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Show ( 26 ) H IT 0 p ,.L A p A RT I. BOOK II. OJ' F U N G I. T HE Fungi are a clafs of plants extreamly d!fferenf from all others. 'They have indeed Jo little of the common and general appeara~ce of vegetables, that many have denied them to be fuch, and contended for t~etr bemg only exc~ementitious matter, prr;truded from decaying vegetables of ot~e~ kmds. A better pht!ofop~y has taught the prefent age, however, to Jet qfide fuch opzntom; _and better opportumtte_s of examining the JubjeC!s tbemfelves has taught us that the Fungt, th~ugh they have nez ther the colour or texture of other plants, nor le_aves., nor flowers lzke them_, yet have abfolute and perfe8 feeds preceded by the dfentzal parts o/ other more obvzous .flowers, though •without the ornamental ones; and that theft feeds will produce plants like thqfe from which they are colleC!ed; and finally, that the vafcular flruC!ure of Fu~gus's is the fame with that of other plants, that their roots are of the fame nature wzth thqfe if otber vegetables, and therefore that they are as true P!ants as an;• other cla:fs r{ the vegetable tribe, tbough of a fingular figu;e and c~rljlru8zo1~. . 'Ihe flowers. corljiflzng ufually each Oj a jingle anthera, have heen difcoruered tn many jpectes, the feeds m all. 'Jhe Fungus's are extreamly d(fferent in figure, and in their manner and place of growth, as well as in many other circumflances; fome of them gr~w on the ground, /~me on living trees, and rnany on decayed wood. Some are but of a fe·w days_ duratzon, others remain for years. 'The general manner of growth of the feveral kznds naturally leads us to arrange them under the four following cla.Jfes. Clafs the Fir jJ. Fungi which grow horizontally. Clafs the Second. Fungi which grow ereEl, and have pilei or heads. Clafs the Third. Fungi which grow ereEl, and have no heads. Cldfs the Fourth. Fungi which grow under the fur face of the earth in no - :M~ticu/ap direElion. • ' • t FUNGI. The Hiflory of P L A N T S. FU NG L Clqfs the Fir.ft. Such as grow in an horizontal direEtion on trees. Genus the Fir.ft. AGARICUS. AG A R I C US is a genus of Fungus's growing in an horizontal direction on trees lamellated on its under part, and producing difiinCl: male and female flowers o~ the fame plant. The male flowers have neither calyx nor corolla, but confifi each of a :lingle anthera, affixed to the edge of one of the lamellre. Of the female flower no part is vifible but the feed, which is fmall and roundilh, and adheres to the fides of the fame lamellre. !t. ha~ been a. cufiot;n to call all Fungi, which grow on trees, Agarics, without enqumng _mto the1r particular il:rutl:~re. But the different formation of their under part neceffanly arra~1g~s the fever~l fpec1es of the_fe horizontal Fungi into difiinB: genera, and the name ~ganc IS only contmued as a genencal term to thefe lamellated ones, as having been apphed mofi frequently to them: this, however, it is to be obferved excludes the Fungus, called Agaric in the fhops, from t~e genus fo called, that being porous under~ eath! ~nd ~onfequently a boletus, thou&h 1ts manner of growth has obtained .it, in lefs mqmfiuve tunes, the .name of an Aganc. We arc not fond of changing officinal names, but mull not retam them at the expence of confounding the genera. 1. Agaricus durior vil!qfits. Hard hairy Agaric. This is a moder~tely_la:ge Agaric, and of an irregularly femicircular form. It grows to the w~od o~ which It IS found b~ a broad bafe, without any pedicle, and from this extends It(elf mto ~ figure refemblmg half, or more than half of a circle, but [ornewhat too broad for Its depth to be regularly of that figure. It is of a tough and firm texture,. and is hairy, _or rather downy, on its external furface, all that part being co· vered with a fhor_t,. thic~, and fof~ .fibr?us mat.ter. It's principal or ground colour is a pale brown, but 1t IS v~negated With cucular lm_es of a great variety of colours, purple, red, brown, and the hke. Its under furface JS covered with a vail: number of extream~ y thin and fine_lam.ell<e; the _flat furfaces of which, efpecially toward the bottom, ~re thtck, covered With htt_le rou~d1il1 feeds, and on the edges of which hang rows of little obl01?g an~he_rre. This fpec1es ufually grows :lingle from the body it adheres to, but fometimes It IS double, quadruple, or more, frefh plants of it growing from the fides ~f the old ones. It is very c?mmo~ wi_th us on the frumps of old trees, and f~mettmes OJ_l wr~ught wood. It IS plentifulm a wood beyond Paddington. Dillenms has defcnbed It under the name of Agaricus quercinus lamellatus, coriaceus, villofus; and Ray under that of Fungus arboreus holofericeus, inferne lamellatm. 2. Agaric-us cra./fus, glaber, margine integerrimo. Smooth, thick, even edg' d Agaric. This is a larger Agaric than the fo rmer. It grows to the fiumps of trees by a broad ba(e, w~ic? conforn~s itfe!f to the_ir fhape, ~n? adheres extreamly firmly to them ; from this It exte~ds. Itfelf mto a ~<.md of femicucular form, but irregular~ and generally longer than It IS broad. It IS ufually, when full grown, about four or five inches in diameter, and an inch or more in thicknefs. It's circumference is fomewhat un~ulated, and it's colour is grey, fometimes with a tinge of brown, fometimes of bluiGl wich it. It's upper fide is perfectly fmooth, and it's under fide covered with fine white la~lellre. Tbefe have feeds roundifh and very [mall on them, and oblong anther<e hangmg from their edges. The whole plant is of an ill fmell and naufeous tafte. It is found with us at the bottom of rotten trees, but not common. ]. Bauhine, who found it on old wallnuttree~, |