Agaricus jEruginosus. Verdigris Mushroom. 
AGARICUS Linncei Gen. PI. CryptogamiA Fungi. 
Fungus horizontalis, fubtus lamellofus. 
Run Syn. Gen. i. Fungi. 
AGARICUS arttginofus ftipitatus, annulatus, annulo fuperne nigricante ; pileo convexo, cseruleo, viridi, 
vilcofo, lamellis purpureo-fufcis. 
AGARICUS viridis ftipitatus pileo convexo viridi, lamellis albidis, ftipite longo virefcente. HudCon FI 
Angl.p. 6x 4 . J 
AMANITA anulatus, pileo convexo caeruleo viridi, lamellis rofeo caeruleis. Haller, hijl. n. 2444. 
FUNGUS medius pileo muco aeruginei coloris obducto. Rail Syn. ed. 3. p. 6 . Deering Catal. Stirp.p . 80. 
FUNGUS pileolo cucullato, vifcido, intenfe viridi, et quafi vernigine oblito, inferne lamellis et pediculo 
albis. Micheli p. 152. 
AGARICUS. Schaf. Icon. tab. 1 . 
Solitarius, et caefpitofus in fylvis et palcuis nafcitur, $ 
rarior nobifcum. | 
STIPES biuncialis, feu triuncialis, ex albo virefcens,] 
fiftulofus, annulatus, infra annulum floe- 1 
cofus, teres, fubfragilis, fupra annulum 1 sevis, ] 
fubftriatus, ad bafin lanuginofus, raro ftridtus. | 
ANNULUS perfiftens, tenuis, fuperne ftriatus, e fufco 'i 
nigricans, inferne virefcens. 
PILEUS unciam aut duas latus, primo convexo-conicus, 1 
ex cjerulaso-viridis, lubricus et fubvifcidus, •] 
laevis, prope marginem et in margine ipfa 1 
floccis albidis adfperfus, demum planus aut | 
parum concavus, e fufco-lutefcens, cuticula 1 
facile feparanda. j 
1 
LAMELLaE numerofe, brevioribus interjedtis, e fufco - 1 
purpurafcentes, parum nebulofrc, demum ni-] 
gricantes. i 
Grows lingly, and in clufters, in woods and paftures, 
fcarce with us. 
STALK two or three inches high, of a greenilh white 
colour, hollow, ruffled, below the rufflle 
fhaggy, round, fomewhat brittle, above the 
ruffle fmooth, and flightly ftriated, at the 
bafe woolly, feldom perfedtly ftraight. 
RUFFLE permanent, {lender, on the upper fide ftriated 
and of a blackifh purple colour, on the under 
fide greeniffl. 
CAP from one to two inches broad, at firft fomewhat 
roundifh, yet conical, the colour of verdigris* 
flippery and fomewhat vifcid, fmooth, except 
near the edge, and on the edge itfelf, where it 
is covered with a whitiffl, fflaggy fubftance, 
finally flat, or a little concave, of a yellowifh 
brown colour, the cuticle eafily peeled off. 
GILLS numerous, with fhorter ones intervening* of a 
brownifh purple colour, a little clouded, 
finally blackifh. 
Amidft that variety of colour obfervable in the Fungi, there are few in which the green predominates fo much as 
in the prefent fpecies: hence it affords an obvious charadler. But, alas ! in thefe plants of a day, we muft not lay 
too much ftrefs on colour : nimium ne crede colori cannot be better applied to any fubjeft. It is, however, chiefly in 
its decline that it lofes that verdigris green, which on its firft appearance renders it fo confpicuous, the cap being 
often found of a pale yellowifh brown colour, and fometimes variegated with green, yellow, and black. The vifcidity 
of the cap is as conflant a character as its green colour, and this alfo is moft obfervable in the young ones, efpecially 
in the morning, or in fhowery weather ; for in a very dry atmofphere the moft vifcid Fungi lofe their vifcidity. 
Next to the greenefs and vifcidity of the cap, we may remark, that the edge of it, where it breaks from the 
annulus, is very apt to be ragged : we have alfo found, that the outer fkin of the cap has an unufual tendency to 
feparate from theflefh. The gills, from the very beginning, are of a purplifh brown colour; and the annulus or 
ruffle, while connected to the edge of the pileus, receives from the gills a fine powder, which communicates to the 
upper part of it a dark brown tint ; this, contrafted with the light colour on the underfide, forms a very confpicuous 
character. The ftalk below the ruffle is ufually of a blueifh green colour, and fnaggy. 
This Fungus is not Very common with us. Several of them appeared this autumn, in a grafs plat in my garden ; 
and l have obferved twenty or thirty in Earl Mansfield’s little wood near the Spaniard, Hampftead-Heath, where, 
if the leafon be not remarkably unfavourable, they are with certainty to be found about the middle of September. 
It has no acrid or difagreeable tafte ; neverthelefs, we do not venture to pronounce it an eatable one. 
Ray’s delcription, though a fhort one, and Scheffer's figure, accord exa&ly with our plant. Haller quotes 
Schaffer : we therefore conclude from that circumftance, as well as from the confonancy of his defcription, that 
our plant is the fame as his; and Micheli, who is alfo quoted by Haller, gives a defcription fo exaclly 
correfponding with Ray’s, that we have no doubt but his alfo is the fame as ours. Whether our plant be the 
viridis of Mr. Hudson, we have our doubts ; for he quotes authors who defcribe two different Fungi; at the fame 
time that he quotes Schaffer, tab. 1, (our plant), and Hallf.r, n. 2444, (our plant), he refers to Micheli, 
Ray, and Scopoli, who defcribe another Fungus. Scopoli gives to his the name of virens ; part of his Diagn. 
is Stipes nudus. Ray quotes the Fungus magnus viridis of Sterbeck, and the fylvarum aj'per efculentus, feu ex albo 
virefcens of J. Bauhine : and Micheli thus defcribes his, Fungus efculentus, pileo pulvinato, viridi, inferne cum pedi- 
culo albo. This defcription is quoted by Scopoli for his virens. Thus it would appear that thefe two are different 
fpecies ; we muft leave it to Mr. Hudson to reconcile thefe contradictory fynonyma. 
It could be wifhed, that ev;ery Fungus was as diftinCt in its characters as the prefent, we fhould then foon fee 
order fpring from that chaos in which this tribe of plants has been coniidered as fo long involved ; not but that 
chaos which Linn jevs and other Botanifts have fo much lamented, is rather to be confidered as a creature of their 
own imagination than as the child of nature. The more we look into thefe variable plants, the more we are convinced 
that our ignorance of them depends on our inattention and want of obfervation.. Beftow the fame pains on them 
as on other plants, obferve them in all their ftates, in all their varieties of fituation, and we {hall find that each of 
them has fome peculiarity of character. The difcovery of this character is what we fhould aim at; but this will 
not be found in the clofet. We may read over, with the moft fedulous attention, Batarra, Micheli, Gleditsch, 
and Haller, or turn over the multitudinous plates of Schaeffer to little purpofe : to know the Fungi well we 
muft watch them daily and yearly ; in fhort vie mujl live with them. 
