European Fungus Flora: Agaricaceae

Part 1

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EUROPEAN FUNGUS FLORA

AGARICACEAE

EUROPEAN FUNGUS FLORA

AGARICACEAE

GEORGE MASSEE, F.L.S.,

PRINCIPAL ASSISTANT (CRYPTOGAMS), ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW.

PRESIDENT OF THE QUEKETT MICROSCOPICAL CLUB; CHAIRMAN OF THE MYCOLOGICAL SECTION OF THE YORKSHIRE NATURALISTS' UNION; MEMBER OF THE SCOTTISH CRYPTOGAMIC SOCIETY; MEMBER OF THE NEW ZEALAND INSTITUTE; HON. MEMBER OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, WINDSOR AND ETON SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY, HERTFORDSHIRE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, ESSEX FIELD CLUB, &c.

AUTHOR OF A TEXT-BOOK OF PLANT DISEASES; BRITISH FUNGI; BRITISH FUNGUS-FLORA; A MONOGRAPH OF THE MYXOGASTRES; &c., &c.

London DUCKWORTH & CO. 3 HENRIETTA STREET, W.C.

1902

Cambridge: PRINTED BY J. AND C. F. CLAY, AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS.

To my friend Dr M. C. Cooke, to whom in matters Mycological I cannot sufficiently express my indebtedness; I have much pleasure in dedicating this attempt to introduce to British Mycologists, the Agarics of European countries.

GEO. MASSEE.

CONTENTS.

PAGE Dedication iii Preface v Agaricaceae, definition of 1 Agaricaceae, definition of sections of 1 Leucosporae, analysis of genera 1 Abbreviations 3 Chlorosporae, analysis of genera 118 Rhodosporae, analysis of genera 118 Ochrosporae, analysis of genera 138 Melanosporae, analysis of genera 203 Addenda 241 Corrections 244 Bibliography 245 Index 248

PREFACE.

Observations extending over a period of twenty-five years, made at Fungus Forays and kindred meetings where Mycologists assemble together, has led to the conviction that familiarity with the Fungi and literature pertaining thereto, of one country only, leads to a false impression as to the significance of the term 'species.'

It conveys the idea that species are much more sharply defined than proves to be the case, when the entire Fungus Flora of Europe is included.

In all large genera common to European countries, the continental species can be sandwiched between British species. Even in large genera there are as a rule not more than eight or ten primary differentiating specific characters present, and it is the constant correlation of two or three of those primary characters that constitute a species, as understood at the present day.

If two British species are characterised respectively by the marks 1, 2, and 3, 4, then we find that two continental species belonging to the same genus will be indicated by the characters 1, 3, and 2, 4, respectively.

Primary specific characters should include only those features that are constant, and not materially modified by geographical or exceptional local conditions as to environment, etc., and such alone should constitute a specific diagnosis. Trivial or local characteristics should follow the essential diagnosis as a rider.

With the introduction of characters due to local conditions, a description ceases to be a specific diagnosis in the proper sense, and is merely a description of a certain state of a species occurring under a given set of conditions. Such, however, is too frequently the nature of so-called specific characters given in local Floras.

A lengthy and laboured description suggests lack of power to grip essentials on the part of the compiler, and does not as a rule facilitate the recognition of the species intended.

The idea of this work is to give the essential characters of each species as presented by pileus, gills, stem and spores respectively. This, however, owing to the views of some authors as to the predominant value of one feature to the exclusion of others, has not always been possible. For this reason the species of Britzelmayr are not included, as his descriptions, even when aided by what are presumably intended as figures, could not in many instances be construed into an intelligible diagnosis.

In Cooke and Quelet's Clavis Synoptica Hymenomycetum Europaeorum (1878), 1943 species of Agarics are recorded as European, and of these 939 are given as British. The present work includes descriptions of 2750 European species, of which 1553 are British, a number considerably in excess of that recorded for the species of any other European country.

The species indicated by brackets have not been recorded as British.

G. M.

Part 2

KEW, June, 1902.

AGARICACEAE, Fries.

Hymenium covering the entire surface of radiating lamellae or gills. Spores one-celled.

Primary divisions of the Agaricaceae depend on the colour of the spores as seen in the mass, when deposited on an opaque substance; and not as seen under the microscope by transmitted light.

I. LEUCOSPORAE.

Spores white. In some cases with a tinge of yellow or pink. In some species of Russula the spores are clear ochre, but such species belong obviously to Russula notwithstanding.

II. CHLOROSPORAE.

Spores clear green or bluish-green.

III. RHODOSPORAE.

Spores salmon-colour or pink.

IV. OCHROSPORAE.

Spores ochraceous or rust-colour.

V. MELANOSPORAE.

Spores black, blackish-brown, or black with a purple tinge.

LEUCOSPORAE.

I. HAPLOPHYLLAE. Margin of gills acute; i.e. not longitudinally split or grooved.

* MOLLES. More or less fleshy, soft, and soon decaying or shrivelling (not corky, woody, or rigid).

+ Ring, or volva, or both present, or gills free.

