352 
Joumal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXX, No. 4- 
whether the cultures are started from 
freshly cast basidiospores or mycelial 
transfers. In all cases the basidio¬ 
spores quickly gave rise to a sparse, 
downy-appressed mycelium, the central 
part of which developed into a tough, 
convex, light tan mycelial mass, the 
surface of which was very finely and 
densely nodular. The marginal growth 
about this initial mycelial mass was a 
sparse, downy-appressed fawn to tan- 
colored mycelium. In their subsequent 
growth and behavior these cultures of 
the Florida form started from basidio¬ 
spores (pi. 5) agreed exactly with those 
of the same form started from my¬ 
celial transfers. 
Table II.— Growth 
made an extensive survey of the liter¬ 
ature on this subject, has deemed it 
advisable and highly desirable, there¬ 
fore, to review the history, nomen¬ 
clature and geographic distribution of 
this fungus with the hope that its 
exact status and the relation of its 
numerous synonyms may be definitely 
settled and established. 
Clitocybe tabescens (Scop.) Bres. is 
based upon Scopoli’s description of 
Agaricus tabescens in 1772 (4-5, p. 446), 
Bresadola having decided that Sco¬ 
poli’s species represents the earliest 
authentic description of this much- 
named plant. Although the history 
of the plant in question appears per- 
of the Florida strain of Clitocybe root rot in cultures made 
from basidiospores 
\ 
\ Nlimber of days required for— 
Culture medium and number of culture 
1 
Appear¬ 
ance of 
rhizo- 
morphs 
Differ¬ 
entia¬ 
tion of 
sporo- 
phores 
Matur¬ 
ation of 
sporo- 
phores 
Raisin agar (three small test tubes): 
1_____ _ 
7 
31 
37 
2... 
7 
31 
37 
3___ 
8 
32 
38 
Maltose agar (three large test tubes) : 
1____ _ . 
7 
31 
31 
38 
2... 
8 
38 
3...... . 
9 
31 
38 
Maltose agar, (three 150 c. c. flasks): 
1___ . . . 
8 
33 
38 
2..... .. . 
9 
34 
41 
3__ _ 
9 
36 
43 
HISTORY, NOMENCLATURE, AND 
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF 
FUNGUS 
Early in the course of the investi¬ 
gation it became evident that although 
the species of Clitocybe causing the 
root rot of grapevines in Missouri was 
identical with Morgan’s Agaricus mon- 
adelphus (27, p. 69), this was but one of 
several names that had been given to 
the same plant in the United States. 
Moreover, Bresadola’s decision in 1900 
(6, p. 84~85) that the plant which we 
have known best in the United States 
as Clitocybe monadelpha is the same as 
Clitocybe tabescens of Europe, which is 
accepted by practically all American 
mycologists who are familiar with this 
plant, adds still more to the multi¬ 
plicity of names for it. 
While various writers have from 
time to time given a partial list of the 
synonyms of this fungus, each has 
included but a small portion of the 
large total. The present writer, having 
fectly clear since that date, the status 
of Scopoli’s species and its relation to 
the species described by certain con¬ 
temporaneous writers is somewhat of a 
mystery and probably will always 
remain so. 
As a synonym of his Agaricus tabe¬ 
scens, Scopoli cites Haller’s “Fungus 
siccior, pulvinatus, rufus, lamellis rario- 
ribus,” with the note “huic proximus, ” 
Scopoli’s citation of the number of 
Haller’s species, however, should have 
been 74 instead of 47. As synonyms 
of his species Haller (19, p. 49, no! 74) 
cites Micheli’s “Fungusparvus, esculen- 
tus, odoratus, coriaceus, rufus, la¬ 
mellis inter se longe distantibus” 
(26, p. 148, no. 3), with a question mark 
and the note, “Non repugnat,” and 
Vaillant’s “Fungus multiplex sordide 
carneus” (55, p. 66, no. 36), with the 
note, “Non recedit.” 
Agaricus gymnopodius illustrated by 
Bulliard (7, pi. 601) in 1780 and A. 
socialis described by De Candolle 
(9, p. 43) in 1815 are accepted by 
