=Marasmius oreades=
=Pileus:= Convex at first, becoming flat, with a mound
at centre, at juncture of stem; texture, tough and
pliable when moist, brittle in drying, alternating
between these two conditions with rain and sun;
color, reddish buff at first, becoming cream
colored when old, when it is usually quite wrinkled.
=Gills:= Broad, and quite separated; about ten or
twelve to the inch at rim in large specimens;
unequal in length; deep cream color; clearing the
stem as they curve upward towards cap.
=Stem:= Solid; equal diameter; tough and fibrous;
naked and smooth at base.
=Spores:= White.
=Taste:= Sweet, "nutty," and appetizing.
=Odor:= Aromatic and pleasant.
=Habitat:= Pastures and lawns, generally growing in
rings or curved lines.
Diameter of pileus, full expansion, one to two inches.
[Illustration: PLATE VIII MARASMIUS OREADES.]
[Sidenote: =The "ring" explained=]
"These rings are sometimes of very ancient date, and attain such
enormous dimensions as to be distinctly visible on a hill-side for
a great distance. It is believed that they originate from a single
fungus whose growth renders the soil immediately beneath unfit for
its reproduction. The spawn, however, spreads all around, and in the
second year produces a crop, whose spawn spreads again, the exhausted
soil behind forbidding its return in that direction. Thus the circle
is continually increased, and extends indefinitely till some cause
intervenes to destroy it. If the spawn does not spread on all sides at
first, an arc of a circle only is produced. The manure arising from the
dead fungi of former years makes the grass peculiarly vigorous around,
so as to render the circle visible even when there is no external
appearance of fungus, and the contrast is often stronger from that
behind being killed by the old spawn. This mode of growth is far more
common than is supposed, and may be observed constantly in our woods,
where the spawn can spread only in the soil or among the leaves and
decaying fragments which cover it."
[Sidenote: =Various recipes=]
Many recipes are recommended for the preparation of this mushroom,
some of which are given in a later chapter, including the method of
desiccation so commonly employed with other species, and by which the
champignon may be kept for ready use throughout the winter months.
In its fresh state, according to J. M. Berkeley, "When of good size
and quickly grown, it is perhaps the best of all fungi for the table,
whether carefully fried or stewed with an admixture of finely mixed
herbs and a minute portion of garlic. It is at the same time tender and
easy of digestion, and when once its use is known and its character
ascertained, no species may be eaten with less fear. It is so common in
some districts that bushels may be gathered in a day."