2i8 BRITISH FUNGI 



N. asterophora. — Cap fleshy, conical, then hemispherical, mealy 

 owing to the presence of numerous conidia, white, then tinged 

 fawn-colour, about J in. across ; gills adnate, distant, narrow, 

 forked, straight, dingy ; stem slender, often twisted, white, then 

 brownish, somewhat mealy, \-i in. long. 



Growing on old, blackened specimens of Riissula nigricans. The 

 surface of the cap bears a dense mass of large, stellate conidia, a 

 true form of conidial reproduction, which on germination jiroduce 

 the fungus. 



N. caliginosa. — Cap fleshy, white and mealy when dry, about J- in. 

 across ; gills decurrent, thick, branched ; stem white, pruinose, 

 inside brown, base swollen, about 2 in. long. 



On the ground in dark places amongst fallen leaves. Clustered. 

 A doubtful species. Perhaps only a diseased condition of some 

 ClitocNbe. 



Lentinus 



Cap tough, becoming dry and hard when old, not soon decaying, 

 always more or less irregular ; gills more or less decurrent, tough, 

 thin, edge minutely toothed or irregular ; becoming dry ; stem 

 firm, central, excentric, lateral or absent ; spores white. 



Allied to Pantis in the dry consistency and in drying up, and 

 not deliquescing at maturity. Differing in the toothed or eroded 

 edge of the gills. All grow on wood. 



* Cap more or less symmetrical ; stem distinct. 



L. tigrinus. — Cap generally symmetrical, thin, tough, convexo- 

 plane, then more or less funnel-shaped, whitish, with darker 

 adpressed scales, 1-3 in. across ; gills decurrent, narrow, crowded, 

 white, edge minutely toothed ; stem usually narrowed below, 

 squamulose, whitish, apex with a ring which soon disappears, 1-2 in. 

 long. 



Altogether more slender than L. leptdeus, and more coriaceous 

 and regular. 



On dead wood, etc. 



L. dimalii. — Cap coriaceous, thin, umbilicate, edge often wavy, 

 pallid with spot-like scales which fall away lea^•ing the cap smooth, 

 1-2 in. across ; gills decurrent, crowded, rather narrow, pallid ; 

 stem somewhat silky, sohd, about | in. long. 



Allied to L. tigrinus ; ring on stem very rudimentary. 



On trunks, etc. More or less tufted in habit. 



L. lepidcus (PI. XVIIT, fig. 3).— Cap fleshy, tough, convex, then 

 more or less depressed and unequal, whitish or pale ochre, becoming 

 broken up into darker adpressed squamules, 2-3 in. across ; gills 

 decurrent, slightly sinuate, transversely striate, edge irregularly 

 toothed, whitish or with a yellow tinge ; stem tapering to a rooting 

 base, hard, pale, squamulose, \'eil very soon disa])pearing, 1-3 in. 

 long. 



