i9io.] 



Edible Fungi. 



217 



places, and growers would be well advised to examine their 

 plants carefully, and to send specimens of suspicious cases 

 to the Board for determination. The disease has spread in 

 the district round Waltham Cross, where it first appeared, 

 and has been reported from Guernsey. In the latter case the 

 bigger plants were more seriously attacked than the seedlings. 



EDIBLE FUNGI.* 

 FIorn-of-Plenty, Crater ellus cornucopioides (Fig. 14). 



A peculiar-looking fungus, resembling a long, narrow 

 funnel, having the edge turned back and more or less wavy, 

 substance thin and pliant; inside dark brown, often with 

 olive shades, minutely scaly, outside dull lead-colour, with 

 scattered pits or depressions, slightly wrinkled; stem hollow, 

 smooth, blackish. 



It commonly grows in tufts on the ground in woods during 

 autumn. Some specimens attain a height of four or rive 

 inches, but it is usually shorter. 



This variety is not usually recognised as an edible fungus, 

 but it is considered to be amongst the best by those who 

 know it. 



Great Puffball, Ly coper don giganteum (Fig. 15). 



This fungus cannot be mistaken for any other species, on 

 account of its large size and persistently pale colour. In 

 form it is nearly globose, puckered into a short rooting 

 portion. At first it is pure white in colour and sometimes 

 remains so, but it usually becomes tinged yellow when old. 

 Size from 5 to 9 inches in diameter. The flesh is at first pure 

 white and compact, slowly changing to primrose-yellow, and 

 finally becoming resolved into a dry powdery mass of spores. 



It grows in meadows, borders of fields, &c. It is only good 

 for food so long as the flesh remains perfectly white. For 

 cooking, the puffball should be peeled, the flesh cut into 

 slices about half an inch thick, prepared with egg and bread- 

 crumbs, and fried in butter. 



1 he previous numbers of this series of coloured plates and descriptions have 

 appeared in the Journal us follows : — Nos. 1-3, Febi "uary, 1910 ; Nos. 4-6, March, 

 I 1910; No. 7, February, 1909 ; Nos. 8-10, April, 1910 ; Nos. 11-13, May, 1910. 



