Pileus convex, then expanded, not becoming campanulate, obtuse, at length; depressed, almost even when young, never striate, at length more or less squamulose, mouse-colour, or sooty-grey, with a blue tinge, becoming paler but not hygrophanous, about 2.5 cm across; flesh thin; gills adnate, easily separating from the stem and appearing as if free, ventricose, white, then pale flesh-colour ; spores irregularly nodulose or angular, 10-11 x 6-7 µ; stem 2.5-3.5 cm. long, up to 4 mm. thick, entirely cartilaginous, glabrous, even, not punctate upwards, usually bluish-violet, hollow.

Dannevirke, New Zealand. Europe, Australia.

Among grass, &c.

Distinguished from several nearly allied species by the pileus not being umbilicate and not in the least striate, and the stout stem.

Recorded by Massee in Trans. N.Z. Inst. 3 I : 282 (1898).

These four species [placidum, lampropodum, asprellum, aethiops] have not been collected recently in New Zealand and are not represented in my herbarium. As the material on which the determinations were made over fifty years ago no longer remains at Kew, some doubt may be entertained about the records till these species are collected again.