Part 37

Flesh: with a strong smell of new meal, brownish becoming paler as it dries out.

Spore-print: salmon-pink.

Spores: medium sized, smooth, pale fawn under the microscope, angular almost cubic and 10-13 × 8-9 µm in size.

Marginal and facial cystidia: absent.

General Information: Nolanea staurospora is very common amongst grass, in many habitats such as on heaths, and in woodlands and copses, but it is particularly common in pastures and on lawns. It is difficult to separate from close relatives on field-characters, except for the strong mealy smell; however, it is recognised immediately by the spore-shape, in fact stauro--means a cross and spora--spore!

Because of the flattened cap and gill-shape N. sericea (Mérat) P. D. Orton was first placed in Entoloma, but for a long time it was one of the smallest members of that genus. The European species of Nolanea have recently been critically analysed, and now that closely related species to the silky Nolanea have been found, it appears better placed in Nolanea although it is still found under Entoloma in many books. The Latin word ‘sericeum’ means silky and refers to the silky cap and stem of this fungus which is a very noticeable feature when the fungus is collected in the dry state. The common name which has been given to this fungus also refers to the silky nature of the fruit-body.

Illustrations: N. staurospora--LH 181; ND 31²; WD 52². N. sericea--LH 181; WD 52⁵.

~Panaeolus foenisecii~ (Fries) Schroeter

Brown hay-cap

Cap: width 12-28 mm. Stem: width 3-6 mm; length 40-60 mm.

Description:

Cap: semiglobate to convex and hardly expanding even with age, smooth, expallent, dull cinnamon-brown or dark tan-colour, becoming clay-colour or pale cinnamon-colour from centre outwards on drying and so sometimes appearing as if it is zoned.

Stem: slender, fragile, smooth and pale cinnamon-brown, except at apex where it is dotted with white; it is usually more brownish below.

Gills: adnate, crowded, pale brown and mottled, but becoming more uniformly umber-brown except for whitish margin.

Flesh: whitish or pale cinnamon colour.

Spore-print: purple-brown.

Spores: long, lemon-shaped under the microscope, dull brown, warted all over but for the distinct germ-pore; 12-15 × 7-8 µm in size.

Marginal cystidia: variable spindle-shaped with flexuous neck and subcapitate apex, about 5-6 µm wide.

Facial cystidia: absent.

Habitat & Distribution: Common amongst short grass on lawns, in pastures, on grass-verges, etc., from May until October.

General Information: P. foenisecii is recognised under the microscope by the ornamented spores; this character was used to separate this fungus in the new genus Panaeolina. However, although the spore-print is not exactly black the stature, mottled gills and anatomy conform closely with Panaeolus sphinctrinus (Fries) Quélet and P. rickenii Hora (see p. 210 and below respectively). The same fungus has been placed in Psilocybe (see p. 114), but it has little in common with members of that genus. The word ‘foenisecii’ means hay-harvest, reflecting the habitat of growing in fields. This fungus is variable in colour depending on its state of turgidity; it can be easily confused with other species of Panaeolus when moist and with certain species of Conocybe when dry. P. rickenii is an equally common agaric growing on similar or slightly less base-rich soil-types. It has a distinctly bell-shaped reddish brown cap with a pale incurved margin which in wet weather is, like the entire stem, beaded with droplets of liquid. This gives the fungus a glistening appearance when seen fresh and as it dries these droplets are lost and the cap becomes slightly zoned. The stem is pale reddish-brown with a strong frosted appearance because of the minute hairs which cover it. I have no doubt that the classification of these fungi will be assisted by careful analysis of the shapes of the hairs found in the different species.

Illustrations: Panaeolina foenisecii--LH 145; WD 78⁴. Panaeolus rickenii--LH 145.

(f) Agarics of wasteland and hedgerows

~Coprinus comatus~ (Fries) S. F. Gray

Lawyer’s wig

Cap: width 30-60 mm; height 80-200 mm. Stem: width 10-20 mm; length 80-250 mm.

Description: Plate 40.

Cap: at first cylindrical or oval then bell-shaped, fleshy, fragile, white and covered with woolly, whitish, shaggy scales which have brown tips; the centre of the cap is smooth and yellow to ochraceous whilst the margin becomes striate and lilaceous and finally black as the tissue liquefies (autodigests) and the margin rolls up to expose new areas of spore-bearing tissue.