MYCENA. 77 



The species are as a rule small and slender, colours usually 

 bright and clear, but often very variable in the same species. 

 Several species are strong-scented. Most grow on wood, 

 branches, or twigs, although some grow in the ground and 

 have a long rooting base to the stem, others root among 

 heaps of dead leaves, and some of the minute sj)ecies grow 

 upon dead leaves. 



The edge of the gills is often very minutely fringed or 

 denticulate under a lens, more especially in the section 

 Calodontes. This is due to the presence of numerous inflated 

 cells or cystidia of varying length. The same structure 

 also occurs in other genera. 



Our information is very scanty respecting nearly all the 

 smaller species, and as little or no information can be 

 derived from dried specimens, even if you are quite certain 

 that the correct species is at your disposal, consequently 

 there remains much to be done yet in the way of spore 

 form and size, presence or absence of cystidia, &c. 



Colhjhia differs from the present genus in the margin of 

 the pileus being incurved at fi.rst, Om^lialia and Clitocijbe 

 differ in having decurrent gills. 



ANALYSIS OF THE SPECIES. 



I. Insititiae. 



Minute species; stem very slender, not rooting, nor 

 furnished with a disc, nor downy at the base, but abruptly 

 piercing the substratum, dry ; gills adnate, uncinate with a 

 decurrent tooth. Very delicate and soon flaccid after being 

 touched. M. rorida agrees with the present section except 

 in having a very viscid stem, and is therefore placed in the 

 section Glutinijpedes. 



II. Basipedes. 



Stem dry, not rooting, but attached by a flattened disc 

 or small strigose bulb at the base. Slender, solitary, soon 

 flaccid. 



