CLASSIFICATION OF AGARICS 



yellow. In ilif very young unexpended stage, the surface of the 

 pileus is provided with ;i delicate, thin, viscid pellicle, composed 

 Hi' glistening particles; this membrane disappears as the pileus 

 expands. The species is nol uncommon in Sweden, where I was 

 ;il)l r to verify the identity of our plant. The flesh of the Btem is 

 sometimes pale yellow, h should be carefully compared with 

 Pluteolus < xpansus. 



Pluteolus l'i. 

 i Diminul ive of PluU us. ' 



Ochre-brown to rusty-ochraceous spored. <;ills free, nol dis- 

 solving in we1 weather. Stem distinct from tin j>il> us. subeartil- 

 ;i<iiin»iis. I'ileus viscid, margin at firsl straight. Veil nunc. 



Putrescent, thin-capped, slender-stemmed fungi, whose distin- 

 guishing characters are the spore-color. Tree gills, separable stem 

 and viscid pileus. Bolbitius differs by the greater or less degree <d 



the softness of the -ills which lend to dissolve ill wet weather. 



Iii Galera the ^ills are attached, the stem not truly separable 

 ami the cap not viscid. In XaucoHa the margin of the pileus is 

 at first incurved. Pluteolus corresponds to Pluteus of the pink- 

 spored group in its free gills. The gills are. however, not always 

 tree. Inn may be attached slightly by the upper corner; this is 

 true in /'. expansus and /'. reticulatus, which are somewhat inter- 

 mediate between Pluteolus and Bolbitius. Kicken has discarded 

 this -eiius. referring the European species to Bolbitius. A consid- 

 eration of the extremes as shown by Bolbitius tener and Pluteolus 

 COprophilus will make it evident that a real basis exivK for these 



two genera. For purposes of identification, however, it seems help 



tul to include the species of both genera in one key. 



Key to the Spt cii 8 



<a i On decaying wood; pileus deep violet-gray, fading. 538. /'. 



• ' tit ulatus Fr. 

 i aa i On duns, straw piles, grassy places or ground in woods. 

 ilii dills dissolving quickly; pileus conical, 1-1.5 cm., dull white. 



i s^f 532. Bolbitius t> ner Berk. > 

 (bb) Gills dissolving slowly or DOl ai all. 



(cl Spores large. 12-1*! micr. long, pileus striatu 



535. P. ■ oprophilus Pk. 

 i cc i Spores 9-13 micr. long. 

 1 1! i I'ileus drab-color to grayish-brown; on the ground in 



woods. 536. /'. aleuriatus gracilis Pk. 

 i dd ) Pileus yellow when young. 

 i e i I'ileus umbonate, umbo yellow, 

 (f) Stem yellow, glabrous; pili margin. 



:. Bolbitius fragile Ft.) 



