NEW YORK SPECIES OF PAXILLUS, 
PAXILLUS /f*. 
‘‘ Hymenophorum continuous with the stem, decurrent. Lamellee 
membranous, scissile, somewhat branched and often anastomosing 
behind, désténet from the hymenophorum and easily separable from it. 
Spores sordid-whitish or ferruginous. 
“Fleshy putrescent fungi continuously and gradually unfolding and 
expanding from an involute margin.” LHymen. Hurop., p. 400. 
The species of this genus are related to the Agarici on one hand, 
and to the Boleti on the other. The important distinguishing char- 
acter is afforded by the lamellz, which are easily and smoothly sep- 
arable from the pileus, just as the tubes of a Boletus are from the 
pileus that supports them. This relationship between the Paxilli and 
Boleti is still further indicated by the anastomosing of the lamellee, 
which in one species, Pawil/us porosus, is carried to such an extent 
that the hymenium is as distinctly porous as it is insome Boleti. On 
the other hand, the close relationship that exists between this genus 
and the genus Agaricus may be inferred from the fact that Agaricus 
personatus and A. cinerascens are still retained by Fries among the 
Agarici, although he makes the remark that they belong rather to 
the Paxilli. In the second edition of Epicrisis he has modified the 
diagnosis of the genus, and at the same time admitted that it is ‘‘ not 
yet correctly defined.” Neither is the limitation of the two tribes 
into which he divides the species very satisfactory, for a central stem 
and sordid spores, characters assigned to Lepista, are not always 
associated together, nor are ferruginous spores found only in species 
with the stem commonly lateral or eccentric. It has, therefore, 
seemed best to me, for the present, to refer to this genus such species 
only as have the spores colored and the separable lamellze more or 
less branched, crisped or anastomosing. This reduces our species to 
five, three of which are found also in Europe. They grow chiefly 
in woods and occur in the latter part of summer and in autumn. 
The separable character of the hymenium can only be ascertained by 
the mutilation of a specimen. 
