Toadstools, mushrooms, fungi, edible and poisonous; one thousand American fungi How to select and cook the edible; how to distinguish and avoid the poisonous, with full botanic descriptions. Toadstool poisons and their treatment, instructions to students, recipes for cooking, etc., etc. (part 3 of 4)
The writer first met with it in North Carolina, near Washington, on oaks and railroad timbers, and in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. It attains quite a size, grows singly and in clusters. Its clean, cake-like appearance is attractive. Cooked it ranks with P. ulmarius, L. lepideus, and Panus strigosus.
=PA´NUS= Fr.
A name given to a tree-growing fungus by Pliny.
(Plate LIV.)
Whole fungus between fleshy and leathery, tough, not woody, texture fibrous. =Gills= unequal, tough, becoming leathery, edge acute and unbroken. =Stem= present or absent.
Growing on wood. Various in form, lasting long. Allied to Lentinus but differing in the tough and very entire gills.
=Spores= even, white.
ANALYSIS OF SPECIES.
* Stem excentric.
** Stem lateral.
*** Stem absent. Pileus resupinate or dimidiate.
Species of this genus are among our most observable fungi. Their settlements are frequent on decaying trees, stumps, branches, on fences, cut timber, etc. Most of them are small, but their coriaceous build prevents their shrinking in cooking. Most species have a pleasant farinaceous taste and odor, which they yield, together with a gummy substance, to soups and gravies.
Tasting a small piece will immediately tell, if the species is not known, whether it is edible or of the styptic kind.
* Stem excentric.
=P. concha´tus= Fr.—Formed like concha, a shell-fish. =Pileus= about 3 in. across, tough and flexible, unequal, excentric or dimidiate, margin often lobed, cinnamon-color becoming pale, at length more or less scaly. =Flesh= thin. =Gills= narrow, forming decurrent lines on the stem, somewhat branched; pinkish-white then pale-ochraceous. =Stem= about ⅔ in. long, 3–4 lines thick, solid, unequal, pale, base downy. Massee.
On trunks of beech, poplar, etc.
Often imbricated and more or less grown together. Allied to Panus torulosus, but distinguished by the much thinner pileus, more expanded and excentric, also dimidiate, flaccid, cinnamon becoming pale, but the form not constant. =Stem= about ½ in. long, 4 lines thick, often compressed, downy at the base. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad, scaly when old. =Gills= decurrent in long, parallel lines, not at all resembling those of Pleurotus ostreatus, which anastomose behind, but frequently unequally branched, at first whitish or pale flesh-color, then wood-color, crisped when dry. Fries.
Always known by its shell-like form and its tough substance.
Sent to the writer by Mr. E.B. Sterling, Trenton, N.J. September, 1898.
The appearance of scales upon the pileus was scarcely noticeable. Taste pleasant. The fungus is tough when old, but yields an excellent gravy.
=P. torulo´sus= Fr.—a tuft of hair. (Plate LIV, p. 232.) =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad, somewhat flesh-color, but varying reddish-livid and becoming violet, entire, but very excentric, fleshy, somewhat compact when young, plano-infundibuliform, even, smooth. =Flesh= pallid. =Stem= short, commonly 1 in., solid, oblique, tough, firm, commonly with gray, but often violaceous down. =Gills= decurrent, somewhat distant, simple, separate behind, reddish then tan-color.
Very changeable in form, at first fleshy-pliant, at length coriaceous. In the covering of the stem it approaches Paxillus atro-tomentosus, but there is no affinity between them. Fries.
On old stumps.
=Spores= 6×3µ W.G.S.
North Carolina, Curtis; Massachusetts, Frost; Minnesota, Johnson; Kansas, Cragin; New York, Peck, Rep. 30.
Much esteemed in France, W.D.H. Edible, but tough. M.C.C.
=P. lævis= B. and C.—light. =Pileus= 3 in. broad, orbicular, slightly depressed, white, clothed in the center with long, intricate, rather delicate hairs, which are shorter and more matted toward the inflected margin; substance rather thin. =Stem= 3 in. high, ½ in. thick, attenuated upward, generally excentric, sometimes lateral, not rooting, solid, hairy below like the margin of the pileus. =Gills= rather broad, entire, decurrent, but not to a great degree, the interstices even above, behind clothed with the same coat as the top of the stem. =Spores= white.
On oak and hickory trunks.
A most distinct species, remarkable for its great lightness when dry and the long villous but not compressed or compound flocci of the pileus. Sometimes the center of the pileus becomes quite smooth when old.
One of the prettiest of fungi. The markings upon the white margin are more precise than those of the finest bee comb. One does not tire looking at the work of Nature’s geometrician. It is not plentiful, but is of useful size. It has good flavor and cooks quite tender.
(Plate LV_a_.)
=P. strigo´sus= B. and C.—covered with stiff hairs. =Pileus= white, excentric, clothed with coarse strigose pubescence, margin thin. =Stem= strigose like the pileus. =Gills= broad, distant, decurrent. Allied to P. lævis.
=Pileus= 8 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 1 in. or more thick.
On oak stumps.
Decaying wood of deciduous trees. September.
It is remarkable for its large size and the dense hairy covering of the pileus and stem. Peck, 26th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
A remarkably handsome fungus. A specimen taken from a cluster growing upon an apple tree measured 10 in. across. Its creamy whiteness, and short hairy stem make it unmistakable among other tree-fungi.
When very young it is edible, but soon becomes woody. Even when aged it yields a well flavored gravy.
** Stem lateral.
=P. farina´ceus= Schum.—farina, meal. From the scurf on the pileus. Pileus cinnamon-umber, somewhat coriaceous, flexuous, cuticle separating into whitish-bluish-gray scurf. =Stem= short, lateral, of the same color as the pileus. =Gills= determinately free, distinct, paler.
The habit is that of P. stipticus. Stevenson.
Pennsylvania, A. pleurotus f., Schweinitz; Ohio, Morgan.
Var. albido-tomentosus. See Panus albido-tomentosus.
=P. al´bido-tomento´sus= CKE. MASS.—albidus, white; tomentum, down. =Pileus= about ⅔ in. long, ½ in. broad, horizontal, sometimes imbricated, semi-circular, subcoriaceous, flexuous or regular, pale umber, densely clothed with a short, whitish, velvety down, which seems to be persistent, but thinner and shorter toward the shortly incurved margin. =Stem= lateral, very short, or entirely absent, and attached by a downy base. =Gills= radiating from the point of attachment; narrowed behind, lanceolate, honey-colored, margin entire, rigid, scarcely crowded, shorter ones intermixed. =Spores= subglobose, smooth, 5µ diameter.
On trunks and branches.
=Pileus= about 1 in. broad, often in imbricated tufts. It is doubtful whether this is not a distinct species from the type described by Fries. Cooke and Massee.
Panus albido-tomentosus is given by Cooke and Massee as a variety of Panus farinaceus. The writer decides to give it place as a species.
It has been sent to me by Mr. H.I. Miller, from Terre Haute, Ind., by Dr. E.L. Cushing, Albion, N.Y., Miss Madeleine Le Moyne, Washington, Pa. I have found it in West Virginia, New Jersey and many parts of Pennsylvania. It is plentiful in patches upon branches and boles of deciduous trees. Long, slow cooking makes it tender. It makes a luscious gravy after thirty minutes' stewing.
*** Stem absent, pileus resupinate or dimidiate.
=P. betuli´nus= Pk.—betula, birch. =Pileus= thin, suborbicular or dimidiate, nearly plane, glabrous, prolonged behind into a short stem, grayish-brown, darker or blackish toward the stem. =Gills= narrow, close, decurrent, whitish. Stem adorned with a slight tawny hairiness which is more fully developed toward the base. =Spores= minute, 4–5×1.5–2µ.
Decaying wood of birch. Newfoundland. October, Rev. A.C. Waghorne. Peck, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, Vol. 23, No. 10.
Common in West Virginia mountains on birches, 1882; found at Eagle’s Mere, Pa., August, 1898. Quite plentiful on decaying birch trees, which abound there. Size from ½-1½ in. across.
Eaten raw it has a gummy quality and very pleasant nutty flavor. I did not have opportunity to cook it, but regard it as a species well worth trying.
=P. stip´ticus= Fr.—stypticus, astringent. =Pileus= ½-1 in. broad, cinnamon becoming pale, arid, thin, but not membranaceous, kidney-shaped, pruinose, the cuticle separating into furfuraceous scales. =Stem= not reaching 1 in. long, solid, definitely lateral, compressed, dilated upward, ascending, pruinose, paler than the gills. =Gills= ending determinately (not decurrent), thin, very narrow, crowded, elegantly connected by veins, cinnamon. Fries.
Gregarious, cespitose, remarkable for its astringent taste. The pileus sometimes has a funnel-shaped appearance with lobes all around.
On stumps, etc. Common. August to February.
Reckoned poisonous. Stevenson.
=Spores= obovoid-spheroid, 2–3×1–2µ K.; 3×4µ W.G.S.
Plentiful and general. The markings upon the cap in moist weather are sometimes exquisitely regular.
The immediate and lasting unpleasantness of this fungus to mouth and throat, whether cooked or raw, will cancel all desire to eat of it forevermore. A nibble will detect it. It is reckoned poisonous, and may be. No one but a determined suicide would resort to it. Dr. Lambotte asserts that it is a violent purgative.
=XER´OTUS= Fr.
Gr—dry; Gr—an ear.
(Plate LVI.)
Hymenophore continuous with the stem, descending into the trama which is homogeneous with the coriaceous pileus. =Gills= coriaceous, broadly plicæform, dichotomous, edge quite entire, obtuse. Rigid, persistent, analogous with the Cantharelli, but differing in the whole structure. Fries. The gills are more distant than in any species of Agaricaccæ.
None edible.
=TRO´GIA= Fr.
After Trog, a Swiss botanist.
(Plate LVIII.)
=Gills= fold-like, edge longitudinally channelled (in the single European species only crisped). In other respects agreeing with Xerotus. Soft, flaccid, but arid and persistent, texture fibrillose. Fries.
Reviving when wet. =Spores= white. Stevenson.
=Spores= elongated or cylindrical.
American representative, Trogia crispa, var. variegata.
Pileus and gills variegated with bluish or greenish-blue stains. Sandlake. September. Peck, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Not edible.
=SCHIZOPHYL´LUM= Fr.
Gr—to split; Gr—a leaf.
(Plate LVIII_a_.)
=Pileus= fleshless, arid. =Gills= coriaceous, fan-wise branched, united above by the tomentose pellicle, bifid, split longitudinally at the edge. =Spores= somewhat round, white. Fries.
The two lips of the split edge of the gills are commonly revolute. The farthest removed of all the Agaricini from the type.
Growing on wood. Stevenson.
Common on decaying wood. Tough.
=LENZITES= Fr.
After Lenz, a German botanist.
=Pileus= corky or coriaceous, texture arid and floccose. =Gills= coriaceous, firm, sometimes simple and unequal, sometimes anastomosing and forming pores behind, trama floccose and similar to the pileus, edge somewhat acute. The European species are dimidiate, sessile, persistent, growing on wood, quite resembling Dædalea. Fries.
Allied most nearly to Trametes and Dædalea and forming as it were the transition from Agaricaceæ to Polyporaceæ. In tropical countries they are more woody in texture. Stevenson.
Very common. None edible.
(Plate LVII.)
RHODOSPORAE.
Hymenophore distinct from fleshy stem.
VOLVARIA. PLUTEUS
—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-— Hymenophore confluent and homogeneous with fleshy stem.
ENTOLOMA.
CLITOPILUS. CLAUDOPUS. —-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—--
Hymenophore confluent with, but heterogeneous from cartilaginous stem.
LEPTONIA. NOLANEA. ECCILIA.
PLATE LVIII_b_.
CHART OF GENERA IN PINK-SPORED SERIES—RHODOSPORAE. PAGE 239.
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Series II. =RHODOSPORÆ.= Gr—rose; Gr—seed. Or =HYPORHO´DII=—hypo,
under; rhodon, rose.
Spores pink or salmon-color.
In Volvaria, Pluteus and most of Clitopilus, the spores are regular in shape, as in the white-spored series, in the rest of the subgenera they are generally angular and irregular.
Though European writers, generally, condemn the rosy-spored series as inedible, a few of our best American edibles are found in it—notably Pluteus cervinus.
=VOLVA´RIA= Fr.
Volva, a wrapper.
=Spores= regular, oval, pink, or salmon. =Veil= universal, forming a perfect volva, distinct from the cuticle of the pileus. =Stem= separating easily from the pileus. =Gills= free, rounded behind, at the very first white then pinkish, soft. Analogous with Amanita.
Growing in woods and on rich mold, rotten wood and damp ground, hence often found in hot-houses and gardens. V. Loveiana Berk. is parasitic on Clitocybe nebularis.
There are thirteen species reported from different parts of the United States. Most of them grow upon wood. Two species have previously been reported as edible, to which I have added V. Taylori, tested by myself.
One species, V. gloiocephala, is upon the authority of Letellier, given as poisonous. It is found in several parts of the United States, but no comment has been made upon its edibility. I have not seen it. A careful study of its botanic characters is urged. It should be regarded as poisonous until its reputation is cleared up, as it probably will be.
ANALYSIS OF SPECIES.
* Pileus dry, silky or fibrillose.
** Pileus more or less viscid, smooth.
* Pileus dry, silky or fibrillose.
(Plate LIX_a_.)
=V. bombyci´na= Schaeff.—bombyx, silk. =Pileus= 3–8 in. broad, wholly white, fleshy, soft, at first globose, soon bell-shaped, at length convex, somewhat umbonate, everywhere silky or, when older, hairy-scaled, more rarely becoming smooth at the vertex. =Flesh= not thick, white. =Stem= 3–6 in. long, ½ in. thick or more at the base, solid, equally attenuated from the base to the apex, even, smooth, white. =Volva=, soon torn asunder, ample, 2–3 in. broad, membranaceous, lax, slashed, somewhat viscid, persistent. =Gills= free, very crowded when young, almost cohering, ventricose, in groups of 2–4, then toothed, flesh-colored.
Ovate when young. According to some becoming brownish. The stem is curved-ascending on vertical trunks and straight on prostrate ones. Commonly solitary, sometimes however cespitose. Stevenson.
=Spores= elliptic, smooth, 6–7×4µ Massee; 6–8µ Lloyd.
Considered edible. Stevenson. Edible. Curtis.
Very general but not common over the United States. It is a large plant, from 3 in. upward across cap. Growing from wood, oaks, maples, beech, etc.
The writer has not been successful in finding it. Drawing, spore-print and description received from H.I. Miller, Terre Haute, Ind.
Upon such an authority as the late Dr. Curtis there is no doubt of its edibility.
(Plate LX.)
=V. volva´cea= Bull.—volva, a wrapper. =Pileus= 2–3 in. across. =Flesh= white, thick at the disk, very thin elsewhere, soft, bell-shaped then expanded, obtuse, grayish-yellow, virgate or streaked with adpressed blackish fibrils. =Gills= free, about 2 lines broad, pale flesh-color. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, about 4 lines thick, almost equal, white, solid. Volva large, loose, whitish. =Spores= smooth, elliptical, 6–8×3.5–4µ; no cystidia. Massee.
On the ground by roadsides, etc., also in stoves.
Allied to V. bombycina, but constantly different in the less ample and less persistent, brownish volva. =Pileus= 3 in. across, rarely more, gray, elegantly virgate with blackish fibrils; flesh-color of the gills not so pure. Fries.
Once found in woods at roots of a tree. It occurs every year in the cellar of our drug store. Lloyd “Volvæ.”
North Carolina, Schweinitz; Minnesota, Johnson; Ohio, Morgan.
Probably edible, should be carefully tested.
=V. Tay´lori= Berk. =Pileus= 1¾ in. high and broad, livid, conico-campanulate, obtuse, striately cracked from the apex, thin, margin lobed and sinuated. =Stem= 2½ in. long, ¼ in. thick, pallid, solid, nearly equal, slightly bulbous at the base. =Volva= date-brown, lobed, somewhat lax, small. =Gills= uneven, broad in front, very much attenuated behind, rose-color.
Pileus beautifully penciled and cracked. The dark volva, bell-shaped pileus, and uneven, attenuated gills are marked characters. The habit is rather that of some Entoloma than of its more immediate allies. Fries.
=Spores= 6×9µ W.G.S.; broadly elliptical, smooth, 5×3.5–4µ Massee.
Indiana, Mrs. L.H. Cox; West Philadelphia, in much decayed stump of maple. McIlvaine.
=Caps= 1½-2 in. across and beautifully penciled and cracked. =Stem= 1½-3 in. long. =Gills= up to ⅓ in. wide. The spores when shed in body are a beautiful maroon. Resembling V. volvacea, but lighter in color, and having a brown volva. Specimens sent me by J.J. Newbaker, Steelton, Pa., had snow-white caps and when young were velvety to the touch. Gills tinged with pink; volva dark brown.
The few specimens eaten were of good flavor, somewhat resembling Pluteus cervinus.
**Pileus more or less viscid, smooth.
=V. specio´sa= Fr.—speciosus, handsome. =Pileus= 3–5 in. broad, whitish, gray or umber at the disk, fleshy, globose when young, then bell-shaped, at length plane and somewhat umbonate, even, smooth, gluey. =Flesh= soft, floccose, white. =Stem= 4–8 in. long, as much as 1 in. thick, solid, firm, slightly attenuated from the base as far as the apex, when young, white-villous and tomentose at the base, then becoming smooth, white. =Volva= bulbous rather than lax, free however, variously torn into loops, membranaceous, ½-1 in. broad, externally tomentose, white. =Gills= free, flesh-colored.
The gills are wholly the same as those of A. bombycinus. It occurs also thinner, with the pileus wholly gray. Fries.
=Spores= 12–18×8–10µ K.; elliptical or subglobose, smooth, 14–16×8µ Massee.
Distinguished by the whitish, viscid pileus, and the downy volva and stem. Massee.
“Common in cultivated soil, especially grain fields and along roads. A fine edible agaric and our most abundant one in California.” McClatchie. Volvæ, U.S., Lloyd.
=V. gloioceph´ala= Dec. Fl. Gr—sticking; head. =Pileus= dark opaque brown, fleshy, bell-shaped then expanded, umbonate, smooth, glutinous, striate at the margin. =Stem= solid, smooth, becoming brownish or tawny; the volva, which is circularly split, pressed close. =Gills= free, reddish.
Fragments of the volva are sometimes seen on the pileus. The stem is commonly more slender than that of A. speciosus. Fries.
On the ground. Uncommon. June to October. Stevenson.
Pileus about 3 in. across, with a strong regular, obtuse umbo in the center, of a delicate mouse-gray, viscid when moist, but when dry shining, quite smooth, margin striate in consequence of the thinness of the flesh. =Stem= 6 in. or more high, about ½ in. thick in the center, attenuated upward, bulbous at the base, clothed with a few slight fibers, easily splitting, solid, rather dingy, ringless. =Volva= loose, villous like the base of the stem, splitting into several unequal lobes; the gills are broad, especially in front, narrower behind and quite free, so as to leave a space round the top of the stem, white, tinged with grayish-pink; margin slightly toothed. Smell strong and unpleasant, and taste disagreeable. M.J.B. VERY POISONOUS according to Letellier. Stevenson.
=Spores= 19×9µ W.G.S.; elliptical, smooth, 10–12×6–7µ Massee.
Distinguished by the smoky, glutinous pileus. The measurement of the spores as given by Saccardo (19×9µ) is certainly too large, and is probably an uncorrected error. Massee.
North Carolina, Curtis; South Carolina, Ravenel; Ontario, Dearness; California, Harkness and Moore; Ohio, Morgan; Mississippi, Minnesota, Johnson.
FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE.
1. PLUTEUS CERVINUS, 243 2. PLUTEUS CERVINUS, 245 VAR.,
=PLU´TEUS= Fr.
(Pluteus, a shed. From the conical shape of the pileus.)
=Stem= fleshy, distinct from the pileus. =Gills= free, rounded behind (never emarginate), at first cohering, white, then colored by the spores.
Generally growing on or near trunks of trees.
Resembling Volvaria in all respects but the volva. =Spores= rosy.
Several of the genus are edible. Pluteus cervinus is one of our earliest, persistent, plentiful, delicious food species. The caps of those tested are tender, easily cooked and best fried.
ANALYSIS OF SPECIES.
* Cuticle of the pileus separating into fibrils or down, which at length disappear.
** Pileus frosted with atoms, somewhat powdery.
*** Pileus naked, smooth.
* Cuticle of pileus fibrillose, etc.
=P. cervi´nus= Schaeff.—cervus, a deer. (Plate LXI, fig. 1, p. 242.) =Pileus= fleshy, at first campanulate, then convex or expanded, even, glabrous, generally becoming fibrillose or slightly floccose-villose on the disk, occasionally cracked, variable in color. =Lamellæ= broad, somewhat ventricose, at first whitish, then flesh-colored. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering upward, firm, solid, fibrillose or subglabrous, variable in color. =Spores= broadly elliptical, 6.5–8×5–6.5µ.
=Plant= 2–6 in. high. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 3–6 lines thick.
The typical form has the pileus and stem of a dingy or brown color and adorned with blackish fibrils, but specimens occur with the pileus white, yellowish, cinereous, grayish-brown or blackish-brown. I have never seen it of a true cervine color. It is sometimes quite glabrous and smooth to the touch and in wet weather it is even slightly viscid. It also occurs somewhat floccose-villose on the disk, and the disk, though usually plane or obtuse, is occasionally slightly prominent or subumbonate. The form with the surface of the pileus longitudinally rimose or chinky is probably due to meteorological conditions. The gills, though at first crowded, become more lax with the expansion of the pileus. They are generally a little broader toward the marginal than toward the inner extremity. Their tendency to deliquesce is often shown by their wetting the paper on which the pileus has been placed for the purpose of catching the spores. The stem is usually somewhat fibrous and striated but forms occur in which it is even and glabrous. When growing from the sides of stumps and prostrate trunks it is apt to be curved. Two forms deserve varietal distinction.
Var. al´bus. Pileus and stem white or whitish.
Var. al´bipes. Pileus cinereous yellowish or brown. Stem white or whitish, destitute of blackish fibrils.
In Europe there are three or four forms which have been designated as species under the names of A. rigens, A. patricius, A. eximius and A. petasatus, but Fries gives them as varieties or subspecies of A. cervinus, though admitting that they are easily distinguished. None of these have occurred in our state. Peck, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Var. visco´sus. The normal character of the cuticle of the species is slightly viscid in wet weather, but the specimens we collected and photographed were exceedingly viscid. They also differed from the normal form in their lighter color, flesh much thicker at the disk and thin at the margins, and cuticle not appearing fibrillose. It is close to petasatus, but differs, however, in its narrower gills and in having no striæ. It is a good variety if it is not a good species. Lloyd, Myc. Notes.
=Spores= 7–8×5–6µ K.; 6–8×4–5µ B.; 4×5µ W.G.S.; 5.8×4.6µ Morgan.
Frequent on decaying stumps, roots and wood, May to frost. McIlvaine.
Its free gills should distinguish it from any Entoloma, though both have pink spores and eventually pink gills. Among the earliest of large species. The sight of it is stimulating to the mycophagist. He then knows the toadstool season to be truly opened.
Caps only are tender. The stems are edible, but they are not of the same consistency as the caps, therefore will not cook with them. Fried in a buttered pan or broiled, they are exceedingly toothsome.
In October, 1898, a beautiful variety (see Plate LXI, fig. 2, p.—), occurred which I had not previously seen. It was sent by me to Professor Peck. The plants grew in large clusters from rotting, refuse straw in the ruin of a stable; the white, cottony mycelium running upon and through the straw. The solid stems of some were straight, others curved, ranging from 2–6 in. long, the taller ones tapering from base to spindling apex, the shorter ones decidedly bulbous and ending abruptly. They were twisted and delicately marked. These markings break up into dark thread-like fibrils, leaving the stem striate and satin-glossy. =Pileus= from 2–4 in. across, dark Vandyke-brown when young, lighter in age, streaked, glossy. =Gills= at first white, tardily changing to light salmon color, broad, ventricose, free.
Taste and smell pleasant of almonds. Good, delicious.
Professor Peck wrote of it: “It has the general appearance of Pluteus cervinus, but these specimens seem to depart from the usual form of growing in clusters from the ground, and in having an almond flavor. Without knowing more about it I would scarcely feel justified in separating it from such a variable species. As Fries sometimes remarks concerning variable species: Perhaps several species are concealed under the one name, but a pretty full and accurate knowledge of them is desirable if one is to split them up.”
This is excellent judgment. While I believe the above to be a distinct species, the disposition to make new species of varieties is regrettable in many botanists.
Var. Bul´lii Berk., MS. =Pileus= 4–6 in. across, flesh thick, convex then expanded, smooth, even, pallid, the disk darker. =Gills= free, rounded behind, rather distant from the stem, crowded, ½ in. broad, pale salmon-color. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, 1 in. and more thick, slightly swollen at the base, fibrillose, pale brown, darkest at the base, solid. Massee.
=Pileus= 6 in. across, expanded from bell-shape, ashy-white (oyster color), glossy, like floss silk, silky fibrillose, irregularly corrugated. =Skin= separable. =Flesh= spongy, pure white, like shreds of cotton, separable into plates, very brittle, ½ in. thick at stem, immediately thinning to ⅛ in., very thin toward margin. =Gills= thin, elastic, rounded behind, close to stem, free, ½ in. wide, close, alternate short and long, white, then tinged and spotted pink with spores which when cast in mass are a pinkish-brown with slight lavender shade. =Stem= 5 in. long, ½-¾ in. thick, subequal, spreading at top, white, silky-fibrillose, changing to very light yellowish brown from center to base, exterior hard, skin thin, tough, interior filled with continuous, cottony fibers, snow-white, brittle, watery, slightly swollen at base. Taste pleasant.
Mt. Gretna, Pa., July, 1898, on chestnut stump and in woods on ground among leaves. Leaves adhere to base of stem which is powdery-white. McIlvaine.
Cooked, it is as good as P. cervinus.
Var. petasa´tus Fr. =Pileus= 3–4 in. across, flesh rather thick, campanulate then expanded, umbonate, grayish-white, very smooth, with a viscid cuticle, at length striate to the middle. =Gills= free, ½ in. and more broad, crowded, becoming dry, white then reddish. =Stem= 4–5 in. long, ½-⅔ in. thick, rigid, very slightly and equally attenuated from the base, whitish, fibrillosely striate, solid.
On heaps of straw and dung, sawdust, etc.
Color verging on bay when old. Stem and margin of gills at length with a tawny tinge. Fries.
Haddonfield, New Jersey, Bell’s Mill, sawdust, 1890; Mt. Gretna, Pa., August, 1898, among sawdust from ice-house. =Caps= 6 in. across. =Stem= easily split, exterior hard, fibrillose, streaked, whitish, shining, stuffed with cottony fibers. =Spores= dark pink. McIlvaine.
Equal to P. cervinus.
=P. umbro´sus= Pers.—shady, from its dark color. =Pileus= fleshy, at first bell-shaped, then convex or expanded, roughly wrinkled and more or less villose on the disk, fimbriate on the margin, blackish-brown. =Gills= broad, somewhat ventricose, at first whitish, then flesh-colored, blackish-brown and fringed or toothed on the edge. =Stem= solid, colored like or paler than the pileus, fibrillose or villose-squamose. =Spores= elliptical, 8×5µ.
Decaying woods and swamps, especially of pine, both in shaded and open places. Not rare. Peck, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=Spores= broadly elliptical, smooth, 6–7×5µ; cystidia ventricose, 65–75×18–20µ Massee.
New York, Peck, Rep. 32, 38; West Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New Jersey, frequent on decaying logs, stumps, pine and other woods. McIlvaine.
At times the caps are a deep sepia-brown. It is readily distinguished from P. cervinus by the wrinkled, downy disk of the cap and the gills having dark-brown edges. Smell rather strong. Professor Peck says he has not seen it with the margin fimbriate. Neither have I, though this is prominent in the European species.
P. umbrosus is a fine species, equal in every way to P. cervinus, which is seldom excelled. Caps only are tender.
=P. pelli´tus= Fr. =Pileus= 1–2 in. across. =Flesh= thin, soft, white, convex then plane, somewhat umbonate, regular, silky-fibrous, dry, white. =Gills= free, rounded behind, crowded, 1½ line broad, ventricose, white then flesh-color, margin slightly toothed. =Stem= about 2 in. long, 2–3 lines thick, slightly thickened at the base, even, glabrous, shining, white, stuffed. =Spores= elliptical, smooth, 10×6µ.
Among grass at the roots of trees, etc.
Our only Pluteus with a pure white, even pileus and stem. Superficially resembling Entoloma prunuloides, which differs in the broadly emarginate—not free—gills, and in the strong smell of new meal. Massee.
Mt. Gretna, Pa., October, 1898. McIlvaine.
=Pileus= up to 3 in. across. =Gills= ¼ in. broad, free, moist, imbricated. =Stem= up to 5 in. long, easily detachable from cap, solid, juicy, solitary and cespitose. On very old sawdust, upon which grass was growing.
Tender, excellent.
** Pileus frosted, etc.
=P. granula´ris= Pk.—sprinkled with grains. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, subumbonate, rugose-wrinkled, granulose or granulose-villose, varying in color from yellow to brown. =Lamellæ= rather broad, crowded, ventricose, whitish, then flesh colored. =Stem= equal, solid, colored like the pileus, often paler at the top, velvety-pubescent, rarely scaly. =Spores= subglobose or broadly elliptical, 6.5–8×5–6.5µ.
=Plant= 1.5–3 in. high. =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 lines thick.
Decaying wood and prostrate trunks in woods. Hilly and mountainous districts. June to September.
The species is closely related to P. cervinus and P. umbrosus, but is readily distinguished from them by the peculiar vesture of the pileus and stem. The granules are so minute and so close that they form a sort of plush on the pileus, more dense on the disk and radiating wrinkles than elsewhere. The clothing of the stem is finer, and has a velvety-pubescent appearance, but in some instances it breaks up into small scales or squamules. The color of the pileus and stem is usually some shade of yellow or brown, but occasionally a grayish hue predominates. The darker color of the granules imparts a dingy or smoky tinge to the general color. The disk is often darker than the rest of the pileus. Peck, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
West Virginia mountains. Eagle’s Mere and Springton Hills, Pa.
Frequent. July to October, on decaying wood. McIlvaine.
P. granularis is a much smaller species than P. cervinus and its allies. At Eagle’s Mere, Pa., August, 1898, it was quite plentiful in mixed woods. Its caps are excellent.
*** Pileus naked.
=P. admira´bilis= Pk.—admirable. =Pileus= thin, convex or expanded, generally broadly umbonate, glabrous, rugose-reticulated, moist or hygrophanous, striatulate on the margin when moist, often obscurely striate when dry, yellow or brown. =Lamellæ= close, broad, rounded behind, ventricose, whitish or yellowish, then flesh-colored. =Stem= slender, glabrous, hollow, equal or slightly thickened at the base, yellow or yellowish white, with a white mycelium. =Spores= subglobose or broadly elliptical, 6.5–8×6.5µ.
Var. fus´cus. =Pileus= brown or yellowish-brown.
=Plant= 1–2 in. high. =Pileus= 6–10 lines broad. =Stem= .5–1 line thick.
Decaying wood and prostrate trunks in forests. Common in hilly and mountainous districts. July to September.
This beautiful Pluteus is closely related to P. chrysophlebius B. and R., a southern species, which, according to the description, has the veins of the pileus darker colored than the rest of the surface and the stem enlarged above and hairy at the base, characters not shown by our plant.
In our plant small young specimens sometimes have the stem solid, but when fully developed it is hollow, though the cavity is small. This character, with its small size, distinguishes it from P. leoninus. Peck, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Springton Hills, Chester county, Pa., Mt. Gretna, Pa. Frequent. June to frost. McIlvaine.
Possesses the same rare edible qualities as P. cervinus, P. umbrosus. The caps, only, are tender.
=P. chrysophæ´us= Schaeff. Gr—gold. =Pileus= 1–2½ in. across. =Flesh= very thin except at the disk, bell-shaped then expanded, glabrous, naked, slightly wrinkled, margin striate, cinnamon-color. =Gills= free, 2–3 lines broad, whitish then pale salmon-color. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 2–3 lines thick, whitish, glabrous, equal, more or less hollow.
On beech trunks, etc.
Resembling P. leoninus in size, but differing in the cinnamon color of the pileus, which is often obtusely umbonate. Massee.
=Spores= 5µ W.P.
Haddonfield, N.J. June to October, beech roots and trunks. McIlvaine.
Excellent.
=ENTOLO´MA= Fr.
Gr—within; Gr—a fringe. (Probably referring to the innate character of the pseudo veil.)
=Pileus= rather fleshy, margin incurved, without a distinct veil. =Stem= fleshy or fibrous, soft, sometimes waxy, continuous with the flesh of the pileus. =Gills= sinuate, adnexed, often separating from the stem. =Spores= rosy, elliptical, smooth or subglobose and coarsely warted.
Corresponding in structure with Tricholoma, Hebeloma and Hypholoma; separated from other rosy-spored genera by the sinuate gills.
About twenty species of Entoloma are given in the states; of them seventeen are described by Professor Peck, as found in New York. I have not found a single species in sufficient quantity to test its edibility.
Two of the European species, E. sinuata Fr. and E. livida Bull., are reputed to be very poisonous, producing headache, dizziness, vomiting, etc. Worthington Smith ate ¼ oz., which nearly proved fatal.
Professor Peck reports a species, E. grande Pk., which he considers suspicious.
Even the reported poisonous species have a pleasant odor corresponding to those of the esculent species. This makes them the more deceptive and dangerous. The pinkish or flesh-colored spores and gills distinguish Entoloma from Hebeloma, which has brown spores, and Tricholoma, which has white. Pluteus, which has pink spores and gills, is readily separated from it.
Great caution should be observed. Entolomas should be thrown away or carefully tested.
ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.
GENUI´NI (genuine, typical species). Page 251.
Pileus smooth, moist or viscid; not hygrophanous.
LEPTONI´DEI (inclining to Leptonia).
Pileus flocculose or squamulose; absolutely dry.
NOLANI´DEI (inclining to Nolanea). Page 252.
Pileus thin, hygrophanous, somewhat silky when dry.
I.—GENUI´NI.
