MARASMIUS. 



139 



or obsoletely umbonate, unequal, with a persistent ', pruinose, grey Nyctalis. 

 pellicle; flesh dingy. Stem 2.5-5 cent. (1-2 in.) long, 3 mm. 

 (\ l /2. lin.) thick, delicately fistulose, equal or slightly attenuated up- 

 wards, straight or curved from oblique position, pubescent, white. 

 Veil manifest, fibrillose. Gills adnate, thick, distant, with alter- 

 nate shorter ones intermixed, becoming fuscous, at length con- 

 torted and anastomosing. 



Gregarious, even caespitose. The pileus is often irregular^ (angular, repand 

 and rimose). 



On dead Russules, adusta and fattens. Common. Aug.-Nov. 



Odour like Polyporus squamosus. M.J.B. Name from \\sparasitic growth. 

 Fr. Monogr. ii. p. 214. Hym. Eur. p. 464. Berk. Out. p. 218. t. 19. /. 2. 

 C. Hbk. n. 653. S. Mycol. Scot. n. 624. Ag. Bull. t. 574. /. 2. Sow. t. 

 343- 



GENUS XIV. Marasmius (napalvw, to wither or shrivel). Marasmius. 

 Fr. Gen. Hymen. Epicr. p. 372. 



Tough, arid fungi ; shrivelling (and not putrescent), reviving 

 when wet. Hymenophore continuotts with the stem, but hetero- 

 geneous, descending into the trama ; 

 veil none with one exception. Stem 

 cartilaginous or horny. Gills pliant, 

 somewhat distant, edge acute and 

 quite entire. 



This begins a new series of pliant 

 and arid Agaricini. They are com- 

 monly epiphytal. Like other plants 

 they may be dried and preserved in 

 herbaria. Marasmius is a very nat- 

 ural genus, although it be principally 

 distinguished by biological marks. 

 Many of the species have a strong 

 smell and peculiar taste (all the 

 Agaricini with the smell of garlic 

 seem to belong to this genus, but 

 no one of the species has the smell 

 of new meal). Fr. Hym. Eur. p. 464. 



Marasmius is closely allied to Collybia. Their biological char- 

 acter of shrivelling, and reviving with moisture is of the utmost 

 importance in the determination of the true Marasmii. Fries 

 refers (Monogr. ii. p. 215) to two species which hold a doubtful 



LIII. Marasmius oreades. 

 half natural size. 



One- 



