COPRINUS. 349 



A very handsome plant, and easily identified by its fine cylindrical form, its Coprinus. 

 soft clothy scales and snowy whiteness. Generally growing in considerable 

 quantity. Edible ; tender and delicious. It should be gathered when the 

 gills are white or just becoming tinged with pink, and not used when they be- 

 come black. It makes excellent ketchup. Spores ellipsoid or sphaeroid- 

 ellipsoid, 11-13x6-8 mk. K. ; 15x8 mk. W.G.S. Name coma, hair. 

 Shaggy, maned. Fr. Monogr. i. p. 452. Hym. Eur. p. 320. Sverig. dtl. 

 Sv. t. 87. Berk. Out. p. 177. C. Hbk. n. 453. S. Mycol. Scot. n. 422. A. 

 comatus Fl. Dan. t. 834. Harz. t. 21. Grev. t. 119. Dadh. i. t. 10. f. 2, 

 ii. /. 7. f. 1-3. Krombh. t. 30. f. 15-21. Klotsch. Bar. t. 389. A. porcellanus 

 Scheeff. t. 46, 47. A. typhoides Bull. t. 582. /. 2. A. fimetarius Bolt. t. 44. 

 Curt. Land. t. 93. A. cylindricus Sow. t. 189. Batt. t. 26. f. B. 



2. C. ovatus Fr. Pileus white, somewhat membranaceous, 

 at the first ovate and densely imbricated with thick spreading con- 

 centric scales, covered with an even hood at the apex, then ex- 

 panded, striate. Stem 7.5-10 cent. (3-4 in.) long, solid at the 

 base, rooting, otherwise hollow, with spider-web threads within, 

 attenuated upwards, flocculose, shining white. Ring not very 

 conspicuous and soon vanishing. Gills free, then remote, slight- 

 ly ventricose, at the first somewhat naked and remaining long 

 shining white, at length umber-blackish, never becoming purple. 



Smaller, thinner, less handsome than C. comatus. For the most part 

 solitary. 



On rich ground. Woodnewton. 



Name ovum, an egg. Egg-shaped. Fr. Monogr. 1. /. 453. Hym. Eur. p. 



320. B. & Br. n. 925. C. Hbk. n. 454. Agaricus Schceff. t. 7. 



3. C. sterquilinus Fr. Pileus 7.5 cent. (3 in.) high, somewhat 

 membranaceous, ovato-conical, then campanulate, scarcely ex- 

 panded, obtuse, fragile, deeply sulcate, the furrows forked, but at 

 the same time silky -villons and squarrose on the disc with diverg- 

 ing imbricated scales, at length split at the margin. Stem 12.5 

 cent. (5 in.) long, 6 mm. (3 lin.) thick at the apex, hollow, but 

 solid at the base, not rooted, zoned at the base with an oblique 



free volvaceous ring, attenuated upwards, fragile, fibrillose, wKite, 

 not zoned internally. Gills free, slightly ventricose, 6 mm. (3 

 lin.) broad, purplish-umber. 



Widely removed from C. comatus, &c. The pileus is not as in these covered 

 with a continuous hood at the apex. Stem becoming somewhat black when 

 touched. 



On cow-dung. Rare. Aug. 



Name sterquilinium, a dunghill. Fr. Monogr. i. /. 454. Hym. Eur. p. 



321. Berk. Out. p. 177. C. Hbk. n. 455. S. Mycol. Scot. n. 423. Quel. t. 

 9. /. 2. Agaricus Michel, t. 80. /. 3. 