=E. gran´de= Pk.—=Pileus= fleshy, thin toward the margin, glabrous, nearly plane when mature, commonly broadly umbonate and rugosely wrinkled about the umbo, moist in wet weather, dingy yellowish-white verging to brownish or grayish-brown. =Flesh= white, odor and flavor farinaceous. =Lamellæ= broad, subdistant, slightly adnexed, becoming free or nearly so, often wavy or uneven on the edge, whitish becoming flesh-colored with maturity. =Stem= equal or nearly so, solid, somewhat fibrous externally, mealy at the top, white. =Spores= angular, 3–10µ.
=Pileus= 4–6 in. broad. =Stem= 4–6 in. long, 8–12 lines thick.
Thin mixed woods. Menands. August.
The flavor of this mushroom is not at first disagreeable, but an unpleasant burning sensation is left in the mouth for a considerable time after tasting. It is therefore to be regarded with suspicion. Peck, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
SUSPICIOUS. I have not seen this species. It is given that it may be guarded against until tested for edibility.
(Plate LXII.)
=E. sinua´tum= Fr.—waved. =Pileus= 6 in. broad, becoming yellow-white, very fleshy, convex then expanded, at first gibbous, at length depressed, repand and sinuate at the margin. =Stem= 3–6 in. long, 1 in. thick, solid, firm, stout, equal, compact, at first fibrillose, then smooth, naked, shining white. =Gills= emarginate, slightly adnexed, ½-¾ in. broad, crowded, distinct, pale yellowish-red. Fries.
Gregarious, compact, handsome.
Odor strong, pleasant, almost like that of burnt sugar, not of new meal. The pileus becomes broken into squamules when dry. There is a variety with a shorter stem.
In mixed woods. Uncommon. July to October.
The gills are often irregular in their attachment. Very poisonous; producing headache, swimming of the brain, stomach pains, vomiting, etc. Worthington Smith, who first experimented with it, ate about ¼ oz., which very nearly proved fatal. Stevenson.
=Spores= 9µ W.G.S.
Rhode Island, Olney (Curtis Am. Jour.); Massachusetts, Sprague; Connecticut, Wright; Minnesota, Johnson; New York, Peck, Rep. 35.
“This and E. fertilis, which are closely allied, are deserving of more than suspicion, for they are veritably dangerous.” Cooke.
“Wholesome and very good to eat.” Cordier.
In the presence of such opposite opinions it is better to choose the safer. Do not eat it.
=E. prunulo´ides= Fr.—prunus, a plum. =Pileus= 2 in. and more broad, whitish, becoming yellow or livid, fleshy, bell-shaped then convex, at length flattened, somewhat umbonate, unequal (but not repand), even, viscid, smooth, at length longitudinally cracked, at length slightly striate at margin. =Stem= 3 in. long, 3–4 lines thick, fibrous-fleshy, solid, equal, even or slightly striate, smooth, naked, white. =Gills= somewhat free, emarginate, rarely rounded, at first only slightly adnexed, 3–4 lines broad, crowded, ventricose, white then flesh-color. Fries.
Odor strong of new meal, wholly that of A. prunulus. Very scattered in growth. Like A. lividus, but very different, thrice as small. It differs entirely from A. cervinus.
On the ground in woods. Autumn. =Spores= subglobose, coarsely warted, 10µ Massee; regularly six-angled or one angle more marked, 8µ B.; 9µ W.P.
North Carolina, dry swamps, Curtis; Minnesota, Johnson.
POISONOUS. Roze.
I have not seen this species. Do not eat it before carefully testing.
III.—NOLANI´DEI.
Pileus thin, hygrophanous, repand, etc.
=E. clypea´tum= Linn.—resembling a shield. =Pileus= as much as 3 in. broad, lurid when moist, when dry gray and variegated or streaked with darker spots or lines, fleshy, bell-shaped then flattened, umbonate, smooth, fragile. =Flesh= thin, white when dry. =Stem= almost 3 in. long, 3–4 lines and more thick, stuffed, at length hollow, wholly fibrous, equal, round, fragile, longitudinally fibrillose, becoming ash-colored, pulverulent at the very apex. =Gills= rounded-adnexed, separating-free, 3–4 lines broad, ventricose, somewhat distant, dingy, then red-pulverulent with the spores, serrulated at the edge chiefly behind.
It has occurred in May cespitose; better developed and solitary in the end of August.
In woods, gardens and waste places. Frequent. Spring, autumn. Stevenson.
North Carolina, Schweinitz, Curtis; Ohio, Morgan; New England, Frost; California, H. and M.; Rhode Island, Bennett; New York, Peck, Rep. 23.
POISONOUS. Leuba.
I have not seen this species. It should not be eaten before careful testing.
=E. rhodopo´lium= Fr. Gr—rose; Gr—gray. =Pileus= 2–5 in. broad, hygrophanous, when moist dingy-brown (young) or livid, becoming pale (when full grown), when dry isabelline-livid, silky-shining, slightly-fleshy, bell-shaped when young, then expanded and somewhat umbonate or gibbous, at length rather plane and sometimes depressed, fibrillose when young, smooth when full grown, margin at the first bent inwards and when larger undulated. =Flesh= white. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 3–5 lines thick, hollow, equal when smaller, when larger attenuated upwards and white-pruinate at the apex, otherwise smooth, slightly striate, white. =Gills= adnate then separating, somewhat sinuate, slightly distant, 2–4 lines broad, white then rose-color. Fries.
Fragile, commonly large and often handsome, almost inodorous.
In mixed woods. Frequent. August to October.
=Spores= pretty regular, 8–10×6–8µ B.; 7µ W.G.S.
New England, Frost; Minnesota, Johnson; Iowa, Br[oe]ndle; Rhode Island, Bennett; Ohio, Morgan; New York, Peck, Rep. 23d, 38th, A. rhodopolius, var. umbilicatus Pk., the same as Clitopilus subvilis Pk., Rep. 40.
Edible. Paulet. Edible. Cooke.
FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE.
1. CLITOPILUS ABORTIVUS, 257 4. CLITOPILUS PRUNULUS, 255
2. CLITOPILUS ABORTIVUS 256 5. CLITOPILUS PRUNULUS 255 (ABORTED), (SECTION),
3. CLITOPILUS ABORTIVUS 258 (ABORTED) (SECTION),
=CLITOPI´LUS= Fr.
Gr—a declivity; Gr—a cap.
(Plate LXIV.)
=Pileus= more or less excentric or regular, margin at first involute. =Gills= more or less decurrent, never sinuate nor seceding from the stem, salmon-color. =Stem= fleshy or fibrous, not polished and cartilaginous externally, central, expanded upward into the flesh of the pileus. =Spores= smooth or warted.
Closely resembling Eccilia, differing mostly in the stem not being cartilaginous at the surface. Distinguished from Entoloma by the gills not being sinuate.
Agrees in structure with Clitocybe in the Leucosporæ. Massee.
Growing on the ground, often strong smelling. Caps usually depressed or umbilicate and waved on margin.
Some of the best of edible kinds are within this genus; a few are unpleasant raw, none poisonous.
Most authors follow Fries in the arrangement of the species, dividing them into two groups, the Orcelli, distinguished by deeply decurrent gills and an irregular, scarcely hygrophanous pileus, with the margin at first flocculose; and Sericelli, distinguished by adnate or slightly decurrent gills and a regular silky or hygrophanous-silky pileus with a naked margin. This arrangement is not strictly applicable to some of our species. C. abortivus, C. erythrosporus and C. Noveaboracensis have the gills deeply decurrent in some individuals, adnate or slightly decurrent in others, and therefore the same species might be sought in both groups. For this reason the primary grouping of our species has been made to depend upon the variation in the spore colors. By far the greater number of our species appear to be peculiar to this country, only two of them occurring also in Europe.
ANALYSIS OF SPECIES.
Spores and mature gills flesh-colored 1
Spores and mature gills rosy-red 9
Spores very pale flesh-colored 10
1. Pileus hygrophanous 8
1. Pileus not hygrophanous 2
2. Pileus gray or grayish-brown 5
2. Pileus some other color 3
3. Pileus white or whitish 4
3. Pileus pale tan-color C. pascuensis
4. Pileus firm, dry, pruinate C. prunulus
4. Pileus soft, slightly viscid when moist C. Orcella
5. Pileus large, more than 1.5 in. broad C. abortivus
5. Pileus small, less than 1.5 in. broad 6
6. Spores even C. unitinctus
6. Spores angular 7
7. Stem longer than the width of the zoneless C. albogriseus pileus
7. Stem shorter than the width of the commonly C. micropus zonate pileus
8. Pileus brown or grayish-brown C. subvilis
8. Pileus white or yellowish-white C. Woodianus
9. Stem colored like the pileus C. erythrosporus
9. Stem white, paler than the pileus C. conissans
10. Pileus even 11
10. Pileus rivulose C. Noveboracensis
11. Stems cespitose, solid C. cæspitosus
11. Stems not cespitose, hollow C. Seymourianus
Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
SPORES FLESH-COLOR.
A. SPORES EVEN.
=C. pru´nulus= Scop.—prunus, plum. (Plate LXIII, fig. 4, 5, p. 254.) =Pileus= fleshy, compact, at first convex and regular, then repand, dry, pruinate, white or ashy-white. =Flesh= white, unchangeable, with a pleasant farinaceous odor. =Gills= deeply decurrent, subdistant, flesh-colored. =Stem= solid, naked, striate, white. =Spores= subelliptical, pointed at each end, 10–11×5–6µ.
=Pileus= 1.5–3 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 3–4 lines thick.
Woods.
Not abundant, but edible, and said to be delicious and one of the best of the esculent species. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
June to October. Most plentiful in August and September.
Very plentiful in oak woods at Angora, West Philadelphia, moderate crops at Mt. Gretna, Pa.
An abortive form (see Plate LXIII, fig. 2, 3, p. 254) occurs not distinguishable from that of Armillaria mellea. It grows singly and in tufts, very variable in shape, white, tinged with brown on ruptured surfaces. This form equals its original.
C. prunulus has a strong smell of fresh meal. It is a delicious species.
Stew. It is one of the very best in patties, croquettes, etc.
(Plate LXV.)
=C. Orcel´la= Bull.—=Pileus= fleshy, soft, plane or slightly depressed, often irregular, even when young, slightly silky, somewhat viscid when moist, white or yellowish-white. =Flesh= white, taste and odor farinaceous. =Gills= deeply decurrent, close, whitish then flesh-colored. =Stem= short, solid, flocculose, often eccentric, thickened above, white. =Spores= elliptical, 9–10×5µ.
Generally a little smaller than the preceding species, softer and more irregular, but so closely allied that by some it is considered a mere variety of it. It is said to be edible and of delicate flavor. It occurs in wet weather in pastures and open places. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Grows in oak woods, Angora, West Philadelphia; Mt. Gretna, Pa.
Qualities same as C. prunulus. Delicious.
=C. pascuen´sis= Pk.—pasture. =Pileus= fleshy, compact, centrally depressed, glabrous, reddish or pale yellowish, the cuticle of the disk cracking into minute areas. =Gills= rather narrow, close, decurrent, whitish, becoming flesh-colored. =Stem= short, equal or tapering downward, solid, glabrous, colored like the pileus. =Spores= subelliptical, pale incarnate, 7.5–10×5–6µ.
=Pileus= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 8–18 lines long, 4–6 lines thick.
Pastures. Saratoga county.
The species is related to C. prunulus from which it is distinct by its shorter, paler spores, its glabrous pileus cracked in areas on the disk and tinged with red or yellowish and by its paler gills. From C. pseudo-orcella it differs in its glabrous pileus with no silky luster and in its closer gills. Its odor is obsolete but it has a farinaceous flavor. It is probably esculent, but has not been found in sufficient quantity to afford a test of qualities. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=C. unitinct´us= Pk.—one-colored. =Pileus= thin, submembranaceous, flexible, convex or nearly plane, centrally depressed or umbilicate, glabrous, subshining, often concentrically rivulose, grayish or grayish-brown. =Flesh= whitish or grayish-white, odor obsolete, taste mild. =Gills= narrow, moderately close, adnate or slightly decurrent, colored like the pileus. =Stem= slender, straight or flexuous, subtenacious, equal, slightly pruinose, grayish-brown, with a close white myceloid tomentum at the base and white root-like fibers of mycelium permeating the soil. =Spores= elliptical, 7.5×5µ.
Var. al´bidus. Whitish or grayish-white, not rivulose. Gills broader. Spores brownish flesh-color.
=Pileus= 6–16 lines broad. Stem about 1 in. long, 1 line thick.
Woods of pine or balsam. Albany and Essex counties. Autumn.
The variety is a little paler than the typical form, with gills a little broader, but is probably not specifically distinct. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
I have not seen this species. Edibility not reported.
B. SPORES ANGULAR OR IRREGULAR.
1. Pileus not hygrophanous.
=C. aborti´vus= B. and C.—abortive. (Plate LXIII, fig. 1, 2, 3, p. 254.) =Pileus= fleshy, firm, convex or nearly plane, regular or irregular, dry, clothed with a minute silky tomentum, becoming smooth with age, gray or grayish-brown. =Flesh= white, taste and odor subfarinaceous. =Gills= thin, close, slightly or deeply decurrent, at first whitish or pale gray, then flesh-colored. =Stem= nearly equal, solid, minutely flocculose, sometimes fibrous-striated, colored like or paler than the pileus. =Spores= irregular, 7.5–10×6.5µ.
=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–3 in. long, 3–6 lines thick.
Ground and old prostrate trunks of trees in woods and open places. August and September.
Our species has been found to be edible, but its flavor is scarcely as agreeable as that of some other species. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
It requires longer cooking than C. prunulus, and is then quite equal in excellence.
The fungus is so named because of the abortive form of it frequently found associated with it. This is faithfully portrayed on Plate LXIII. This is in every way similar to the aborted forms of C. prunulus and Armillaria mellea.
Both forms plentiful near Philadelphia. The undeveloped masses are also similar to those of C. prunulus.
The abortive form is a superior edible to the original.
=C. popina´lis= Fr.—popina, a cook-shop. =Pileus= 1–2 in. across, flesh thin, flaccid, convex then depressed, somewhat wavy, glabrous, opaque, gray, spotted and marbled. =Flesh= grayish-white, unchangeable. =Gills= very decurrent, broader than the thickness of the flesh of the pileus, lanceolate, crowded, dark-gray, at length reddish from the spores. =Stem= stuffed, 1–2 in. long, 2 lines thick, equal, often flexuous, naked, paler than the pileus. =Spores= subglobose, slightly angular, 4–5µ Massee.
Solitary or gregarious, smell pleasant like new meal, entirely gray. Fries.
Woods. Gansevoort. July. The whole plant is of a grayish color except the mature gills, which have a flesh-colored hue, and the base of the stem, which is clothed with a white tomentum. It has a farinaceous odor. Peck, 51st Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Scattered. Mt. Gretna, Pa. September to November. McIlvaine.
Edible, pleasant.
=C. carneo-al´bus= Wither.—light flesh color. =Pileus= up to 1 in. across, convex then expanded, center becoming depressed and the margin drooping, even, polished, white, the disk becoming usually tinged with red. =Flesh= thin. =Gills= slightly decurrent, 1 line broad, crowded, salmon color. =Stem= 1–1½ in. long, 1 line thick, about equal, solid, white. =Spores= globose, nodulose, 7–8µ diameter.
Inodorous; gregarious.
In the section given in Cke. Illustr., the stem is represented as being distinctly hollow. Massee.
New York, shaded ground. June. Peck, 45th Rep.
=C. al´bogri´seus= Pk.—pale-gray. =Pileus= firm, convex or slightly depressed, glabrous, pale-gray, odor farinaceous. =Gills= moderately close, adnate or slightly decurrent, grayish then flesh-colored. =Stem= solid, colored like the pileus. =Spores= angular or irregular, 10–11×7.5µ.
=Pileus= 6–12 lines broad. =Stem= 1.5–2.5 in. long, 1–2 lines thick.
Woods. Adirondack mountains. August. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Scattered. Mt. Gretna, Pa., woods. August to October. McIlvaine.
Edible, pleasant.
=C. mi´cropus= Pk.—short-stemmed. =Pileus= thin, fragile, convex or centrally depressed, umbilicate, silky, gray, usually with one or two narrow zones on the margin, odor farinaceous. =Gills= narrow, close, adnate or slightly decurrent, gray, becoming flesh-colored. =Stem= short, solid, slightly thickened at the top, pruinose, gray with a white mycelium at the base. =Spores= angular or irregular, 10×6µ.
=Pileus= 6–12 lines broad. =Stem= 8–10 lines long, 1 line thick.
Thin woods. Essex and Rensselaer counties. August.
This species is closely allied to the preceding one, but may be separated from it by its short stem and silky umbilicate subzonate pileus. Both species are rare and have been observed only in wet, rainy weather. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Scattered markedly umbilicate. Mt. Gretna, Pa., woods. August, September. McIlvaine.
Edible, pleasant.
2. Pileus hygrophanous.
=C. subvi´lis= Pk.—small value. =Pileus= thin, centrally depressed or umbilicate, with the margin decurved, hygrophanous, dark-brown and striatulate on the margin when moist, grayish-brown and silky shining when dry, taste farinaceous. =Gills= subdistant, adnate or slightly decurrent, whitish when young, then flesh-colored. =Stem= slender, brittle, rather long, stuffed or hollow, glabrous, colored like the pileus or a little paler. =Spores= angular, 7.5–10µ.
=Pileus= 8–15 lines broad. =Stem= 1.5–3 in. long, 1–2 lines thick.
Damp soil in thin woods. Albany county. October.
The species is allied to C. vilis, from which it is separated by its silky-shining pileus, subdistant gills and farinaceous taste. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Scattered. Mt. Gretna, Pa. September to November. McIlvaine.
Edible, pleasant.
=C. Wood´ianus= Pk. =Pileus= thin, convex or nearly plane, umbilicate or centrally depressed, hygrophanous, striatulate on the margin when moist, whitish or yellowish-white and shining when dry, the margin often wavy or flexuous. =Gills= close, adnate or slightly decurrent, whitish, then flesh-colored. =Stem= equal, flexuous, shining, solid, colored like the pileus. =Spores= subglobose, angular, 6–7.5µ.
=Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 2 lines thick.
Ground and decayed prostrate trunks in woods. Lewis county. September.
This species is perhaps too closely allied to the preceding, but it may easily be separated by its paler color, closer gills and solid stem, though this is sometimes hollow from the erosion of insects. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=C. Un´derwoodii= Pk.—in honor of L.M. Underwood. =Pileus= rather thin but fleshy, nearly plane or slightly depressed in the center, even, whitish. =Gills= narrow, close, slightly decurrent, pale flesh-colored. =Stem= rather short, equal or slightly tapering upward, solid, whitish. =Spores= subglobose, 4–5µ long.
=Pileus= 6–18 lines broad. =Stem= about 1 in. long and 2 lines thick.
Syracuse and Jamesville. September and October. L.M. Underwood. Peck, 49th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
SPORES ROSY-RED.
=C. erythro´sporus= Pk. Gr—red-spored. =Pileus= thin, hemispherical or strongly convex, glabrous or merely pruinose, pinkish-gray. =Flesh= whitish tinged with pink, taste farinaceous. =Gills= narrow, crowded, arcuate, deeply decurrent, colored like the pileus. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering upward, hollow, slightly pruinose at the top, colored like the pileus. =Spores= elliptical, 5×3–4µ.
=Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 1–1.5 in. long, 2–3 lines thick.
Decayed wood and among fallen leaves in woods. Albany and Ulster counties. September and October.
The species is easily recognized by its peculiar uniform color, its narrow, crowded and generally very decurrent gills and by its bright rosy-red spores. Sometimes individuals occur in which the gills are less decurrent. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Mt. Gretna, Pa., among fallen leaves. Sparsely gregarious. September to November. McIlvaine.
Edible, good.
=C. conis´sans= Pk.—dusted. =Pileus= thin, convex, glabrous, pale alutaceous, often dusted by the copious spores. =Gills= close, adnate, reddish-brown. =Stem= slender, brittle, hollow, cespitose, white. =Spores= narrowly elliptical, 7.5×4µ.
=Pileus= 1–1.5 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 1–2 lines thick.
Base of an apple tree. Catskill mountains. September.
Remarkable for the bright rosy-red spores which are sometimes so thickly dusted over the lower pilei of a tuft as to conceal their real color. The species is very rare. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
SPORES VERY PALE FLESH-COLORED, MERELY TINTED.
=C. cæspito´sus= Pk.—tufted. =Pileus= at first convex, firm, nearly regular, shining, white, then nearly plane, fragile, often irregular or eccentric, glabrous but with a slight silky luster, even, whitish. =Flesh= white, taste mild. =Gills= narrow, thin, crowded, often forked, adnate or slightly decurrent, whitish, becoming dingy or brownish-pink. =Stems= cespitose, solid, silky-fibrillose, slightly mealy at the top, white. =Spores= 5×4µ.
=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–3 in. long, 2–4 lines thick.
Thin woods and pastures. Ulster county. September.
This is a large, fine species, very distinct by its cespitose habit, white color and very pale sordid-tinted spores. But for the color of these the plant might easily be taken for a species of Clitocybe. The tufts sometimes form long rows. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Mt. Gretna, Pa. October. McIlvaine.
Tender, not much flavor.
=C. Noveboracen´sis= Pk.—New York Clitopilus. =Pileus= thin, convex, then expanded or slightly depressed, dingy white, cracked in areas or concentrically rivulose, sometimes obscurely zonate, odor farinaceous, taste bitter. =Gills= narrow, close, deeply decurrent, some of them forked, white, becoming dingy, tinged with yellow or flesh-color. =Stem= equal, solid, colored like the pileus, the mycelium white, often forming white branching root-like fibers. =Spores= globose, 4–5µ broad.
Var. brevis. Margin of the pileus, in the moist plant, pure white. =Gills= adnate or slightly decurrent. =Stem= short.
=Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 1–3 lines thick.
Woods and pastures. Adirondack mountains, Albany and Rensselaer counties. August to October.
The plant is gregarious or cespitose. Sometimes, especially in the variety, it grows in lines or arcs of circles. The margin is often undulated, and in the variety it is, when fresh and moist, clothed with a film of interwoven webby white fibrils which give it a peculiar appearance, and if the spore characters are neglected it might be mistaken for Clitocybe phyllophila. The disk is often tinged with reddish-yellow or rusty hues when moist, and its rivulose character is then more distinct. A farinaceous odor is generally present, especially in the broken or bruised plant, but its taste is bitter and unpleasant. Sometimes bruises of the fresh plant manifest a tendency to assume a smoky-brown or blackish color. The base of the stem is sometimes clothed with a white mycelioid tomentum. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=C. Sey´mourianus= Pk.—=Pileus= fleshy, thin, broadly convex or slightly depressed, even, pruinose, whitish with a dark lilac tinge, sometimes lobed and eccentric. =Gills= narrow, crowded, decurrent, some of them forked at the base, whitish with a pale flesh-colored tint. =Stem= equal, silky-fibrillose, hollow. =Spores= minute, globose or nearly so, 3.5–4µ long.
=Pileus= 1–2.5 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–2.5 in. long, 3–4 lines thick.
Woods. Lewis county. September. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=LEPTO´NIA= Fr.
Gr—slender.
(Plate LXVI.)
Rosy-spored. =Stem= cartilaginous, tubular (the tube stuffed or hollow), polished, somewhat shining. =Pileus= thin, umbilicate or with a darker disk, cuticle fibrillose or separating into darker scales, margin at first incurved. =Gills= at first adnexed or adnate but readily separating. Fries.
The Leptoniæ are related to the Clitopili as the Collybiæ are to the Clitocybæ. The species are small, elegant, brightly colored, inodorous (except A. incanus), and abound in rainy weather. Gregarious or growing in troops; on the ground, commonly on dry mossy pastures, but also in marshy places. Stevenson.
Six American species reported. I have not seen any.
=NOLA´NEA= Fr.
Nola, a little bell.
(Plate LXVII.)
Rosy-spored. =Stem= tubed, the tube more rarely stuffed with a pith, cartilaginous. =Pileus= somewhat membranaceous, bell-shaped, somewhat papillate, striate and sometimes even, sometimes also clothed with flocci, margin straight and at the first pressed to the stem, and not involute. =Gills= free or adfixed, and not decurrent. Fries.
Nolanea agrees with Leptonia and Eccilia among the pink-spored species. It corresponds with Mycena, Galera and Psathyra. Several Entolomata are nearly allied. The species are thin and slender, commonly inodorous and fragile, though some of them are tough. Growing on the ground in summer and autumn. Stevenson.
Seven American species reported. None seen by writer. Peck, Rep. 24, 26, 35, 39, 50.
=ECCI´LIA= Fr.
Gr—I hollow out.
(Plate LXVIII.)
=Stem= cartilaginous, tubular (the tube hollow or stuffed), expanded upward into the pileus, which is somewhat membranaceous and at the first turned inward at the margin. =Gills= attenuated behind, truly decurrent, becoming more so when the pileus is depressed, and not separating as those of Nolanea.
Corresponding in structure with Omphalia of the white-spored and Tubaria of the brown-spored series. Allied to Clitopilus in the decurrent gills, but separated by the cartilaginous, smooth stem.
(Plate LXIX.)
=E. car´neo-gri´sea= B. and Br.—caro, flesh; griseus, gray. =Pileus= about 1 in. broad, gray flesh-color, umbilicate, striate, delicately dotted, margin slightly glittering with dark particles. =Stem= about 1½ in. long, slender, fibrous-hollow upward, wavy, of the same color as the pileus, shining, smooth, white-downy at the base. =Gills= adnato-decurrent, somewhat undulated, distant, rosy, the irregular margin darker. Stevenson.
=Spores= irregularly oblong, rough, 7×5µ Massee.
Nova Scotia, Dr. Somers.
New Jersey, E.B. Sterling, August, 1897; Eagle’s Mere, Pa., common under pines, McIlvaine.
This neat little species is sweet and pleasant raw, and when cooked makes an agreeable dish. European authorities give the taste as unpleasant, but there is nothing of the sort about the American representative.
=CLAU´DOPUS= Smith.
Claudus—lame; pous—a foot.
(Plate LXX.)
=Pileus= eccentric, lateral or resupinate. =Spores= pinkish.
The species of this genus were formerly distributed among the Pleuroti and Crepidoti, which they resemble in all respects except the color of the spores. The genus at first was made to include species with lilac-colored as well as pink spores, but Professor Fries limited it to species with pink spores. In this sense we have taken it. The spores in some species are even, in others rough or angulated. The stem is either entirely wanting or is very short and inconspicuous, a character indicated by the generic name. The pileus often rests upon its back and is attached by a point when young, but it becomes turned backward with age. The species are few and infrequent. All inhabit decaying wood.
SYNOPSIS OF THE SPECIES. Pileus yellow C. nidulans
Pileus white or whitish 1
1. Spores even C. variabilis
1. Spores angulated. C. depluens
Pileus gray or brown 2
2. Pileus striatulate when C. Greigensis moist
2. Pileus not striatulate C. byssisedus
Peck, 39th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=C. ni´dulans= Pers.—nidus, a nest. =Pileus= 1–3 in. broad, stemless, attached by the pileus or rarely narrowed behind into a short stem-like base, caps often overlapping one another, suborbicular or kidney-shaped, downy, somewhat pointed-hairy or scaly-hairy toward the margin, yellow or buff color, the margin at first turned inward. =Lamellæ= rather broad, moderately close or subdistant, orange-yellow. =Spores= even, slightly curved, 6–8µ long, about half as broad, delicate pink.
Decaying wood. Sandlake. Catskill and Adirondack mountains. Autumn.
This fungus was placed by Fries among the Pleuroti, and in this he has been followed by most authors. But the spores have a delicate pink color closely resembling that of the young lamellæ of the common mushroom, Agaricus campestris. We have, therefore, placed it among the Claudopodes, where Fries himself has suggested it should be placed if removed at all from Pleurotus. Our plant has sometimes been referred to Panus dorsalis Bosc., but with the description of that species it does not well agree. The tawny-color, spoon-shaped pileus, pale floccose scales, short lateral stem and decurrent lamellæ ascribed to that species are not well shown by our plant. The substance of the pileus, though rather tenacious and persistent, can scarcely be called leathery. The flesh is white or pale yellow. The hairy down of the pileus is often matted in small tufts and intermingled with coarse hairs, especially toward the margin. This gives a scaly or pointed-hairy appearance. The color of the pileus is often paler toward the base than it is on the margin. Peck, 39th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Mt. Gretna, Pa., November, 1898, decaying stumps. McIlvaine.
An autumnal species growing upon wood. Not common.
The light yellow tomentosity of the cap arranges itself into shapes as fascinating as crystals of snow.
Taste pleasant, mild. Texture more solid than P. ostreatus, consequently tougher. It is edible but not desirable. Must be chopped fine and cooked well.
FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE. 1. HEBELOMA GLUTINOSUM, 283 3. PHOLIOTA SQUARROSA, 273 2. PHOLIOTA CAPERATA, 270 4. PHOLIOTA SUBSQUARROSA, 275
Hymenophore distinct from fleshy stem.
ACETABULARIA. BOLBITIUS.
Hymenophore confluent and homogenous with fleshy stem.
CORTINARIUS. PHOLIOTA. INOCYBE. HEBELOMA. FLAMMULA. PAXILLUS. CREPIDOTUS.
Hymenophore confluent with, but heterogeneous from cartilaginous stem.
NAUCORIA. GALERA. PLUTEOLUS. TUBARIA.
Series III. =OCHRO´SPORÆ= (Dermini). Spores brown.
Ochrosporæ, third in color series, ranges in spore color from dull ochraceous, through bright ocher, to rusty orange and ferruginous or iron-rust. The various shades will tax even a color expert.
There are no species in the series corresponding to Amanitæ. In Acetabularia there is a cup-like volva; in Pholiota there is a distinct interwoven ring on the stem; in Cortinarius the secondary veil is like a cobweb, and may form an imperfect zone around the stem, or hang as fibers from the margin of the cap; Pluteolus exactly resembles Pluteus.
There are many edible species of good quality in the series. None are known to be poisonous. The substance, as a rule, is tougher than in most of the preceding genera, and in many instances has a strong woody flavor. Several species are late growers, and are among the best of fungi. Notably in Pholiota.
=ACETABULA´RIA= Berk.
Acetabulum, a vinegar-cup. From the cup-like volva.
Universal veil distinct from the pileus; hymenophore distinct; gills free; spores pallid, tawny or brown.
Analogous to Volvaria and Chitonia.
No American species reported.
=PHOLIO´TA= Fr.
Gr—a scale.
=Pileus= more or less fleshy. =Gills= adnate, with or without a decurrent tooth, tawny or rust colored at maturity from the spores. =Flesh= of stem continuous with that of the pileus. =Ring= distinct, interwoven. =Spores= sepia-brown, bright yellowish-brown or light red.
Generally on wood, sometimes on the ground in damp moss, frequently densely cespitose. Some of the species are large and bright colored. Distinguished from all other genera of the brown-spored series by the possession of a distinct ring. In Cortinarius the veil and ring are web-like.
Stevenson notes in his description of the genus: “None are to be commended as edible.” My investigation shows that there are several delicious species, notably P. squarrosa and subsquarrosa. Their lateness and plentifulness make them valuable food fungi. I have nothing but praise for the entire genus.
ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.
A. HUMIGENI (humus, ground; gigno, to bear). Page 270.
On the ground, rarely cespitose.
* Eudermini. Gr—well; dermini, the brown-spored series.
Spores ferruginous.
** Phæoti. Gr—dusky.
Spores dusky rust-colored.
B. TRUNCIGENI (truncus, a trunk; gigno, to bear). Page 273.
On wood; subcespitose.
* Ægeritini. P. ægerita, the type of the section.
Pileus naked, not scaly, sometimes cracked. Gills pallid, then reddish or dusky. None known to be edible.
** Squamosi—squama, a scale.
Pileus scaly, not hygrophanous. Gills becoming discolored.
* Gills not becoming purely rust-colored.
** Gills yellow, then rust-color or tawny.
*** Hygrophani. Gr—moist; to appear.
Gills cinnamon, not at first yellow.
C. MUSCIGENI (muscus, moss; gigno, to bear).
Hygrophanous. Like Galera with a ring.
A. HUMIGENI. On ground.
* Eudermini. Spores ferruginous.
=P. capera´ta= Pers.—capero, to wrinkle. (Plate LXXI, fig. 2, page 268.) =Pileus= 3–5 in. broad, more or less intensely yellow, fleshy, but thin in proportion to its size and robust stem, ovate then expanded, obtuse, viscid only when moist and not truly so, even at the disk, wrinkled in pits at the sides, incrusted with white superficial flocci. =Stem= 4–6 in. long, more than 1 in. thick, solid, stout, cylindrical with exception of the base which is often tuberous, shining white, scaly above the ring, which is membranaceous, reflexo-pendulous, and broken into squamules at the apex. =Gills= adnate, crowded, thin, somewhat serrated, clay-cinnamon.
When young the pileus is incrusted with the veil or with white mealy-floccose soft, hairy down, which is crowded on the even disk and scaly towards the thin pitted-furrowed margin; and as this separates the pileus is naked. Veil universal, floccoso-mealy, at the first cohering in the form of a volva but not continuous; in rainy weather remaining in the form of a volva at the base. =Spores= dark ferruginous on a white ground, paler on a black ground. There is a smaller form (A. macropus Pers.) in pine woods, pileus even and paler. =Stem= 3 in. long, and without a tuberous base. =Ring= oblique and often incomplete. Stev.
=Spores= 10µ B. and Br.; 12×4µ W.P.; spheroid-ellipsoid, uniguttate, 11–12×8–9µ K.; 12×4.5µ Massee.
Not previously reported.
This fungus occurs sparingly in rich woods near Boston. It is much esteemed in Germany, and eagerly sought by the common people, who call it familiarly the “Zigeuner” (Gypsy). Boston Myc. Club Bull. 1896.
I have found this species in but one place—on the south hill of the great Chester valley, Pa., where it grows plentifully in woods. The taste raw was slightly acrid, but when cooked this disappeared. Many ate of the species and enjoyed it.
=P. togula´ris= Bull.—togula, a little cloak. From the ample ring. =Pileus= 1½ in. broad, pallid ochraceous, fleshy, soft, bell-shaped then expanded, obtuse, orbicular, without striæ, smooth. =Flesh= thin, soft, becoming yellow. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, 2 lines thick, tubed, rigid, equal, cylindrical, rough with stiff fibers, naked and becoming yellow at the apex, becoming dingy brown downward. =Ring= medial, more than 1 in. distant, entire, spreading-reflexed. =Gills= adnato-separating, ventricose, crowded, narrowed in front, becoming yellow, at length pale rust-color, never becoming dingy brown.
