The genus is fleshy, soft, and putrescent, and
has no veil. Some plants grow on the ground and others on mosses.
+MARASMIUS = to wither.+
The genus is tough and dry, not decaying, but shrivelling, and reviving
when wet. The stem is tough (cartilaginous.) The gills are rather
distant, the edge acute and entire. The plants often have a peculiar
smell and taste, like garlic. They are small and thin, commonly growing
on the outside of another plant (epiphytal) on the ground, on putrid
leaves, or on roots of grasses.
+AMANITA.+
The origin of this name is doubtful. Galen, an ancient Greek physician,
is said to have given the name to some edible fungi (Stevenson). It is
distinguished as the only genus that has _both volva and ring_. The
young plant is enveloped by a universal veil which bursts at maturity.
The volva around the base of the stem is formed by the splitting or
bursting of the veil, and its different modes of rupture mark the
several species. It is sometimes shaped very prettily, and has the
appearance of a cup around the stem.
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