228 FUNGUS-FLORA. 



Among fir leaves. 



Distinguished Toy its peculiar colour. Stem sometimes 

 \ in. thick at the base, scaly below the ring. Flesh of 

 pileus and stem reddish. 



Armillaria constricta. Fr. 



Entirely white ; pileus up to 2 in. across, flesh not thick, 

 but compact, convex then plane, obtuse, dry, glabrous, but 

 covered with a delicate silkiness from the veil when young, 

 never broken up into squamules; gills emarginate or 

 rounded, sometimes adnexed or altogether free, very much 

 crowded and narrow, unequal ; stem 1 J 2 in. long, up to 

 3- in. thick, equal or thickened at the base, solid, fibrous, 

 squamulose or fibrillose, ring narrow, near the apex. 



Agaricus (Armillaria) constrictus, Epicr., p. 22 ; Cke., 

 Illustr., pi. 46 ; Cke., Hdbk., p. 23. 



Among grass in sunny places : especially where the grass 

 has been scorched by urine. 



Margin of pileus incurved and downy when young, 

 every part becoming pallid when old ; firm ; smell re- 

 sembling new meal. (Fries.) 



A much stouter fungus than Armillaria subcava. 



** Gills more or less decurrent. 



Armillaria mellea. Vahl. 



Pileus 2-5 in. across, disc fleshy, remainder th:n, convex 

 then expanded, often becoming more or less depressed at the 

 centre, often sooty or covered with olive down when young, 

 soon becoming paler, usually ochraceous with a tinge of 

 hcney-colour, sprinkled all over with small, spreading, 

 blackish-brown scales, margin striate ; gills adnate then 

 becoming more or less decurrent, rather distant, white with 

 a flesh tinge, then brownish and powdered with the white 

 spores; stem 3-5 in. long, 3-6 lines thick, rigid, more or 

 less grooved, dingy ochraceous, floccose or almost naked 

 below the ring, base often covered with yellowish down, 

 btuifed then hollow, elastic; spores elliptical, 9 x 5-6 /u,. 



Agaricus (Armillaria') mellea, Cke., Hdbk., p. 23; Cke., 

 Illustr., pi. 32. 



At the base of trunks or on the ground. 