Protean, slender, very variable in stature, growing in troops. b. More slender, but densely gregarious, with the wholly pallid smooth stem thinner, often flexuous. This form is exactly A. mesodactylus Berk. c. Very small. Pileus 1 in. =Stem= 1 in. or a little more, scarcely 1 line thick, very flexuous, becoming rust-color. Stevenson.
=Spores= elliptical, 8×3.5µ Massee.
New Jersey, on decayed chips mixed with dirt. May, 1898. E.B. Sterling.
Not previously reported.
The specimens sent were tested and found to be of good quality.
** Phæ´oti. Spores fuscous—ferruginous (dingy rust-color).
=P. du´ra= Bolt.—durus, hard. =Pileus= 3 in. and more broad, tawny, tan-color, becoming dingy brown, fleshy, somewhat compact, convexo-plane, obtuse, smooth, then cracked into patches, margin even. =Stem= commonly curt, 2 in. long, about ½ in. thick, stuffed, even solid, hard, becoming silky-even, then longitudinally cracked when dry, thickened at the apex, mealy and more than usually widened into the pileus, varying ventricose and irregularly-shaped. =Ring= torn. =Gills= adnate, striato-decurrent with a tooth, ventricose, ½ in. broad, livid then dingy rust-color.
The stem is abundantly furnished with fibrillose rootlets at the base. Although very closely allied to A. præcox, it is readily distinguished by its rust-color or brown-rust spores. Stevenson.
=Spores= 9×5µ W.G.S.; 8–9×5–6µ Massee.
Haddonfield, N.J. June to October. Florist’s garden, McIlvaine.
After rains P. dura appears, solitary, from spring to autumn. The cracked cap, in mature specimens, distinguishes it from other species found on its habitat. It varies in size from 1½ in. up to 4 in. across. The caps are excellent.
(Plate LXXII.)
=P. præ´cox= Pers.—præcox, early. =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad, convex or nearly plane, soft, nearly or quite glabrous, whitish, more or less tinged with yellow or tan-color. =Gills= close, adnexed, at first whitish, then brownish or rusty-brownish. =Stem= 1.5–3 in. long, 2–2.5 lines thick, rather slender, mealy or glabrous, stuffed or hollow, whitish. =Spores= elliptical, rusty-brown, 10–13×6–8µ.
The Early Pholiota is a small but variable species. From other similarly colored species that appear in grassy ground early in the season, the collar on the stem will generally distinguish it. Its cap is usually convex when young but nearly flat in the mature plant. It is rather pale in color but not a clear white, being tinted with yellow or pale tan-colored hues. The gills are whitish when the cap first opens, but they soon change to a rusty-brown hue in consequence of the ripening of the spores. They are excavated at the inner extremity and slightly attached to the stem. They are ventricose when the cap is fully expanded. The stem is rather slender, nearly or quite straight and soon smooth and hollow. It is pale or whitish, and usually furnished with a small collar. Sometimes the collar is slight and disappears with age and sometimes the fragments of the veil remain attached to the margin of the cap leaving nothing for a collar.
The plants usually grow in grassy ground, lawns and gardens, and appear from May to July.
Var. minor Batt. is a small form having the cap only about 1 in. broad and the remnants of the veil adherent to the margin of the cap. It is represented by figures 6 to 12.
Var. sylvestris Pk. has the center of the cap brownish or rusty-brown, and grows in thin woods. Peck, 49th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=Spores= inclining to fuscous, spheroid-ellipsoid, 8–13×5–7µ K.; 8×6µ W.G.S.; 8–13×6–7µ Massee.
West Virginia, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, May to August. On rich ground, lawns, gardens, etc. McIlvaine.
Coming as it does in early spring, it is a prized species wherever found.
The caps only are good.
B. TRUNCIGENI. On wood.
** Squamosi. Scaly.
(Plate LXXIII.)
=P. squarro´sa= Mull.—squarrosus, scurfy. (Plate LXXI, fig. 3, page 268.) =Pileus= 3–5 in. broad, saffron-rust-color, scaly with innate, crowded, revolute, darker (becoming dingy brown), persistent scales, fleshy, convex bell-shaped then flattened, commonly obtusely umbonate or gibbous, dry. =Flesh= light-yellow, compact when young, sometimes thin. =Stems= curt when young, as much as 8 in. long when full-grown, as much as 1 in. thick at the apex, remarkably attenuated downwards, stuffed, scaly as far as the ring with crowded, revolute, darker scales. =Ring= only slightly distant from the apex, rarely membranaceous, entire or often slashed, generally floccoso-radiate, of the same color as the scales. =Gills= adnate with a decurrent tooth, crowded, narrow, pallid-olivaceous then rust-color.
=Spores= ferruginous. Very cespitose, forming large heaps. Stems commonly cohering at the base, varying very much in stature in the same cluster; varying also much thinner, scarcely ever curved-ascending. Odor heavy, stinking; sometimes, however, obsolete. Stevenson.
=Spores= ellipsoid, 7–8x4–5µ K.; 4x5µ W.G.S.; 8x4µ Massee.
On trunks of trees, on and near stumps, etc. Common. August to December.
West Virginia, 1881–1885, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. On rotten wood and stumps. August to long after frost. McIlvaine.
Edible. Curtis.
The American species, as I have repeatedly found it, is not so large as given in the European description, and the habitat is more closely confined to the trunks of standing trees and stumps not much decayed. It is a showy species, to be seen from afar off, especially after the leaves fall. Taste when young, raw, is sweet, mealy; when mature, like stale lard.
Cooked, the caps are of good substance and flavor. One of the very best.
=P. squarrosoi´des= Pk.—squarrosus, scurfy; eidos, form. =Pileus= firm, convex, viscid when moist, at first densely covered by erect papillose or subspinose tawny scales, which soon separate from each other, revealing the whitish color and viscid character of the pileus. =Lamellæ= close, emarginate, at first whitish, then pallid or dull cinnamon color. =Stem= equal, firm, stuffed, rough with thick squarrose scales, white above the thick floccose ring, pallid or tawny below. =Spores= minute, elliptical, 5×4µ.
Densely cespitose, 3–6 in. high. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 3–5 lines thick.
Dead trunks and old stumps of maple. Adirondack and Catskill mountains. Autumn.
This is evidently closely related to A. squarrosus, with which it has, perhaps, been confused, but its different colors and viscid pileus appear to warrant its separation. Peck, 31st Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Occurred in large clusters on sugar maples at Eagle’s Mere in October, and on stumps at Mt. Gretna. It very closely resembles P. squarrosa. Its caps are of the very best.
=P. subsquarro´sa= Fr.—sub, under; squarrosus, scurfy. (Plate LXXI, fig. 4, p. 268.) =Pileus= 2 in. and more broad, brown rust-color, with darker, adpressed, floccose scales, fleshy, convex, obtuse or gibbous, viscid. =Stem= 3 in. long, 4–5 lines thick, stuffed (often hollow when old), equal, yellow-rust-color, clothed with darker scales which are adpressed, or spreading only at the apex, not rough, furnished with an annular zone at the apex, becoming yellow-rust-color within. =Gills= deeply sinuate, emarginate, almost free, arcuate, crowded, at first pale then dingy yellow.
=Spores= rust-color. The pileus is viscid, but not glutinous like that of A. adiposus. It holds a doubtful place between A. aurivellus and A. squarrosus, departing from both, however, in the gills being at the first yellow; and from A. squarrosus, to which it is more like, in the gills being emarginato-free, not decurrent. Somewhat cespitose. Almost inodorous. Fries.
=Spores= ferruginous, size not stated.
West Philadelphia, Mt. Gretna, Pa., Haddonfield, N.J. September until after frosts. McIlvaine.
Not previously reported.
The maple trees in West Philadelphia frequently show large clusters of it up to twenty feet from ground; to be seen from afar after the leaves have fallen. Our American species differs somewhat from the European. American species:
=Pileus= 1–3 in. across, fleshy, convex, very viscid, rich brownish-yellow, covered with darker adpressed floccose scales. =Flesh= slightly yellow. =Gills= white when very young slightly emarginate, adnexed, crowded, ¼ in. broad, brown. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, ½ in. thick, equal or tapering toward base, stuffed, then hollow, covered with squamose scales as far up as the slight ring, smooth above ring. =Ring= membranaceous, slight.
=Spores= rust-color.
The species is variable and differs greatly in youth and maturity.
The caps, fried in hot buttered pan, are unexcelled.
Equally fine in croquettes and patties.
** Gills yellow, then rust-color.
(Plate LXXIV.)
=P. adipo´sa= Fr.—adeps, fat. =Pileus= fleshy, firm, at first hemispherical or subconical, then convex, very viscid or glutinous when moist, scaly, yellow. =Flesh= whitish. =Gills= close, adnate, yellowish becoming rust-color with age. =Stem= equal or slightly thickened at the base, scaly below the slight radiating floccose ring, solid or stuffed, yellow, generally rust-color at the base. =Spores= elliptical, 7.6×5µ.
The Fat pholiota is a showy species. Its tufted mode of growth, rather large size, yellow color and rusty-brown scales make it a noticeable object. The stem is somewhat and the cap very viscid when moist, and this viscidity when dry gives it a shining appearance. The scales of the cap become erect or reflexed and sometimes appear blackish at the tips. They sometimes disappear with age. The flesh is firm and white or whitish. The gills when young are yellow or pale-yellow, but when mature they assume a ferruginous or rusty color like that of the spores. The stem is similar in color to the cap, but paler or nearly white at the top and usually reddish-brown or rusty-brown at the base. The collar is slight and often scarcely noticeable in mature specimens.
The =Cap= is 2–4 in. broad, the =Stem= 2–4 in. long and 4–6 lines thick. The plants commonly grow in tufts on stumps or dead trunks of deciduous trees in or near woods. They may be found from September to November. It is well to peel the caps before cooking. This species is not classed as edible by European authors, but I find its flavor agreeable and its substance digestible and harmless. Peck, 49th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=Spores= 8×5µ W.G.S.; elliptical, ferruginous, 7×3µ Massee.
Mt. Gretna, Pa. October until after frost. About trees and stumps and on logs. McIlvaine.
P. adiposa yields a substantial substance of good flavor.
=P. flam´mans= Fr.—flamma, flame. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad, yellow-tawny, fleshy, convex then plane, somewhat umbonate, absolutely dry, sprinkled with superficial, pilose, somewhat concentric, paler or sulphur-yellow, rough or curly scales; margin at first inflexed, then spread when larger. =Flesh= thin, light yellow. =Stem= 3 in. long, 2–3 lines thick, stuffed then hollow, equal, most frequently flexuous, very light yellow as are also the crowded rough scales. =Ring= membranaceous, entire, not far removed from the pileus, of the same color. =Gills= adnate and without a tooth, somewhat thin, crowded, at the first bright sulphur-yellow, at length rust-color, edge quite entire.
Pileus by no means hygrophanous. It is distinguished from all others by the sulphur-yellow scales on the tawny pileus. Forming small clusters. Inodorous. The ring is sometimes only indicated by an annular zone. Fries.
=Spores= ellipsoid, 4×2µ K.; ellipsoid, 3–4×2–2.5µ C.B.P.; 4×2µ W.P.; 8×4µ Massee.
Quite plentiful in the New Jersey pines, from October until after heavy frosts. Caps seldom over 3 in. across. Solitary, and in clusters of not over half a dozen.
The caps fried are delicious.
=P. luteofo´lia= Pk.—luteus, yellow; folium, a leaf. =Pileus= firm, convex, dry, scaly, fibrillose on the margin, pale-red or yellowish. =Lamellæ= broad, subdistant, emarginate, serrate on the edge, yellow, becoming bright rust-color. =Stem= firm, fibrillose, solid, colored like the pileus, often curved from the place of growth. =Ring= obsolete. =Spores= bright rust-color, 7×4µ.
=Plant= subcespitose, 2–3 in. high. =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 3–5 lines thick.
Trunks of birch trees. Forestburgh. September.
The general appearance of this plant is like A. variegatus or reddish forms of A. multipunctus. The reddish color appears sometimes to fade with age. Peck, 27th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Eagle’s Mere, Pa. In clusters, on birch trees. August, 1898. McIlvaine.
Grows in quantity in the birch forests. The caps are delicious.
=P. ornel´la= Pk. (Agaricus ornellus Pk., 34 Rep., p. 42.) =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, slightly squamose, reddish-brown tinged with purple, the margin paler, floccose-appendiculate. =Gills= moderately close, yellowish or pallid, becoming brown. =Stem= equal or slightly thickened upward, solid, squamulose, pale-yellow, sometimes expanded at the base into a brownish disk margined with yellowish filaments. =Spores= brown, elliptical, 6–7.5×4–5µ.
=Plant= 1–2 in. high. =Pileus= about 1 in. broad. =Stem= 1 line to 1.5 lines thick.
Decaying wood. South Ballston, Saratoga county. October.
The scales of the pileus are sometimes arranged in concentric circles. The purplish tint is not always uniform, but in some instances forms spots or patches. Peck, 34th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Specimens, clustered, found by me on railroad ties at Haddonfield, N.J., September, 1897, had caps 1–1½ in. broad, of a dull green without tinge of purple; skin minutely cracked, showing the white flesh in the interstices; stem 1–2 in. long, 3–4 lines thick, slightly thickened upward, pale orange, solid, squamulose; ring floccose; taste when raw, slightly bitter. These were sent to Professor Peck who wrote: “Appears to be a form of P. ornella Pk., but it differs some in color, being more of a green hue than of purple or olivaceous. It is pretty and I would like to know more about it before deciding on it fully.”
I have not since found it. Very palatable when cooked.
*** Hygrophani. Gills cinnamon, etc.
=P. muta´bilis= Schaeff.—changeable. =Pileus= about 2 in. broad, cinnamon when moist, becoming pale when dry, hygrophanous, slightly fleshy, convex then flattened, commonly obtusely umbonate, sometimes depressed, even and smooth, but when young occasionally scaly throughout. =Stem= about 2–3 in. long, 2 lines and more thick, rigid, stuffed then hollow, equal or attenuated downward, scaly-rough as far as the ring, rust-color, blackish or umber downward, often ascending or twisted. =Ring= membranaceous, externally scaly. =Gills= adnato-decurrent, crowded, rather broad, pallid then cinnamon. Stevenson.
Densely cespitose, variable in stature.
=Spores= ellipsoid-obovate, 6×11µ W.G.S.; 7×4µ W.P; 9–11×5–6µ Massee; 11×7µ Morgan.
Edible. Curtis. Considered excellent in Europe.
=P. margina´ta= Batsch.—marginatus, margined. =Pileus= 1 in. and more broad, honey-colored when moist, tan when dry, hygrophanous, slightly fleshy, convex then expanded, obtuse, even, smooth, margin striate. =Stem= about 2 in. long, 1–2 lines thick, tubed, equal, fibrillose or slightly striate, not scaly, of the same color as the pileus, but becoming dingy-brown, and commonly white velvety at the base. =Ring= 1–2 lines distant from the apex, often in the form of a cortina and fugacious. =Gills= adnate, crowded, thin, narrow, at first pallid, then darker cinnamon.
It varies much, and is deceptive on account of the vanishing veil. In hedges there is a very small cespitose form with the pileus only ½ in. broad, and the stem tough and smooth, with exception of the remains of the fugacious cortina. There also occur on the ground among mosses smaller and paler forms, which must be carefully distinguished from A. unicolor, etc. Stevenson.
=Spores= 7–8×4µ Massee.
Haddonfield, N.J., November, December, 1896. In pine woods. McIlvaine.
The caps of this small Pholiota, seldom over 1 ½ in. across, can be gathered in goodly numbers where it frequents. They are of excellent quality.
=P. dis´color= Pk.—changing color. =Pileus= thin, convex, then expanded or slightly depressed, smooth, viscid, hygrophanous, watery-cinnamon and striatulate on the margin when moist; bright ochraceous-yellow when dry. =Lamellæ= close, narrow, pallid then pale rust-color. =Stem= equal, hollow, fibrillose-striate, pallid. =Ring= distinct, persistent. =Spores= elliptical, 7×5µ.
=Plant= subcespitose, 2–3 in. high. =Pileus= 8–16 lines broad. =Stem= 1 line thick.
Old logs in woods. Greig. September.
The change of color from the moist to the dry state is very marked. This species resembles Agaricus autumnalis, in which the annulus is fugacious and the spores are longer. The edge of the gills in both is white-flocculose. Peck, 25th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Two forms of this species are found. One has a scattered form of growth, the other found on decaying wood of birch is cespitose. The species is allied to P. marginata, from which it is readily distinguished by its viscid pileus. Peck, Rep. 44.
Var. discolor minor Pk. Small. Pileus 6–10 lines broad, chestnut color when young or moist. Stem about 1 line thick, at first clothed with whitish fibrils.
Among mosses about or on the base of stumps. September. Peck, Rep. 46.
West Virginia. Eagle’s Mere, Mt. Gretna, Pa. August to frost. On decaying wood. McIlvaine.
This little Pholiota is abundant where it does grow. In the West Virginia forests I have seen logs with many tufts of it upon each. The caps are fairly good.
=INO´CYBE= Fr.
Gr—fiber; Gr—head.
(Plate LXXV.)
Universal veil somewhat fibrillose, concrete with the cuticle of the pileus, often free at the margin, in the form of a cortina. =Gills= somewhat sinuate (but they occur also adnate and in two species decurrent), changing color, but not powdered with cinnamon. =Spores= often rough, but in others even, more or less brownish-rust color.
Inocybe (with Hebeloma) corresponds with Tricholoma. Inocybe and Hebeloma have some common features, but they are really very distinct. Inocybe is readily distinguished by the fibrillose covering of the pileus, which never has a distinct pellicle, by the veil which is continuous and homogeneous with the fibrils of the pileus, and by the rusty-brown spores. All grow on the ground. They are (mostly) strong-smelling (commonly nauseous). None are edible. Stevenson.
None reported as either edible or poisonous. Those I have tested are not pleasant.
=PLUTE´OLUS= Fr.
Dim. of pluteus, a shed.
=Pileus= conical or bell-shaped, then expanded, rather fleshy, viscid, margin at first straight and pressed to the stem. =Gills= free, rounded behind. =Stem= somewhat cartilaginous, its substance different from that of the pileus.
Growing on wood.
=Spores= rust or saffron color. Pluteus, the only genus having the same structure, is separated by its salmon-colored spores.
(Plate LXXVI.)
=P. reticula´tus= Pers.—rete, a net. From the net-work of veins on the pileus. =Pileus= slightly fleshy, bell-shaped, then expanded, sticky, reticulate with anastomosing veins, pale violaceous, striate on the margin. =Lamellæ= free, ventricose, crowded, rusty-saffron. =Stem= hollow, fragile, fibrillose, mealy at the top, white. =Spores= elliptical, ferruginous, 10–13×5–6.5µ.
=Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 1–2 lines thick.
Decaying wood. Cattaraugus county. September.
The specimens which I have referred to this species appear to be a small form with the pileus scarcely more than an inch broad and merely wrinkled on the disk, not distinctly reticulate as in the type. In the dried specimens the pileus has assumed a dark violaceous color. The dimensions of the spores have been taken from the American plant. I do not find them given by any European author. Peck, 46th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
In October, 1897, P. reticulatus grew in large quantities on a fallow lot close by the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. The lot was thickly covered with tall heavy-stemmed weeds, a mat of which, from the year before was present. The reticulations upon the cap are intricate and distinct. I have not seen it since.
The whole plant is tender and of fine flavor.
=HEBELO´MA= Fr.
Hebe, youth; loma, fringe.
Partial veil fibrillose or absent. =Pileus= smooth, continuous, somewhat viscid, margin at first incurved. Flesh of stem continuous with that of the pileus; fleshy, fibrous, clothed, top rather mealy. =Gills= attached, notched at the stem, edge inclined to be pale. =Spores= clay-colored.
On the ground.
Closely allied to Inocybe, formerly included in Hebeloma, but differing in the character of the cuticle of the pileus which in Inocybe is scaly or fibrillose. Many of the species are strong in smell and taste. None have hitherto been considered edible and some have been regarded as poisonous.
ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.
INDUSIATI (indusium, a garment). Page 283.
Furnished with a ring from the manifest veil, which often makes the margin of the pileus superficially silky.
DENUDATI (denudo, to lay bare). Page 286.
Pileus smooth. Veil absent. None known to be edible.
PUSILLUS (pusus, a little boy).
Pileus scarcely an inch broad. None known to be edible.
The writer has not as yet investigated the edible qualities of this genus to his satisfaction. Much work remains to be done. But two species of Hebeloma are given as edible. They are good, but do not rank above second-class. Several others have been tested, but not in sufficient quantity to report upon their quality with perfect safety. So far as tested the species have been harmless.
INDUSIA´TI. With a ring, etc.
=H. mus´sivum= Fr.—mussivus, undecided. (Uncertain in generic place.) =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad, either of one color, yellow or darker at the disk which is like a smooth sugar-cake, fleshy, compact, firm, convex then plane, unequal, very obtuse, viscid, at first smooth and even, margin bent inward, even, then commonly turning upward and broken up into scales. =Flesh= thick, becoming yellow. =Stem= 4 in. long, commonly 1 in. thick, very fleshy, sometimes stuffed, sometimes hollow at the top, equal or broad in the middle, wholly fibrillose and powdered at the top, light yellow. =Veil= fibrillose, very evanescent. =Gills= emarginate, somewhat crowded, 3 lines broad, dry (not distilling drops), at first light yellow, then together with the spores somewhat rust-colored.
Odor weak, not unpleasant. Very distinct. It departs widely from all the following species in its habit and bright colors. The habit is that of a Flammula or Cortinarius, but the gills are emarginate and not powdered; from the turned up pileus and from the stem being powdered at the top, and from other marks it is to be referred to Hebeloma. Fries.
=Spores= elliptical, 12×6µ Massee.
New Jersey, Haddonfield. Under pine trees. Solitary. Frequent. September, 1896. McIlvaine.
Not previously reported.
Taste, even raw, is pleasant. It is meaty and the meat is good. It requires slow cooking and is best chopped fine and served in patties or croquettes.
(Plate LXXVI_a_.)
=H. fasti´bile= Fr.—fastidibilis, loathsome. From the smell. =Pileus= 2 in. and more broad, pale yellowish, tan or becoming pale, compactly fleshy, convexo-plane, obtuse, somewhat wavy, even, smooth, the turned-in margin downy. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, ½ in. thick, solid, wholly fleshy-fibrous, stout, somewhat bulbous, often twisted, everywhere white-silky and fibrillose, white, but varying pallid, white-scaly upward. =Cortina= remarkable, white, occasionally in the form of a ring. =Gills= remarkably emarginate, somewhat distant, rather broad, at first becoming pale-white, then dingy clay-color, edge whitish, distilling drops in rainy weather.
Somewhat cespitose. Odor and taste of radish, bitterish. Like A. crustiliniformis; the odor is the same except that it is stronger, but it differs conspicuously in the manifest veil and somewhat distant gills.
Var. al´ba, stem longer, equal, somewhat hollow, fibrous-scaly at the apex, gills distant. A. spiloleucus Krombh., A. sulcatus Lindgr. is an elegant form with the margin of the pileus sulcate or rugoso-plicate.
In mixed woods. Common. July to October. Stevenson.
=Spores= 11×8µ W.G.S.; elliptical, pointed, 10×8µ Morgan.
Var. elegans. Pileus purple-brown.
This sometimes appears on disused mushroom beds in large quantities, but the method by which the spores gain access is involved in darkness.
“A very suspicious species and has the reputation of being noxious.” Cooke.
“There is considerable external resemblance between this and A. campestris. No fungus is so often mistaken for A. campestris as this dangerous plant.” W.G. Smith.
This species is considered noxious abroad. No test is reported of its qualities here.
I have not seen it.
=H. glutino´sum= Lind.—gluten, glue. (Plate LXXI, fig. 1, p. 268.) =Pileus= about 3 in. broad, yellow-white, the disk darker, fleshy, convex then plane, regular, obtuse, with a tenacious viscous gluten, and slimy in wet weather, sprinkled with white superficial scales. =Flesh= whitish, becoming light-yellow. =Stem= 3 in. long, stuffed, firm, somewhat bulbous, white-scaly and fibrillose, and white-mealy at the top, often rough with bundles of hairs at the base, at length rust-color within. Partial thread-like veil manifest, in the form of a cortina. =Gills= sinuato-adnate, somewhat decurrent, crowded, broad, pallid then light-yellowish, at length clay-cinnamon. Odor peculiar, mild.
On branches and among leaves, oak and beech. Frequent. September to December. Stevenson.
=Spores= 5×4µ W.P.; plum-shaped, 7µ Q.; elliptical, 10–12×5µ Massee; ellipsoid, 6–7×3–4µ K.
New York. Among fallen leaves and half-buried decaying wood, in thin woods. Conklingville. September. In wet weather the gluten is sufficiently copious to drop from the pileus. Peck, Rep. 40.
Haddonfield, N.J., among leaves in mixed woods. Frequent. 1896. Mt. Gretna, Pa., among leaves under oaks. Frequent. September to November. McIlvaine.
=Caps= 1½-3 in. across. Remarkably glutinous, shining as if varnished when wet. Partial veil not always noticeable.
The odor and taste are pleasant. The caps when well cooked are meaty, good, but of second quality.
DENUDA´TI. Pileus smooth, etc.
=H. crustulinifor´me= Bull.—crustulum, a small pie; forma, form. =Pileus= pale-whitish tan, most frequently pale-yellowish or brick-color at the disk, fleshy, convexo-plane, obtuse or slightly gibbous with an obtuse umbo, somewhat spreading with an uneven margin, even, smooth, at first slightly viscid, not zoned. =Flesh= transparent when moist. =Stem= stuffed then hollow, stout, somewhat bulbous, white, naked, white-scaly at the top. =Gills= rounded-adnexed, crowded, narrowed, 1 line broad and linear, thin, whitish then clay-color, at length date-brown, the unequal edge distilling watery drops in wet weather, spotted when dry.
=Veil= quite wanting. Odor strong, fetid, of radish. Very variable in stature; the stem, however, is never elongated as in A. elatus, etc.; in smaller specimens equal, pileus regular, gills almost adnate.
In mixed woods. Common. August to November. Stevenson.
=Spores= ellipsoid, 10–12×5–7µ K.; 9×5µ W.G.S.
Var. mi´nor Cke. Smaller than the type.
Minnesota, common in woods, Johnson; California, H. and M.; Wisconsin, Bundy; New Jersey, Ellis; Vermont, Burt (Lloyd); New York, Peck, 41st Rep.; Mt. Gretna, Pa., November, 1898. In woods. McIlvaine.
But one specimen found and that was sent to Professor Peck. Taste bitter.
Regarded as poisonous by European writers. It is not reported as tested in America.
=FLAM´MULA= Fr.
Flamma, a flame. (In reference to the bright colors of many of the species.)
=Pileus= fleshy, margin at first turned inward. =Veil= fibrillose or none. =Stem= fleshy-fibrous, not mealy at the top. =Gills= decurrent or attached without a tooth. =Spores= mostly pure rust color; some brownish-rust, others tawny-ochraceous.
A few species grow on the ground, the majority on wood.
ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.
GYMNOTI (naked). Page 288.
Pileus dry, generally scaly. Spores not yellowish.
LUBRICI (lubricus, slimy). Page 289.
Pileus covered with a continuous, viscid, smooth, partly separable cuticle. Veil fibrillose. Spores not yellowish. Gregarious, on the ground, rarely on wood. Distinguished from Hebeloma by the gills not being sinuate and the top of the stem not mealy.
UDI (udus, moist). Page 290.
Veil slight, generally hanging in fragments. Cuticle of the pileus continuous, not separable, smooth, in places superficially downy, moist or slightly viscid in rainy weather. Spores not yellowish. Cespitose, growing on wood.
SAPINEI (sapinus, pine). Page 291.
Veil silky, very slight, adpressed to the stem or forming a silky ring on it. Cuticle of pileus thin, the flesh splitting at the surface into scales, not viscid. Distinguished by the gills and spores being light yellow or tawny. Somewhat cespitose; always on pine or on the ground among pine branches.
SERICELLI (sericeus, silky).
Cuticle of the pileus slightly silky, dry or at the first viscid.
None known to be edible.
The genus Flammula is not represented in our territory by a large number of species. It is, nevertheless, not very sharply distinct from the allied genera, Pholiota, Hebeloma and Naucoria. From Pholiota it is especially separated by the slight development of the veil which is merely fibrillose or entirely wanting. It never forms a persistent membranous collar on the stem. From Hebeloma it may be distinguished by the absence of a sinus at or near the inner extremity of the gills, by the absence of white particles or mealiness from the upper part of the stem and by the brighter or more distinctly rusty or ochraceous color of the spores. From Naucoria the fleshy or fibrously fleshy stem affords the most available distinguishing character. The genus belongs to the Ochrosporæ or ochraceous-spored series, but the spores of its species vary in color from ochraceous or tawny-ochraceous to rust-color or brownish-rust color. The three things to be especially kept in mind in order to recognize the species are the color of the spores, the adnate or decurrent but not clearly sinuate gills and the fleshy or fibrously fleshy stem without a membranous ring.
Our species are mostly of medium size, none being very small and one only meriting the appellation large. They appear chiefly in late summer or in autumn and grow in woods or in wooded regions either on the ground or more often on decaying wood. Many are gregarious or cespitose in their mode of growth. Some have a bitterish or unpleasant flavor and none of our species has yet been classed as edible. Fries arranged the species in five groups, of which the names and more prominent characters are here given. Peck, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
The few species which the writer has found to be edible, and the two new species found by him, were tested after the publication of the above. Several of the species found are not mentioned herein for the reason that a sufficient quantity was not obtained to make certain their quality as a food. The bitterness, as far as observed, with which most of the species are tainted disappears in cooking.
GYMNO´TI. Veil absent, pileus dry, etc.
=F. alie´na= Pk. =Pileus= thin, flexible, broadly convex, umbilicate, dry, bare, slightly striate on the margin when old, grayish or pale grayish-brown. =Flesh= white, fibrous. =Gills= thin, subdistant, bow-shaped, decurrent, ochraceous-brown. =Stem= firm, fibrous-striate, solid, slightly tapering upward, colored like the pileus, covered at the base with a dense white tomentum. =Spores= rusty-brown, globose, 5µ broad.
=Pileus= 3–5 cm. broad. =Stem= 5 cm. long, 4–6 mm. thick.
Gregarious on partly burned anthracite coal, Mt. Gretna, Pa. September. C. McIlvaine.
The species is peculiar in its color and habitat. In the dried specimen the gills have assumed a brown color with no ochraceous tint. Mr. McIlvaine remarks that it is an edible species, dries well, and is excellent when cooked. Its relationship is with F. anomala Pk., but it is a larger plant with darker color and a different habitat. Peck, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 26, F. 1899.
It grows on partly burned anthracite coal, not buried, as printed in the Torrey Bulletin. The mycelium completely involves the pieces of coal, holding them tightly in its meshes. Patches of it were strictly limited to the size of the ash-pile containing the partly burned coal. Quite fifty were found.
As stated, it is edible, and it is of remarkably fine substance for a Flammula.
LU´BRICI. Pileus viscid, etc.
=F. edu´lis= Pk.—eatable. =Pileus= fleshy, convex, obtuse, glabrous, moist, brown, grayish-brown or yellowish-brown, sometimes rimose. =Flesh= whitish. =Lamellæ= rather broad, close, decurrent, bright tan color, becoming brownish-rusty. =Stems= cespitose, equal, stuffed or hollow, brown. =Spores= subelliptical, 13×5–6µ.
=Pileus= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 3–6 lines thick.
Grassy ground, along pavements, in gutters and by the side of wooden frames of hotbeds. Haddonfield, N.J. October. C. McIlvaine.
The collector of this species informs me that the flavor of the fresh plant is slightly bitter, but that this disappears in cooking and the fungus furnishes a very good and tender article of food. Successive crops continued to appear for a month. In the dried specimens the stem is striate. Peck, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 24, No. 3.
This new species appears annually in the same place. I have not found it elsewhere. It is meaty and excellent.
UDI. Pileus smooth, not viscid; veil fragmentary, etc.
(Plate LXXVI_b_.
=F. alni´cola= Fr.—alnus, alder; colo, to inhabit. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad, yellow, at length becoming rust-color and sometimes green, fleshy, convex then flattened, obtuse, slimy when moist, but not truly viscous, at the first superficially fibrillose toward the margin. =Flesh= not very compact, of the same color as the pileus. =Stem= 2–3 in. and more long, ½ in. thick, stuffed then hollow, attenuato-rooted, commonly curved-flexuous, fibrillose, at first yellow, then becoming rust-color. =Veil= manifest, sometimes fibrillose, sometimes woven into a spider-web veil. =Gills= somewhat adnate, broad, plane, at first dingy-pallid or yellowish-pallid, at length together with the plentiful spores rust-colored.
The gills vary decurrent and rounded according to situation. Odor and taste bitter. There are two forms: a. Pileus irregular, fibrillose round the margin; gills at first dingy-pallid. b. Salicicola, pileus somewhat convex, smooth, rarely at the first downy-scaly; gills at first yellowish-pallid. Fries.
=Spores= subelliptical, 8×5µ K.; 8–10×5–6µ Peck.
New York, swampy woods about base of alders, October, Peck, Rep. 35; at base of alders, with adnate gills, and on birch stumps, with the gills rounded behind, Rep. 39. Mt. Gretna, Pa., New Jersey, mixed woods, August to November, 1898, McIlvaine.
Gregarious and in loose tufts, not plentiful. It is a pretty plant, usually of a bright yellow, sometimes darker at the center of cap. Traces of an evanescent fibrillose ring are occasionally found or the fibrils adorn the margin of the cap. The gills next to the stem are either rounded, attached or slightly decurrent.
Raw the taste is slightly bitter. This disappears in long cooking.
=F. fla´vida= Schaeff. (Pers.)—flavidus, light yellow. =Pileus= fleshy, thin, broadly convex or nearly plane, glabrous, moist, pale yellow. =Flesh= whitish or pale yellow, taste bitter. =Lamellæ= moderately close, adnate, pale or yellowish becoming rust-color. =Stem= equal, often more or less curved, hollow, fibrillose, whitish or pale yellow, with a white mycelium at the base. =Spores= 8×5µ.
=Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 1–3 in. long, 1–3 lines thick.
Decaying wood of various trees. Commonly in wooded or mountainous districts. Summer and autumn.
Our specimens were found on wood of both coniferous and deciduous trees. The plants are sometimes cespitose. The pileus becomes more highly colored in drying. The spores are pale rust-colored approaching ochraceous. In Sylloge the spores of this species are described as pale yellowish. Peck, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=Spores= broadly elliptical, 6–8×5µ Massee.