=Amanita=. Volva and ring present. Gills usually free, rarely adnexed or adnate. (Volva sometimes not evident round base of stem, but loose patches on pileus prove its presence.)

=Amanitopsis=. Volva present, ring absent; gills free.

=Lepiota=. Ring present, volva absent; gills free. (In some sp. the ring is imperfect, and in a few the gills are slightly attached.)

=Hiatula=. Gills free; volva and ring absent.

=Armillaria=. Ring present, volva absent; gills attached.

++ Gills adnexed or adnate; ring and volva absent.

=Tricholoma=. Gills sinuate; stem fleshy.

=Russula=. Pileus fleshy; gills very rigid, brittle.

=Mycena=. Pileus slender, campanulate, usually striate, margin straight and adpressed to stem when young.

=Collybia=. Pileus rather fleshy, more or less plane, margin incurved when young; stem cartilaginous outside.

Part 3

=Marasmius=. Tough, drying up and reviving when moistened; gills often connected by veins.

+++ Gills decurrent.

=Lactarius=. Gills and flesh exuding milk when broken. (In some sp. the gills are adnate.)

=Hygrophorus=. Gills thick at the base, edge acute, rather waxy, often branched; pileus often hygrophanous. (In some sp. the gills are adnate or even free.)

=Clitocybe=. Gills thin, pliant, sometimes powdered with the spores; stem fibrous outside.

=Omphalia=. Gills thin, pliant, stem cartilaginous outside.

=Pleurotus=. Growing on wood. Stem lateral or excentric when present.

=Cantharellus=. Gills narrow, edge thick, rather waxy, forking.

=Arrhenia=. Gills reduced to very slight wrinkles or veins.

=Nyctalis=. Gills thick, edge blunt. Parasitic on fungi, or among dead leaves, &c.

** TENACES. Coriaceous, corky, or woody, persistent, rigid when dry.

=Lentinus=. Pileus coriaceous; gills decurrent, edge toothed or eroded.

=Panus=. Pileus coriaceous; gills decurrent, edge quite entire.

=Xerotus=. Pileus coriaceous; gills forking, edge thick.

=Lenzites=. Horizontal, sessile, woody or corky; gills radiating from behind.

II. SCHIZOPHYLLAE. Margin of gills split open.

=Trogia=. Gills resembling folds or wrinkles, edge grooved. (In the only European species the edge of gills not grooved.)

=Schizophyllum=. Margin of gills split, the split portions rolling outwards.

ABBREVIATIONS USED.

Cm. = centimetres; compr. = compressed; decur. = decurrent; depr. = depressed; exp. = expanded; g. = gills; hygr. = hygrophanous; infundib. = infundibuliform; mm. = millimetres; p. = pileus; s. = stem; sp. = spores; umb. = umbonate; umbil. = umbilicate.

The measurement given of the stem is that of its average length; that of the pileus, its average breadth when expanded. The measurement of the spores is given in micro-millimetres, usually indicated by the Greek letter mu.

AMANITA, Fries.

* Margin of volva free, persistent.

+ Pileus red or deep orange.

++ Pileus white, sometimes tinged yellow or green.

=virosa=, Fr. Entirely white. P. 8-11 cm. conical, then expanded; viscid when moist; g. free, crowded; s. 10-12 cm. slightly thinner upwards, squamulose, ring near apex, torn, volva large, lax; sp. subglobose, 8-10. Poisonous.

=phalloides=, Fr. P. 7-10 cm. viscid, obtuse, white, tinted yellow or greenish; g. free, white; s. 7-10 cm. white, tapering upwards, bulbous, ring large, volva large, margin irreg. free; sp. subglobose, 7-8. Poisonous.

=mappa=, Fr. Smell strong. P. 6-9 cm. convex then expanded, dry, white or yellowish, usually with patches of the volva; g. adnexed, white; s. 5-8 cm. white, bulbous, ring torn, volva without a large, free margin; sp. subglobose, 7-9. Poisonous.

Part 4

Differs from A. phalloides in shorter equal stem.

+++ Pileus yellow, sometimes tinged red.

++++ Pileus brownish or grey.

=recutita=, Fr. P. 6-9 cm. soon expanded, dry, glabrous, fragments of volva present as a rule, grey or brownish; g. forming lines down the stem; s. narrowed upwards, silky, white, ring distant, white, edge of volva not free; sp. ----.

Differs from A. porphyria in ring not being tinged brown.

** Volva without a free loose margin, or almost obsolete.

+ Pileus red, reddish-brown or dingy brown.

=muscaria=, Fr. P. 12-18 cm. soon plane, striate, viscid, scarlet or orange with white patches; gills forming lines down the stem, white; s. 10-14 cm. stout, white, ring lax, volva broken up into concentric ridges; sp. 8 x 5. Poisonous.

var. regalis, Fr. Large. P. liver-colour.

var. formosa, Pers. P. yellow or tawny orange, scales usually absent; s. elongated, yellowish.

var. umbrina, Viv. P. umber or livid, disc fuscous; s. hollow. A slender form.

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