366 FUNGUS-FLORA. 



Pleurotus spongiosus. Fr. 



Pileus 2-3 in. across, fleshy, excentric, somewhat lateral, 

 pulvinate, covered with a persistent grey down; flesh loosely 

 floccose, white; gills sinuately adnexed, with a decurrent 

 tooth, simple, distinct, crowded, white, margin quite entire; 

 stem tip to 1 in. long, sometimes almost wanting, excen- 

 tric, incurved, not rooting, white, tomentose; ring white, 

 soon torn, adhering to the margin of the pileus, at length 

 disappearing ; spores 8-10 x 4 p.. 



Agaricus (Pleurotus^) spongiosus, Fries, Epicr., p. 130 ; Cke., 

 Hdbk., p. 102 ; Cke., Illustr., pi. 253. 



On trunks of beech, &c., among moss. 



Distinguished by the presence of a veil and sinuately ad- 

 nexed gills. 



**" Gills sinuate or obtusely adnate. 



Pleurotus ulmarius. Bull. 



Pileus 3-7 in. across, fleshy, compact, horizontal, fairly 

 regular but more or less excentric, convex then plane and 

 disciform, even, glabrous, livid becoming pale, but ele- 

 gantly marbled with roundish spots; flesh white, tough; 

 gills horizontal, emarginate and rounded behind, slightly 

 adnexed, broad, rather crowded, whitish ; stem solid, firm, 

 elastic, somewhat excentric, curved and ascending, 2-3 in. 

 long, up to 1 in. thick, b,se thickened and tomentose, not 

 unfrequently tomentose everywhere, white. 



Agaricus ulmarius, Bull., Champ., t. 510; Cke., Hdbk., p. 

 102; Cke., Illustr., pi. 227. 



On trunks of various trees. 



Usually solitary ; often very large and robust. When 

 the fungus grows vertically from the side of a trunk, the 

 stem is more or less excentric and ascending ; when grow- 

 ing horizontally, the stem is central and erect, when it 

 resembles a Tricholoma, but distinguished by growing on 

 wood. (Fries.) 



In Cooke's figures the pileus and stem are pale ochraceous. 



Pileus 312 in. broad, obtuse smooth, subcoriaceous, but 

 within very white, soft yet compact, thick, sometimes marbled 

 with livid spots. Gills numerous, broad, white, adnate or 

 subdecurrent, irregular. Stem excentric, ascending, 2-3 in. 