New York, decaying wood, Peck, Rep. 32, 50; Mrs. E.C. Anthony, August. West Virginia, 1881–1885; Mt. Gretna, Pa. August to October. McIlvaine.
F. flavida is a frequent species, gregarious and tufted on decaying wood, either standing, fallen, or as roots in the ground. The texture and substance are good. The slight bitter when raw disappears in cooking. The caps, only, are tender.
SAPIN´EI. Gills and spores yellowish, etc.
=F. hy´brida= Fr.—hybrida, a hybrid. =Pileus= about 2 in. broad, at first tawny-cinnamon, then tawny-orange, fleshy, hemispherical with the margin involute, then expanded, obtuse, regular and well formed, even, smooth, moist. =Flesh= moderately compact, pallid. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 4–5 lines thick, at first stuffed with a soft pith, then hollow, attenuated (almost conico-attenuated) upward, whitish with adpressed silky-hairy down (becoming tawny when the down is rubbed off) slightly striate, with white hairs at the base, and somewhat mealy at the apex. =Veil= manifest in the form of an annular zone at the apex of the stem, white or at length colored with the spores. =Gills= adnate, somewhat crowded, light yellow then tawny, not spotted. Fries.
=Spores= elliptical, tawny-ochraceous, 7–8×4–5µ Massee; 6×4µ W.P.
Mt. Gretna, Pa., August, September, 1898. On ground under pine trees. Gregarious. W.H. Rorer. Not elsewhere reported.
This is a handsome plant, quite prolific in the large pine groves at Mt. Gretna, Pa. The caps are of good flavor.
=F. mag´na= Pk.—magnus, large. =Pileus= fleshy, broadly convex, soft, dry, fibrillose and somewhat streaked, pale yellow or buff, the margin commonly becoming revolute with age. =Flesh= whitish or yellowish. =Gills= close, adnate or slightly decurrent, often crisped or wavy toward the stem, about three lines wide, ochraceous. =Stem= equal or thickened toward the base, fleshy-fibrous, solid, elastic, fibrillose, colored like the pileus, brighter yellow within. =Spores= subelliptical, ochraceous, 10×6µ.
Cespitose. =Pileus= 4–6 in. broad. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, 8–12 lines thick.
About the base of trees. Westchester county. October.
This is a large and showy species. The stems are sometimes united at the base into a solid mass. The young gills are probably yellow, but I have seen only mature specimens. Peck, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
New Jersey, Trenton, ground in clearing, in pairs and singly. November, E.B. Sterling; Mt. Gretna, Pa. Mixed thin woods. October to November. Near trees. Cespitose, McIlvaine.
Individuals of all ages were found and eaten. The young gills are very light yellow, darkening to a deep, rich yellow.
The caps are of good substance and flavor. When very young the stems are edible.
=TUBA´RIA= W.G.S.
Tuba, a trumpet.
(Plate LXXVII.)
=Stem= somewhat cartilaginous, fistulose. =Pileus= somewhat membranaceous, often clothed with the universal floccose veil. =Gills= somewhat decurrent. =Spores= rust-color or (in Phæoti) brownish-rust color.
The species referred to this subgenus were taken from Naucoria and Galera because they correspond with Omphalia and Eccilia. The pileus is, however, distinctly umbilicate or depressed in only a few of them; the others are placed here on account of their somewhat decurrent gills, which are broadest behind and triangular. Fries.
Small and unimportant.
=NAUCO´RIA= Fr.
Naucum, a nut-shell.
(Plate LXXVIII.)
=Pileus= more or less fleshy, conical or convex, then expanded, margin at first incurved. =Gills= free or adnate, not decurrent. =Veil= fugacious or absent, sometimes attached in minute flakes to the edge of the young pileus. =Stem= cartilaginous, hollow or with a spongy stuffing. Growing on wood or on the ground, sometimes rooted. =Spores= various shades of brown, dull or bright.
Naucoria corresponds with Collybia, Leptonia and Psilocybe; from the latter it is distinguished by the spore colors and from Galera in the brown-spored series by the margin of the pileus being at first incurved.
“The spores are rust-color, or brownish rust-color. The color of the pileus is some shade of yellow. The stem is not distinctly ringed, but sometimes a slight spore-stained band marks the place of the obsolete ring.” Peck, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
The members of this genus are with two or three exceptions very common, and common over the land. The greater number grow on the ground among grass; a few grow upon decaying wood. The stems are not of the same texture as the cap and frequently will not cook tender. The caps, however, are, of all species tested, tender and of good flavor. Species of the genus are among the first to appear in spring, and well reward the enterprising mycophagist for his early tramps.
ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.
GYMNOTI (Gr—naked). Page 295.
Pileus smooth. Veil absent. Spores rust-color, not becoming dusky-rust-color.
PHÆOTI (Gr—dusky). Page 296.
Pileus smooth. Gills and spores dusky rust-color. Veil rarely manifest.
LEPIDOTI (lepis, a scale).
Pileus flocculose or squamulose. Veil manifest.
None known to be edible.
I.—GYMNO´TI.
=N. hama´dryas= Fr.—Gr, a nymph attached to her tree. =Pileus= 1½-2 in. broad, bay-brown-ferruginous when young and moist, pale yellowish when old and becoming pale, slightly fleshy, convex then expanded, gibbous, even, smooth. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 3 lines thick, somewhat fragile, hollow, equal, naked, smooth, pallid. =Gills= attenuato-adnexed, somewhat free, slightly ventricose, almost 2 lines broad, crowded, rust-color, opaque. =Veil= none. Widely removed from neighboring species. Pileus somewhat separate as in Plutei. Fries.
=Spores= elliptical, rust-color, 13–14×7µ Massee.
Haddonfield, N.J. Frequent. Solitary. On ground along pavements, under trees, in woods. Spring to autumn. McIlvaine.
Massee gives it as hygrophanous. I have not found it so. It is moist after rain and dew.
The caps and upper part of the stem are tender, easily cooked and of good flavor.
=N. cero´des= Fr. Gr—wax. =Pileus= ½-1 in. broad, watery cinnamon when moist, tan-color when dry, somewhat membranaceous, convex bell-shape and flattened, at length depressed, obtuse, when moist smooth, pellucid-striate at the circumference, when dry even, slightly silky-atomate. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 1–2 lines thick, slightly firm, tubed, equal, somewhat flexuous, fibrilloso-striate under a lens, becoming dingy bay-brown sometimes for the most part, sometimes only at the base, pallid upward, mealy at the apex. =Gills= adnate, separating, very broad behind, hence almost triangular, somewhat distant, broad, plane, soft, distinct, pallid then cinnamon very finely fimbriated at the edge under a lens. Fries.
The typical form, growing among damp mosses, is quite early, gregarious, with the colors almost those of Galera hypnorum, but otherwise very different. b. Another form occurs on naked, commonly burnt soil, in late autumn, with almost the habit of N. pediades, but with a different color of gills and spores; this form is firmer. =Stem= 1 in. long, tense and straight, and color more ochraceous. Stevenson.
=Spores= 9µ B. and Br.; smooth, 6×3µ Massee.
West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, in grass and moss, along damp wood margins. August to October. McIlvaine.
N. cerodes is not plentiful where I have found it. Enough has been collected at a time to prove it esculent. It is tender, but has not much flavor.
(Plate LXXVIII_a_.)
=N. stri´apes= Cke.—stria, a line; pes, a foot. =Pileus= 1–1½ in. broad, ochraceous, bell-shaped, obtuse, then expanded, smooth, even. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 2 lines thick, hollow, equal, erect or flexuous, white, longitudinally striate. =Gills= slightly adnate behind, rather distant, tawny rust-color.
Cespitose or gregarious. Among grass on lawn. Stevenson.
=Spores= narrowly elliptical, 10–12×4µ Massee.
New Jersey, Trenton. Growing among leaves near dump. May to November. E.B. Sterling.
The few specimens tested were delicate and of slight flavor.
II.—PHÆ´OTI.
=N. pedi´ades= Fr.—Gr, a plain. =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad, yellow or pale yellowish-ochraceous then becoming pale, slightly fleshy, convex then plane, obtuse, even, dry, smooth, at length crookedly cracked, but always without striæ. =Flesh= white. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 1–2 lines thick, stuffed with a pith, somewhat flexuous, tough, equal, but with a small bulb at the base, slightly silky becoming even, yellowish. =Gills= adnexed, 2 lines broad, at first crowded, at length somewhat distant, somewhat dingy-brown, then dingy cinnamon.
=Spores= brownish-rust-color. The small bulb at the base is formed by the mycelium being rolled together. Stature variable. Fries.
=Spores= dingy rust-color, elliptical, 10–12×4–5µ Massee.
West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, in grassy places, pastures and along pavements. Common. May to November. McIlvaine.
In 1897 Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, abounded with N. pediades, which were collected and eaten by many. The caps are tender and of a mushroom flavor.
=N. semi-orbicula´ris= Bull.—semi, half; orbicularis, round. (Plate LXXVIII, p. 294.) =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad, tawny rust-color then ochraceous, slightly fleshy, convexo-expanded, obtuse, dry, even, smooth, corrugated when dry. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, scarcely beyond 1 line thick, cartilaginous, tough, slender, tense and straight, equal, even, smooth, becoming pallid rust-color, shining, often darker at the base, internally containing a separate narrow tube which is easily broken up into fibrils. =Gills= adnate, rarely sinuate behind, almost 3 lines broad, and many times broader than the flesh of the pileus, crowded, pallid then rust-color.
The pileus is slightly viscid when fresh and moist. Easily distinguished from S. semi-globatus, with which it has been confounded, by the stem. Stevenson.
=Spores= 14×8µ W.G.S.; 10×5–6µ Massee.
Allied to N. pediades, distinguished by its viscid cap when moist, and dark stem.
Common over the states. Washington, D.C., Mrs. Mary Fuller.
West Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New Jersey. Solitary, sometimes cespitose, very common on lawns, rich pastures, etc. April until frost. McIlvaine.
This is one of our first appearing toadstools, coming up when the grass shows its full spring hue. It is found after rains until the coming of frost. Its hemispherical caps, precise, neat, dark gills and brown spores readily distinguish it. While usually small, patience and picking will soon gather quarts. The caps cook easily and are of excellent flavor.
=N. platysper´ma= Pk.—platys, broad; sperma, seed. =Pileus= convex, becoming nearly plane, glabrous, slightly tinged with ochraceous or reddish-yellow when young, soon whitish, the margin at first adorned with vestiges of a white flocculent veil. =Flesh= white. =Lamellæ= moderately close, slightly rounded behind, pallid, becoming brownish. =Stem= equal, stuffed with a white pith, slightly flocculent or furfuraceous above when young, whitish, the mycelium sometimes forming white thread-like strands. =Spores= broadly elliptical, 15µ long, 12.5µ broad.
=Pileus= 1–1.5 in. broad. =Stem= 3–5.5 in. long, 1.5–2 in. thick.
On the ground. Compton, Cal. Prof. A.J. McClatchie.
This species differs from N. pediades and N. semi-orbicularis, to which it is related, by its larger, broader spores and paler color. Peck, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 25, No. 6.
This new species reported from California is so closely allied to N. semi-orbicularis and N. pediades, both of which are edible, that it is here given, that it may be recognized by students on the Pacific coast or wherever it occurs.
=GALE´RA= Fr.
Galerus, a cap.
=Pileus= more or less membranaceous, conical or oval, then expanded, striate, margin at the first straight, then adpressed to the stem. =Gills= not decurrent. =Stem= somewhat cartilaginous, continuous with the pileus, but differing in texture, tubular. =Veil= none or fibrillose. =Spores= tawny-ochraceous.
Slender, fragile, generally growing on the ground.
Galera corresponds with Mycena, Nolanea, Psathyra and Psathyrella, which are distinguished by their spore colors. In the brown-spored series Naucoria is separated by the margin of the pileus being at first incurved, and Tubaria by the decurrent gills.
The genus is composed of small species, but many grow in clusters, and are of a consistency which decreases but little in quick cooking. Those tested are delicate in texture and flavor.
=G. lateri´tia= Fr.—later, a brick. =Pileus= 1 in. high, pale yellowish when moist, ochraceous when dry, hygrophanous, membranaceous, acorn-shaped then bell-shaped, obtuse, even, smooth, slightly and densely striate at the margin when moist. =Stem= 3 in. and more long, 1 line thick, tubular, attenuated upward, tense and straight, even, but white-pruinose, whitish. =Gills= adnexed in the top of the cone, hence appearing as if free, ascending, very narrow, crowded, cinnamon.
=Gills= almost adpressed to the stem, almost pendulous. Remarkably analogous with A. ovalis, but easily distinguished by the linear gills and the absence of a veil; very fragile. Fries.
=Spores= 11×5µ W.P.; 11–12×5–6µ Massee.
West Virginia, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania. On dung and rich pastures. June to frost. McIlvaine.
The narrow conical cap, distinctly striate, distinguishes this species from G. tenera. In quality there is no difference. It is a well-flavored, delicate species.
(Plate LXXIX.)
=G. te´nera= Schaeff.—tener, tender. =Pileus= ½ in. and more high, of one color, pallid rust-color when damp, becoming pale when dry, hygrophanous, somewhat membranaceous, conico-bell-shaped, commonly smooth, slightly striate when moist, wholly even when dry, opaque, somewhat atomate. =Stem= commonly 3–4 in. long, 1 line thick, tubular, fragile, equal or when larger thickened downward, tense and straight, somewhat shining, striate upward, of the same color as the pileus when moist, and like it becoming pale when dry. =Gills= adnate in the top of the cone, appearing as if free, ascending, somewhat crowded, linear, cinnamon.
Pastures and grassy places in woods. Common. May to November. Stevenson.
=Spores= ellipsoid, 14–21×8–12µ K.; 14–8µ W.G.S.; 14×7µ W.P.; 12–13×7µ Massee; elliptical, dark rust-color, almost rubiginous, 13–16.5×8–10µ Peck.
Var. pilosella (Agaricus pilosellus Pers.), has both pileus and stem clothed with a minute erect pubescence when moist. A form is sometimes found in which the center of the pileus is brown or blackish-brown. Peck, 46th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Var. obscu´rior Pk. A notable form of this species was found growing in an old stable of an abandoned lumber camp. The plants were large, the pileus in some being more than an inch broad, the stems were 3–6 in. long and the color was rust-colored as in G. ovalis, to which the plants might be referred but for the large spores. Essex county. July. I have labeled the specimens variety obscurior. Peck, 50th Rep.
Haddonfield, N.J.; Chester county; West Philadelphia, Pa.; West Virginia. In rich pastures, on lawns, dung in woods. Common. June to October. McIlvaine.
Very variable in size and in color when wet and dry. The color of gills and spores readily distinguishes it in its habitats. From spring to frost it can usually be gathered in quantity. It is small, tender, shrivels in cooking, but makes a savory, excellent dish.
Var. obscurior found cespitose on very old manure at a ruined stable, Mt. Gretna, Pa., August. McIlvaine.
=G. fla´va= Pk.—flavus, yellow. =Pileus= membranous, ovate or bell shaped, moist or subhygrophanous, obtuse, plicate striate on the margin, yellow. =Lamellæ= thin, narrow, crowded, adnate, at first whitish, then yellowish-cinnamon. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering upward, hollow, slightly striate at the top, sprinkled with white mealy particles, white or yellowish. =Spores= ovate or subelliptical, brownish-rust-color, 13×8µ.
=Pileus= 6–12 lines broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 1–1.5 lines thick.
Damp vegetable mold in woods. Tompkins county. July.
This species is well marked by the pale-yellow color of the pileus and its plicate striations which are very distinct even in the dried specimens. They extend half way to the disk or more. When dry the pileus is seen to be sprinkled with shining atoms as in some other species of the same genus. Occasionally the yellow cuticle cracks into squamules or small scales. Peck, 46th Rep.
Trenton, N.J., Sterling; Haddonfield, N.J.; Pennsylvania. Among chips in woods and on woods ground. McIlvaine.
This species is frequent, and when plentiful well worth gathering. It has a more woody flavor than other Galera, but is tasty.
=G. vittæfor´mis= Fr.—vitta, a chaplet; forma, form. =Pileus= ½-1 in. broad, date-brown when moist, membranaceous, conical then hemispherical, obtuse, even at the disk, striate toward the margin, smooth. =Stem= 1½-3 in. long, ½-1 line thick, tubular, equal, somewhat straight, but not tense and straight, smooth or sometimes pubescent, slightly striate under a lens, opaque, rust-color. =Veil= scarcely conspicuous. =Gills= adnate, broader at the middle, in the form of a segment when larger, somewhat ascending, somewhat distant, at first watery-cinnamon, at length rust-color. Fries.
=Spores= elliptical, 12×6µ Massee.
Haddonfield, N.J.; Mt. Gretna, Pa. On pastures, lawns, etc. June to September. McIlvaine.
Not previously reported.
Though small it makes up in quantity when found. The stems are not as tender as the caps. Quality good.
=BOLBITIUS= Fr.
Gr—cow’s dung.
=Pileus= membranaceous. =Gills= adnexed or free, membranaceous, soft, salmon-color or rusty, dissolving (not dripping as in Coprinus), powdered with the rusty spores. =Stem= central; universal veil absent, partial veil often obsolete.
Very delicate and fragile, remarkable among the Ochrosporæ for the gills dissolving into mucus, and in this respect analogous with Coprinus among the Melanosporæ, and Hiatula amongst the Leucosporæ. Growing on dung or amongst grass where dung abounds.
A small but very natural genus, with the vegetative portion like Coprinus and the fructification resembling Cortinarius, hence occupying an intermediate position between these two genera. Fries.
=B. Bol´toni= Fr.—after Bolton. =Pileus= rather fleshy, viscid, at first even, then with the membranaceous margin sulcate, disk darker, subdepressed. =Stem= attenuated, yellowish, at first floccose from the remains of the fugacious veil. =Gills= subadnate, yellow then livid-brown. Fries.
Haddonfield, N.J., cespitose among manure on sawdust.
Of small substance but good consistency and flavor.
(Plate LXXX.)
=B. fra´gilis= Fr. =Pileus= 2 in. broad, light yellow, then becoming pale, somewhat membranaceous, almost pellucid, conical then expanded, somewhat umbonate, smooth, viscous, striate round the margin (which is often crenulated). =Stem= 3 in. long, 1 line or little more thick, fistulose, attenuated upward, naked, smooth (and without a manifest veil), yellow. =Gills= attenuato-adnexed, almost free, ventricose, yellow then pale cinnamon. =Spores= rust-colored. Fries.
Thinner than B. Boltoni, etc., very fragile, rapidly withering.
On dung. Common. June to October. Stevenson.
=Spores= subspheroid-ellipsoid, elliptical, 7×3–5µ Massee.
West Virginia; Pennsylvania. June to frost. On rich grass and dung.
Pileus usually not over 1.5 in. across. Often in plenty. Its substance does not cook away as with C. micaceus. It amply repays gathering, being highly flavored.
(Plate LXXX_a_.)
=B. no´bilis= Pk.—noble. =Pileus= thin, fleshy on the disk, ovate then bell-shaped, smooth, plicate-striate, pale-yellow, the disk tinged with red, the margin at length recurved and splitting. =Gills= subdistant, tapering outwardly, attached, the alternate ones more narrow, pale-yellow with a darker edge. =Stem= long, equal, smooth, striate at the top, hollow, white.
=Plant= cespitose, 3–5 in. high. =Pileus= 1 in. broad. =Stem= 1 line thick. Ground in woods. Greig. September.
A fine large species, but probably rare. Peck, 24th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
I have not seen this species. Figure after Professor Peck.
=CREPIDO´TUS= Fr.
Gr—a slipper.
(Plate LXXXI.)
=Veil= wanting or not manifest. =Pileus= eccentric, lateral or resupinate. =Spores= rust-color.
The Crepidoti correspond in shape and habit to the smaller Pleuroti and the Claudopodes, but they are distinguished from both by the rust-color of their spores. These are globose in several species, in others they are elliptical. In some there is a depression on one side which gives them a naviculoid character and causes the spore to appear slightly curved when viewed in a certain position. In consequence of the similarity of several of our species, the character of the spores is of much importance in their identification, and it is unfortunate that European mycologists have so generally neglected to give the spore characters in their descriptions of these fungi. In most of the species the pileus is at first resupinate, but it generally becomes reflexed as it enlarges. It is generally sessile or attached by a mass of white fibrils or tomentum. For this reason it is usually somewhat tomentose or villose about the point of attachment, even in species that are otherwise glabrous. In several species the pileus is moist or hygrophanous and then the thin margin is commonly striatulate. This character is attributed to but one of the dozen or more European species. Their mode of growth is usually gregarious or somewhat loosely imbricated, in consequence of which the pileus, which in most species is white or yellowish, is often stained by the spores, and then it has a rusty, stained or squalid appearance. The species occur especially on old stumps, prostrate trunks and soft much decayed wood in damp, shaded places. Peck, 39th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=C. ful´vo-tomento´sus= Pk.—tawny-tomentose. =Pileus= ¾-2 in. broad, scattered or gregarious, suborbicular, kidney-shaped or dimidiate, sessile or attached by a short, white-villose tubercle or rudimentary stem, hygrophanous, watery-brown and sometimes striatulate on the margin when moist, whitish, yellowish or pale ochraceous when dry, adorned with small, tawny, hairy or tomentose scales. =Lamellæ= broad, subventricose, moderately close, rounded behind, radiating from a lateral or eccentric white villose spot, whitish becoming brownish-ferruginous. =Spores= elliptical often uninucleate, 8–10×5–6µ.
Decaying wood of poplar, maple, etc. Common. June to October.
A pretty species, corresponding in some respects to the European C. calolepis, but much larger and with tawny, instead of reddish scales. The cuticle is separable and is tenacious, though it has a hyaline gelatinous appearance. The pileus is subpersistent, and specimens dried in their place of growth are not rare. Peck, 39th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Haddonfield, N.J.; Angora, West Philadelphia. On decaying hickory. McIlvaine.
Substance fair. Taste strong but pleasant.
FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE.
1. CORTINARIUS 318 4. CORTINARIUS TURMALIS, 309 SQUAMULOSUS,
2. CORTINARIUS VIOLACEUS, 314 5. CORTINARIUS 323 ARMILLATUS,
3. CORTINARIUS OCHRACEUS, 319
=CORTINA´RIUS= Fr.
Cortina, a veil or curtain.
=Veil= resembling the consistency of a cob-web, superficial, distinct from the cuticle of the pileus. =Flesh= of pileus and stem continuous. =Gills= persistent, dry, changing color, powdered with the spores. =Trama= fibrillose. =Spores= globose or oblong, somewhat ochraceous on white paper. Fries.
This genus is not easily confounded with any other, the cob-webby veil stretched from stem to pileus in the young plant not being found in other fungi. This must be looked for only in youth, as from its tender character it soon breaks and often appears only as a very indistinct collar on the stem, colored from catching the falling spores. The colors are generally pronounced and often extremely bright, there being very few prettier toadstools than those inclined to the blue or purple shades, which are not uncommon in the immature form. The color of the spores is also a marked feature, being rusty or brownish-ochraceous, turning the gills to the same color at maturity. On account of this change it is generally necessary to have specimens at both stages of growth to accurately determine the species. The gills are thin, attached to the stem in various manners, rarely slightly decurrent.
Cortinarius is distinguished from Flammula by growing on the ground and by the bright ferruginous color of its spores.
Cortinarius is a sturdy, hardy genus preferring northern latitudes and autumnal months, though several of its species grow as far south as Alabama, and one, a new species described by Professor Peck, is found on the Helderberg mountains in May. The genus contains many species, most of which produce in great numbers, yet being woods-growing, and coming as they do when leaves are falling, they are often missed because of their similarity to their surroundings.
Heretofore, less than a dozen species have been reported as eaten. This number is now doubled. While several species are bitter and others equally unpleasant, not one has been accused of harm. It is highly probable that other varieties than those herein given will prove equally acceptable as food. I have tested all I have found in sufficient quantity to warrant passing judgment upon them.
The genus does not contain as many species of superior excellence as other fleshy genera of like numbers. The flesh is frequently dry and of a strong woody or musky flavor, which it does not lose in cooking. The stems are seldom cookable. All can be fried in butter, but cut in small pieces and well stewed, or stewed and served in patties, or made into croquettes are certain ways of keeping them in palate memory.
ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.
PHLEGMACIUM (Gr—shiny or clammy moisture). Page 308.
Pileus viscid. Stem firm, dry. Veil partial, cobweb-like.
A. CLIDUCHII (Gr—holding the keys—the typical subdivision). Page 308.
Partial veil as a ring on the upper part of the stem which is equal or slightly expanded above. Not distinctly bulbous.
* Gills pallid then clay-colored.
** Gills purplish then clay-colored.
B. SCAURI (Gr—club-footed). Page 310.
Bulbous. Bulb depressed or top-shaped, with a distinct margin caused by the pressure of the pileus before expansion. Veil generally ascending from the margin of the bulb. Gills somewhat sinuate.
* Gills whitish then cinnamon.
** Gills blue then cinnamon.
*** Gills brownish-white then cinnamon.
MYXACIUM (Gr—mucus). Page 313.
Universal veil glutinous. Pileus and stem viscid. Stem slightly bulbous. Gills adnate.
INOLOMA (Gr—a fibrous fringe). Page 314.
Pileus dry, not hygrophanous or viscid, covered at first with innate silky scales or fibrils, becoming smooth. Veil simple. Pileus and stem fleshy, rather bulbous.
* Gills violaceous, then cinnamon.
** Gills pinkish-brown, then cinnamon.
*** Gills yellow, then cinnamon.
DERMOCYBE. Page 320.
Pileus thin, equally fleshy, at first silky with a fine down, becoming smooth when adult. Not hygrophanous, but flesh watery when moist or colored. Stem equal or larger above, externally rigid, elastic or brittle, internally stuffed or hollow. Veil single, thread-like.
TELAMONIA. Page 323.
Pileus moist, hygrophanous, at first smooth or sprinkled with the whitish superficial evanescent fibrils of the veil. Flesh thin, or when thick it becomes abruptly thin toward the margin, scissile. Stem ringed below or coated from the universal veil, slightly veiled at the apex, hence with almost a double veil.
HYGROCYBE. Page 325.
Pileus hygrophanous, smooth or covered with superficial white fibrils, not viscid, moist when fresh, becoming discolored when dry. Flesh very thin or scissile, rarely more compact at the center. Stem rather rigid, bare. Veil thin, rarely collapsing and forming an irregular ring on the stem.
PHLEGMA´CIUM. (Gr—clammy moisture.)
A. CLIDUCHII.
* Gills pallid, then clay-colored.
=C. seba´ceus= Fr.—sebum, tallow. =Pileus= 2½-5 in. broad, unicolorous, pale, of the color of tallow, equally fleshy, convex then rather plane, commonly very repand, viscid, smooth, but at the first covered over with a whitish pruinose luster. =Flesh= white. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, ½-1 in. thick, solid, stout, compact, never bulbous, often twisted and compressed, slightly fibrillose, pale white. =Cortina= delicate, fugacious, adhering only to the margin of the pileus. =Gills= emarginate, not crowded, connected by veins, 4 lines broad, clay-color or pallid-cinnamon, paler at the sides. Fries.
The flesh of the pileus is not compact at the disk and abruptly thin at the circumference, but equally attenuated toward the margin. The flesh of the stem is white. The gills never turn bluish-gray. Taste mild. Stevenson.
=Spores= pip-shaped, 9×7µ Cooke.
A very common and prolific species in West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Carolina. McIlvaine.
Pushing from the earth in great clusters it raises the mat of leaves above it into hut-like mounds through which it seldom bursts. Yet side openings to its huts show its coziness, and reveal the ground thickly dusted with its spores. Detecting these mounds is part of the woodcraft of a toad-stool hunter.
Where clusters are not dense, or the fungus is solitary, the stem is frequently swollen at the base, even bulbous.
Both caps and stems are edible, but the stems are not equal to the caps. It is a valuable food species, because of its lateness and quantity. It is not of best quality.
=C. tur´malis= Fr.—turma, a troop. (Plate LXXXII, fig. 4, p. 306.) =Pileus= yellow-tan, most frequently darker at the disk, not changeable, compact, convex then plane, very obtuse, even, smooth (sometimes obsoletely piloso-virgate), when young veiled with pruinate but very fugacious villous down, soon naked, viscid. =Flesh= white. =Stem= sometimes 3 in., sometimes 6 in. long, 1 in. thick, solid, very hard, rigid, cylindrical, here and there attenuated at the base, shining white when dry, when young sheathed with a white woolly veil, naked when full grown. Cortina entirely fibrillose, superior and persistent in the form of a ring, at length ferruginous with the spores. =Gills= variously adnexed, rounded or emarginate, even decurrent with a tooth, crowded, serrated, white then clay-color. Fries.
I find it edible and of great value, being plentiful in pine woods, Maryland. I have collected a bushel in less than an hour in October. Under pine needles forming mounds. Taylor.
The localities and the habit of C. turmalis are very like that of C. sebaceus. The leaf mat broods the clusters.
C. turmalis is on a par with C. sebaceus. Personally I prefer the latter.
** Gills purplish, then clay-colored.
=C. va´rius= (Schaeff.) Fr.—varius, changeable. =Pileus= 2 in. and more broad, bright ferruginous-tawny, compact, hemispherico-flattened, very obtuse, regular, slightly viscid, even, smooth, the thin margin at first incurved, appendiculate with the cortina. =Flesh= firm, white. =Stem= curt, 1½-2½ in. long, 1 in. and more thick, bulbous, absolutely immarginate, compact, shining white, adpressedly flocculose, the superior veil pendulous. =Gills= emarginate, thin, somewhat crowded, at first narrow, violaceous-purplish, then broader and ochraceous-cinnamon, always quite entire.
Variable in stature, but the habit and colors are always unchangeable. It varies with the stem taller and somewhat equal, the pileus yellow-tawny, and the gills dark blue. Fries.
In woods. Uncommon. September to November. Stevenson.
Minnesota; Ohio.
Edible. Cooke, 1891.
B. SCAU´RI.
* Gills whitish then cinnamon.
=C. intru´sus= Pk. =Pileus= fleshy, rather thin, convex, then expanded, glabrous, somewhat viscid when moist, even or radiately wrinkled on the margin, yellowish or buff, sometimes with a reddish tint. =Flesh= white. =Lamellæ= thin, close, rounded behind, at first whitish or creamy-white, then cinnamon, often uneven on the edge. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering either upward or downward, stuffed or hollow, sometimes beautifully striate at the top only or nearly to the base, minutely floccose when young, soon glabrous, white. =Spores= broadly elliptical, brownish-cinnamon, 6–8×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 1–2.5 in. broad. =Stem= 1–3 in. long, 3–6 lines thick.
Mushroom beds, manured soil in conservatories or in plant pots. Boston, Mass. R.K. Macadam. Haddonfield, N.J. C. McIlvaine.
This interesting species is closely allied to Cortinarius multiformis and belongs to the Section Phlegmacium. It has a slight odor of radishes and is pronounced edible by Mr. McIlvaine. Its habitat is peculiar, but it possibly finds its way into conservatories and mushroom beds through the introduction of manure or soil, or leaf mold from the woods. It seems strange, however, that it has not yet been detected growing in the woods or fields. Hebeloma fastibile is said sometimes to invade mushroom beds, and our plant resembles it in so many particulars that it is with some hesitation I separate it. The chief differences are in the stem and spores. The former, in Hebeloma fastibile, is described as solid and fibrous-squamose and the latter as 10×6 micromillimeters in size. The brighter color of the smaller spores and the stuffed or hollow smooth stem of our plant will separate it from this species. Peck, Bull. of the Torrey Bot. Club, October, 1896.
Cortinarius intrusus was a happy find. Several pints of it were collected by the author in February—usually a famine month for the mycophagist. They grew on the ground, in beds among plants, and with potted plants in a hot-house in Haddonfield, N.J. The crop continued well into the spring. The species is delicate, savory, and a most accommodating renegade from its kind. I have never found it elsewhere.
** Gills blue, then cinnamon.
=C. cærules´cens= Fr. =Pileus= 2–3 in. across, equally fleshy, convex then plane, obtuse, regular, even, almost glabrous, but often fibrilloso-streaked; viscid, when dry shining or opaque, dingy yellow, almost tan-colored, varying to yellowish-brown, etc. =Gills= slightly rounded behind, adnexed, thin, closely crowded, 2 lines broad, at first clear intense blue then becoming purplish, at length dingy cinnamon. =Stem= about 2 in. long, ½ in. thick (bulb more than an inch), firm, equally attenuated upward, at first fibrillose, bright violet, then becoming pale and whitish, naked, bulb often disappearing with age; veil fibrillose, fugacious. =Spores= elliptical, 9–10×5µ.
Amongst moss in woods, etc.
Neither the gills nor the flesh change color when broken, a point which distinguishes the present from C. purpurascens. When young every part is generally blue. Smell scarcely any. Fries.
=Spores= 10–12×5µ Cooke.
Haddonfield; West Virginia; Mt. Gretna, Pa. In woods September to frost. McIlvaine.
The American species seldom entirely loses the bluish-purple color of its cap. The beautiful color fades somewhat or becomes splotched with yellow. Neither does the bulb ordinarily disappear with age. It is common. Taste of cap is mild, somewhat woody. They require long, slow stewing, and are better made into patties and croquettes.
=C. purpuras´cens= Fr.—gills becoming purple when bruised. =Pileus= 4–5 in. across, fleshy, disk compact, obtuse, wavy, variable, covered with a dense layer of gluten, but opaque when dry, bay or reddish then tawny-olivaceous, spotted; often depressed round the margin, which is at first incurved then wavy, marked with a raised brown line. =Flesh= entirely clear blue. =Gills= broadly emarginate, 3 lines and more broad, crowded, bluish-tan, then cinnamon, violet-purple when bruised. =Stem= about 3 in. long, ⅔ in. and more thick, solid, bulbous, everywhere fibrillose, intensely pallid clear blue, very compact, juicy, becoming purplish-blue when touched, bulb submarginate. =Spores= elliptical, 10–12×5–6µ Fries.
Var. subpurpuras´cens. Massachusetts. Frost.
Plentiful in West Virginia mountains in mixed woods, 1882. On South Valley Hill, near Downington, Pa., October, 1887. Haddonfield, N.J., 1892. In woods. September to frost. McIlvaine.
Both stems and caps are juicy when young and of agreeable flavor. It is among the best edible species of Cortinarius.
