villous or silky, later torn into squarrose scales 

 especially at disk. FLESH thin, white, sulcate half way to disk. 

 (JILLS free, white then purplish, soon becoming black. STEM 10- 

 15 cm. high, slightly attenuated upward, subhbrillose, white slowly 

 becoming discolored when braised, often entirely black with spores. 



