164 
the larger fungi 
South Australia, ami another without specific locality; the stems aie .1^ to 4in. 
(S.7 to 10 cm.), attenuated upwards or in both directions, £ to jin. (10 to 12.5 
mm.) thick in the middle, covered with coarse downwardly directed scales, and 
coarsely striate above; the disc (lin., 2.5 cm.) is convex in one and convex with 
a very prominent obtuse umbo in the other; and both have dark fuscous, smooth, 
spherical or irregularly spherical spores, 5 to (1.5 y. in size, but in one there are 
also a, few large spores 15.5 x 9.5 to 11 /r as well. On the other hand, a typical 
slender form (stem 3in,, 7.o cm., long but only 2 mm. thick) thorn a sandhill 
at Wiiitpiuga, Encounter Bay, also has small spores, 7.5 x 5.5 p, which are 
elliptical to irregular or almost triangular. It thus seems, as has been suggested 
by others, that we are dealing with a single species, highly variable as regards 
its size and robustness and the size and shape of the spores. 
Other specimens comprise the following: — South Australia — Miller Creek near 
Mount Eba (spores 19 to 24 x 11 to 12.8 m (rarely 27 x 21 /1); Ooldea (spores 
irregularly elliptical to ovate, 7.5 to 11 x 5.5 to 7 y, another collection from 
Ooldea, spores 15 to 17.5 x 9.5 y, rarely 27 x 21 m to nearly spherical, 16 n) ; 
north-west of Port Augusta (spores obliquely elliptical, often irregular, some- 
times swollen in the centre, blackish, 9 x 5.5 y, rarely 13 x 9 y) ; Flinders Range 
near Orraparinna (spores obliquely elliptical, dark fuscous, 13 to 16 x 7.5 y). 
Central Australia — North of Charlotte Waters (spores elliptical, blackish, 18 
x 11 y, occasionally 25 x 13 m) ; Deep Well (spores irregularly elliptical to ovate, 
black, 7.5 to 11 x 5.5 to 7 y) ; Woodforde Creek (spores dark brown to blackish, 
elliptical, sometimes rather irregular, 15 to 20 x 9 to 15 y). Western Australia — 
lvurrawang. New South Wales — Forbes (spores black, 20.8 x 14 y, 14 x 10.4 y). 
January, May, August, November, December. (Figure 31.) 
4. Receptacle membranaceous, tough, reviving' with moisture, not putrescent. 
Spores white. 
* I “ileus with a thin, unspecializcd cellular pellicle. 
MARASMIUS Fr. 
(Gr., in, amino, 1 die away.) 
“ Pilous membranaceous or coriaceous, regular or resupinate. Stem central 
or wanting, cartilaginous or horny. Gills adimte, adnexed, decurrent or free, 
pliant, rather tough. Spores white; elliptical, pip-slmped, oblong elliptical, 
almond-shaped, tear-drop-shaped, globose or subglobose; smooth, punctate or 
echinulate; continuous. Cystidia present or absent. Growing on the ground or 
on wood; solitary, gregarious, eaespitose or fasciculate.’’ — Rea. 
The species of Varasmius grow on the ground or on wood or attached to 
fallen leaves or arising from the bases of stems of grass and are characterised 
by the membranaceous pileus which is tough and revives perfectly when moistened. 
The genus is related to Collybxa and Mi/ceim, differing in the tough reviving 
pileus, and is divided into two sections corresponding to these genera, the one 
with the margin of the pileus at first incurved, the other with it straight. Since 
in some cases the fungi are only moderately tough and partly revive when 
moistened, it is not surprising that a species may be placed in Coll'ybia or Myoma 
by one author and in IWarasmim by another. The plants arc usually small, 
some minute. Marmmiu. s- orcad.es , which has been found in New South Wales 
but not yet in thin State, is one of the larger terrestrial species, an inch or even 
two inches in diameter, growing in “fairy rings’’ and making, it is said, a 
delicious addition to gravy or soups. Some of the species have a smell of garlic. 
The minute M. eqmcrinis, common in the Mount Lofty Range, has long threads 
of mycelium like horse lmir entangling and attached to fallen leaves and debris. 
KEY TO THE SPECIES OF MAEASM1UU, ANDXOSEACEUS, AND 
CIUSIPELJJS. 
On the ground. 
Gills nearly free. 
Pileus 1 to 2in. In rings .. 253. ilarasmiiis arcades. 
Gills adnate. 
Pileus A to lin,, dark brown, when dry colour 
of dead grass. Gills pinkish bull'’. Stem 
about 1 Jin., villous, dark brown 255. M. villosipes. 