*** Gills brownish-white, then ferruginous.
=C. turbina´tus= Fr.—turbo, a top. =Pileus= unicolorous, dingy-yellow or green, becoming pale, hygrophanous, opaque when dry, fleshy, convex then flattened, obtuse, at length depressed, orbicular, even, smooth, viscid. =Flesh= soft, white. =Stem= commonly curt, 2 in., but varying elongated, yellowish, springing from a globoso-depressed distinctly marginate bulb, otherwise equal, cylindrical, stuffed then hollow. =Gills= attenuato-adnate, thin, crowded, broad, quite entire, at first pallid light-yellowish, at length somewhat ferruginous.
The typical form is regular, distinct from its allies in the hygrophanous pileus, in the gills being isabelline-ferruginous and quite entire, and in being without any dark-purple or purple color. Easily distinguished by its turbinate bulb. Fries.
In woods. Uncommon. Stevenson.
=Spores= rough, 14–16×7µ; rough, Cooke.
=Cap= 2–4 in. across. =Stem= commonly about 2 in. long, sometimes longer. Massee.
North Carolina, Schweinitz; Pennsylvania, Schweinitz; Massachusetts, Frost; Minnesota; Nova Scotia.
Edible. Cooke.
MYXA´CIUM. (Gr—mucus.)
(Plate LXXXIII.)
=C. collin´itus= Fr.—collino, to besmear. =Pileus= convex, obtuse, glabrous, glutinous when moist, shining when dry. =Gills= rather broad, dingy-white or grayish when young. =Stem= cylindrical, solid, viscid or glutinous when moist, transversely cracking when dry, whitish or paler than the pileus. =Spores= subelliptical, 13–15µ.
The Smeared cortinarius is much more common than the Violet cortinarius and has a much wider range. Both the cap and stem are covered with a viscid substance or gluten which makes it unpleasant to handle. The cap varies in color from yellow to golden or tawny-yellow and when the gluten on it has dried it is very smooth and shining. The flesh is white or whitish. The young gills have a peculiar bluish-white or dingy-white color which might be called grayish or clay color, but when mature they assume the color of the spores. They are sometimes minutely uneven on the edge.
The stem is straight, solid, cylindrical and usually paler than the cap. When the gluten on it dries it cracks transversely, giving to the stem a peculiar scaly appearance.
The cap is 1½-3 in. broad, and the stem 2–4 in. long, and ¼-½ in. thick.
The plant grows in thin woods, copses and partly cleared lands and may be found from August to September.
It is well to peel the caps before cooking, since the gluten causes dirt and rubbish to adhere tenaciously to them. Peck, 48th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
In 41st Rep. N.Y. State Mus. Nat. Hist., p. 71, Professor Peck describes a closely allied species, C. muscigenus, n. sp., “separated by its more highly-colored pileus, striate margin and even, not diffracted-squamose stem.”
Prof. L.B. Mendel gives the following analysis: “Young specimens gathered in New Haven early in November, 1897, gave:
Water 91.13%
Total solids 8.87
Total nitrogen of dry 3.63” substance
Edible. Cooke.
In appearance the Smeared cortinarius does not appeal to be eaten. Neither does an eel. But peeled both are inviting. Raw, the caps of this fungus have a strong woody smell and taste. This is somewhat subdued by cooking.
I have found the plant in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, often among the leaves in mixed woods, but it prefers a goodly supply of light and the freedom of open places. It is often gregarious, sometimes tufted.
=C. io´des= B. and C. =Pileus= 1½-2 in., convex, at length plane, viscid, firm, violet-purple. =Flesh= white, thick. =Veil= fugacious, spider-web. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 1½ in. thick, solid, thickened below. =Gills= violet, at length cinnamon, ventricose, adnate, sub-emarginate, irregular, sometimes forked. B. and C.
This is a small but beautiful species, the pileus, lamellæ and stem being of a bright-violet or purplish-violet hue. The spores are subelliptical, generally uninucleate, 10×6µ. Peck, 32d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
The pileus in this species is sometimes spotted with white. The bulbous white stem is adorned with lilac-colored fibrils. Peck, 35th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Sparingly found among roots at Mt. Gretna, Pa., September, 1897–1898.
The caps are fairly good.
INOLO´MA. (Gr—fiber; Gr—a fringe.)
* Gills violaceous then cinnamon.
=C. viola´ceus= Fr. (Plate LXXXII, fig. 2, page 306.) One of our most plentiful and beautiful autumnal fungi. As the American plant differs somewhat from the European, Professor Peck’s description is given.
=Pileus= convex, becoming nearly plane, dry, adorned with numerous persistent hairy tufts or scales, dark violet. =Lamellæ= rather thick, distant, rounded or deeply notched at the inner extremity, colored like the pileus in the young plant, brownish-cinnamon in the mature plant. =Stem= solid, fibrillose, bulbous, colored like the pileus. =Spores= subelliptical, 12.5µ long.
The Violet cortinarius is a very beautiful mushroom and one easy of recognition. At first the whole plant is uniformly colored, but with age the gills assume a dingy ochraceous or brownish-cinnamon hue. The cap is generally well formed and regular and is beautifully adorned with little hairy scales or tufts. These are rarely shown in figures of the European plant, but they are quite noticeable in the American plant and should not be overlooked. The flesh is more or less tinged with violet.
The gills when young are colored like the cap. They are rather broad, notched at the inner extremity and narrowed toward the margin of the cap. When mature they become dusted with the spores whose color they take.
The stem also is colored like the cap. It is swollen into a bulb at the base and sometimes a faint ochraceous band may be seen near the top. This is due to the falling spores which lodge on the webby filaments of the veil remaining attached to the stem.
=Cap= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 3–5 in. long, about ½ in. thick. Peck, 48th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Minerva, Essex county. A form of this species occurs here, having the pileus merely downy or punctate-hairy under a lens, no squamules being distinguishable by the naked eye. July. Peck, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=Spores= 12–14×10µ Cooke.
The spider web veil is exquisitely displayed in this species. This, with its strongly bulbous base and violet tinge throughout, easily mark it. Though usually solitary great numbers of it are found in its settlements. The mixed woods of central New Jersey abound with it in July, August and September. Throughout Pennsylvania and West Virginia it is common, and is reported from several other states. In Redman’s woods, near Haddonfield, N.J., a densely clustered form of singular beauty occurs. A dozen individuals of various forms and sizes with swollen stems form a compact mass, rich in color, and cutting crisp and juicy as an apple. They are far better than other Cortinarii I have eaten. I have not seen it elsewhere.
C. violaceus is everywhere eaten, and is in my opinion the best of its genus. The American plant is not inodorous, but has a decided mushroom smell and taste.
(Plate LXXXIV.)
=C. albo-viola´ceus= Pers. =Pileus= fleshy, rather thin, convex, then expanded, sometimes broadly subumbonate, smooth, silky, whitish, tinged with lilac or pale violet. =Lamellæ= generally serrulate, whitish-violet, then cinnamon-color. =Stem= equal or a little tapering upward, solid, silky, white, stained with violet, especially at the top, slightly bulbous, the bulb gradually tapering into the stipe.
Height, 3–4 in.; breadth of pileus, 2–3 in.; stipe, 3–6 lines thick.
Ground in thin woods, more frequently under poplars. Center. October.
The stem is sometimes subannulate, and being violet above and white below the obscure ring, it appears as if sheathed with a silky-white covering. Inodorous. Sometimes the stem gradually tapers from the base to the top, so that it can scarcely be called bulbous. Peck, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=Spores= 12×5–6µ Cooke; 6–9×4–5µ K.; pruniform, 10µ Q.
An allied species C. (Inoloma) lilacinus, Peck, with the stem and bulbous part much broader than the cap, is not as common, but of far better flavor.
Common in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, in mixed woods. September to frost. McIlvaine.
A mushroom flavor develops in cooking. The consistency of the flesh is good. It is of medium grade.
=C. lilaci´nus= Pk. =Pileus= firm, hemispherical, then convex, minutely silky, lilac-color. =Lamellæ= close, lilac, then cinnamon. =Stem= stout, bulbous, silky-fibrillose, solid, whitish, tinged with lilac. =Spores= nucleate, 10×6µ.
=Plant= 4–5 in. high. =Pileus= 3 in. broad. =Stem= 4–6 lines thick. Low mossy ground in woods. Croghan. September. This is a rare but beautiful plant, allied to C. alboviolaceus, from which it may be distinguished by its stouter habit, deeper color and bulbous stem. In the young plant the bulb is much broader than the undeveloped pileus that surmounts it. Peck, 26th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Massachusetts, Frost; Minnesota, Nova Scotia.
I have found a few specimens in several places: West Virginia, Redman’s woods, Haddonfield, N.J., in which place it is more plentiful than in any locality I have noted. Near lake at Eagle’s Mere, Pa., August, and at Springton, Pa. Excellent.
(Plate LXXXV.)
=C. as´per= Pk.—rough. =Pileus= fleshy, firm, hemispherical, then convex, rough with minute, erect, brown scales, ochraceous. =Gills= close, rounded behind and slightly emarginate, dull violaceous, then pale cinnamon. =Stem= equal, bulbous, solid, fibrillose-scaly, colored like the pileus but smooth and violaceous at the top, the bulb white with an abundant mycelium. =Spores= broadly elliptical, with a pellucid nucleus, 8µ long.
=Plant= 3–4 in. high. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 3–5 lines thick. Ground in cleared places. Greig. September.
A fine species. The flesh of the stem is violaceous. Peck, 24th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
This plant sometimes grows in tufts or clusters and bears a very close resemblance to Armillaria mellea, both in color and in the character of the scales of the pileus. Peck, 27th Rep.
In thin woods and clearings, West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. The whole fungus is edible when young, and ranks high in Cortinarii. When full grown the stem is hard. Cut in thin, transverse slices it cooks tender, but does not equal the cap. Like most of the Cortinarii it is found in the autumn until frost kills it.
** Gills pinkish-brown then cinnamon.
(Plate LXXXVI.)
=C. squamulo´sus= Pk. (Plate LXXXII, fig. 1, p. 306). =Pileus= thick, fleshy, convex, densely fibrillose-squamulose, cinnamon-brown, the scales darker. =Lamellæ= not crowded, deeply emarginate, pale pinkish-brown, then cinnamon-colored. =Stipe= thick, solid, shreddy, subsquamulose, concolorous, swollen at the base into a very large tapering or subventricose bulb.
Height 4–6 in., breadth of pileus 2–4 in., stipe 6–9 lines thick at the top, 12–18 lines at the bottom.
Borders of swamps in woods. Sandlake. August.
Related to C. pholideus and C. arenatus, but distinct by the deep emargination of the lamellæ. It gives out a strong odor while drying. The color of the flesh is pinkish-white. Peck, 23d Rep. N.Y.
This species was discovered in 1869, and had not since been observed by the writer until the past season. It is manifestly a species of rare occurrence. Peck, 28th Rep.
Massachusetts, Frost; Wisconsin, Minnesota. Ranges from New England to Kentucky unchanged. Morgan.
Specimens from E.B. Sterling, Trenton, N.J., September, 1897. Asylum grounds. Several found at Mt. Gretna, August and September, 1897. Solitary in oak woods, gravelly soil. McIlvaine. Sent to Professor Peck and identified. Specimens were much darker than Professor Peck’s plates.
C. squamulosus is not attractive in appearance. The caps, only, are edible. Their consistency is very pleasant and flavor fairly good.
(Plate LXXXVI_a_.)
=C. autumna´lis= Pk. =Pileus= fleshy, convex or expanded, dull rusty-yellow, variegated or streaked with innate rust-colored fibrils. =Gills= rather broad, with a wide shallow emargination. =Stem= equal, solid, firm, bulbous, a little paler than the pileus.
=Height= 3–4 in., breadth of pileus 2–4 in. =Stem= 6 lines thick.
Pine woods. Bethlehem. November. The plant is sometimes cespitose. The flesh is white. Peck, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Mt. Gretna, Pa., 1899. McIlvaine.
Quality fair. Caps meaty.
=C. ochra´ceus= Pk. (Plate LXXXII, fig. 3, p. 306.) =Pileus= fleshy, convex, at length broadly subumbonate or gibbous, smooth, even or obscurely wrinkled, pale ochraceous. =Stem= solid, fibrillose, ochraceous at the top, white below, gradually enlarged into a thick bulbous base.
=Height= 2–4 in., breadth of pileus 2–3 in. =Stem= 4–6 lines thick at the top, 12–18 lines at the base.
Under balsam trees in open places. Catskill mountains. October.
The stem appears as if sheathed. In some specimens the stem is short and rapidly tapers from the base to the top. Peck, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Many of the species were found by the writer in mixed woods among leaves at Mt. Gretna, Pa., September, 1898. Specimens were identified by Professor Peck.
The gills are bright yellow when young. Cap smooth, innately fibrillose, not viscid. =Spores= light brown.
Tasteless; smell faint. Good consistency. A fair flavor develops in cooking.
*** Gills yellow.
(Plate LXXXVI_b_.)
=C. (Inoloma) annula´tus= Pk. =Pileus= broadly convex, dry, villose-squamulose, yellow. =Flesh= yellowish. =Lamellæ= rather broad, subdistant, adnexed, yellow. =Stem= solid, bulbous, somewhat peronate by the yellow fibrillose annular-terminated veil. =Spores= broadly elliptical or subglobose, 8µ long.
=Pileus= 1–3 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–3 in. long, 3–6 lines thick.
Thin woods. Whitehall. August.
The whole plant is yellow inclining to ochraceous. It has the odor of radishes. The squamules of the pileus are pointed and erect on the disk, and often darker-colored there. The species is allied to C. tophaceus and C. callisteus, from which it is separated by its persistently annulate stem and more yellow color. Peck, 43d Rep.
Specimens received from E.B. Sterling, Trenton, N.J., September 5, 1897. Identified by Professor Peck. Mixed woods Kingsessing, near Bartram’s Garden, Philadelphia, September, 1897.
Solitary among grass and leaves. The permanent marking of the veil is conspicuous. Eight specimens were found and eaten. The caps cook tender, and have a decided but not unpleasant flavor.
DERMO´CYBE. (Gr—skin; Gr—a head.)
=C. cinnabari´nus= Fr.—cinnabaris, dragon’s blood. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad, scarlet-red, truly fleshy, campanulate, then flattened, obtuse or very obtusely umbonate, silky, then becoming smooth and shining, or obsoletely scaly; the firm flesh paler. =Stem= 1½-2 in. long, 3–4 lines and more thick, solid, equal, sometimes however bulbous, fibrillose or striate, scarlet-red, reddish brick-color internally. Cortina fibrillose, lax, cinnabar. =Gills= wholly adnate, somewhat decurrent, 3 lines broad, somewhat distant, connected by veins, unequal and darker at the edge, dark blood-color when bruised.
Odor of radish. Readily distinguished from all others by its splendid scarlet color, and from C. sanguineus by its short solid and firm stem, its broad pileus and somewhat distant gills. Stem never becoming yellow. Fries.
=Spores= 7–8×4µ Cooke.
It is a variable species with us.
=Cap= 1½ in. across, convex, broadly umbonate, margin involute, yellowish-brown, silky, innately fibrillose, shining, when young the cap is round, margin involute. =Veil= white, fibrillose, fugacious, leaving no trace on stem. =Flesh= thick in center, solid, close-grained, white, tinged with brown. Tastes strongly as radishes. Skin partially detachable.
Gills exceedingly beautiful in their deep claret-color, which is permanent, decurrent.
=Stem= 3 in. long, shining, smooth, white near top, brownish below, equal, fibrous, stuffed, skin removable.
On ground among pines, near station, Mt. Gretna, Pa. August to frost. Solitary, gregarious and cespitose.
Taste and smell like radishes. The caps cook well and are of fair flavor. Makes good patties and croquettes.
C. cinnabarinus, Var. 1. Mt. Gretna, Pa., August to frost. On decaying chestnut stumps.
Cap 1 in. across, shining, convex, orange-brown, white on margin and under minute appressed squamules, but few on margin; apparent remnant of a veil on cap, as a viscid skin.
Gills rounded behind, slightly emarginate, like Tricholoma, grayish-brown when young, becoming a brilliant scarlet, unequal.
Stem 2 in. high, over ¼ in. thick, white, covered with brownish-orange appressed squamules, often with stained marking of veil or fragments of veil as ring. Cespitose, connate.
Taste and smell strong like radishes. Flavor in dish is decided but pleasant. Makes good patties and croquettes.
Specimens were identified by Professor Peck as C. cinnabarinus, as were those of the preceding. The variations are so great that I give this place as a variety.
=C. sanguin´eus= Fr.—sanguis, blood. =Pileus= 1–1½ in. broad, blood-color, becoming slightly pale when dry, fleshy, thin, convex then plane, obtuse, occasionally depressed, silky or squamulose. =Flesh= reddish, paler. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 2–3 lines thick, stuffed then hollow, equal (rather attenuated than thickened at the base), here and there flexuous, with fibrils of the same color, almost darker than the pileus. Cortina arachnoid, fugacious, red blood-color. =Gills= adnate, crowded, 2–3 lines broad, quite entire, dark blood-color.
Wholly dark blood-color, the stem when compressed pouring forth bloody juice. Odor of radish. Thinner than species nearest to it. The spores are ochraceous on a white ground, somewhat ferruginous on a black ground. Fries.
=Spores= 6×4µ W.G.S.
North Carolina, Curtis; Massachusetts, Sprague, Farlow, Frost; Connecticut, Wright; New York, Peck, 23d Rep.
Edible. Leuba.
(Plate LXXXVII.)
=C. cinnamo´meus= Fr. =Pileus= 1–2½ in. across. =Flesh= thin, convexo-campanulate, umbonate, somewhat cinnamon color, silky squamulose with yellowish innate fibrils, becoming almost glabrous. =Gills= adnate, broad, crowded, shining, yellowish, then tawny-yellow. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, equal, yellow, as is also the flesh and the veil, hollow. =Spores= 7–8×4–5µ.
A very common species, especially in mossy places in pine woods, occurring under many well defined forms, which can not be separated as species. Essential points common to all. (1) Stem everywhere equal, stuffed, then hollow, yellowish, fibrillose from the similarly colored veil. (2) Pileus thin, flattened and obtusely umbonate, silky with yellowish down, often glabrous when adult, and then bright cinnamon, but the color is variable. (3) Flesh splitting, yellowish. (4) Gills adnate, crowded, thin, broad, always shining. (5) Spores dark ochraceous, size and color very variable; pileus from ½-3–4 in. across; color of pileus changeable, depending on the more or less persistence of the down (fundamental color and veil constant in this species and its allies); gills varying through blood-red, reddish cinnamon, tawny saffron, golden and yellow. Fries.
=Pileus= thin, convex, obtuse or umbonate, dry, fibrillose at least when young. =Flesh= yellowish. =Lamellæ= thin, close, adnate. =Stem= slender, equal, stuffed or hollow. =Spores= elliptical, 8µ long. Peck, 48th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=Spores= 7–8×4µ Cooke.
The Germans are said to be very fond of this species, which is generally stewed in butter and served with sauce for vegetables.
Catalogued by Dr. M.A. Curtis, North Carolina, as edible. Edible. Cooke.
Var. semi-sanguin´eus received from E.B. Sterling, Trenton, N.J., August, 1897. Juicy and good.
The species is common over the United States and plentiful in its numerous varieties from August to frost. It frequents mixed woods, borders and open and mossy places. The pine woods of New Jersey yield it in quantity, as do the hemlock forests of Eagle’s Mere, Pa., and oak woods of West Virginia.
It has a smell and taste—mildly of radishes. Its flavor when cooked is decided but pleasant.
TELAMO´NIA. (Gr—lint.)
(Plate LXXXVIII.)
=C. armilla´tus= Fr.—armilla, a ring. (Plate LXXXII, fig. 5, p. 306.) =Pileus= 3–5 in. broad, red-brick color, truly fleshy, but not very compact, at first cylindrical, soon campanulate, at length flattened, dry, at first smooth, soon innately fibrillose or squamulose, flesh dingy pallid. =Stem= 3–6 in. long, ½ in. thick, solid, firm, remarkably bulbous (bulb 1 in. thick, villous, whitish) and fibrillose at the base, when old striate and reddish-pallid, internally dirty yellow. Exterior veil woven, red, arranged in 2–4 distant cinnabar zones encircling the stem; partial veil continuous with the upper zone, arachnoid, reddish-white. =Gills= adnate, slightly rounded, distant, at first pallid cinnamon, at length very broad (½ in.), dark ferruginous, almost bay-brown.
Odor of radish. A very striking species. From the pileus not being hygrophanous, at the first smooth and at length torn into fibrils or squamulose, it might easily be taken for a species of Inoloma. The cortina itself is paler than the zones. It differs from all others in these zones. The rings are usually somewhat oblique. Fries.
Professor Peck in the 23d Rep. N.Y. State Cab. Nat. Hist., describes the American species as follows:
“=Pileus= fleshy, thick, convex or subcampanulate, then expanded, minutely squamulose, yellowish-red. =Lamellæ= not close, broad, slightly emarginate, whitish-ochraceous, then cinnamon. =Stipe= stout, solid, fibrillose, whitish, girt with one to four red bands, bulbous.
“Height 4–6 in., breadth of pileus 2–4 in., stipe 4–8 in. thick.
“Woods. North Elba. August.
“A large and noble species. The margin of the pileus is thin and sometimes uneven; the upper band on the stem is usually the brightest and most regular. The pileus is not distinctly hygrophanous.”
=Spores= 10×6µ Cooke.
Edible. Cooke.
September 8, 1897, Mr. E.B. Sterling, Trenton, N.J., sent me several specimens new to me and remarkable in having two well-defined veils, the lower and thicker one of which left a dark zone upon the stem, the upper, fibrillose, was more persistent, but left a fainter impression. These veils are not mentioned in Professor Peck’s description of the American species, but are prominently noted in that of Fries, as above. In a very young specimen both veils were present. Cap light brown, minutely squamulose, with a few small red spots; margin thin, involute, flesh thick, yellowish, firm; gills distant, rounded behind, slightly emarginate, alternate ones short, light brown inclined to cinereous on edge.
Spores brown. Small young specimens did not show bulbous stem as distinct as larger and older ones.
I afterward found several specimens at Mt. Gretna, Pa., September and October, 1897.
The flesh is excellent, closely resembling Pholiota subsquarrosa. The species seems to be rare. If found in quantity it will prove one of our very best edibles.
=C. dis´tans= Pk. =Pileus= thin except the disk, convex, squamulose, bay-brown when moist, tawny when dry. =Lamellæ= broad, distant, thick, dark cinnamon-color. =Stipe= subequal, often a little tapering upward, solid, slightly fibrillose-scaly, concolorous.
Height 2–3 in., breadth of pileus 1–2 in., stipe 4–6 in. thick.
Grassy ground in pine woods. Greenbush. June.
The flesh is dull-yellowish. The pileus, when drying, has for a time a brown-marginal zone. Peck, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
New Jersey pines. Eagle’s Mere, Pa., coniferous woods. August. Mt. Gretna, Pa., pines. August, September. McIlvaine.
Like most of the hygrophanous Cortinarii, the taste is more or less that of rotten wood. The flavor is flat and undesirable.
=C. furfurel´lus= Pk. =Pileus= thin, convex, furfuraceous with minute squamules, hygrophanous, watery-tawny when moist, pale ochraceous when dry. =Lamellæ= broad, thick, distant, adnate or slightly emarginate, tawny-yellow, then cinnamon. =Stem= equal, peronate, colored like the pileus, with a slight annulus near the top. =Spores= subelliptical, minutely rough, 8–10×6µ.
=Plant= 1–2 in. high. =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 lines thick.
Moist ground in open places. Gansevoort. August. Peck, 32d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Haddonfield, N.J., Mt. Gretna, Pa. McIlvaine.
Strong woody flavor—like rotten wood. Not poisonous, but not desirable.
HYGROCYBE.
=C. casta´neus= Bull.—chestnut. =Pileus= fleshy, thin, campanulate or convex, then expanded, dark chestnut-color when moist, paler when dry. =Lamellæ= rather broad, violet-tinged, then cinnamon. =Stipe= fibrillose, stuffed or hollow, lilac tinged at the top, white below.
Height 2–3 in., breadth of pileus 1–2 in., stipe 3–4 lines thick.
Ground under spruce or balsam trees. Catskill mountains. October. Edible. Peck, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=Spores= 8×5µ.
It is certainly a wholesome, esculent species, but a great number would be required to make a good dish. M.C. Cooke.
Catalogued by Rev. M.A. Curtis, North Carolina, as edible.
Eaten in Italy. Inodorous, edible and agreeable. Cordier. More than fair. I have often eaten it. R.K. Macadam.
=PAXIL´LUS= Fr.
Paxillus, a small stake.
=Hymenophore= continuous with the stem, decurrent. =Gills= membranaceous, somewhat branched, frequently anastomosing behind, distinct from the hymenophore and easily separable from it. =Spores= dingy-white or ferruginous.
Fleshy putrescent fungi, margin of pileus at first involute, then continually and gradually unfolding and expanding. Fries.
=Pileus= symmetrical or eccentric. =Stem= central, eccentric or wanting. Edge of gills entire, sharp.
The marked features of this genus are the strongly involute margin, the soft, tough, decurrent gills, separating readily from the flesh, and the color of the spores.
The members of this genus possess some of the characters of Boletus. The gills separate easily from the hymenophore as do the tubes of the latter, and their anastomosing tendency is in P. porosus so marked that the hymenium consists of large angular tubes. The gills of P. solidus B. and C. form pores at the base, and its spores are elongated, both features indicating an affinity with Boletus.
ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.
LEPISTA (a pan). Page 327.
Pileus entire, central. Spores dingy-white, in P. panæolus somewhat rust-color. On the ground.
TAPINIA (to depress). Page —--.
Pileus generally eccentric or resupinate. Spores rust-color. On the ground or on stumps.
So far as known the species of this genus are harmless. Many of them are large, fleshy and inviting in appearance, but their flesh is usually dry and coarse, and, though absorbent, is hard to cook tender. P. atrotomentosus, which seems to be rare, is an exception. The flesh of this species being firm in texture and readily made into a first-class dish.
LEPIS´TA.
=P. lepis´ta= Fr.—lepista, a pan. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad, flat or depressed, dirty-white, smooth, sometimes minutely cracked near the margin which is thin, involute and often undulate. =Stem= very variable in length, 1–4 in., ½-¾ in. thick, dingy white or cream, solid, white inside, equal, with a cartilaginous cuticle passing between the gills and the flesh of the pileus, base blunt, villous, white. =Gills= very decurrent, crowded, 2–3 lines broad, slightly branched but not at the base, dingy-white becoming darker.
=Spores= reddish, becoming dingy brown. Broadly pyriforme 6×8µ Massee.
Pennsylvania. September, 1894. McIlvaine. Albion, N.Y., Dr. Cushing, 1898.
On ground in woods and margins of woods.
=Flesh= white. =Gills= narrow, crowded, brittle, decurrent, dingy-white or pale-buff, easily separating from cap. =Stem= solid, elastic, at length hollow, often short, an inch long, tapering downward, frequently up to four inches in length and equal, base villose.
Resembling Lactarius piperatus and some forms of Clitocybe. It is separated from the former by the absence of milk and from the latter by its involute margin. The Clitocybe resembling it are all edible.
=Smell= strong, like old oily nuts. Edible but coarse.
=P. li´vidus= Cke. =Pileus= 1–2 in. across, convex, at length slightly depressed at the disk, margin slightly arched and incurved, dingy-white, or livid ochraceous, opaque. =Gills= decurrent, arcuate, almost crowded, 1½ line broad, white. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, ½ in. thick at the apex, attenuated downward, white, fibrillose, stuffed then hollow, usually rather flexuous. =Flesh= nearly white. =Spores= globose, 3–3.5µ diameter, nearly white.
In woods. Usually in small clusters. Closely allied to Paxillus revolutus, but distinguished by the absence of any tinge of violet on the pileus or stem, and by the persistently white gills. Massee.
Received from Katherine A. Hall, Danville, N.Y. October, 1898.
Raw it tastes like a drug-store smell. Edible, pleasant.
TAPI´NIA.
(Plate XC.)
=P. involu´tus= (Batsch) Fr.—involutus, rolled inward. =Pileus= 2–5 in. broad, fleshy, compact, convexo-plane then depressed, smooth, viscid when moist, shining when dry, yellowish or tawny-ochraceous, strongly involute, margin densely downy, flesh pallid. =Stem= 2–4 in. high, about ½ in. thick, solid, firm, paler than the pileus, central or eccentric. =Gills= 2–3 lines broad, crowded, branched, anastomosing, forming pores behind, whitish then yellowish or rusty, spotting when bruised.
=Spores= rust-color, ellipsoid or oblong-ellipsoid 8–16×6µ K.; 5×6µ W.G.S. Elliptical, 8–10µ Peck.
It grows singly or in groups and likes damp mossy soil. Common in cool hemlock or spruce woods in the Adirondack mountains; not rare in the mixed woods of all our hilly districts. When growing on decayed stumps the stem is sometimes eccentric. August, November. C.H. Peck.
In open woods near Haddonfield, N.J., it grows to a large size and in quantity. In Angora woods near Philadelphia a complete ring of it 20 ft. in diameter was seen.
Considered edible throughout Europe and said to be highly esteemed in Russia. The flesh of the American plant is dry and coarse, does not cook tender and is rather tasteless.
=P. a´tro-tomento´sus= (Batsch.) Fr.—ater, black; tomentum, down. =Pileus= 3–6 in. broad, rust-color or reddish-brown, compactly fleshy, eccentric, convex then plane or depressed, margin thin, frequently minutely rivulose, sometimes tomentose in the center. =Flesh= white. =Stem= 3–6 in. high, ½-1 in. thick, stout, solid, elastic, eccentric or lateral, unequal rooting, covered with dense velvety down, very dark brown. =Gills= adnate, 3 lines broad, close, anastomosing at the base, yellowish, interspaces venose.
=Spores= subhyaline 4–6×3–4µ K. Elliptical, pale-yellowish, 5×2.5–3µ Massee. Elliptical 5–6×4µ Peck.
Found near Philadelphia, gregarious in old woods. September. In New Jersey in pine woods on stumps and on the ground, probably growing from roots. McIlvaine.
Grows singly or cespitose, sometimes in large tufts, when the pileus is frequently irregular from compression. In wet weather the pileus is moist and sometimes obscurely mottled with dark spots. Occasionally it has an unpleasant dirt-like odor. Peck.
Cordier considers this species suspicious and Paulet inutile on account of its bad taste.
The flesh differs from most Paxilli in being very fine grained and cooked is of the consistency of a marshmallow. The taste is marked but pleasant.
Series IV. =PORPHYRO´SPORÆ= (Pratelli). Gr—purple.
Spores typically black-purple or brownish-purple, more rarely dusky brown. (It is to be observed that the spores vary in color according to the color of the ground on which they are deposited.) There are sterile forms with the gills persistently white (A. obturatus, A. udus). Those species are more deceptive in which the gills continue for a long time white, and even begin to decay before they are discolored by the spores; these may be easily mistaken for Leucospori. Fries.
Pratelli is the name given by the early authors to this series, based upon the spore color; Porphyrosporæ is the name now used. The species within the group are closely allied to those having black spores without a tinge of purple or violet (Melanosporæ), but in none of the species do the gills deliquesce as in Coprinus, neither are there resupinate or lateral stemmed species.
There is a present tendency to do away with this series and include all dark-spored species in the Melanosporæ. Professor Atkinson and Bertha Stoneman, in their “Provisional Key to the Genera of Hymenomycetes,” omit the series and give “Melanosporæ, Gill and Butz (Pratellæ and Coprinariæ in broadest sense). Spores dark brown, purplish-brown or black.”
(Plate XCIII.)
It is frequently difficult to determine by the spore-color of this series even to which series a specimen belongs. Many of our best edibles belong in this series. I know of none noxious.
=CHITON´IA= Fr.
Universal veil distinct from the pileus, at maturity forming a distinct volva round the base of the ringless central stem. =Gills= free from the stem. =Spores= brownish-purple.
Analogous in structure with Volvaria and Amanitopsis. An exotic genus imported into this country.
No American species reported.
FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE.
1. AGARICUS VARIABILIS, 346 4. AGARICUS CAMPESTER, 332
2. AGARICUS SILVICOLA, 343 5. AGARICUS CAMPESTER 332 (SECTION),
3. AGARICUS PLACOMYCES, 345
AGAR´ICUS.
Agaricon, a Greek name for fungi, said to be derived from the name of a town, Agara.
=Pileus= fleshy, flesh of the stem different from that of the pileus, furnished with a distinct ring. =Gills= at first enclosed by the veil, free, rounded behind, at first white or whitish, in some species this stage lasting but a short time, then pink or reddish, at length dark purplish-brown from the spores. =Spores= brown, brownish or reddish-purple.
On the ground, generally in pastures, meadows or manured ground, a few species occur in woods.
Analogous with Lepiota of the white-spored series. Stropharia also bears a ring and has similar colored spores, but is separated by the flesh of stem and pileus being continuous and the gills being more or less adnate.
Formerly in Agaricus as sub-genus Psalliota (psallion, psalion, in poetry, a ring). When Psalliota was raised to generic rank it was given the name of the great genus Agaricus as a mark of distinction on account of its including the most widely known and useful mushroom of the world—Agaricus campester. The name Psalliota is not in modern use.
Old Agaricus included many subgenera and consequently many more species. Now it contains but few. All of them are highly flavored and of marked excellence. Before the subgenera under Agaricus were promoted to full generic standing it was customary to state the name of a species thus: Agaricus (Psalliota) campester. Agaricus (Stropharia) semi-orbicularis. This was lengthy and clumsy. In the older books this form prevails. Often, however, the subgenus is omitted before the name, which compels the student to look up the subgenus to which the species belongs. The older books are therefore puzzling to modern students, who find there simply the name Agaricus to guide them. The present genus of a known species in old Agaricus can be easily found by looking in the index for its specific name. The name of the genus follows it in parentheses.
All of the genus can be cooked in any desired way.
ANALYSIS OF SPECIES.
* Gills at first or very soon pink or rosy.
** Gills at first brownish or gray.
*** Gills at first white or whitish.
* Gills at first or very soon pink or rosy.
=A. campes´ter= Linn.—campus, a field. (Plate XCI, fig. 4 (3 figs.) fig. 5, section, p. 332). =Pileus= at first hemispherical or convex, then expanded with decurved margin or nearly plane, smooth, silky floccose or hairy squamulose, the margin extending beyond the lamellæ, the flesh rather thick, firm, white. =Lamellæ= free, close, ventricose, at first delicate pink or flesh color, then blackish-brown, subdeliquescent. =Stem= equal or slightly thickened toward the base, stuffed, white or whitish, nearly or quite smooth. =Ring= at or near the middle, more or less lacerated, sometimes evanescent. =Spores= elliptical, 6–8×4–5µ.
