GARICUS OVATUS. PlJCKER'D MuSHROOM. 



AGARICUS Linnai Gen. PL Cryp tog ami a Fungi. 



RaiiSyn.Gen. i. Fungi. 

 AGARICUS ovatus pileo ovato fubplicato, ftipite nudo ad bafin attenuato fcabriufculo ; lamellis creber- 



rimis fubcoalefcentibus. 

 AMANITA pileo ovato ftriato, cinereo, annulato, fugaci. Holler hjjl. helv. ?i. 2479. 

 AGARICUS ovatus. Scopoli Fl. CarnioL n. 1579- Diagn. Albus, cefpitofus; vertice rufefcente ; Jlipite cy~ 



lindrko et -annulo fugaci cinfto. 

 AGARICUS ; volva exceptus, pileo campanulato, ftriato, vertice laevi, petiolo annulato, cylindraceo, 



fiftulofo, in balm roftratum definente. Gleditch, Method. Fungor. p. 89. 

 FUNGUS, qui volvam vix egreuus in atramentum refolvitur, pileolo campanulato, plumbeo, vertice 

 laevi, reliqua parte ftriato, pediculo cylindrico, albo, fiftulofo, radice roftrata. Michel. N- 

 PL G. 189. /. 80./. 5. 

 FUNGUS multiplex ovatus cinereus. VailL p. 73. /. 12. jig. 10, 11. 

 FUNGUS fuperficiei murini coloris, lamellis albicantibus. Raii Syn. p. 5. 21. 

 AGARICUS plicatus, ftipitatus, pileo ovato ftriato plicato cinereo, vertice laevi, ftipite annulato fiftulofo, 



baft fubulato. Pucker'd Agaric, Lightfoot Flora Scotica. p. 1023. Schafifer. icon. tab. 17, 



67, 68. 

 1, - 



STIPES: Stipites plures e terra aut ligno femiputrido t STALKS, generally fpringing from the earth, or de- 

 aggregatim afmrgentes, inferne extra pileum | cayed wood, in clufters ; the lower part, 

 fcabriufculi't ad bafin attenuati,fufci, fupernein- f without the cap, roughifh, of a brown co- 

 ntra piieum albiffimi, fubfulcati, ad apicem | lour, and tapering to the bafe ; the upper part, 

 fenfim attenuati, in adultis ftipes femipedalis, y within the cap, very white, (lightly grooved, 

 fubcylindricus, laevis, craftitie minimi digiti ¥ and tapering gradually to the top ; when full 

 aut major evadit, modice firmus et carnofus, I grown, it becomes fix inches high, nearly cy- 

 fiftulofus, nudus ; tranfverfim fectus circulos ¥ lindrical, fmooth, and the thicknefs of the 

 in carne exhibens. | little finger, or larger, moderately firm and 



% flefhy, hollow and naked, and cut through 



¥ the middle fhews circles in the flefhy part. 



VOLVA nulla. . | RING wanting. 



PILEUS primum ovatus aut obtufe conicus, circa orem f CAP Jirjl oval or obtufely conical, the mouth contraet- 



contraclus, et fubplicatus, folidus, pondero- | ed, and puckered around the ftalk, folid, 



fus, pallide fufcus ; in adultis fubcampanula- ^ heavy, and of a light brown colour ; in the 



tus latitudine ad tres uncias accedens, muri- % full grown ones, fomewhat bell-fhaped, about 



nus, maculis umbrinis aut ferrngineis praeci- I three inches in breadth, of a moufe colour, 



pue ad verticem notatus, vertex faturatius co- % marked with umber coloured or ferruginous 



lora'ta, Levis, fubinde vero fubfquamofa ; late- | fpots, particularly at the top ; the top of a 



ra plus minufve fulcata, demum fere planus, y deeper colour, fmooth, but fometimes {lightly 



margine revoluto. t chopped ; the fides more or lefs deeply grooved, 



I becoming finally almoft flat, the edge curling 



% up. 



LAMELLAE creberrimx, compaUce, latae, filamentis | GILLS very numerous, compact, and broad, connected 



tranfverfis nudo oculo inconfpicuis connexa, unde, ^ together by tranfverfe filaments, inconfpicuous to 



ita coalefcunt (prefertim in junioribus) ut la- % the naked eye, whence they fo coalefce, that 



mellam integram vix feparare queas, primum | it is difficult to feparate a fingle gill entirely ; 



alba;, mox pars inferior dimidia nigrefcit, et % at firft white, quickly the lower half becomes 



tandem totae lamellae in liquamen atramento- | of a blackifh colour, and laftly the whole of 



fum refolvuntur ; fuperficies interna pilei in | the gills diflblves into a black inky liquid : the 



junioribus farina fubtiliffima cana adfperfa. internal furface of the cap, in the young ones, 



T is fprinkled over with a very fine grey powder. 



IT appears to be a matter of much doubt, whether this Fungus, common as it appears to be in moft parts of 

 Europe, be defcribed by Linnaeus. Certainly there are none of his Agarici, which accord exactly with ours : 

 neither do Haller, or Scopoli, quote Linn jeus in their defcriptions of it. Sch^effer, who appears to be too 

 fond of multiplying plates, has given it in no lefs than three. It is true, by this means, the plant is reprefented in 

 its various ftates ; but, perhaps, thefe might have been fatisfa&orily exhibited in a fingle one. — If plants are thus to 

 be delineated in all their varieties, natural hiftory muft fink under its own weight. 



I fufpeet this fpecies to be the Fungus fuper fide murini coloris lamellis albicantibus of Ray, p. 5. n. 21. but cannot 

 fix it with certainty. Scopoli has given it the name of ovatus, which I have retained, with Mr. Lightfoot's 

 En&lifh name, who has very accurately defcribed it. I agree with him entirely in confidering it as a fpecies diftintt 

 from the fime tar ius, and with which, in my opinion, it has but little real affinity. The defcription and figure here 

 ffiven, when contrafted, will make it unnneceflary to particularize the peculiarties which diftinguifh each. But 

 there is a Angularity of ftru&ure, occuring in the ovatus, which feems worthy of remark. The Gills are connected 

 together by numerous tranfverfe bars or filaments, difcoverable only when greatly magnified : the ufe of thefe ap- 

 pears to be to keep the Gills at an equal diftance from each other, and thereby prevent the fructifications which are 

 fituated on the flat furface of the lamella?, from being prefted on, and deftroyed, by their very great clofenefs. I 

 have not hitherto obferved this peculiarity of ftructure in any other Fungus: in the fimetarius it certainly does not 

 exift. .Thefe connecting filaments in the ovatus, make it exceeding difficult to feparate one of the lamellae entire. 



Thefe Fungi are very common with us in the borders of wet meadows, near the roots of willow trees, in gardens , 

 alfo, near houfes, and by the fides of roads. They are found in the greateft plenty, from the beginning of Sep- 

 tember to the end of October. I have alfo found the fame fpecies in July. From the time of their fpringing up, 

 to the time of their beginning to decay, is about five days. Their manner of decaying is fimilar to that of the 

 fitnetarius, and feveral others ; the gills diftblving into a very black liquor, like ink, which dropping, carries with 

 ~it the feed of the Mufhroom, which is obfervable in the liquor if greatly magnified. 



It varies in fize, and alfo in colour, chiefly from a lighter to a paler brown. 



The Gills are often found full of little maggots. 



There isnoreafon to fufpect its being poifonous, nor yet can it be recommended as eatable. 



