Agaricus Versus Psalliota

Abstract

The common edible mushroom, which has long been known as Agaricus campestris, has been referred to with increasing frequency as Psalliota campestris. The Nomenclature Committee of the British Mycological Society states that " . . chiefly owing to the use of works such as Ricken's Bätterpilze [1910-1915] and Rea's Basidiomycetae [1922], the name Psalliota has come into very general use in recent years, and is now found even in academic textbooks." (Wakefield 1940 p. 290-291).