=Plant= 2–4 in. high. =Pileus= 1.5–4 in. or more broad. =Stem= 4–8 lines thick. Peck, 36th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=Spores= spheroid-ellipsoid, 9×6µ K.; 6×8µ W.G.S.
The varieties of A. campester are numerous. All of them are edible and vary but slightly in their excellence.
Var. al´bus Berk.—albus, white. A very common wild form. =Cap= 2–4 in. across, smooth or slightly fibrillose. =Stem= 1½-3 in. long, ⅓-⅔ in. thick, white or whitish. Spring to autumn, in rich grassy places. Sometimes very large. It is cultivated.
Var. gri´seus Pk.—griseus, gray. =Cap= grayish, silky, shining. =Ring= vanishing. Reported from Virginia.
Var. prati´cola Vitt.—pratum, a meadow; colo, to inhabit. Meadow variety. =Cap= covered with reddish scales. =Flesh= pinkish. Parade ground, Mt. Gretna, Pa.
Var. umbri´nus Vitt.—umber, dark brown. =Cap= brown, smooth. =Stem= short, minutely scaly.
“Var. rufes´cens Berk.—rufescens, becoming red. =Pileus= reddish, minutely scaly. =Gills= at first white. =Stem= elongated. =Flesh= turning bright red when cut or bruised. This departs so decidedly from the ordinary characters of the type, especially in the white color of the young gills, that it seems to merit separation as a distinct species.” Peck, 36th Rep.
Var. villa´ticus Brond.—belonging to a villa. =Cap= scaly. =Stem= scaly.
Var. horten´sis Cke.—growing in gardens. =Cap= brownish or yellowish-brown, covered with fibrils or minute hairs. This is a cultivated species.
“Var. Bu´channi. =Cap= white, smooth, depressed in center, the margin naked. =Stem= stout. =Ring= thin, lacerated. A rare variety, sometimes occurring in mushroom beds.
“Var. elonga´tus—elongated. Long-stemmed variety. =Pileus= small, smooth, convex, the margin adorned with the adherent remains of the lacerated veil. =Stem= long, slender, slightly thickened toward the base. =Ring= slight or evanescent. This is also a variety of mushroom beds.
“Var. vapora´rius. Green-house variety (A. vaporarius Vitt.) =Pileus= brownish, coated with long hairs or fibrils. =Stem= hairy-fibrillose, becoming transversely scaly. Conservatories, cellars, etc. Not differing greatly from Var. hortensis.” Peck, 36th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
The A. campester is known the world over as the common mushroom. It is cosmopolitan, appearing in pastures and rich places from spring and until long after severe frosts. It is the sweet morsel of gourmets. Indirectly it has done more damage than the assembled viciousness of all other toadstools. It is by mistaking the young button forms of the deadly Amanita for the button forms of the common mushroom that most cases of fatal toadstool poisoning are brought about. It is, also, usually the persons who think they know the mushroom, and can not be deceived, that get poisoned. If two rules are observed danger can be avoided. (1) Never eat a fungus gathered in the woods believing it to be the mushroom. The typical A. campester does not grow in the woods; species of Agaricus somewhat resembling it do. (2) Look at the gills; those of the mushroom are at first a light-pink which rapidly, as the plant matures, darken to a dark-brown, purplish-brown, or purplish-black. This is due to the ripening of the spores. Those of the Amanita are constantly white.
Pages could be written upon the mushroom and its culture, and recipes for the cooking of it would fill a volume. One important thing is omitted from them all—it is culinary heresy to peel a mushroom. Much of the flavor lies in the skin, as it does in that of apples, apricots, peaches, grapes, cherries and other fruits. The mushroom should be wiped with a coarse flannel or towel until the skin is clean. See chapter on cooking, etc.
Lafayette B. Mendel, in American Journal of Physiology, March, 1898, gives the following analysis of A. campester:
Two varieties of the common mushroom were collected in New Haven. Fifteen specimens of one variety weighed 1½ ounce, an average weight of 43 grains each. The analysis gave:
a. b.
Water 87.88% 92.20%
Total solids 12.12 7.80
Total nitrogen in dry 4.42 4.92 substance
Ash in dry substance 11.66 17.18
=A. comp´tulus= Fr.—comptus, gaily adorned. =Pileus= 1–1½ in. broad, yellowish-white, slightly fleshy, convex then plane, obtuse, adpressedly fibrilloso-silky, becoming even. =Flesh= thin, soft, of the same color as the pileus. =Stem= 2 in. long, 2–3 lines thick, hollow, stuffed with floccules when young, somewhat attenuated, even, smooth, white, becoming somewhat light yellow. =Ring= medial, torn, fugacious, of the same color. =Gills= rounded-free behind, crowded, soft, broader in front, flesh-color then rose, not dingy-flesh-color except when old.
Closely allied to A. campestris, but constantly distinct in its more beautifully colored gills. Fries.
Cultivated ground. Menands. August. Peck, Rep. 41.
Closely allied to A. campestris, from which it may be separated by its smaller size, the yellowish hue of the dry plant and by the smaller spores. Peck, 41st Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Mt. Gretna, Pa. Parade ground, with A. campester; Haddonfield, N.J. August to frost. McIlvaine.
A. comptulus appears frequently in the latitude of Philadelphia. It is a neat species, but not substantial in flesh. Here it usually grows close to the ground. The ring is very evanescent.
Its edible qualities are those of A. campester.
=A. silvat´icus= Schaeff.—belonging to woods. =Pileus= thin, at first convex or bell-shaped, then expanded, gibbous or subumbonate, fibrillose or variegated with a few thin tawny brownish or reddish-brown spot-like adpressed scales, whitish, brownish or smoky-gray, the disk sometimes tinged with red or reddish-brown, the flesh white or faintly reddish. =Lamellæ= thin, close, free, narrowed toward each end, reddish, then blackish-brown. =Stem= rather long, equal or slightly tapering upward, hollow, whitish. =Spores= elliptical, 5–6.5×4–5µ.
=Plant= 3–5 in. high. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 4–6 lines thick.
Woods. Summer and autumn. Not common. Peck, 36th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Massachusetts, Farlow; Minnesota, Johnson; California—edible, H. and M.
West Virginia, 1881–1885, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. August to frost. In pine and mixed woods. McIlvaine.
Edible, Curtis. Edible, Peck.
In taste and smell A. silvaticus resembles A. silvicola, but is stronger. It is a frequent but not common species in the localities where I have found it. Quantities of it have not occurred, but myself and friends have eaten it for years, knowing no distinction in effect between it and allied species. Its strong taste requires that it be well cooked. It does not lose its high flavor, which may be objectionable to some. I prefer using its juices as a flavoring.
=A. diminuti´vus= Pk.—diminutive. =Pileus= thin, fragile, at first convex, then plane or centrally depressed, sometimes slightly umbonate, whitish or yellowish, faintly spotted with small thin silky appressed brownish scales, the disk brownish or reddish-brown. =Lamellæ= close, thin, free, ventricose, brownish-pink becoming brown, blackish-brown or black. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering upward, stuffed or hollow, smooth, pallid. =Annulus= thin, persistent, white. =Spores= elliptical 5×4µ.
=Plant= 1.5–2 in. high. =Pileus= 1–1.5 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 lines thick.
Woods. Croghan and Sandlake, N.Y. August. Autumn.
This is a small but symmetrical and beautiful Agaric. It is perhaps too closely related to the preceding species (A. silvaticus), of which it may possibly prove to be a mere variety or dwarf form. Its pileus is quite thin and fragile. Usually the darker or reddish hue of the disk gradually loses itself in the paler color of the margin, but sometimes the whole surface is tinged with red. Peck, 36th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Chester county; West Philadelphia, Pa., September; Mt. Gretna, Eagle’s Mere, Pa., August. McIlvaine.
I have found A. diminutivus so intimately associated with A. silvaticus that its being a dwarf form of the latter seemed more than probable. Its edible qualities are the same.
=A. Rod´mani= Pk. =Pileus= rather thick, firm, at first convex, then nearly or quite plane, with decurved margin, smooth or rarely slightly cracked into scales on the disk, white or whitish, becoming yellowish or subochraceous on the disk, the flesh white, unchangeable. =Lamellæ= close, narrow, rounded behind, free, reaching nearly or quite to the stem, at first whitish then pink or reddish-pink, finally blackish-brown. =Stem= short, subequal, solid, whitish, smooth below the ring, often scurfy or slightly mealy-squamulose above; ring variable, thick or thin, entire or lacerated, at or below the middle of the stem. =Spores= broadly elliptical or subglobose, generally uninucleate, 5–6×4–5µ.
=Plant= 2–3 in. high. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 6–10 lines thick. Grassy ground and paved gutters. Astoria, L.I. Rev. W. Rodman. Washington Park, Albany. May to July.
This species is intermediate between A. campestris and A. arvensis, from both of which it may be distinguished by its narrow gills, solid stem and smaller, almost globose, spores. In size, shape of the pileus and general appearance it most resembles A. campestris, but in the whitish primary color of the gills and in the yellowish tints which the pileus often assumes, it approaches nearer to A. arvensis. * * * Peck, 36th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
I can now add my own testimony to that of Mr. Rodman as to its edibility. Its flesh is firm but crisp, not tough, and its flavor, though not equal to that of the common mushroom, is nevertheless agreeable, and its use as food is perfectly safe. Peck, Rep. 49.
This species has grown freely for several years at Hull and Cohasset, Mass. It is usually found about June 1st, and is not seen again until early autumn. It is the handsomest mushroom I have seen, and its edible qualities are on a par with its appearance. Macadam.
=A. hæmorrhoida´rius= Shulzer. Gr—discharging blood. =Pileus= 4 in. across, reddish-brown, fleshy, ovate then expanded, covered with broad adpressed scales, margin at first bent inward. =Flesh= when broken immediately blood-red. =Stem= 4 in. high, 1 in. thick, soon hollow, fibrillose, the solid base somewhat bulbous. =Ring= superior, large. =Gills= free, approximate, crowded, rosy-flesh-color, at length purple-umber.
Very striking, 3–4 in. high. The pileus and the white stem become spotted blood-red when touched. The stem when young is adpressedly squamulose below, when full grown mealy, becoming smooth. Fries.
=Spores= purple-brown, 7–8×5µ Massee; brown, elliptical, 5–6×4µ Peck.
A rare or overlooked plant in United States, first recorded by Professor Peck, who found it but once, growing under a hemlock tree. Rep. 45.
Nebraska, Clements; West Virginia; Eagle’s Mere and Mt. Gretna, Pa. In hemlock and mixed woods. Autumn. McIlvaine.
=Cap= 2–4 in. across. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, up to ¾ in. thick.
Every part of the plant turns red and has a congested appearance when bruised. The flesh is white but immediately becomes red when broken.
It is a frequent but not common species, growing singly, or in small clusters.
In flavor and substance it is equal to any mushroom.
=A. mari´timus= Pk. =Pileus= very fleshy, firm, at first subglobose, then broadly convex or nearly plane, glabrous, sometimes slightly squamose with appressed spot-like scales, white becoming dingy or grayish-brown when old. =Flesh= whitish, quickly reddening when cut, taste agreeable, odor distinct, suggestive of the odors of the seashore. =Lamellæ= narrow, close, free, pinkish becoming purplish-brown with age, the edge white. =Stem= short, stout, firm, solid, equal, sometimes bulbous, white, the annulus delicate, slight and easily obliterated. =Spores= broadly elliptic, purplish-brown, 7–8µ long, 5–6µ broad.
=Pileus= 2–8 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, .6 in. thick.
Sandy soil near salt water, Lynn, Mahant and Marblehead, Mass. June to December. R.F. Dearborn.
This is a very interesting and an excellent mushroom. Dr. Dearborn writes that he has used it on the table for fourteen years and that it is the only mushroom that he has ever eaten in which the stem is as good as the cap. He considers it the most hearty and satisfying of all the numerous species that he has ever eaten. Both its taste and odor is suggestive of the sea. The latter is quite strong, and perceptible by one riding along the road by whose side the mushrooms are growing. They sometimes grow in semicircles and attain a larger size in warm weather than in the colder weather of autumn. They are most abundant in August. The flesh, when cut or broken, quickly assumes a pink or reddish hue on the freshly-exposed surface. This is a very distinctive character and with the maritime habitat makes the species easy to recognize. Another species, Agaricus hæmorrhoidarius Kalchb. exhibits a similar change of color in its wounded flesh, but is of very rare occurrence with us, does not, so far as ascertained, grow near the sea, has a darker cap and a long hollow stem. The stem in the maritime mushroom is short and solid. Its collar is very slight and easily destroyed. Peck, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 26, No. 2, F. 1899.
=A. Califor´nicus= Pk.—=Pileus= at first subconical, becoming convex, minutely silky or fibrillose, whitish, tinged with purple or brownish-purple on the disk. =Flesh= whitish. =Gills= close, free, pink becoming purplish, then blackish-brown. =Stem= rather long, solid or stuffed, equal or tapering upward, distinctly and rather abruptly narrowed above the entire externally silky ring, pallid or brownish. =Spores= broadly elliptical, 5–6×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 1–3 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–3 in. long, 2–4 lines thick.
Under oak trees. Pasadena. January. McClatchie.
This fungus is similar in size, shape and habitat to A. hemorrhoidarius, but it is unlike that species in color, in the adornment of the pileus and in its color not changing where bruised or broken. Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, 22–5 My. 95.
=A. Elven´sis= B. and Br.—Name from river Elwy, Wales, where first found. Tufted. =Pileus= 4–6 in. or more across, subglobose then hemispherical, fibrillose, broken up into large persistent brown scales, areolate in the center, margin very obtuse, thick, covered with pyramidal warts. =Stem= at first nearly equal, at length swollen in the center, and attenuated at the base, 4–6 in. high, 2 in. thick in the center, fibrillose and areolate below, nearly smooth within the pileus, solid, stuffed with delicate threads. =Ring= thick, very large, deflexed, broken here and there, warted in areas beneath. =Gills= rather crowded, ¼ in. broad, free, of a brownish flesh-color. =Spores= elliptic oblong, 8×4µ.
Under oak trees, etc. Edible, delicious eating. Flesh of pileus ¾ in. thick, red when cut. Massee.
California, H. and M.
Edible. Cooke, 1891.
=A. f[oe]dera´tus= Berk. and Mont.—confederated. =Pileus= fleshy, thin, at first ovoid then bell-shaped, finally convex, somewhat umbilicate with the center slightly depressed, margin hanging down (when dry involute), fragments of the veil hanging from the margin, tawny, scaly with minute, scattered, white, persistent granules, 2–3 in. broad, ¾-1½ in. high.
=Stem= stout, hollow, stuffed with fibers, gradually increasing in size to the base; below the ring rough from the ruptured bark, 4 in. high. =Ring= superior, broad, reflexed, torn, persistent. =Gills= linear, medium broad, at first pinkish-lilac, when adult brownish, edge white, pulverulent, adnate, gradually attenuated toward the margin. =Spores= dingy-brown, ovoid oblong, 10µ long. Somewhat cespitose. Elegant.
On the ground in pastures. July. Columbus, Ohio. Sullivant, Mont. Syll., p. 121.
Edibility not reported. I have not seen this species.
=A. xylo´genus= Mont. Gr—produced on wood. =Pileus= membranaceous, at first ovoid, then conical, bell-shaped, umbonate, finally convexo-plane, smooth, pale-yellow, center brownish, margin split, striate when dry, 1½-2½ in. broad, 1¼ in. high. =Stem= cartilaginous, white, 3 in. high, ¼ in. thick, gradually thickened toward the base, hollow. =Ring= of medium size, inferior, erect or reflexed. =Gills= free, remote, lance-shaped, rounded behind, attenuated toward the margin, pink as in A. campester. =Spores= spherical, colorless, hyaline, 5–7.5µ.
On dead wood. August. Columbus, Ohio. Sullivant. Mont. Syll., p. 122.
Edibility not reported. I have not seen this species.
** Gills at first brownish or gray.
=A. argen´teus= Brændle—of silver. =Pileus= thin, convex becoming nearly plane, slightly silky or glabrous, pale grayish white or grayish brown, shining with a silvery luster when dry, the margin sometimes striate, at first incurved, often revolute when old. =Flesh= whitish, becoming blackish where cut. =Lamellæ= close, free, at first brownish becoming blackish brown or black with age. =Stem= short, glabrous, solid, often narrowed toward the base, the annulus slight, evanescent. =Spores= broadly elliptic, 7–10µ long, 6µ broad.
=Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 1–1½ in. long, ¼-⅜ in. thick.
Lawns and grassy places in rich soil. Often associated with Stropharia bilamellata Pk. After rains from April to November. Washington, D.C. F.J. Brændle.
This is a small mushroom, peculiar in having the young gills of a dark color and in the absence of any pink hues. The gills sometimes become moist and manifest a tendency to deliquesce. The drying specimens emit a strong but not unpleasant odor. Mr. Brændle says that their edible quality is excellent and that it is not impaired by drying. Peck, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 26, F. 1899.
=A. praten´sis= Schaeff.—a meadow. =Pileus= 2–3½ in. across, ovoid then expanded, becoming smooth or sometimes broken up into scales more or less concentrically arranged, whitish, then grayish. =Flesh= thick in the center, thin toward the margin, white. =Gills= free, rounded behind, about ¼ in. broad, grayish, then brown. =Stem= about 2 in. long, ½-⅔ in. thick, base thickened, smooth, whitish. =Ring= median, simple, usually deciduous. =Stem= becoming more or less hollow. =Spores= elliptical, apiculate, 6×3.5µ.
On pastures and woods. Distinguished by the grayish gills becoming brown without any intermediate pink or fleshy tinge, and in being rounded behind, the median deciduous ring, and the more or less hollow stem. Massee.
California. Common. Edible. H. and M. Not elsewhere reported.
=A. achi´menes= B. and C. Gr—an amber-colored plant. =Pileus= 4–6 in. broad, pallid or yellowish-white, smooth like kid leather, but studded with warty excrescences especially toward the center. =Stem= 4–6 in. high, 3–4 lines thick, white, stuffed with floccose fibers, furnished toward the apex with a large deflexed ring. =Gills= broad, crowded at first, whitish then ash-colored and dingy-brown, free. =Spores= brownish, oval or ovate.
A splendid species allied to A. fabaceus, but differing in its paler spores, warty cap, ample ring, etc.
On the earth. Solitary. June. S.C. Ravenel. Am. Jour. Sci. and Arts, 1849.
I have not seen this species.
=A. faba´ceus= Berk.—relating to beans. =Pileus= 4–5 in. across, thin, almost submembranaceous, umbonate, conical when young, becoming nearly plane as it expands, white, viscid when moist; epidermis smooth, tough, feeling like fine kid leather, turning yellow when bruised. =Stem= 3–4 in. high, ⅓ in. thick, white, smooth, with the exception of a few fibrilla, equal except at the base. =Veil= large, at first covering the gills and connecting the margin with the stem, white, externally floccose. =Gills= crowded, very thin, not ventricose, free, brown when young, then darker brown, at length almost black like the dark part of a bean flower. A fine species allied to A. arvensis. When young it has a peculiar but not unpleasant smell. On the ground, amongst dead leaves in open woods. Waynesville, September 10, 1844. Hooker’s London Jour. of Botany, 1847.
Described by Berkeley from specimens collected by Thomas G. Lea, in the vicinity of Cincinnati.
On ground among old leaves in woods. Common. =Pileus= 3–4 in. broad. =Stem= 3–4 in. high. =Spores= brown, nucleate on one side, small, 5.5µ long. Morgan.
This is among the most delicious species for the table. Fresh specimens have a distinct taste and odor of peach kernels or bitter almonds which is nearly lost in cooking. Am. Jour. Science and Arts, 1850. Curtis.
Ohio, Lea, Morgan; North Carolina, Curtis; South Carolina, Ravenel; Massachusetts, Sprague.
*** Gills at first whitish.
=A. arven´sis= Schaeff.—belonging to cultivated ground. HORSE MUSHROOM, PLOWED-LAND MUSHROOM. (A. Georgii Sow., A. pratensis Scop., A. edulis Krombh., A. exquisitus Vitt.) =Pileus= at first convex or conical, bell-shaped then expanded, at first more or less floccose or mealy, then smooth white or yellowish. =Flesh= white. =Gills= close, free, generally broader toward stem, at first whitish, then pinkish, finally blackish-brown. =Stem= equal or slightly thickened toward the base, smooth, hollow or stuffed with a floccose pith; ring rather large, thick, the lower or exterior surface often cracked in a radiate manner.
=Plant= 2–5 in. high. =Pileus= 3–5 in. or more broad. =Stem= 4–10 lines thick.
Cultivated fields and pastures. Summer and autumn.
This species is so closely related to the common mushroom that it is regarded by some authors as a mere variety of it. Even the renowned Persoon is said to have written concerning it: “It appears to be only a variety of A. campestris.” Fries also says that it is commonly not distinguished from A. campestris, but that it is diverse in some respects; its white flesh being unchangeable, its gills never deliquescing, remaining a long time pale and not becoming dark-red in middle age. Berkeley says of it: “A coarse but wholesome species, often turning yellow when bruised.” Peck, 36th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=Spores= spheroid-elliptical, 9×6µ K.; 11×6µ W.G.S.; elliptical, 8–10×5–6.5µ Peck.
Indiana, H.I. Miller; Minnesota, B.L. Taylor; West Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, McIlvaine.
Unless the numerical system of John Ph[oe]nix to express degrees of quality is adopted by a mycophagists' congress, and one species of fungus is chosen as the standard of excellence, the comparative excellence of species will never be settled. English epicures shun A. arvensis; the French prefer it. Berkeley says it is inferior to the common mushroom; Vittadini says it is very sapid and very nutritious. So opinion varies. Individual tastes must decide excellence. Comparison never will. Toadstools differ in substance, texture and taste as one meat or vegetable differs from another. Beef could not be chosen as the standard for meats, or cabbage as the standard for vegetables. Agaricus arvensis is good.
PAGE. AGARICUS MAGNIFICUS. PECK, 342
A new species of Agaricus.
=A. magni´ficus= Pk.—magnificent. (Plate XCIV.) =Pileus= 5–15 cm. (2–6 in.) broad, fleshy, thick, convex, becoming nearly plane or centrally depressed, bare, often wavy and split on the margin, white or whitish, often brownish in the center. =Flesh= 1.5–2 cm. (½ in.) thick in the center, thin on the margin, white, unchangeable. =Gills= numerous, rather broad, close, free, ventricose, white becoming dark purplish brown with age, never pink. =Stem= 10–15 cm. long (4–6 in.), about 2.5 cm. thick (1 in.), firm, stuffed with cottony pith, bulbous or thickened at the base, fibrillose, striate, minutely furfuraceous (covered with scurf) toward the base, ringed, pallid or whitish, the ring thin, persistent, white. =Spores= small, elliptic, 5–6µ long, 3–4µ broad.
Gregarious or cespitose; thin woods, Mt. Gretna, Pa. August. Charles McIlvaine.
A large fine species distinguished from its near allies by the absence of pink hues from the gills. Mr. McIlvaine remarks that it has an anise-like flavor and odor and that when young the whole fungus is tender and high flavored, but when full grown the caps only are edible. Peck, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 26, F. 1899.
=A. silvic´ola= Vitt.—silva, a wood; colo, to inhabit. (Plate XCI, fig. 2, p. 332.) (A. arvensis, var. abruptus Pk.; now A. abruptus Pk.) =Pileus= convex or sub-bell-shaped, sometimes expanded or nearly plane, smooth, shining, white or yellowish. =Gills= close, thin, free, rounded behind, generally narrowed toward each end, at first whitish, then pinkish, finally blackish-brown. =Stem= long, cylindrical, stuffed or hollow, white, bulbous; ring either thick or thin, entire or lacerated. =Spores= elliptical, 6–8×4–5µ.
=Plant= 4–6 in. high. =Pileus= 3–6 in. broad. =Stem= 4–8 lines thick.
Woods, copses and groves or along their borders. Summer and autumn. Peck, 36th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Very good eating, though scarcely as highly flavored as the common mushroom. Peck.
West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, June to frost. McIlvaine.
A. silvicola, by many authors considered a variety of A. campester, is, seemingly, becoming common. Professor Peck in 46th Rep. has made the abrupt bulb and its usual double veil distinctive marks which ally it to A. arvensis. He therefore calls it var. abruptus. As this book goes to press Professor Peck writes me that he concludes var. abruptus to be a good and distinct species. It is therefore given as such. While familiar with it since 1881, I never found it in quantity until 1898, at Mt. Gretna, Pa. There, among the straw and rubbish of abandoned camps on wood margins, it grew in great quantity; sometimes singly, at others in crowded clusters. When growing singly it exhibits all the characteristics of its description; when clustered, the stems are not always bulbous. The caps are thin but fleshy, brittle and bear a disproportionate width to the stem—like a plate on a pipe stem. The caps when mature are usually tinged with yellow and are spread flat; the ring is large, often double, yellowish, often torn, fragments of it frequently hang from the cap margin; the bulb when perfect is small, abrupt, as if it had once been round but the stem pushed into it. It has a strong spicy mushroom odor and taste, and makes a high-flavored dish. It is delicious with meats. It is the very best mushroom for catsup. Mixed with Russulæ or Lactarii or other species lacking in mushroom flavor, it enriches the entire dish. The stems, excepting of the very young, are tough.
Larvæ do not infest A. silvicola. Its habit of growth shows it to be cultivatable. It has but one draw-back. Growing as it does in woods and in the presence of the poisonous Amanita, it is possible for the careless collector to confound the two. The Amanitæ have larger bulbs, cups at the base, and white gills; the A. silvicola has no volva, has whitish gills when very young only, they become pinkish, then a marked blackish-brown.
=A. creta´ceus= Fr.—creta, chalk. =Pileus= 3 in. and more broad, wholly white, fleshy, lens-shaped-globose when young, then convexo-flattened, obtuse, dry, sometimes even, sometimes rivulose chiefly round the margin from the cuticle separating into squamules. =Flesh= thick, white, unchangeable. =Stem= 3 in. long, 3–6 lines and more thick, hollow, stuffed with a spider-web pith, firm, attenuated upward, even, smooth, not spotted, white. =Gills= free, then remote, ventricose but very much narrowed toward the stem, crowded, remaining long white, becoming dingy-brown only when old. Fries.
=Spores= 3×4µ W.G.S.; 5–6×3.5µ Massee.
Under certain conditions the spores are white. M.J.B.
In lawns and rich ground.
North Carolina, on earth and wood. Edible, Curtis; Minnesota, rare, Johnson; California, H. and M.; Ohio, Lloyd; Kentucky, Lloyd, Rep. 4; New York, Peck, Rep. 22.
=A. subrufes´cens= Pk.—sub, under; rufescens, becoming red. =Pileus= at first deeply hemispherical, becoming convex or broadly expanded, silky fibrillose and minutely or obscurely scaly, whitish, grayish or dull reddish-brown, usually smooth and darker on the disk. =Flesh= white, unchangeable. =Lamellæ= at first white or whitish, then pinkish, finally blackish-brown. =Stem= rather long, often somewhat thickened or bulbous at the base, at first stuffed, then hollow, white; the annulus flocculose or floccose-scaly on the lower surface; mycelium whitish, forming slender branching root-like strings. =Spores= elliptical, 6–7µ Peck, 48th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Indiana, H.I. Miller, 1898; Haddonfield, N.J., McIlvaine.
June 2, 1896, I found several specimens of a fungus new to me, and sent them to Professor Peck for identification. He pronounced it a dwarf form of his species A. subrufescens. The cluster grew on a florist’s compost pile at Haddonfield, N.J. Its flesh has a flavor like that of almonds.
This species is now cultivated and has manifest advantages over the marketed species—it is easier to cultivate, very productive, produces in less time after planting the spawn, is free from attacks of insects, carries better and keeps longer.
Amateurs are likely to succeed in growing it, and to have goodly crops of mushrooms instead of disappointments.
=A. placo´myces= Pk. Gr—a flat cake. (Plate XCI, fig. 3, p. 332.) =Pileus= thin, at first convex, becoming flat with age, whitish, brown in the center and elsewhere adorned with minute brown scales. =Lamellæ= close, white, then pinkish, finally blackish-brown. =Stem= smooth, annulate, stuffed or hollow, bulbous, white or whitish, the bulb often stained with yellow. =Spores= elliptical, 5–6.5µ long.
=Cap= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 3–5 in. long, ¼ to nearly ½ in. thick.
It grows in the borders of hemlock woods or under hemlock trees from July to September. It has been eaten by Mr. C.L. Shear, who pronounces it very good. I have not found it in sufficient quantity to give it a trial. This mushroom is very closely related to the wood mushroom or silvan mushroom, Agaricus silvaticus, a species which is also recorded as edible, but which is apparently more rare in our state (New York) than even the flat-cap mushroom. This differs from the silvan mushroom in its paler color, in having the cap more minutely, persistently and regularly scaly, and in its being destitute of a prominent center. In the silvan mushroom the scales, when present, are few, and they disappear with age. Peck, 48th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Mrs. E.C. Anthony, Gouverneur, N.Y., June, 1898, writes: “In great abundance on lawn, tumbling over one another in their haste to make their appearance. One of the largest, which did not have half a chance to display its proportions, would probably measure 7 in., perhaps more. When mature they crack across the top, showing the white flesh. The gills are pink, stem white, solid and bulbous. There is no perceptible odor when fresh.”
Indiana, H.I. Miller, edible, good.
Specimens sent to me by Mrs. Anthony, though not fresh, were eaten by me. They very much resembled the common mushroom, but probably, owing to their condition, were not so tender.
I have not found the species. The illustration is after a painting by Mrs. E.C. Anthony.
=A. varia´bilis= Pk.—variable. (Plate XCI, fig. 1, p. 332.) =Cap= 2–6 in. across, ovate, bell-shaped, irregularly convex and wavy, margin incurved but never striate, smooth, minutely fibrillose, with few remaining floccose scales; mature plant pure white, when young distinctly tinged with lilac and here and there with yellow when mature, slightly, broadly umbonate and depressed around umbo, cracks along gills. =Flesh= thick in center, very thin, even membranaceous toward margin, spongy, unchangeable. =Gills= free, close, thin, flaccid, ventricose, narrow next stem, but few short, pure-white when young, then dark-umber without purple tinge. =Stem= equal, tubed, white, silky, smooth above ring, rippled and minutely furfuraceous (scurfy) below, flocculose-furfuraceous when young, densely hairy at base, and occasionally slightly expanding, but not bulbous, densely cespitose with a coarse, white, root-like mycelium. =Veil= heavy at first, mottled with yellow scales beneath; as cap expands veil becomes thin, like tissue paper, ruptures at both stem and margin leaving torn ring on stem and appendiculate fragments on edge of cap.
=Spores= shed in great quantity, rich dark umber-brown without shade of purple.
=Taste= strong like almond. =Smell= slightly of musk, like the running mycelium of A. campester.
Found at Mt. Gretna, Pa. Charles McIlvaine.
I have never found worms in this species. It is very prolific and its habitat shows that it can be cultivated. Its freedom from worms and lasting carrying quality will make it commercially valuable.
It grew in an old roofless stable from September until after several frosts, in enormous quantity, 25 or 30 pounds in a patch. It differs from A. subrufescens in not having a shade of red about it, in its very distinct light-lilac cap when full grown, and in its snow-white youth. The young gills are pure white as are the caps. The stems sometimes taper upward, but they are usually remarkably equal.
It is delicate when cooked and of excellent flavor.
=A. tabula´ris= Pk.—relating to boards. =Pileus= 5–10 cm. broad, very thick, fleshy, firm, convex, deeply cracked in areas, whitish, flesh whitish, tinged with yellow, the areas pyramidal, truncate, the sides horizontally striate, their apices sometimes tomentose. =Lamellæ= narrow, close, free, blackish-brown when mature. =Stem= short, thick, solid. =Spores= broadly elliptical, 7.5–9µ long, 6–7.5µ broad, generally containing a single large nucleus.
In clay soil by roadsides. Craig, Colorado. August. E. Bethel.
This species is remarkable for the peculiar upper surface of the pileus which is broken into pyramidal areas. The sides of these are marked by parallel lines in such a way that they appear as if formed by small tablets placed one upon another, each successive tablet being a little smaller than the one immediately preceding it. Only dried and broken specimens have been seen by me and the notes of the collector do not give the color of the young lamellæ. There is a trace of a thick ring on the broken stem of one specimen. Peck, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 25, No. 6, 1898.
Not elsewhere reported. Edible qualities not given.
=PILOSACE= Fr.
(Plate XCV.)
Hymenium differentiated from the stem. =Gills= free from the stem; general and partial veil both absent, hence there is no ring on the central stem. =Spores= purple-brown.
A peculiar genus, with the habit of Agaricus, but without a trace of a ring. Massee.
P. eximius Pk., 24th Rep. N.Y. State Bot., is the only species thus far reported in America. Edible qualities unknown.
STROPHA´RIA.
Gr—a sword-belt. (Referring to the ring.)
=Flesh= of stem and pileus continuous. =Veil= present, when ruptured forming a distinct ring on the stem. =Gills= more or less adnate.
On the ground or epiphytal.
Separated from all the genera of the purple-spored series but Agaricus by the presence of a distinct ring, and from that by the continuity of flesh in stem and pileus, and by the gills not being free. =Pileus= somewhat fleshy, sometimes viscid.
The species belonging to this genus are rather small, and from their habitats are frequently passed or overlooked. Yet many of them are common and plentiful. Those which have been tested are excellent and worth seeking in their season. The entire genus has been under a cloud. Writers upon it assert some of its members to be dangerously poisonous. So far as carefully tested by the writer no doubtful one has been encountered, and one—semiglobata—has been eaten by himself and friends since 1881, notwithstanding its dangerous reputation.
The division between this genus and Agaricus is not always sharply defined. S. æruginosa, S. semiglobata and S. stercoraria were formerly placed in Psalliota, now Agaricus.
ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.
A. VISCIPELLES (viscum, bird-lime; pellis, a skin). Page 349.
Pellicle of the pileus even or scaly, generally viscid.
* Mundi—mundus, clean. Not growing on dung.
** Merdarii—merda, dung. Ring often incomplete.
B. SPINTRIGERI (Stropharia spintriger).
Pileus without a pellicle, but fibrillose, not viscid. None known to be edible.
A. VISCIPELLES. Pellicle of the pileus even or scaly.
* Mun´di—not growing on dung.
(Plate XCVI.)
