258 BRITISH FUNGI 



P. luxurians. — Cap 1-2 in. across, gibbous, silky and breaking 

 up into squamules, yellowish white, then rufous brown ; gills 

 adnexed, then decurrent, becoming brownish ; stem 1-J-2 in. long, 

 white, then brownish, rather squamulose, ring persistent. 



On oak trunks, etc.- Tufted and often very irregular. 



P. comosa. — Cap 3-6 in. across, viscid, chngy tawny, with 

 scattered floccose white flecks ; gills slightly decurrent, becoming 

 brownish tan ; stem 3-4 in. long, stout, base swollen, whitish, 

 librillose below the ring, often curved. 



On trunks and stumps of beech, etc. Shghtly tufted. 



P. heteroclita. — Cap 3-6 in. across, soon flattened, slightly 

 excentric, w'hitish or tinged yellow, spotted with scales, edge usually 

 ragged from remains of veil ; gills dark rusty ; stem 3-4 in. long, 

 base bulbous, whitish, base darker, ring torn. 



Somewhat resembling P. comosa, but known at once by the 

 strong, pungent smell, resembling horse-radish. 



On trunks, chiefly birch. 



P. dissimiilaris (PI. XXI, fig. 2). — Cap |-i in. across, often 

 gibbous or obtusely umbonate, lurid, then pale ; gills pallid tan ; 

 stem i|-2 in. long, white, cottony at the base, ring white, generally 

 persistent. 



Known by the dingy bro\\nish olive cap, slightly viscid, and the 

 straight white stem. 



On fallen sticks, etc. 



P. mustelina. — Cap about I in. across, even, smooth, dr}', tawny- 

 yellow ; gills tawny cinnamon ; stem |-i in. long, pallid whitish 

 with white down at the base, ring white, reflexed. 



On stumps and pine wood. Solitary. Rare. 



** Stem distinctly coloured. 



P. aurivella. — Cap 3-6 in. across, gibbous, slightly viscid, tawny 

 yellow with darker scales ; gills sinuate, becoming rusty umber ; 

 stem 4-6 in. long, curved, yellowish ^\•ith rusty scales, ring im- 

 perfect. 



P. adiposa differs in the glutincnis cap and viscid stem ; P. specta- 

 bilis differs in the dry (not viscid) cap and adnato-decurrent gills. 



On trunks ; tufted or solitary. 



P. gyandis.- — Cap convex, then expanded and broadly gibbous, dry, 

 with innate deep tawny squamules at the circumference, and 

 becoming recurved at the disc, 9-12 in. across ; flesh light yellow, 

 2 J in. thick at the centre; gills very broad, narrowed in front, 

 deeply sinuato-decurrent, pallid, then fuscous ; stem thick, solid, 

 fusiform, squamulose and tawny above the ring, apex deeply striate, 

 9-12 in. long ; ring distant, almost fugacious. 



Tufted. Smell and taste very pleasant. Known by its large 

 size. Intermediate between P. squarrosa and P. spectahilis. 



At the base of ash stumps, etc. 



