Crossword clues for marasmius
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Marasmius \Marasmius\ prop. n. A genus of chiefly small white-spored mushrooms, including the Marasmius oreades, the mushroon that grow in a fairy ring.
Syn: genus Marasmius.
Wikipedia
Marasmius is a genus of mushroom-forming fungi in the family Marasmiaceae. It contains about 500 species of agarics, of which a few, such as Marasmius oreades, are edible. However, most members of this genus are small, unimpressive brown mushrooms. Their humble appearance contributes to their not being readily distinguishable to non-specialists, and they are therefore seldom collected by mushroom hunters. Several of the species are known to grow in the characteristic fairy ring pattern.
The author of the genus was Elias Magnus Fries, who in 1838 classified white-spored agarics having a tough central stipe in this taxon if they were marcescent, i.e. they could dry out, but later revive when moistened. For Fries, marcescence (by contrast with the "putrescent" (decomposing) nature of most mushrooms) was an important character for classification, which he used to separate this group from genus Collybia (which has now been split into many newer genera). The name Marasmius itself comes from a Greek word marasmos, meaning "drying out". Modern mycologists no longer consider the marcescence/putrescence distinction a reliable criterion for taxonomy, but Fries's definition of the genus is still roughly applicable.
Usage examples of "marasmius".
The species called the Fairy mushroom, Marasmius oreades, is the most familiar of all those that grow in rings.
The genus Marasmius may be known by the garlic-like smell peculiar to it, but it never has a mealy perfume.
The genus Marasmius, belonging to the white spored Agarics, has the power of reviving under moisture after withering, so it may represent a genus that endures longest.