=S. ærugino´sa= Curt.—ærugo, verdigris. =Pileus= fleshy, but not compact, convex-bell-shaped then flattened, somewhat umbonate (obtuse when larger), with very viscid pellicle, the ground color yellowish but verdigris from the azure-blue slime with which it is more or less covered over, becoming pale as the slime separates. =Stem= hollow, soft, equal, at the first scaly or fibrillose below the ring, viscid, becoming more or less azure-blue green. =Ring= distant. =Gills= adnate, plane, 2 lines and more broad, not crowded, soft, whitish then dusky, becoming somewhat purple.
The above are the essential marks of this species. Variable in form, sometimes cespitose. The typical and handsomest form is gathered in soaking weather in later autumn in shaded woods; it is large (pileus and stem 3 in. and more), stem squarrose with white spreading scales, intensely verdigris or azure-blue-pelliculose and very glutinous. From this there is a long series of forms with the gluten more separating (on the separation of the gluten the pileus becomes yellow), and the scales alike of the pileus and stem rubbed off. Finally, a smaller form occurs in open meadows, stem scarcely 2 in. long, only 2 lines thick, becoming azure-blue-green and without scales, pileus 1–2 in. broad, pale verdigris soon light yellowish, less viscid. In this form the ring is incomplete, while in the typical form it is entire, spreading, and persistent.
In woods, meadows, etc. Common. July to November. Stevenson.
=Spores= ellipsoid or spheroid-ellipsoid, 8×4–5µ K.; 5×7µ W.G.S.; elliptical, 10×5µ Massee.
POISONOUS. Stevenson.
“There is a white variety, in which the pileus is perfectly white from the first.” Cooke.
S. æruginosa has been noted here by Schweinitz in Pennsylvania, Curtis in North and South Carolina, Frost in Vermont and Massachusetts, Harkness and Moore, California, Morgan, Ohio. The qualities of the American representatives are not reported. I have not seen the species. As it is asserted to be poisonous by European writers it may be. M.C. Cooke says: “It has the reputation, which is somewhat general on the continent, of being poisonous, but probably this is only assumed from its disagreeable taste and repulsive appearance.” Collectors are cautioned to look out for it, and not to eat of it carelessly.
I can find no case of poisoning by this species reported. It presents another case of “Not proven.”
** Merda´rii—ring often incomplete.
=S. stereora´ria= Fr.—stercus, dung. =Pileus= 1 in. broad, yellow, fleshy, but thin at the margin, hemispherical then expanded, obtuse, orbicular, with a viscid pellicle, naked, smooth, even or at length slightly striate only at the margin. =Stem= 3 in. and more long, 2–3 lines thick, stuffed with a separate fibrous pith, equal, clothed to the ring (which is scarcely 1 in. distant from the pileus, viscous, narrow, but somewhat spreading) with the flocculose veil which is at the same time viscous (so that it appears as if smooth), yellow. =Gills= adnate, very broad behind, 2 lines broad, somewhat crowded, dusky-umber or dusky-olivaceous, of one color, quite entire.
Stem silky-viscous when moist, when dry becoming even, shining and yellowish-white, and without a manifest veil. The gills are truncate and somewhat decurrent. Fries.
=Spores= 17×13µ W.G.S.; elliptical, 18–20×8–10µ Massee.
West Virginia, 1881–1885; Pennsylvania; New Jersey. June to November. McIlvaine.
I have enjoyed this species, which is common, since 1881. It is usually conspicuous upon droppings and manure piles. It also occurs on richly-manured ground, in wood and field, usually single; sometimes two or three are united.
Caps and stems are edible, but do not cook in the same time. It is better to cook the caps only. They are delicious.
(Plate XCVI_a_.)
=S. semigloba´ta= Batsch.—semi, half; globus, a ball. =Pileus= commonly ½ in. broad, light-yellow, slightly fleshy, hemispherical, not expanded, very obtuse, even, viscous. =Stem= about 3 in. long, 1 line thick, tubed, slender, firm and straight, equal, even, smooth, becoming yellow, paler at the apex, powdered with the spores, otherwise smeared with the glutinous veil which is abrupt above terminating in an incomplete (not membranaceous) viscous, distant ring. =Gills= adnate, very broad, plane, clouded with black.
=Spores= dusky-purple. Stevenson.
=Spores= blackish-purple, 13×8µ W.G.S.; elliptical, ends rather acute, 12×6µ Massee.
Grows on dung, rich lawns and pastures. April to November. A common, frequent, solitary species, easily recognized by its hemispherical cap, dark mottled gills. At first sight it resembles Naucoria semiorbicularis.
The caps are equal to any mushroom. I have eaten it since 1881. M.C. Cooke says: “It was Sowerby who drew attention to this species as dangerous, and intimated that it had been fatal. Since that period we are not aware of any further evidence against it.”
It is tender, good and harmless.
FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE. 1. HYPHOLOMA APPENDICULATUM, 363 3. HYPHOLOMA SUBLATERITIUM, 359 2. HYPHOLOMA PERPLEXUM, 354 4. GOMPHIDIUS RHODOXANTHUS, 394
HYPHOLO´MA.
Gr—a web; Gr—a fringe.
(Plate XCVIII.)
=Pileus= more or less fleshy, margin at first incurved. =Veil= webby, adhering in fragments to the margin of the pileus, not forming a distinct ring on the stem. =Stem= fleshy, similar in substance to that of the pileus with which it is continuous. =Gills= attached to the stem, sometimes with a notch at the juncture (emarginate), occasionally separating and then appearing to be free.
Generally cespitose, mostly growing on wood above or under the ground.
=Spores= brownish-purple, sometimes intense-purple, almost black.
Corresponding to Tricholoma, Entoloma and Hebeloma.
ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.
FASCICULARES (H. fascicularis). Page 354.
Pileus tough, smooth, bright colored, not hygrophanous.
VISCIDI (viscidus, viscid).
Pileus naked, viscid. None known to be edible.
VELUTINI (H. velutinus). Page 360.
Pileus silky or streaked with small fibers.
FLOCCULOSI (floccus, a lock of wool).
Pileus covered with superficial floccose scales, at length disappearing. (None reported edible.)
APPENDICULATI (H. appendiculatus). Page 362.
Pileus smooth, hygrophanous.
Members of this purple-spored genus grow upon decayed wood, either standing or as roots in the ground, or from ground heavily laden with woody material. They grow singly, in groups, or in densely-tufted or overlapping masses. The several species vary in shades of yellow, red, orange, brick-color and brown; their caps are from 1–6 in. across; their stems are short or long, as the number in the cluster permits; when growing singly the stems are short and sturdy. There is a floccose veil, or remnants of one, about the stem. The gills are yellowish, greenish, olivaceous or greenish shades of yellow, gray, purple, almost black. They are showy, easily recognized and are found from September until mid-winter. I have gathered them when frozen hard. The flesh is solid, or spongy, flexible or fragile, white or yellowish; the tastes are sweet, nutty, bitter and saponaceous. Patches of them—and they are frequent in almost every woods in the land—often yield several bushels. Tons of them annually go to waste.
Old authors and some copyists say “the species are not edible, the tough ones being bitter, the fragile ones almost void of flesh.” Eighteen years of experience with them warrants my saying that there is not a single wild genus approaching it in economic value, and when its most prominent species are properly cooked, few equal it in consistency and flavor. As a pickle the Hypholomas have no superior.
Half a dozen or more of the species are exceedingly difficult to separate. Professor Peck has happily made a new species, H. perplexum, which is well named. For all culinary purposes these affiliated species may be gathered under that convenient name; for botanic purposes his description covers several perplexing characteristics common to what have been written as separate species, and covers a composite species.
The occasional bitter taste of some species is not constant, and can not be relied upon as a distinguishing mark. In the same tufts some individuals may be mild, others bitter; some individuals in groups are in a position and of an age to absorb water; others are not. There will be a marked difference in their taste raw. A few in the same group may have been infested by insects; others not. Those infested are often intensely bitter, while their companions are of pleasant flavor. The same remarks apply to neighboring clusters and individuals. I am of the opinion, from long observation, that the bitter is largely due to the injury and excrement of larvæ. Changes of taste occur in toadstools in a most marked and rapid manner. Apples from the same tree, chestnuts from the same tree, acorns from the same oak, radishes from the same seed, blackberries from the same bush, differ widely in taste. Why not toadstools of the same species?
I have often seen species of this genus, described as having stems up to 5 in. long, stretch and twist their stems to over a foot in order to get their caps from the inside of, or from a crack in a decaying stump, out into the light; and I have seen stems of the same species stout, solid and sturdy when individuals grew upright and singly. But wherever and however they grow, Hypholomas are safe. I have eaten them indiscriminately since 1881, and as long ago as 1885 published their edibility.
FASCICULA´RES. Pileus smooth, etc.
=H. perplex´um= Pk.—perplexus, perplexed. Perplexing Hypholoma. (Plate XCVII, fig. 2, p. 352.) =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, glabrous, sometimes broadly and slightly umbonate, reddish or brownish-red fading to yellow on the margin, the flesh white or whitish. =Lamellæ= thin, close, slightly rounded at the inner extremity, at first pale-yellow, then tinged with green, finally purplish-brown. =Stem= nearly equal, firm, hollow, slightly fibrillose, whitish or yellowish above, rusty-reddish or reddish-brown below. =Spores= elliptical, purplish-brown, 8×4µ.
The Perplexing hypholoma has received the name because it is one of a group of five or six very closely allied species, whose separation from each other is somewhat difficult and perplexing. Of these six species three have a decidedly bitter, unpleasant flavor, and three are mild, or not decidedly bitter, if we may rely on the published descriptions of them. The three bitter ones, also, have no purplish tints to the mature gills; but two of the mild ones have. By using these and other distinguishing characters the six species may be tabulated and their several peculiarities more clearly shown.
Taste bitter 1
Taste mild, or not clearly bitter 3
1. Stem solid or stuffed, flesh whitish, gills sublateritium whitish, then sooty-olive
1. Stem hollow, flesh yellow 2
2. Cap yellow or tinged with tawny, stem yellow, fasciculare gills yellow, becoming greenish
2. Cap brick-red, stem ferruginous, gills green, elæodes becoming olive
3. Cap red or brick-red, with a yellow margin; gills perplexum yellow, then greenish, finally purplish-brown
3. Cap yellow, or slightly tawny on the disk only 4
4. Gills gray, becoming purplish-brown capnoides
4. Gills yellow, becoming gray, neither green nor epixanthum purplish
Probably in general appearance the Perplexing hypholoma most nearly resembles the brick-red Hypholoma, H. sublateritium; but it has often been mistaken for the tufted Hypholoma, H. fasciculare. From this it may be separated by the more red cap, the whitish flesh, the purplish-brown color of the mature gills, and the mild flavor. From H. sublateritium it is distinguished by its usually smaller size, more slender hollow stem, the yellow greenish and purplish tints of the gills, and the absence of a bitter flavor. Some may prefer to consider it a variety of this fungus, rather than a distinct species.
Its cap is 1–3 in. broad, its stem 2–3 in. long and 2–4 lines thick. It commonly grows in clusters, though sometimes singly, on or about old stumps or prostrate trunks of trees, in woods or open places. The caps of the lower ones in a cluster are often defiled and apparently discolored by the spores that have lodged on them from the upper ones. It appears in autumn, and continues until freezing weather stops its growth. It is a very common species, as well as a late one, and may often be gathered in large quantity. Its flavor is not first quality, but with good preparation it makes a very acceptable dish. It has been tested by myself and correspondents several times, and has been proved harmless. Peck, 49th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
West Virginia, 1881–1885; New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, October to January. On stumps, roots, ground containing decayed woody matter. McIlvaine.
H. perplexum is abundant in most if not all the states. I have eaten it and its allied species since 1881; dried them, pickled them, and fed them to many. If the collector gets puzzled, as he will, over one or all of these species, because no description fits, he can whet his patience and appetite by calling it H. perplexum and graciously eating it.
=H. capnoi´des= Fr. Gr—like smoke, from the color of the gills. =Pileus= 1 in. sometimes 3 in. broad, ochraceous-yellowish, fleshy, convex, then flattened, obtuse, dry, smooth. =Flesh= somewhat thin, white. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 2–4 lines thick, growing together at the base, hollow, equal, often curved and flexuous, becoming silky-even, pallid, whitish at the apex, here and there striate, becoming rust-colored under the surface-covering when old. Cortina appendiculate, white, then becoming brownish-purple. =Gills= adnate, easily separating, somewhat crowded, rather broad, arid, at first bluish-gray then becoming brownish-purple.
Cespitose, fasciculate; odor and taste mild. On pine-stumps. Uncommon. Fries.
=Spores= ellipsoid-spheroid, 7×5µ K.; elliptical, brownish-purple, 8×4µ Massee.
California, H. and M.; Minnesota, not necessarily in fir-woods, Johnson; New York, on or about stumps or decaying wood of spruce. Peck, 50th Rep.
Haddonfield, N.J., 1894. Pine roots and stumps, and on ground. Cespitose. September to frost. McIlvaine.
A pretty species with caps up to 1½ in. across. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, ¼-⅜ in. thick, growing together (connate). The taste and smell are pleasant. The basket is soon filled from its clusters. There is not a better Hypholoma. The slightly soapy taste which attaches to most of the abundant and better known species is absent in this.
=H. fascicula´ris= Huds.—fasciculus, a small bundle. (Plate XCVIII, p. 352.) =Pileus= about 2 in. broad, light yellow, the disk commonly darker, fleshy, thin, convex, then flattened, somewhat umbonate or obtuse, even, smooth, dry. =Flesh= light yellow. =Stem= very variable in length, hollow, thin, incurved or flexuous, fibrillose, of the same color as the pileus and flesh. =Gills= adnate, very crowded, linear, somewhat deliquescent, sulphur-yellow then becoming green.
It is very easily distinguished from the preceding species by its bitter odor and taste, light-yellow flesh, and somewhat deliquescent, sulphur-yellow then green gills. It forms also more crowded clusters. There are many remarkable varieties; one robustior (more robust), stem thickened at the base, another nana (dwarf), both on the ground.
Cespitose on old stumps and the ground. Extremely common. Stevenson.
=Spores= elliptical, 7×4µ Massee; 6–7×4µ K.; 6×4µ W.G.S.; ferruginous purple, 6×4µ Morgan.
“It is very usual to regard this as a poisonous species, but possibly it is not so in reality.” Cooke.
West Virginia, 1881, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, North Carolina, McIlvaine.
A very common species appearing in October and lasting until well into the winter, growing in large, overlapping masses or in tufts from old stumps or roots, and about trees where decay has begun. Sometimes solitary. It is then short-stemmed and sturdy. There are several closely allied species. To know the one from the other, a careful study of the group is necessary. (See introduction to genus, H. epixanthum, H. sublateritium, H. capnoides, H. elæodes, and H. perplexum.) Old authors give it as bitter and poisonous. The bitter is not always present. Any there is disappears in cooking. It is not poisonous, but one of our most valuable species. I have eaten it since 1881. A little lemon juice or sherry will cover the slightly saponaceous taste sometimes present. The caps only are good. It makes a choice pickle and a good catsup.
=H. epixan´thum= Fr. Gr—epixanthos, yellowish-brown. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad, light-yellow or becoming pale, the disk commonly darker, fleshy, moderately thin, convexo-plane, obtuse or gibbous, even, slightly silky then becoming smooth. =Flesh= white, becoming light-yellow. =Stem= about 8 in. long, 3–4 lines thick, hollow, attenuated from the thickened base or equal; floccose-fibrillose, pale rust color or becoming dingy-brown below, with a frosty bloom at the apex; veil hanging from margin of pileus, white. =Gills= adnate, crowded, at first light yellow-white, at length becoming ash-colored, not deliquescent, and not becoming purple or green.
Strong smelling, odor acid; extremely variable in stature; not hygrophanous. Fries.
=Spores= elliptical, 7×4µ Massee.
West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, North Carolina. On oak, chestnut stumps and growing from tree roots in ground. October to December. McIlvaine.
(See H. perplexum, H. sublateritium and compare descriptions.)
This species, in common with its allies, is extremely hard to determine. When growing singly from roots or from ground heavily charged with decaying wood, it is a sturdy, solid plant; when in clusters the stem is longer, more flexible and the whole character of the plant is modified. Except for botanic purposes there is no occasion to puzzle over it. It is in every way an excellent and useful fungus.
=H. disper´sus= Fr.—dispergo, to scatter. =Pileus= 1–1½ in. broad, tawny-honey-color, not hygrophanous, slightly fleshy, bell-shaped then convex, at length expanded, even, superficially silky round the margin with the veil, or squamulose, otherwise even and smooth. =Flesh= thin, a little paler than the pileus. =Stem= 2 in. or a little more long, 2 lines thick, tubed, equal, tense and straight, tough, fibrilloso-silky, somewhat rust-colored, becoming dingy-brown at the base, pale at the apex. =Gills= adnate, thin, ventricose, broad, 3–4 lines, crowded, at first pallid-straw color, at length crowded, obsoletely green. Fries.
Gills broader than H. fascicularis, etc. Solitary, scarcely ever cespitose. On pine stumps and the ground. April to November.
=Spores= elliptical, 7×3–4µ Massee.
North Carolina, in pine woods, Curtis; California, H. and M.; West Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New Jersey, McIlvaine.
Difficult to distinguish from H. fascicularis when growing solitary. Its edible qualities are precisely the same.
=H. elæo´des= Fr. Gr—an olive; Gr—eidos, appearance. =Pileus= brick-red or tan, fleshy, rather plane, somewhat umbonate, dry, smooth, opaque. =Flesh= yellow. =Stem= stuffed then hollow, equal, commonly slender, incurved or flexuous, fibrillose, of the same color as the pileus, becoming rust-color. =Gills= adnate, crowded, thin, green then pure olivaceous.
Cespitose. Odor bitter. On trunks and on the ground. Fries.
=Cap= 1–2 in. across. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, ¼-⅜ in. thick, stuffed then hollow.
West Virginia, 1881–1885, Haddonfield, N.J.; Pennsylvania. On stumps, roots and ground in woods, etc. McIlvaine. Not reported elsewhere.
Its habit is the same as H. fascicularis, to which it is closely allied, and to me seems but a form of this very variable species. It is equally good.
=H. sublateri´tium= Schaeff.—sub and later, a brick. (Plate XCVII, fig. 3, p. 352.) =Pileus= 2–3 in. and more broad, tawny-brick-red, but paler round the margin and covered over with a superficial, somewhat silky, whitish cloudiness (arising from the veil), fleshy, convexo-plane, obtuse, discoid, dry, even, becoming smooth. =Flesh= compact, white, then becoming yellow. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, 3–5 lines thick, stuffed, stout and firm, commonly manifestly attenuated downward, rarely equal, scaly-fibrillose, fibrils pallid, rust-colored downward. =Cortina= superior, at first white, at length becoming black. =Gills= adnate, more or less crowded according to stature, narrow, at first dingy yellowish and darker at the base, then sooty, and at length inclining to olivaceous.
=Spores= brownish purple. Somewhat cespitose. =Stem= incurved from position. There are many varieties: B, somewhat solitary, the pileus and stem, which is thickened at the base, of the same color, reddish. C, smaller, pileus light yellowish, the hollow stem equal. Schaeff.
Var. squamo´sum, Cooke. Pileus convex, bright brick-red, shading to yellow at the margin, spotted with superficial scales. Flesh very thick, yellowish. Gills narrowish, adnate. Stem elongated, stout, pale above, rust-colored below, hollow, veil hanging from the margin when young.
On trunks. A very beautiful variety, larger and more robust than the typical form. Massee.
=Spores= 6×3µ. W.G.S.; elliptical, sooty-brown, 8×4µ Massee.
West Virginia, 1881–1885; Pennsylvania, New Jersey, densely cespitose on stumps and roots. October to long after frosts. McIlvaine.
Edible. Dr. Taylor, 1893. Dept. of Agr. Rep. No. 5.
H. sublateritium has many forms. Both Fries and Stevenson indicate this as a variable species and my own observation confirms the truth of this.
This is a very common autumnal species, lasting into the winter. Old authors give it as bitter and very poisonous. I tested it in 1881 and have been eating it, in common with all Hypholomas I have found, ever since. At times it is bitter. I believe this to be due to the passage of larvæ through the flesh. Unattacked specimens are slightly saponaceous to the taste while others in the same bunch are bitter.
VIS´CIDI. Pileus viscid, etc. (None known to be edible.)
Velutini. Pileus silky, etc.
=H. veluti´nus= Pers.—vellus, a fleece. Velvety. =Pileus= fleshy, thin, convex or expanded, brittle, minutely tomentose-scaly, becoming smooth, hygrophanous, yellow with the disk reddish. =Lamellæ= rather broad, attached, tapering toward the outer extremity, dark brown tinged with red, the edge whitish-beaded. =Stem= equal, rather slender, hollow, fibrillose, subconcolorous, white-mealy and slightly striate at the top. =Spores= black.
=Height= about 2 in., breadth of pileus 1–1.5 in.
Roadsides. Albany Cemetery. September. The pileus sometimes cracks transversely. Peck, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=Spores= 6×8µ W.G.S.; elliptical, 10×5µ Massee.
Often used in catsup. Innocent and edible. Cooke.
West Virginia. 1881–1885, Pennsylvania, West Philadelphia, Bartram’s Creek, 1887, McIlvaine.
Var. leioceph´alus B. and Br. (Gr—smooth; Gr—head, from its smooth pileus). =Pileus= hygrophanous, rugged, smooth except at the margin, where it is fibrillose, pallid as is the stem, whose apex is mealy.
Densely cespitose, much smaller than the common form, but apparently a mere variety, though a striking one from its smooth but very rugged disk. On old stumps. Stevenson.
New York, Peck, 23d Rep.; West Virginia, West Philadelphia, Bartram’s Creek, Haddonfield, N.J., September to November. McIlvaine.
Quantities of var. leiocephalus grow in the West Virginia forests on stumps and on the ground from decaying roots. 1½ in. is the limit of its width. Its frequent and dense clusters, its tenderness and delicacy of flavor make it a favorite.
=H. aggrega´tum= Pk.—aggrego, to grow together. Densely cespitose. =Pileus= thin, convex or subcampanulate, grayish-white, obscurely spotted with appressed brownish fibrils. =Lamellæ= subdistant, rounded behind, nearly free, at first whitish, then brown or blackish-brown with a whitish edge. =Stem= rather long, hollow, somewhat woolly or fibrillose, white. =Spores= brown, elliptical, 8×4–5µ.
=Pileus= about 1 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 1.5–2 lines thick.
At the base of trees and stumps in woods. Alcove. September.
The cespitose habit and obscurely spotted grayish-white pileus are marked features of this species. From H. silvestre the species may be distinguished by its smaller size, adnexed or nearly free lamellæ which have no rosy tint, and by its very cespitose mode of growth. Peck, 46th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Mt. Gretna, Pa., about trees and stumps. September to November, 1898–1899. McIlvaine. Not reported elsewhere.
The caps are oyster-color. Amateurs accustomed to the gayer colors of the autumnal Hypholomas will not suspect this of belonging to the genus, until the color of the spores is obtained.
The caps are fine.
=H. lachrymabun´dum= Fr.—lachryma, a tear. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad, whitish when young, then dingy-brown, becoming pale around the margin, truly fleshy but not compact, convex, obtuse, scaly with hairs, the innate scales darker. =Flesh= white. =Stem= 2 in. long, 3–4 lines thick, hollow, somewhat thickened at the base, scaly with fibrils, becoming brownish-whitish. =Veil= separate, clothed with fibers, hanging from the pileus, white. =Gills= adnate, crowded, 3 lines broad, whitish then brownish-purple, edge whitish and distilling drops in wet weather.
=Spores= brownish-purple. From mutual pressure the caps are often irregular. Very cespitose, firm. Fries.
=Spores= brownish-purple, 9×4µ Massee.
On ground and on trunks. Truly cespitose. Smaller than H. velutinus, but firmer, truly fleshy, not hygrophanous. Bushy pastures. Bethlehem. October.
Our specimens do not agree in all respects with the published description of the species. The pileus is sometimes wholly destitute of scales and sometimes densely clothed with hairy, erect ones. The species is manifestly variable. Peck, 30th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
“Like H. fascicularis in quality. Intensely irritant. It is bound with the weight of its own guilt.” Hay.
This is a good specimen of Hay’s comments. H. fascicularis is never irritant, is good eating, is innocent.
There is irony in the comment of Dr. Cooke: “This doubtful species is used by the smaller ketchup makers.”
I have not seen this species. When I do I shall eat it and expect to live.
APPENDICULA´TI. Pileus hygrophanous, smooth.
=H. incer´tum= Pk. (Plate XCVII_a_.) =Pileus= fragile, convex or subcampanulate, then expanded, hygrophanous, often radiately wrinkled, whitish with the disk yellowish, the thin margin sometimes purplish-tinted, often wavy, adorned by fragments of the white flocculent fugacious veil. =Lamellæ= close, narrow, whitish then rosy-brown, the edge often uneven. =Stem= equal, straight, hollow, easily splitting, whitish with a frosty bloom or slightly scurfy at the top. =Spores= elliptical, purplish-brown, 8×5µ.
=Plant= gregarious or subcespitose, 2–3 in. high. =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 lines thick.
Ground among bushes. Green Island and Sandlake. June and July.
The veil is sometimes so strongly developed as to form an imperfect ring. The color is nearly white from the first. Peck, 29th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
As the name indicates, I was uncertain whether this was a form of H. Candolleanum, to which it is very closely related, but as Fries says of that “Gills at first violaceous,” and as our plant has them at first white or whitish, I concluded to risk the uncertainty on a new species.
I have seen Central Park, New York, well covered with it in May. It is also common in the vicinity of Boston. Of very agreeable flavor and delicate substance. The profusion of its growth compensates for its small size. Macadam.
Indiana, H.I. Miller; Mt. Gretna, Pa., in great clusters between railroad ties and beside track, McIlvaine.
Tender. One of the best.
=H. appendicula´tum= Bull.—a small appendage. From the veil adhering to margin of pileus. (Plate XCVII, p. 352.) =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad, date-brown then tawny, becoming pale yellowish when dry, fleshy-membranaceous, thin, ovate then expanded, at length flattened, obtuse, smooth, when dry slightly wrinkled, somewhat sprinkled with atoms. =Stem= 3 in. long, 2–3 lines thick, fistulose, equal, smooth, white, pruinate at the apex; veil fringing the margin of the pileus, fugacious, white. =Gills= somewhat adnate, crowded, dry, white then flesh-colored, at length dingy-brown.
Densely cespitose, very fragile and hygrophanous. Much thinner and more fragile than H. Candolleanus. It may be safely distinguished from species which are nearest to it by the gills being whitish then brownish-flesh color.
Var. lana´tum. A curious form, densely woolly when young, traces of the woolly coat remaining at the apex when the pileus is fully expanded. Sibbertoft. B. and Br., 1876. Stevenson.
=Spores= ellipsoid, pellucid, 6–8×3–4µ K.; 4×6µ W.G.S.; elliptical, 5×2.5µ Massee.
Angora, West Philadelphia, October, November, December, 1897; Haddonfield, N.J., Mt. Gretna, Pa., cespitose and gregarious in woods about stumps. McIlvaine.
“It is very common and edible.” Farlow.
At Mt. Gretna, Pa., October, 1898, in great abundance. When found it was gregarious in large patches and cespitose on stumps. My identification was confirmed by Professor Peck.
It dries well, and retains flavor and esculent qualities. Cooked it is among the best.
=H. Candol´leanum= Fr.—After De Candolle. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad, date-brown then becoming white, the top somewhat yellowish, somewhat fleshy, acorn-shaped then bell-shaped, soon convex and at length flattened, obtuse and unequal, smooth, even. =Flesh= thin, white. =Stem= 3 in. long, 2–4 lines thick, fistulose, solid at the base, somewhat thickened, fibrillose, white, striate at the apex; veil in the form of a cortina, web-like, appendiculate (depending from the margin of the pileus), white, at length becoming dingy-brown. =Gills= rounded-adnexed, then separating, crowded, violaceous then brownish-cinnamon, the edge at first whitish.
Readily distinguished from neighboring species by the gills being at first beautifully dark violaceous, never flesh-colored. Densely cespitose, fragile, very hygrophanous. Stevenson.
=Spores= elliptical, 8×4µ Massee.
Edible, often used in catsup. Cooke.
A species variable in color with the weather. Its gills are cream-colored at first, then purplish, then very dark. After rain the fragile cap often turns up at the margin and splits.
It differs somewhat in texture from other Hypholomas, being more delicate in texture and substance. It is excellent.
=H. suba´quilum= Banning.—aquilus, brownish, tawny. =Pileus= brown, convex, smooth, hygrophanous, often shaded into ocher at margin, veil delicate, silk-like, encircling and covering the marginal extremities of the lamellæ but forming no ring on the stem. =Flesh= white, turning umber when cut. =Lamellæ= adnexed or nearly free, close, forked, umber. =Stem= cespitose, regular, hollow, silky, white, 2–3 in. long.
=Spores= brown, 4×5µ. Banning MS.
Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Miss Banning; decaying wood, Adirondack mountains. August and September. New York. Peck, 45th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
H. subaquilum is closely allied to H. appendiculatum, but is distinguished by its darker colored cap and gills.
Its edible qualities are the same. It is among the best.
=PSILO´CYBE= Fr.
Gr—naked; head.
=Pileus= more or less fleshy, smooth, margin at first incurved. =Gills= becoming brownish or purple. =Stem= somewhat cartilaginous, rigid or tough, tubular, hollow or stuffed, often rooting. =Veil= absent or rudimentary, never forming a membrane. =Spores= purple, purple-brown or slate-color.
Generally growing on the ground, gregarious, sometimes cespitose.
Psilocybe is analogous in form to Collybia, Leptonia and Naucoria, which are distinguished by their spore colors. Separated from Psathyra by the incurved margin of the pileus.
But one species of Psilocybe is herein given as edible. Of it, alone, the writer has had opportunity to eat meals. Several others of the species have been found by him and tested in small quantity. They are all of good texture, substance and flavor, though most are small. He is of the opinion that increased testing will prove the entire genus edible. Nothing can or should be prognosticated about a toadstool, but the indications are all in favor of Psilocybe.
(Plate XCIX.)
=P. spadi´cea= Schaeff.—spadiceus, date-brown. =Pileus= thin, submembranaceous, hemispherical, then convex or expanded, smooth, hygrophanous, pale grayish-brown and striatulate when moist, white or yellowish when dry. =Gills= narrow, close, attached, easily separating from the stem, at first whitish, then brown, tinged with flesh-color. =Stem= straight, equal, hollow, smooth, white.
=Height= 1–2 in., breadth of pileus 1–1.5 in. =Stem= 1–2 lines thick.
Grassy ground in yards and fields. Albany. June. Gregarious or cespitose. The pileus is fragile, the spores are brown. Peck, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=Spores= brown, 9×4µ Massee; purplish brown, 7.6×5.1µ Morgan.
Haddonfield, N.J., October, November, December, 1896. In large patches and where stumps had been taken from the ground. McIlvaine.
Var. hygro´philus Fr. Gr—moist; loving.
Pileus tawny, then clay-color. Stem 4–6 in. long, rather fusiform, rooting. Gills emarginate with a deeply decurrent line; at length umber-brown.
Var. polyceph´alus Fr.—polus, many; cephale, head.
Densely crowded. Stem thinner, flexuous. Gills nearly free, at length tawny-umber.
The plant is tender, cooks easily and is of fine flavor.
=P. semilancea´ta= Fr.—semi, half; lancea, a spear. =Pileus= ½ in. high, not broad, various in color, becoming yellow, green, dingy-brown, somewhat membranaceous, acutely conical, almost cuspidate, never expanded, but the margin when young at first bent inward, covered with a pellicle which is viscous and separable in wet weather, slightly striate chiefly round the margin. =Stem= as much as 3 in. long, scarcely 1 line thick, tubular and containing a pith, equal, more frequently flexuous, smooth, capable of being twisted round the finger, smooth, becoming pale; furnished with a veil when young. =Gills= ascending into the summit of the cone, adnexed, almost linear, crowded, becoming purple-black. Fries.
Gregarious, very tough. Pastures and roadsides, etc. Common. August to November. Stevenson.
=Spores= ellipsoid, 9–16×4–9µ K.; 14×9µ W.G.S.
New York, Peck, Rep. 23; Novia Scotia, Somers.
Var. cærules´cens Cooke—becoming blue. Base of stem turning indigo-blue.
Not common in America, but frequently found. According to M. C. Cooke—a careful authority—P. semilanceata has a dangerous reputation. It is said to have proved fatal to children when eaten raw. It is not deleterious when cooked.
=PSA´THYRA= Fr.
Gr—friable.
(Plate C.)
=Veil= none or only universal, and floccoso-fibrillose. =Stem= somewhat cartilaginous, fistulose with a tube, polished, fragile. =Pileus= conical or bell-shaped, membranaceous, the margin at the first straight and adpressed to the stem. =Gills= becoming purple or brownish. Slender, fragile, hygrophanous.
Some of the last species of Hypholoma and Psilocybe are very closely allied to them. The Coprinarii are readily distinguished by the gills being white or ash-color, then black, not dusky-brown nor becoming purple.
Psathyra corresponds with Mycena, Nolanea, Galera and Psathyrella. All the species grow on the ground or on trunks. Stevenson.
But four American species reported. Small and unimportant.
=DECONICA.=
=Stem= tough; margin of =Pileus= at first incurved. =Gills= subtriangularly decurrent. Corresponds with Omphalia, Eccilia, Tubaria.
Few American species. Small and unimportant.
Series V. =MELANOS´PORÆ= (spores black). Gr—black; Gr—seed.
Various as are the spore colors in this series (in its broadest sense), there is an entire absence of brown and purple shades in the black spores of four of the genera belonging to this group or series. In Gomphidius the spores are dingy-olivaceous. It is an outsider affiliating with thoroughbreds because of more technical congeniality than other genera afford. Like comets in the universe, it has no home. The singular genus Montagnites (of which but one species has been found in America, and that in Texas) has the relationship of spore-color. Panæolus, Anellaria, Psathyrella, when young, have gills free from each other; Coprinus, in early life, presents them pressed tightly together; as the plants age and the spores ripen, the entire gill structure becomes black and dissolves into an inky fluid, the color of which is due to the spores.
The species are all of delicate body, and many of them add generously to table luxuries.
=COPRI´NUS= Pers.
Gr—dung.
=Pileus= separate from the stem. =Gills= membranaceous, at first closely pressed together, cohering, at length melting into a black fluid. =Trama= obsolete. =Spores= oval, even, black.
