266
THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
A specimen of Sparassis was brought in. Had I realised
at the time that this was new to our list, I should have questioned
the finder. The common form, Sparassis crispans found at the
base of pine trees, but the ground covered did not, I believe,
include any Coniferous woods. The form that grows on deciduous
trees is called Sparassis laminosa, but it is so little different
from the common form that I am recording the specimen as
crispa.
Altogether 155 species of Basidiomycetes and 7 Discomycetes
were on view, including a few critical ones which the leaders
took home to identify. The new records for the Forest are :—
Collybia longipes (Bull.) Berk.
Russula pseudo-integra Arn. et Gor.
Inocybe descissa Fr.
Astrosporina decipientoides (Peck).
Psilocybe bullacea (Bull.) Fr.
Sparassis crispa (Wulf) Fr.
Exidia nucleata (Schwein) Burt.
Lycoperdon saccatum (Vahl.) Fr.
The following is a description of the species new to Britain :—
Russula pseudo-integra Arn. et Gor.
Arnould and Goris. Soc. Myc. Fr. xxiii., p. 177 (1907).
Pileus normally of medium size 7 to 10 cm., sometimes much
larger, soft, hemisphaerical at first then flat, fairly thick, usually
scarlet, but sometimes paler, especially in centre, turning almost
white when old, viscid then dry, cuticle separating even in the
centre; flesh reddish under the cuticle. Edge not usually
striate, but may be tuberculate when old.
Gills fairly crowded, white at first, then cream and finally
ochraceous, attenuated towards stem, more or less round near
margin of pileus, wide, thin, edge rather floccose, adnexed, almost
free or more or less adnate and minutely emarginate, usually
all of one length, rarely forked and unequal.
Stem subcylindrical, sometimes swollen and rugulose, about
10 cm., but often much taller, fairly firm at first, soon spongy
and fragile, white.
Flesh white, mild then bitter (not peppery).
Spore powder ochraceous (G of Crawshay's spore colour
chart).