402 FETCH : 



43. — Marasmius subcinereus B. & Br. 



Marasmius subcinereus B. & Br., Fungi of Ceylon, No. 369, 

 Journ. Linn. Soc, XIV., p. 37. 



Pileus convex, then plane, slightly depressed or umbiheate, 

 sometimes infundibuhform in wet weather, sulcate almost to 

 the centre, the sulcse being sometimes wavy, thin ; dark- 

 green when young, then greenish -grey, centre almost black ; 

 greenish-brown with a blackish-brown centre when old ; 1 to 

 1*5 cm. diameter. 



Stalk, 2 to 2-5 cm. high, 0*3 to 0*5 mm. diameter, rigid, 

 bluish-black or black, but hoary with minute white particles, 

 pale towards the apex, dull, sHghtly thickened upwards, soMd, 

 base either not thickened (insititious). or expanded into a 

 disc up to 1-5 mm. diameter, or arising from a small tuft of 

 white hyphse. 



Gills white when young, then bluish or bluish-gray, rather 

 broad, distant, thick, adnate or sUghtly decurrent, interstices 

 strongly veined. Spores white, stellate, consisting of four 

 broad-based triangular processes, each about 4 n long and 3 to 

 4 /tt broad at the base, the distance from point to point being 

 8 to 12 ^i. 



On dead branches and leaves. 



Berkeley and Broome cite Thwaites' numbers " 782 cum. 

 icone ; No. 204 in part." They also state that Thwaites' 

 No. 804 is a variety. 204 was spht up into five other Marasmii, 

 and this reference is most probably incorrect, since those 

 which have been identified in 204 bear no resemblance to M. 

 subcinereus. The figure of 804 suggests Omphalia anthidepas 

 rather than M. subcinereus ; the specimens unfortunately are 

 not at Peradeniya. The figure of M. subcineretis in Herb. 

 Peradeniya apparently shows a hollow stem ; Berkeley and 

 Broome say that it is " stuffed " ; but in my specimens — ^and 

 it is fairly common — it is soHd. 



The spores are somewhat similar to those of Marasmius 

 nigripes as illustrated by Lloyd, Myc. Notes, p. 46, but they 

 have sharper points and practically no central " spore-like " 

 body. Theissen (Ann. Myc, VII., p. 346) suggests that M. 

 subcinereus is identical with Marasmius membraniceps Cooke, 

 but there does not seem to be anv resemblance between the two 



