236 THE AGARICACEAE OP MICHIGAN 



225. Psalliota arvensis Fr. (Edible) 



Epicrisis, 1836. 



Illustrations: Fries, Sverig. atl. o gift. Swamp, PI. 4. 

 Cooke, 111., PI. 523. 



Gillet, Champignons tie France, No. 571 (as Pratella). 

 Berkeley, Outlines, PI. 10, Fig. 1. 

 Michael, Fiihrer f. Pilzfreunde, Vol. I, No. 61. 

 Ricken, Blatterpilze, PL 62, Fig. 2. 

 Hard, Mushrooms, PI. 34 and Fig. 252, p. 312. 

 Swanton, Fungi, etc., PL 38, Fig. 13, op. p. 111. 

 Peck, N. Y. State Mus. Kep. 48, PL 8. 

 • Plate XLVI of this Report. 



PILEUS 5-20 cm. broad, large, subhemispherical at first, then 

 convex-expanded, disk plane, firm, even, glabrous, almost shin- 

 ing, or with appressed, small, fibrillose scales, dry, white or tinged 

 yellowish-ochraceous on disk, especially when rubbed, sometimes 

 rimose-areolate. FLESH thick, white, at length yellowish-tinged. 

 GILLS free, crowded, rather broad, at first whitish then slowly 

 grayish-pink, finally blackish-brown, edge entire. STEM 5-20 cm. 

 long, 10-30 mm. thick, stout, white, yellowish stained where bruised, 

 silky-shining above the annulus, stuffed by a loose pith, then hollow, 

 equal-cylindrical above the abrupt, small and short bulb, glabrous) 

 ANNULUS thick, rather large, double, the lower layer radially 

 cracked into rather large oehraceous-tinged patches. SPORES 6-7 

 x 4-4.5 micr., elliptical, smooth, purplish-brown, blackish-brown in 

 mass. ODOR of anise or of bemsaldehyde. 



On the ground, cultivated fields, pastures, on grassy mounds in 

 woods, in the north on lawns; scattered-gregarious or solitary. 

 Throughout the State, more frequent in the Northern Peninsula. 

 July-October. Infrequent in the south part of State. 



The "field mushroom" or "ploughed land mushroom" is not limit- 

 ed to cultivated fields. It was found in several cities along Lake 

 Superior on lawns. It is much prized by the inhabitants for the 

 table. It is larger than P. campestris, and can be distinguished by 

 the tendency of the center of the cap and base of stem to turn yellow- 

 ish-ochraceous when rubbed or bruised. The gills, although pink for 

 a brief time at one stage, are white much longer than in the other 

 species. Also there is often a slight but distinct odor of oil of bitter 

 almonds when the flesh is crushed. It is curious to note the various 

 spore-measurements given by authors. Ours agree practically with 



