CLASSIFICATION 177 



narrowed downwards, viscid, wliitish, apex granular, 1-3-2 in. 

 long. 



In woods. 



H. lividoalhus. — Cap everywhere thin, expanded, obtuse, more 

 or less wavy, even, smooth, viscid, livid, all one colour, i|-2| in. 

 across ; gills decurrent, distant, clear white ; stem 'nearly equal, 

 often more or less wavy, whitish, smooth, 2-3 in. long. 



Somewhat resembling H. ehurneus in habit and size, differing in 

 the livid colour of the cap and the smooth stem. 



Clitocybe 



Cap normally symmetrical, generally fleshy at the disc or centre, 

 and becoming thin towards the edge, pliant, mostly piano-depressed 

 to infundibuliform, edge incurved ; gills more or less decurrent 

 or adnate ; stem central, externally fibrous, somewhat elastic. 



Differs from Omphalia in the stem being fibrous externally, and 

 not cartilaginous and polished. Collybia differs in the same char- 

 acter and in the adnexed or almost free gills being rounded behind. 

 Tricholoina differs in the sinuate gills. 



The present genus is, I think, one of the most difficult to grasp 

 thoroughlv, and the various species require the greatest possible 

 care in their determination. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES 

 Group I. — Cap fleshy, often becoming pale when dry, but not 

 hygrophanous. Flesh firm, not watery, nor the flesh splitting into 

 two lavers. Differs from Group B in becoming pale and silk\' when 

 dry. 



A. — DiSCIFORMES 



Cap almost equally fleshy, convex, then plane or depressed, 

 obtuse ; gills at first adnate or adnato-decurrent. Normally 

 solitary. 



B. — DiFFORMES 



Cap fleshy at the disc, edge thin, umbonate at first, then expanded 

 and depressed, irregular. Gills unequally decurrent, long in some 

 places, short in others, sometimes rounded or adnexed on one side, 

 as in Tricholoma, but not sinuate. Stem somewhat cartilaginous 

 outside, but fibrous. Tufted, often grown togetlier at the base, 

 form ^•ery \'ariable. Sometimes quite solitary. 



C. — Infundibuliformes 

 Cap fleshy at the disc, becoming thin towards the edge, entirely 

 infundibuliform or tlie centre deeply umbilicately depressed. Stem 

 spongy, externally fibrous. Gills deeply and ecjually decurrent 

 from the first. Cap often becoming discoloured or pale, but not 

 hygrophanous. 



N 



