242 
CRYPTOGAMIA. FUNGI. Agaricus 
Curt. iv. 39—( Sowerby 190. E.)— FI. Dan. 772 — Schoeff. 23. 22 — Bull. 78— 
Sterb. 7. A—Clus. 274. 18. 
Gills loose from the stem, but fixed to a collar surrounding its top ; white, 
uniform, and numerous. 
Pileus a broad blunt cone, more or less bossed, whitish, but covered with 
brown tawny scurfy scales, from three to seven inches over. Flesh white, 
spongy. 
Stem hollow, a fine pith in the cavity; gently tapering upwards, whitish 
brown, scaly, six or eight inches high, half an inch in diameter. 
Curtain white within, brown on the outside, fixed to the edge of the pileus 
and to a loose ring upon the stem. Ring cartilaginous, loose, permanent. 
Root a pear-shaped bulb. 
A short intervening gill is sometimes found in the larger specimens. This 
plant when preserved in pickle is very liable to run into the vinous fer¬ 
mentation. Its size and large horizontal ring distinguish it. The white 
gills change with age to straw colour and dark brown. Mr. Stackhouse. 
Kay Syn. p. 3. n. 10.—p. 4. n. 18.—p. 4. n. 17. 
(Tall Agaric. Ag. procerus. Huds. SchsefF. Curt. Pers. FI. Dan. Purt. 
Hook. Ag. colubrinus. Bull. De Cand. E.) Hedge banks, and dry 
pastures, not uncommon. Sept. 
Var. 2. Gills white, fixed to a collar, two or four in a set, irregular: pileus 
conical, bossed, smooth, pale brown; stem whitish brown, smooth 
above. 
Gills loose from the stem, but fixed to a collar surrounding its top, white, 
numerous, very irregular, sometimes two long ones together, sometimes 
a long and a short one alternately, most frequently four in a set, long 
gills often split at the end next to the edge of the pileus. 
Pileus convex, bossed, rich pale tawny brown, edge turned in, smooth and 
soft like glove-leather, wrinkled, the outer skin cracking with age, four 
to six inches over. 
Stem hollow, the cavity loosely filled with a fine silky pith, nearly cylindri¬ 
cal, crusted below, browner and flecked above, six or seven inches high, 
one-third of an inch diameter. Curtain white. Ring loose on the stem, 
permanent. Root a pear-shaped bulb. 
By the large clump of beeches, Edgbaston park. 25th Oct. 
Var. 3. Gills white, fixed to a collar, in pairs, irregular: pileus conical, 
Jbossed, tufted, pale brown: stem smooth, white. 
Bolt. 23. 
Gills loose from the stem, but fixed to a collar, surrounding its top, salmon- 
coloured when young, white when full grown, very numerous, mostly in 
pairs, but sometimes three or four in a set. 
Pileus globular when young, then conical, lastly flat, but bossed, whitish 
brown, covered with tufts of a darker shade, three to five inches over. 
Flesh white, thin. 
Stem hollow, loosely filled with fine silky pith, cylindrical, white, smooth, 
{sometimes downy, four to six inches high, three-eighths of an inch 
diameter. Curtain white. Ring loose, strong, permanent. Root a bulb, 
becoming flat with age like an onion, and then the lower part of the stem 
becomes angular. 
Ag. annulatus. Bolt. In the large plantation of beeches, Edgbaston park. 
Sept. 
Var. 4. Gills white, fixed to a collar, two or four in a set; pileus convex, 
rather bossed, brown upon a white ground; stem white, smooth, taper¬ 
ing upwards: ring loose. 
