28 
some people can eat it, and that these latter reckon it to 
be one of the finest eating mushrooms. Recently in the 
Brisbane district eight individuals have eaten this mush- 
room after cooking in the usual way, with no ill effects 
and all agree that the flavour is excellent. One person eat- 
ing a raw specimen was subject to severe gastro-intestinal 
reaction approximately three hours afterwards, but some 
days later suffered no reaction from a cooked specimen. 
We can only issue the general warning that each individual 
must make the experiment for himself. This species has 
been very common around Brisbane during the late summer 
and autumn of last year, and also this year, occurring 
in lawns and park lands. It is so large, up to 8'' in 
diameter, and it occurs in such numbers that if edible it 
offers a convenient source of food to the myeophagist. It 
also occurs in North Queensland and appears to be a pan 
ti'opical species. The cap is similar to 7.. procera but the 
whole fruting body is more squat in general appearance, 
with a characteristically smooth stem while Z>. procera and 
L. dolichauUi liave a distinct feltiness associated with the 
surface of the stem. The obvious difference however is with 
the gills. These are white when young as for the other 
species but turn yellow-green and then a dirty green 
colour as the cap ages. The spores when shed are distinct- 
ly green. L. rliacodes is very similar to L. molyhdites and 
the only reliable macroscopic ciiaracter separating the two 
species is the colour of the spore deposit — white for the 
former and green for the latter. L. rJiacodes is recorded 
as edible wherever it occurs. 
The striking characteristic of this group is their size 
and it should be mentioned that at least one other species 
that occurs around Brisbane is equally large i.e. Aynai^ita 
verna. This latter species is particularly poisonous but is 
readily distinguished by a distinct cup at the base of the 
stem. 
