Agaricus ostreatus. Oyster Mushroom. 
AGAKICU 3 Lin. Gen. PL Cryptocamia Fungi. 
Fungus horizontalis, fubtus lamellofua. 
Rail Syn. Gen. i. Fungi. 
AGARICUS ojlreatus fublKpItatus, fafciculato-lmbricatus, pileo cinereo obovato, margine invoiuto, 
lamellis albidis decurrentibus, bafi fubanaftamofantibus. * 
AGARICUS qfireatus. Jac^uln, FI. Aujlr. t. 104. 
Menfibus Decembri et Januarii e truncis arborum pre^» 
fertim ialicis nobifcum excrefcunt Fungi 
icone annexa illuftrati ; plurimi plerumque 
fimul erumpunt, imbricatim congefti, diu 
manent et demum exficcantur. 
STIPES ; etfi pileus trunco arboris utplurimum ball 
fua adnedtitur nihilominus in quibufdam fpe- 
ciminibus ftipes feu pars ftipitis magis lu- 
culenter apparet, lamellis decurrentibus tec- 
ta. 
PILEUS magnitudine, et forma varius, ficut in icone, 
m junioribus convexus, Iffivis, murinus, 
caerulefcens, margine integro, involuto, in 
fenefcentlbus planiufculus feu paruiii conca- 
vus, fufcus, bafi in inferioribus tomento ni- 
veo obdufta; caro albifiima, craffa, fubdul- 
I In the months ot December and January the Fungi 
t. il Inft’ra Ktp C 
STALK 
LAMELLjE primum albae, demum es rufo-cinerca, 
plurimie, tenues, iii«qualcs, a lineis duabus 
ad ftx latas, decurrentes, bafi anaftomofantes, 
exfuccie. 
illuftpted by the annexed figure, grow with 
us principally out of the trunks of willow 
trees^; they ufually come forth In clufters 
heap’d one on another, remain a coufiderable 
time and finally wither, 
: although the cap is for the mod .part con- 
nedled to the trunk of the tree by its bafe, 
yet in fome fpecimens the ftalfc or part of a 
ftalk more evidently appears, cover’d with the 
gills which run down it. 
^ CAP variable both in fize and fhape as is reprefented 
If oil rbp nlot-/. it. 
I 
t 
t 
t 
t 
on the plate, in the young ones convex, 
fmooth, moufe coloured, blueifh, the edge 
intire, rolled In ; In the older ones flattifh, 
or a little hollow, and brown ; the bafe in the 
lower ones cover’d with a white kind of 
down ; flefh very white, thick, and fweetifh 
. to the tafte. 
^ GILLS at firfl white, afterwards of a reddifh afh co- 
if lour, numerous, thin, unequal, from two 
I lines to fix in breadth, decurrent, uniting fo 
^ as to form a kind of network at bottom 
? juicelefs. * 
Confidernigthefeeand fingiilai-ityofthisMuftfoom, and th« is by no means nnnn ■ ■ 
offurpr.ze that .t Ihould have efraped the notice of our Englhh Botanifh • nne^ af mcommoD, it rs matter 
V.2. that It makes its appearance later in the feafon than mod others • in December^aL'’ 7 ^“‘’* 
ther has been mild I have found it on the bodies of the old Willow Tree, in A ^ January when the wea- 
Ficlds ; Mr. Dickson has obferved it on the Elm in Saint la neighbourhood of Saint Georges- 
row the nameof»>Mter, deferibes it as growing out of Ae WaTnut!’^'’*’ "horn we bor- 
As this fpecies and another with a footvftalk wEirE «r» r i /- 
that ate found on trees fo late in the year, it cannot eafily be mlftaLr Jho’ ^e moft ff th’e T" 
in general It grows in clufters of three, fix, or more of different ® 
taut refemblance to oyfters, when young and perfeft thev are of a m ^ r u bearing a dlf- 
that of a plum, the edge is rolled in, the gilk are whS^decu^em ,7'* ^ 
It IS not in every Ipecimen that this diffinguifliing charaaer is obfereaM ^ anaftamofe at bottom, but 
uppermoft fig. on the plate) the gills beefm^e rf! browSft „ L^raudVr ’ ® “P 
teShir ™ p>«= «p«fe„t theFCs^ri? ;„rg’ 
To the fmell it is nightly fragrant, to the tafte mild, but in chewing tough. 
