The gills are fixed, ascending, broad in middle; and in the expanded forms the gills are separated more and more from the stem and finally appear more or less triangular; cinereous-black, frequently somewhat clouded.
The stem is equal, covered with a frost-like bloom, cylindrical, sometimes tortuous, cartilaginous, becoming hollow, pinkish-purple, always darker below and paler above, bulbous.
The veil in young and unexpanded plants is quite strong and prominent; as the stem elongates it loosens from the stem, and as the cap expands it breaks into segments, frequently hanging to the margin of the cap. By close observation one will sometimes detect a black band on the stem, caused by the falling of the black spores, when the plant is damp, before the pileus has separated from the stem. The spores are black and elliptical.
I have found it a number of times on the Chillicothe high school lawn, especially after it was fertilized in the winter. It is found mostly on dung from June to October. I do not recommend it as a delicacy.
Panæolus epimyces. Pk.
Figure 277.—Panæolus epimyces. Note black spores in central foreground. Note also huge masses of abortive stuff upon which it grows.
Epimyces is from epi, upon; myces, a mushroom; so called because it is parasitic on fungi. There are a number of species of mushrooms whose habitat is on other mushrooms or fungus growths; such as Collybia cirrhata, C. racemosa, C. tuberosa, Volvaria loveiana and the species of Nyctalis.
The pileus is fleshy, at first subglobose, then convex, white, silky, fibrillose, flesh white or whitish, soft.