320 Transactions. — Botany. 



the thin, sharp edge of the gills. Fries says the essential 

 feature of the genus consists in the hymenium at length 

 becoming soft and separating from the crama. x\ll the species 

 grow on the ground, usually in open grassy places. Mostly 

 appearing late in the season, and stimulated by cold or even 

 slight frost. 



63. Hygroj^honis coccineus, Schaeffer, Fung. Bavar., tab. 302; 

 Austr. Fung., p. 75 ; Sacc, Syll. v., no. 1637. 



Piieus convex, then plane, often irregular, at first viscid, 

 even, bright-crimson when moist, pallid when dry, not floc- 

 cosely squamulose, margin thin, more or less wavy, 2-5-6 cm. 

 across ; flesh thin, coloured like the piieus, and also descending 

 into the trama of the gills ; gills broadly adnate, with a decur- 

 rent tooth, distant, connected by veins, soft and watery, base 

 purplish, middle part yellow, and margin glaucous when 

 adult; spores elliptical, smooth, 10-12 x 6 /a ; stem about 

 5 cm. long, 6-10 mm. thick, often compressed, almost even, 

 not slimy, crimson above, base always pale-yellow, hollow. 



x\mong short grass, in pastures and open places. Nevv 

 Zealand. Australia. 



Distinguished among crimson-coloured species by the 

 broadly adnate gills and yellow base of the stem. Gills 

 thick, wrinkled or veined ; when quite dry the piieus is 

 almost white. 



64. Hygrophorus miniatiis, Fries, Bpicr., p. 330; Austr. 

 Fung., p. 76 ; Sacc, Syll. v., no. 1639. 



Piieus 1-5-2-5 cm. across, flesh thin, convex, obtuse, then 

 umbilicate, at first even, glabrous, and crimson, then becoming 

 pale, opaque, and squamulose ; gills adnate, not at all decur- 

 rent, distant, distinct, rather thick and firm, yellow, or some- 

 times more or less tinged with crimson ; stem 3-5 cm. long, 

 about 2 mm. thick, even, glabrous, shining, crimson, equal, 

 round, imperfectly stufied ; spores elliptical, 10 x 6 /a. 



Among grass, in pastures, roads, &c. Maungaroa, New 

 Zealand. Europe, Australia, Ceylon. 



Piieus becoming umbilicate, bleached, and squamulose 

 when old. 



65. Hygrophorus cyaneus, Berk., Hdbk. N.Z. Fl., p. 604; 

 Grev., vol. viii., p. 54. 



Entirely clear sky-blue. Piieus acutely conical, splitting, 

 slightly striate, 4 cm. high ; gills free, very broad (1 cm.) in 

 front, gradually narrowing to the stem ; stem 12 cm. high, 

 7-8 mm. thick, hollow, base thickened. 



Middle Island : Beech forests, amongst moss, Nelson 

 Province. Julius Haast. 



