CLASSIFICATION OP AGARICS 

 270. Psilocybe larga sp. qov. 

 Illustration : Plate l.V 1 1 of this Report. 



PILEUS large, l l I cm. broad, oval campanulate ;ii first, at length 

 expanded plane and radially cracked or split on Hie margin agiU 

 hygrophanous, bay-orown to oehraceous-hrown and even when mo 

 whitish-tan and radiately rugulose when dry, ai first dotted u 

 scattered, small, snow-white, floccase, superficial scales, quicklj 

 denuded, often only with white-silkj margin. I'l.Ksn rather thin, 

 while when dry, Bcissile, homogeneous, with large cells. < ; 1 1 u ml 

 Date, rounded behind, rather broad, close to Btibdistant, white ;ii 

 first, then pale fuscous, finally umfo r, edge minutelj white fimbriate. 

 STEM stout, 5-10 cm. long, 5-15 mm. thick, equal or tapering op 

 ward, soon hollow, terete it compressed, rather firm, usually striatt 

 to sulcate, furfuraceous but glabrescent, then shining, white, cortex 

 subcartilaginous. SPORES elliptical, 8-9.5x4-5 micr., smooth, 

 obtuse, purple-brown under microscope, nmber in m;iss. CYSTIDIA 

 abundant on sides and edge <>r ^iills. 70-80x 12-15 micr., subventri 

 cose to subcylindrical, narrow-stalked, obtusely rounded above. 

 BASIDIA 1-spored. ODOB and TASTE none. 



Gregarious or caespitose around old stumps, buried roots, etc., in 



grassy clearings or w Is. Ann Arbor. May-September. (More 



frequent in spring.) Not infrequent in elm swamps or clearings. 



A large and striking species, related to P. spadicea and Hypho 

 loma sarcocephalum. Prom the former ii differs markedly in the 

 presence of ;i veil, the adnate uills and the striate stem; from the 



latter, in its strongly marked bygroph; n> character, and lack 



of any pellicle. Ricken suggests that these two species are identical. 

 I suspect that nil three are variations of the same plant, but ai 

 present this cannot be established. Our plant is often fonnd with- 

 out a sign of the floccose remnants of the veil, especially aftei a rain 

 or in windy weather. Cinder favorable weather conditions, however, 

 the developing plant shows the veil well. Psilocybt spad ems 



to be differently understood by authors. According to Quelet, 

 Kicken and others ii is .i large plant, like /'. larga. If thi^ is true, 

 Cooke's figures are very misleading, and as the I Ii autli 



have followed his idea, ii is not surprising to have ii reported In 

 Peck and others for this country in a way to suggesl Hyp) 

 hydrophilum, which is ;i much smaller and more densely cnespi 

 plant. I have not seen /'. spadicea IV. in il • i je of R nud 



Quelet. 



