OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
71 
[SlA. Hygrophorus niveus (Scop.) Fr.? (L., niv eus, snow-white). — Whole plant 
pure white. Pileus nearly Jin. (1.2 cm.), convex, subgibbous, translucent, and 
slightly striate when moist. Gills decurrent, rather distant, edges a little thick. 
Stem 14in. (3.7 cm.), slender, slightly hollow, silky. Spores elliptical, white, 
i to 8.2 x 5.2 to 6 n. On the ground. New South Wales — In forest, Mount 
Wilson. June. (Plate IIP Bottom left figure. The gills are shown as rather 
too distant.) 
H, niveus grows in heaths and pastures and the plants described above in 
forests in the Blue Mountains. There, is considerable doubt as to the identification 
and this Australian species may perhaps not be an ITygrophorns but a 
Cbitocybe.] 
III. Subgenus Hygroctjbe. (Gr., Uygros, moist; bybe, a head). — “Veil none. 
Whole fungus thin, watery, succulent, fragile. Pileus viscid when moist, shining 
when dry, rarely floccosely squamose. Stem hollow, soft, not punctate. Gills 
soft. Most' of the species brightly coloured and shining.” — Rea. 
•52. Hygrophorus conicus (Scop.) Fr. (L., coni mis, conical) .—Pileus lin. 
(2.5 cm.) or more, conical with an acute umbo, then expanding, fibrillosely 
streaked, Brazil Red (i.), often with light orange-yellow at the periphery, some- 
times yellowish-green or dark greyish -brown, turning black with black fibrils. 
Gills just free or attenuately adnexed, ventricose, rosy -yellowish or yellowish, 
becoming grey or dark grey. Stem 2) to 3 Jin. (3.7 to 8.7 cm.), tense, rather 
fibril lose and twisted, the fibres later becoming blackish, hollow, of the red colour 
of the pilous above and orange-yellow below and often beneath the gills, or 
pallid brownish or yellowish-green with scattered black cobweb-like lines. Spores 
elliptical, microscopically almost colourless or with a dark wash, 9 to 10.4 x 6 to 
7 n. South Australia — Lawn in the Botanic Gardens at Adelaide. New South 
Wales. May, June. (Figure 11 A.) 
The caps of European specimens are described as “scarlet, yellow, tawny, 
sulphur-greenish, livid or fuliginous light yellow, becoming black.” 
The species is recognised by its usually being found in grassy places, ics 
fragile watery texture, its conical pileus variously and strikingly coloured with 
red, orange-yellow and green, the tendency to turn black when old and the 
coloured often twisted stem. 
53. Hygrophorus coecineus (Bella off.) Fr. (L., coccdneus, scarlet'). — Pileus $ to 
H»n. (1.2 to 3.1 era.), fin. (1.8 cm.) high, convex to co nice -con vox, sometimes 
umbilicate or irregular or upturned, sometimes slightly rugose, sometimes fib- 
rillose striate or subsquamulose, viscid, Scarlet, Scarlet Red or Carmine ( i . ) , 
when young with yellowish or yellowish-green shades, sometimes orangey-crimson, 
reddish orange or pinkish scarlet. Gills adnate or with a tendency to deeurrence, 
distant, rather narrow, edges thick, rosy with the edges yellowish, sometimes 
whitish becoming yellowish. Stem If to Bin. (3.1 to 7.5 cm.), slender, attenuated 
upwards or at the base or equal, sometimes dilated upwards, usually twisted, 
sometimes with a furrow, often flattened, subfibrillose, usually very hollow but 
sometimes solid, reddish or scarlet above passing into yellow below, whitish at 
the base. Flesh reddish. Spores obliquely elliptical, 7 to 10.4 x 4.5 to 6.8 (i. 
On the ground, sometimes amongst' moss. South Australia — Greenhill Road, 
Myponga, Mount Burr Forest (S.E.). May to July, October. 
Some of our plants show white at the base of the stem, a feature which does 
not occur in European specimens. They are also smaller. The general scarlet 
colour, slight viscidity and adnate gills help in recognising the species. 
[53a. Hygrophorus miniatus Fr. (L., miniatm, vermilion). — Pileus up to Jin. 
(1.2 cm.), convex, not definitely viscid, pinkish scarlet becoming paler. Gills 
adnate with a trace of a doeurreut tooth, very distant, waxy yellow. Stem lfin. 
(3.1 cm.), solid, coucolorous with the pileus, not yellow below, extreme base 
whitish and fluffy. Spores elliptical, granular, S.5 to 40.4 x 6 to 7 n. New 
South Wales — Under shrubs, Lisa row. May. (Plate 1A". Top left figure.) 
//. mi’uiaLus differs from TT. ooocineus in being smaller and never viscid. The 
pileus may be yellow, the gills orange red or the stem orange-red to yellow. 
The South Australian plants we refer to H. cocoincus approach the New South 
Wales one figured above but differ in being viscid.] 