The extreme closeness of the gills and their entire deliquescence into a fluid, black from the spores, sharply define this genus and separate it from all others. At first the form is oval or cylindrical; most are furnished with a downy or scurfy veil often adhering to the pileus, sometimes forming an adhering volva at the base of the stem. Nearly all are ephemeral, many completely disappearing in a day.
Cystidia (sterile cells) of large size are frequent on the gills of many species.
The majority grow on richly manured ground or dung, some on rotten wood and other materials. Bolbitius, the only ally, has the same ephemeral existence, and grows in similar situations, but the gills only soften (not melting) and the spores are somewhat rust-colored.
The blackening of the gills is not a process of decay, but is due to the growth of the spores, and the plant is still (before deliquescence) perfectly edible although not so inviting in appearance as before.
Species of Coprinus are very common and are easily recognized by the deliquescent gills which, when mature, stain the fingers black.
In “Once upon a Time,” when country people made their own writing inks, the convenient Coprinus gave its juices for this purpose. A little corrosive sublimate added to the boiled and strained fluid prevented it from molding.
With few exceptions the species are small. They are tender, of real mushroom flavor and highly enjoyable. They make a thin, well flavored catsup, but are better used to give flavor to their less favored brethren.
They stew in from two to fifteen minutes, depending upon the solidity of the species.
ANALYSIS OF THE TRIBES.
A. PELLICULOSI (pellicula, a thin skin). Page 370.
Gills covered above with a fleshy or membranaceous skin, hence the pileus does not split along the lines of the gills, but becomes lacerated with the edges turned upward.
* Comati—coma, hair. Furnished with a ring formed from the free margin of the volva. The skin of the pileus torn into innate scales.
** Atramentarii—atramentum, ink. Ring imperfect. Volva absent. Pileus dotted with minute innate scales.
*** Picacei—pica, a magpie. Universal veil downy, at first continuous then broken up into superficial scales forming patches on the pileus.
**** Tomentosi—tomentum, down. Pileus at first covered with a loose hairy down, becoming torn into distinct scales, at length disappearing. Ring absent.
***** Micacei—mico, to glitter. Pileus at first covered with minute glistening scales, soon disappearing. Ring none.
****** Glabrati. Pileus smooth. Veil absent.
B. VELIFORMES (velum, a veil; forma, form). Page 380.
Pileus very thin without a skin, at length opening into furrows along the backs of the gills and becoming folded in furrows. Stem thin, hollow. Gills wasting away into thin lines.
* Cyclodei. Gr—a circle; appearance. Stem with a ring or volva.
** Lanatuli—lanatus, woolly. Pileus covered with superficial woolly floccules, at length disappearing. Ringless.
*** Furfurelli—furfureus, branny. Pileus mealy or scurfy. Gills generally attached to a collar at the apex of the stem. Ringless.
**** Hemerobii. Gr.—living a day. Pileus always smooth.
None known to be edible.
A. PELLICULO´SI. Cap becoming torn, edge turning upward, etc.
* Comati. Furnished with a ring, etc.
=C. coma´tus= Fr.—coma, hair. (Plate CIII.) =Pileus= 2–7 in. high, white, fleshy, at first oblong, becoming bell-shaped, seldom expanded, when in mature deliquescing state, splitting at the margin along the line of the gills, the cuticle, except upon the apex, separating into shaggy, often concentric scales, at times yellowish, at others tinged with purplish-black. =Gills= free from the stem, crowded and at first cohering, broad, white then tinged with pink or salmon color, then purple to black and dissolving into ink. =Stem= up to 10 in. long, up to ⅝ in. thick, attenuated upward, most part concealed within the cap, hollow, but with spider-web threads within, smooth or fibrillose, white or lilac-white, easily pulling out of cap, brittle. =Ring= thin, torn, sometimes entire and movable.
On rich soil, lawns, gardens, roads, dumps, especially where ashes have been placed. Solitary or in large dense clusters. August until after frost, but it is occasionally found during the spring months.
Spores elliptical, black, 13–18µ long Peck. Almost black, elliptical, 13–18×7–8µ Massee; 11–13×6–8µ K.; 15×8µ W.G.S. Var. brev´iceps Pk. =Pileus= before expansion subovate, shorter and broader than in the typical form, 1.5–2.5 in. high. Dumping ground. Albany. November. H. Neiman. Peck, 49th Rep.
Coprinus comatus is common to the United States. In its perfection it is a stately and beautiful plant. I have seen it with the oblong cap eight inches long, but its usual height is from 2–4 in. It occurs after hard rain and often in the most unexpected places. It is a rather domestic species, usually in troops, but often in clusters of from five to fifty individuals. I have seen it lift firmly sodded ground about railroad stations, and again, bulging the surface of gardens like mole-hills.
There are toadstools of higher flavor, but not one of greater delicacy. In this C. comatus is not excelled from its earliest stage until fully ripened. It is everywhere commended.
Lafayette B. Mendel, in American Journal of Physiology, gives the following analysis:
The specimens were freshly gathered and had not yet turned “inky.” They varied very widely in size, thirty-six mushrooms weighing 1485 grams, of which 980 grams belonged to the caps (pileus) and 505 grams to the stems. The average weight of a fresh specimen was thus:
Pileus 27 grams Stem 14 — Total weight 41
A specimen which had attained the average growth weighed:
Pileus 43 grams Stem 25 — Total weight 68
An analysis yielded the following results:
Water 92.19 per cent. Total solids 7.81
The dry substance contained:
Total nitrogen 5.79 per cent.
Extractive nitrogen 3.87
Protein nitrogen 1.92
Ether extract 3.3
Crude fiber 7.3
Ash 12.5
Material soluble in 85 56.3 per cent. alcohol
=C. soboli´ferus= Fr. =Pileus= 1½-2½ in. across, subcylindrical, then oval bell-shaped, lower half of pileus usually undulate but not furrowed or striate, disk obtuse, usually depressed, distinctly scaly, dingy white, toward the apex tinged with pale brown, scales darker. =Flesh= very thin. =Gills= free, tapering toward each end, ¼ in. or more broad, crowded, pale then blackish. =Stem= 5–8 in. long, ¾ in. thick at the base, slightly attenuated upward, silky-white, stuffed; toward the base there is a depressed zone caused by the edge of the pileus when young. =Ring= fugacious. =Spores= elliptical, 15×7µ.
Amongst grass near to trunks, buried wood, etc. A very large and beautiful species, distinguished from Coprinus atramentarius, its nearest ally, by the larger size of every part, the costate (ribbed) or waved lower portion of the pileus, the truncate, depressed disk, with distinct squamules, the whitish color of the pileus, and the imperfectly hollow or stuffed stem.
=Spores= elliptical, 15×7µ Massee.
Almshouse grounds, Philadelphia. On maple roots in grass-grown places, May, 1897–1898. McIlvaine. Not previously noted in United States.
C. soboliferus is a substantial food-giving species, very heavy for its size. It grows singly and in clusters and will immediately attract attention, wherever found. It is of fine flavor and substance. Cook at once.
=C. ova´tus= (Schaeff.) Fr.—ovum, an egg. =Pileus= white, somewhat membranaceous, at the first egg-shaped and densely imbricated with thick spreading concentric scales, covered with an even hood at the apex, then expanded, striate. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, solid at the base, rooting, otherwise hollow, with spider-web threads within, attenuated upward, downy, shining white. =Ring= not very conspicuous and soon vanishing. =Gills= free, remote, slightly ventricose, at the first somewhat naked and remaining long shining white, at length umber-blackish, never becoming purple.
Smaller, thinner, less handsome than C. comatus. For the most part solitary. Fries.
=Spores= 11–12×7–8µ Massee.
On rich ground, dumps, etc. Same habitat as C. comatus.
West Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New Jersey. McIlvaine.
So closely allied to C. comatus that it is with difficulty distinguished from it. However, its edible qualities are the same, and into these the name does not enter.
FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE.
1. COPRINUS ATRAMENTARIUS, 373 3. PANAEOLUS SOLIDIPES, 385
2. COPRINUS MICACEUS, 378 4. PANAEOLUS SOLIDIPES 385 (SECTION),
=C. sterquili´nus= Fr.—sterquilinium, a dunghill. =Pileus= about 2 in. across when expanded, conical, then expanded, sulcate more than half way from margin to disk, at first villous or silky, disk rather fleshy with rough scales, silvery-gray, tinged with brown at the apex. =Flesh= thin. =Gills= free, ventricose, about 2 lines broad, pale then umber-purple. =Stem= 4–6 in. high, slightly attenuated upward, white, fibrillose, hollow, thickened base solid, and booted for about an inch from the base, margin of sheath ending in a free border or ring.
On dung. A fine large species known by the scaly apex of the pileus, the basal portion of the stem surrounded by a volva-like, adnate structure with a free upper margin. The stem soon becomes black when bruised. Base of stem not rooting but abrupt, and furnished with a few white fibers. Massee.
Edible, Cooke, 1891; also Leuba.
Nova Scotia, Dr. Somers.
This species is not reported as found in the United States.
** Atramentarii. Ring imperfect, etc.
=C. atramenta´rius= (Bull.) Fr.—atramentum, ink. (Plate CII, fig. 1, p. 372.) =Pileus= 1½-4 in. across, ovate, expanding, grayish, lead-color or grayish-brown, with occasionally a few obscure scales on disk, often covered with bloom; margin ribbed, sometimes notched, soft, tender. =Gills= free, ventricose, up to ½ in. broad, crowded and at first cohering and white with white floccose edges, then becoming black and dissolving into ink. =Stem= up to 5 in. long, up to ½ in. thick, smooth, whitish, hollow, at first spindle-shaped, then attenuated upward, with more or less distinct ring near base.
=Spores= subcylindrical, large cystidia numerous, 12×6µ Massee; 9–10×6µ K.; 9×5µ W.G.S.; 8–10µ long Peck.
Indiana, H.I. Miller; Harrisburg, Pa., Dr. J.H. Fager; West Virginia, McIlvaine.
The stem is obscurely banded within, by which it may be recognized with certainty.
It grows singly or in clusters of many individuals on rich ground, whether lawns, gardens, gutter sides, or in woods, but not on dung. I know of a fine cluster growing year after year on a much-decayed pear-stump. Occasionally it appears in the spring months, but is common during the summer and autumn after rains, and from its first appearance it occurs in successive crops until stopped by severe frost. It is common in Europe and over the United States.
The flavor is higher than that of C. comatus. It should be cooked as soon as gathered, and kept in a cool place until needed.
Analysis shows the following:
Two separate, freshly-gathered lots of this species were examined. The one (a) contained six young small specimens weighing 5.5 grams, or .9 gram each; the other (b) contained eight mushrooms weighing 12 grams, or 1.5 grams each. An analysis gave:
a. b. Water 92.31 per cent. 94.42 per cent. Total solids 7.69 5.58 The dry substance contained: Total nitrogen 4.68 4.77 Ether extract 3.1 5.7 Crude fiber 9.3 ..... Ash 16.8 20.1 Lafayette B. Mendel in American Journal of Physiology.
=C. fusces´cens= (Schaeff.) Fr.—fuscus, dark or swarthy. =Pileus= 1–1¼ in. across, submembranaceous, ovate, expanded, dull, disk rather fleshy, even or cracked into squamules, grayish-brown, disk reddish. =Gills= adfixed, blackish-umber. =Stem= 4–5 in. long, about ¼ in. thick, equal, fragile, hollow, subfibrillose. =Ring= indistinct or absent, whitish. Massee.
Smaller and more slender than Coprinus atramentarius. =Pileus= brownish-gray, disk becoming reddish, not sprinkled with micaceous particles, but at first covered with a mealy bloom. =Gills= adnexed, attenuated from the stem to the margin, deliquescent. Fries.
=Spores= elliptical, pointed at the ends, 10x6µ Massee; 10x5µ W.G.S.
Solitary and in tufts. On stumps, trunks, etc. May to October.
West Philadelphia, Pa., McIlvaine.
C. fuscescens is tender, delicate and of excellent flavor. In this it ranks with C. atramentarius.
(Plate CIV.)
=C. macro´sporus= Pk. =Pileus= ovate, then expanded, rimose-striate (cracked in lines), obscurely floccose-squamulose, white, the small even brownish disk scaly. =Lamellæ= crowded, free, white then black. =Stem= glabrous, white, with traces of an annulus (ring) near the thickened or subbulbous base.
=Spores= very large, elliptical, 20–20.5 long, 12–16µ broad.
=Plant= cespitose, 2–3 in. high. =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 1 line thick.
Ground in open fields. Ticonderoga. August.
The prominent characters of this species are the cracked pileus, squamose disk, free lamellæ and large spores. In its early state it resembles some species of Lepiota. It seems to be intermediate between the sections Atramentarii and Micacei. Peck, 31st Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Found in quantity at Mt. Gretna, Pa. August to September, 1898, growing among old stable bedding on parade ground.
C. macrosporus is an excellent species, higher in flavor than any other Coprinus.
*** Pica´cei. Universal downy veil, etc.
=C. pica´ceus= (Bull.) Fr. =Pileus= 2–2½ in. across, membranaceous, ovato-bell-shaped, striate up to the disk, smoky-black, variegated with large, irregular, superficial white patches. =Gills= free, ½ in. or more broad, ventricose, grayish-black. =Stem= 5–6 in. long, base bulbous, abrupt, otherwise equal, ¼-⅔ in. thick, white, hollow, fragile, smooth. =Spores= elliptical, apiculate, 14×8µ; cystidia large, numerous. Massee.
Decaying trunks or branches of trees in woods. Lyndonville. June. Fairman.
The form here referred to this species differs somewhat from the description of the type in being smaller, in having no bulb to the stem and in having smaller spores. It is probably the “smaller variety growing on rotten wood” noticed by Stevenson in his British Fungi. I have seen the true form of the species from Kansas. The New York plant seems to me to be worthy of distinctive designation, at least as a variety, and I call it
Var. ebulbo´sus. Plant smaller. =Stem= destitute of a bulb. =Spores= 8–10×5µ. Peck, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Minnesota, Johnson, 1897; Kansas, Cragin, 1884; Wisconsin, Bundy, Nebraska, Clements.
Edible. Leuba.
Large quantities grew on rotting chestnut and oak rails at Mt. Gretna, Pa., from June to August, 1899. It is strong and unpleasant.
**** Tomento´si. Pileus at first veiled with a loose hairy veil.
(Plate CV.)
=C. fimeta´rius= Fr.—fimetum, a dunghill. =Pileus= 1–2 in. across, membranaceous, thin, at first cylindrical, soon conical, the edge at length revolute and torn at the margin, when young everywhere covered with floccose-squarrose white scales (from the universal veil), which separate from the vertex toward the circumference, at length naked, longitudinally cracked, but not opening into furrows, the vertex which remains entire, livid. =Stem= about 3 in. long, 2–3 lines and more thick, hollow, fragile, thickened and solid at the base, attenuated upward, shining white and downy with squamules of the same color. =Gills= free, reaching the stem, at first ventricose, then linear, flexuous, black. =Stem= when young curt and firmer. Fries.
=Spores= spheroid-ellipsoid, 15–18×9–12µ K.; 15×9µ W.G.S.; 12–14×7–8µ Massee.
Sometimes there is a root as long as the stem. M.J.B. Common on dung heaps in successive crops. Spring to autumn.
Var. pulla´tus. =Pileus= with adpressed scales and tomentose, soon naked, brownish, then blackish. =Stem= equal, becoming smooth.
On dung. Clustered. Stature of the type.
Var. cine´reus. =Pileus= membranaceous, floccosely mealy, then naked, ashy-gray. =Stem= subequal, rootless, hollow to the base, often twisted. =Spores= 12–8µ.
On dung and rich soil.
Var. macrorhi´za. =Pileus= at first with feathery squamules. =Stem= short, hairy, rooting, sometimes more or less marginately subbulbous. =Spores= 13–14×8–9µ.
On dung. Pileus pale and smaller than in the typical form, stem shorter, with a more or less elongated rooting base. Berkeley.
Of this very variable species there is a small form growing on decayed wood in woods. It has the spores rather smaller than in the type, they being 10–11µ long, 8µ broad. It might be designated Var. silvi´cola. Peck, 43d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
West Virginia, 1881–1885, May to October. McIlvaine.
Common to the United States. Of excellent flavor and tender. It must be cooked at once.
=C. tomento´sus= (Bull.) Fr.—tomentum, pubescence. =Pileus= very thin, at first oblong-oval and floccose-scaly, soon bell-shaped, naked, closely striate, grayish-brown or blackish-brown, often with a leaden hue, finally expanded, the disk smooth, reddish or ochraceous-brown, the margin turned upwards and much split or lacerated. =Lamellæ= closely crowded, narrow, free, white then pinkish, finally black. =Stem= white, tall, fragile, tapering upward, finely floccose-squamulose, hollow, sometimes with a large tap root. =Plant= gregarious or cespitose.
=Height= 3–6 in., breadth of pileus 6–18 lines.
Very variable in size and color. The covering of the pileus is easily rubbed off. It soon disappears and the plant quickly decays, seldom continuing through the day. Peck, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Mt. Gretna, Pa., about old picketing places in camp grounds. Prof. M.W. Easton, July, 1898.
West Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, May to September, on dung, rich ground, gardens and in woods. McIlvaine.
Very delicate; of strong mushroom flavor. It is common, and can usually be collected in numbers. It is of little food value in itself, but yields an excellent flavor to anything it is cooked with. It must be cooked as soon as gathered.
=C. ni´veus= Fr.—nix, snow. =Pileus= white, 1–2 in. across, thin, ovate then bell-shaped, margin at length turned upward, split or covered with a dense white, mealy or downy covering, slightly pink. =Gills= adnexed, narrow, crowded, at first cohering, white then pinkish, then black. =Stem= at first short, then up to 4 in., slender, attenuated upward, covered with white down, fragile, hollow.
=Spores= 16×11–13µ Massee; 10×12µ W.G.S.
Common on dung and dung heaps, clustered. May to frost.
West Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey. McIlvaine.
Very variable in size, but clearly distinguished by its snow-white color and adnexed gills. Like all of the thin, delicate species of this genus there is little substance left after cooking, but the savory flavor is imparted to the cooking medium.
***** Mica´cei. Pileus at first covered with minute, glistening scales, etc.
=C. mica´ceus= (Bull.) Fr.—mica, grain, granular. (Plate CII, fig. 2, p. 372.) =Pileus= thin, ovate, then bell-shaped, with the margin more or less revolute, wavy, splitting, closely striate, with a few minute scales and sparkling atoms, or naked, varying in color from whitish-ochraceous to livid-brown, generally darker when moist or old. =Gills= rather narrow, crowded, white then pinkish, finally black. =Stem= slender, fragile, easily splitting, slightly silky, white, hollow, often twisted. Plant mostly cespitose.
=Height= 2–4 in., breadth of pileus, 1–2 in.
Streets, yards and fields, on or about old stumps. May to September. Peck, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=Spores= elliptical, blackish, 7–8×4–5µ Massee; 7×8µ W.G.S.; 10×5µ W.P.; elliptical, brown, 6–8µ Peck.
Var. granula´ris. Pileus sprinkled with granules or furfuraceous scales. New York. August. Peck, 47th Rep.
Indiana, H.I. Miller; West Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey. May to October. McIlvaine.
Common from spring until frost. This is the oval-capped toadstool found in clusters about trees, posts, along grassy sides of pavements, popping up, Brownie-like, from sodded places. Although small and thin, its clusters soon fill baskets, and its continuous growth in some places, from month to month, year to year, makes it one to be depended upon. Stewed for ten minutes it makes a rich, luscious dish. C. congregatus closely resembles it and is equally good.
****** Glabra´ti. Pileus smooth, etc.
=C. deliques´cens= (Bull.) Fr. =Pileus= 3–4 in. broad, livid-fuliginous, membranaceous, bell-shaped then expanded, smooth, but dotted with minute points on the disk, never downy or split, the edge turning upward and striate, the striæ broad but not deep. =Stem= 4 in. long, 2–4 lines thick, hollow, with a bark-like covering, equally attenuated upward, smooth, shining white. =Gills= free, at length remote from the stem, very crowded, flexuous, very narrow, only ½ line broad, lurid-blackish. Fries.
Frequent on stumps and among fallen leaves, sometimes in tufts. July to October.
=Spores= elliptical, obliquely apiculate, 8×5µ Massee.
Sometimes confounded with C. atramentarius.
West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, McIlvaine.
C. deliquescens is of good size and quality. The stems do not cook well with the caps. The flavor is the same as C. atramentarius.
=C. congrega´tus= (Bull.) Fr. =Pileus= ½-¾ in. high, cylindrical, then bell-shaped, finally expanded and split at the margin, smooth, viscid, margin slightly striate, ochraceous. =Gills= about 1 line broad, slightly adnexed, white, finally becoming black. =Stem= 1½ in. high, equal, smooth, hollow, whitish.
On the ground, also in hot-houses. Massee.
Readily distinguished by the densely cespitose mode of growth, the small size, the viscid, ochraceous, glabrous pileus which remains elongato-cylindrical for some time, then becomes campanulate and finally expands and splits at the margin.
Densely cespitose, fragile, readily distinguished from C. digitalis by its much smaller size. Fries.
=Spores= 7×8µ W.G.S.; 10×5µ W.P.
Fries and Cooke considered this a good species.
So closely allied to neighboring species that it is difficult to determine it. Edible qualities are included in the alliance.
B. VELIFORMES. Pileus very thin, etc.
* Cyclodei. Stem bearing ring, etc.
None edible.
** Lanatuli. Pileus with superficial downy covering, etc.
=C. lagopus= Fr.—Gr, a hare; a foot. =Pileus= 1 in. broad, whitish, disk livid, very tender, cylindrical then bell-shaped, when young beautifully downy then naked, flattened and split, radiately furrowed. =Stem= 5 in. and more long, 1 line thick, very weak, very fragile, slightly attenuated at both ends, everywhere white-woolly. =Gills= at length remote, narrow, black. Fries.
Fries distinguishes two forms. A, nemorum. =Stem= slender, 4–6 in. long. B, viarum. =Stem= 2–3 in. long. =Pileus= broader, livid. Both forms are inodorous. The pileus of the long-stemmed form is sometimes entirely clear brown, at others grayish with a brownish disk. =Stem= very weak, 5 in. and more in length, 1 line thick, attenuated at both ends. =Pileus= thin, expanded bell-shaped, about 1 in. across, when young elegantly flocculose, then furrowed, disk livid. =Gills= rather distant.
New York, Peck, 38th Rep.; Mt. Gretna, Pa., July, 1898, on rubbish about abandoned camp. Prof. M.W. Easton.
A strikingly beautiful species. Both forms were found in abundance, tested and eaten with enjoyment. They are extremely delicate, and of attractive but not high flavor.
=C. Virgineus= Banning. =Pileus= ovate, bell-shaped, or cylindrical, pale ocher, the margin thin, torn, downy. =Lamellæ= narrow, close, forked, at first white, turning dark but never black, adnexed. =Stem= 3½ in. long, stout, somewhat stuffed, attenuated where it meets the pileus, flattened, downy. =Spores= black.
Cespitose or gregarious at the roots of trees or about old stumps. Also found in Virginia.
The plant is not rapidly deliquescent, remaining perfect for some hours. Banning MS.
Maryland. Virginia. Miss M.E. Banning MS. Peck, 44th Rep.
Chester county, Pa. New Jersey, about pear trees and stumps. McIlvaine.
This little Coprinus is a valuable species when found. A patch of it about a tree or stump is treasure trove. Patches of it appear in July and bear until October. The not-particular observer would mistake it for C. micaceus.
*** Furfurel´li. Pileus micaceous or scurfy, etc.
(Plate CVI.)
=C. domes´ticus= (Pers.) Fr.—domus, a house. =Pileus= 2 in. broad, fuliginous, disk date-brown, thin, ovate then bell-shaped, covered with small branny scales, then opening into furrows and flattened, undulately sulcate, disk obtuse, even. Stem 2–3 in. long, 2–3 lines thick, fistulose, slightly firm, attenuated upward, adpressedly silky, becoming even, white. =Gills= adnexed, at first crowded, distant when the pileus is split, linear, white then reddish, at length brownish-blackish.
A larger and more remarkable species than all the neighboring ones. Fries.
=Spores= 14–16×7–8µ Massee.
On much decayed wood, damp carpets, in cellars, etc. Often in clusters.
Mt. Gretna, Pa., Prof. M.W. Easton, July, 1898; West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, McIlvaine.
C. domesticus is the largest of its section and is sometimes of remarkable growth. I have seen it start from under a board in a cellar and prolong its stems for over a foot to get its caps to air and light. Under such conditions the stems are twisted in a confused mass.
It is very tender with a decided mushroom flavor. Cook at once.
(Plate CVII.)
=C. silvat´icus= Pk. =Pileus= membranaceous, with a thin fleshy disk, convex, striate in folds on the margin, dark-brown, the depressed striæ paler. =Lamellæ= subdistant, narrow, attached to the stem, brownish. =Stem= fragile, slender, smooth, hollow, white. =Spores= gibbous-ovate, 12.7µ long.
=Plant= 2 in. high. =Pileus= 6–10 lines broad. =Stem= .5 lines thick. Ground in woods. Greig. September.
The striæ extend about half way up the pileus. Allied to C. plicatilis and C. ephemerus Peck, 24th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey. Frequent, but not common. On ground in woods, August to October. McIlvaine.
This pretty little fungus is frequently found. I have never been able to get it in quantity, but have often eaten it. Its flavor is musky, rather strong. It is edible, but is not obtainable in sufficient numbers to make it of much food value.
=C. ephem´erus= Fr. Gr—lasting for a day. =Pileus= ½-¾ in. across, very thin, ovate, then bell-shaped, finally expanded and splitting, furrowed radiately, at first slightly scurfy, disk elevated, even, reddish. =Gills= slightly attached, linear, white, then brownish, at length blackish. =Stem= 1½-2½ in. high, 1 line or more thick, equal, glabrous, pellucid, hollow, whitish. =Spores= 16–17×9–10µ.
On dunghills, manured ground, etc. To the naked eye appearing almost glabrous, but under a lens seen to be distinctly scurfy. Known from Coprinus plicatilis by the disk of the pileus being prominent and not depressed. Massee.
Common dung and dung heaps. May to October. New York, Peck. 23d Rep.
Of such size and delicate substance as to be of little food value. But it has a strong mushroom flavor which is choice as a flavoring. It appears during the summer months on dung and dung heaps. It must be cooked as soon as gathered.
=C. semilana´tus= Pk. =Pileus= submembranaceous, broadly conical, then expanded and strongly revolute, and the margin sometimes split, covered with mealy atoms, finely and obscurely rimose-striate, pale grayish-brown. =Lamellæ= narrow, close, free. =Stem= elongated, fragile, hollow, slightly tapering upward, white, the lower half clothed with loose cottony flocci which rub off easily, the upper half smooth or slightly farinaceous. =Spores= broadly elliptical, 12.7µ long.
=Plant= very fragile, 4–6 in. high. =Pileus= 8–12 lines broad. =Stem= 1 line thick at the base. Rich ground and dung. Sandlake. August. (Plate IV, fig. 15–18.) Allied to C. coopertus. Peck, 24th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
West Virginia. 1881–1885, Mt. Gretna, Pa. July to October. McIlvaine.
I have seldom found it, though at times it was quite common about stables in West Virginia. It has good mushroom flavor and is edible. It is stately, attracting attention by its peculiar cap.
=C. plica´tilis= Fr.—plico, to fold. =Pileus= 1 in. broad, dusky-brown then bluish-gray-cinereous, disk darker, dusky-brown or reddish, oval-cylindrical then campanulate, soon expanded, opening into furrows, sulcate-plicate, for the most part smooth, disk broad, even, at length depressed. =Stem= 1–3 in. long, fistulose, thin, equal, even, smooth, pallid, somewhat pellucid. =Gills= remote from the stem and adnate to a collar which is formed from the dilated apex of the stem, distant, gray-blackish. Fries.
Very tender and fragile, but when scorched by the sun not melting into fluid. Very variable in stature and size. Stevenson.
=Spores= 12–14×8–10µ Massee; broadly elliptic, 5µ long, M.J.B.; 11–13µ long, 8–10µ broad Peck, Rep. 50.
Common in rich pastures, lawns, roadsides, etc. May to October.
West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, McIlvaine.
A neat little fungus often found in great plenty. Though small it is nevertheless edible and must be written with its edible companions.
=PANÆOLUS= Fr.
Gr—all; Gr—variegated.
(Plate CVIII.)
=Pileus= slightly fleshy, not striate, margin exceeding the gills. =Gills= ascending in a conical manner, slate-gray, mottled with the black spores. =Stem= polished. =Veil= woven, often absent. =Spores= black.
On the ground in rich earth, and on dung.
In the black-spored series Psathyrella is separated by the striate pileus, not exceeding the gills, Anellaria by the ring and Coprinus by the deliquescent gills.
Panæolus, in its entirety, has a precise looking membership. If the gills were cut from cardboard and fixed by machinery, they could not be more correct. Some of the species are among the earliest arrivals at toadstool lawn parties, and some are the last to leave. Several are culinary favorites, notably Panæolus solidipes. P. papilionaceus possesses intoxicating properties. P. campanulatus is reported to be a sedative.
The edible species are easily cooked and are exceptionally delicate and well flavored.
=P. retiru´gis= Fr.—rete, a net; ruga, a wrinkle. =Pileus= about 1 in. across, at first almost globose, then hemispherical, subumbonate, minutely mealy, opaque, moist, furnished with uniting raised ribs, pinkish tan-color; margin with irregular fragments of the veil attached. =Flesh= rather thick. =Gills= adnexed, ascending, 2 lines or more broad, grayish-black. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, about 2 lines thick, equal, pruinose, purplish flesh-color, hollow. Fries.
=Spores= elliptic-fusiform, 11–13×7µ Massee.
On dung. Distinguished among the species of Panæolus by the raised ribs on the pileus and its appendiculate margin. The pileus is sometimes grayish. Closely resembling, superficially, Psathyra corrugis, which is, however, distinguished by the violet-black gills.
=Spores= elliptical, shortly fusiform, 20µ Q.; 16×11µ W.G.S.
New York, Peck, 23d Rep. West Virginia, 1881–1885. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, frequent on dung. June to frost. McIlvaine.
P. retirugis is not a common species, and is a sparse grower, but is frequently found. It is seldom that a mess can be had at one time. It is an excellent species by itself and imparts a good flavor to others.
=P. fimi´cola= Fr.—fimus, dung; cola, to inhabit. =Pileus= ½-¾ in. across and high, slightly fleshy, convex bell-shaped, obtuse, glabrous, opaque, dingy-gray when moist, paler and yellowish when dry, with a narrow brown encircling zone near the margin. =Gills= adnate, 2 lines or more broad, gray, variegated with smoky-black. =Stem= 2–4 in. high, 1 line or more thick, equal, fragile, whitish, powdered with white meal upward, hollow. Fries.
=Stem= soft, fragile, obsoletely silky-striatulate, 2–4 in. long. =Pileus= when moist commonly smoky-gray, when dry grayish clay-color, sometimes discoid. =Gills= semi-ovate with a minute decurrent tooth. Fries.
West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey. Frequent. On dung and richly manured places. June to September. McIlvaine.
P. fimicola is neither as large nor heavy as P. solidipes, but in other respects equals it.
=P. soli´dipes= Pk.—solidus, solid; pes, a foot. (Plate CII, fig. 3, 4, p. 372.) =Pileus= 2–3 in. across, firm, at first hemispherical, then sub-campanulate or convex, smooth, whitish, the cuticle at length breaking up into dingy-yellowish, rather large, angular scales. =Gills= broad, slightly attached, whitish, becoming black. =Stem= 2–4 lines thick, firm, smooth, white, solid, slightly striate at the top. =Spores= very black with a bluish tint. Height of plant 5–8 in. Dung heaps. West Albany. June.
A large species, remarkable for its solid stem. The scales on the pileus are larger on the disk, becoming smaller toward the margin. The upper part of the stipe is sometimes beaded with drops of moisture. Peck, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
West Virginia, 1881–1885. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, frequent on dung and dung heaps. May to frost. McIlvaine.
On mature plants, or after rains, the scales are not always present.
P. solidipes is a handsome, readily recognized species of good weight and substance. It is one of the best of toadstools.
=P. campanula´tus= Linn.—campanula, a little bell. =Pileus= oval, bell-shaped or obtusely conical, sometimes umbonate, smooth, somewhat shining, brownish, with a peculiar gray or lead-colored tint, sometimes becoming reddish-tinted, the margin, often scalloped or fringed with the appendiculate veil. =Lamellæ= not broad, attached, becoming grayish-black. =Stem= long, slender, hollow, reddish, pruinose and slightly striate at the top, at length dusted with the spores.
=Height= 4–6 in., breadth of pileus 6–12 lines.
On horse dung and rich soil. June and July. Common.
In very wet weather the cuticle of the pileus sometimes cracks into scales or areas. Peck, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=Spores= subellipsoid, 16–18×10–13µ K.; 8–9×6µ Massee.
Mr. R.K. Macadam, Boston, Mass., informs me that he has information of a case of poisoning by this fungus. “The victim experienced dizziness, dimness of vision, trembling and loss of power and memory. He recovered after simple treatment and was well inside of 24 hours.”
A full account of this case is in “The London Medical and Surgical Journal,” Vol. 36, November, 1816. The poison acts as a sedative.
I have several times eaten of this fungus in small quantities, because larger could not be obtained, and with no other than pleasant effect. There does not appear to be any case of poisoning reported by it since 1816, which, considering the inquisitiveness of man, is singular. Caution is advised.
=P. papiliona´ceus= Fr.—papilio, a butterfly. =Pileus= subhemispherical, sometimes subumbonate, smooth, or with the cuticle breaking up into scales, whitish-gray, often tinged with yellow. =Lamellæ= very broad, attached, becoming black. =Stem= slender, firm, hollow, pruinose above, whitish, sometimes tinged with red or yellow, slightly striate at the top and generally stained by the spores.
=Height= 3–5 in., breadth of pileus 6–18 lines.
On dung and rich soil. Common. May and June.
A small form occurs with the pileus nearly white, scarcely half an inch in diameter, and the cuticle not cracking. Peck, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
The effects of P. papilionaceus are very uncertain. I have seen it produce hilarity in a few instances, and other mild symptoms of intoxication, which were soon over, and with little reaction. But I have seen, at table, the same effects from eating preserved peaches and preserved plums which had fermented. Many personal testings have been without effect. Testings upon others vary with the individuals. The fungus seems to contain a mild stimulant. It is not dangerous, but should be eaten with caution. Being of small size, and not a prolific species, quantities of it are difficult to obtain. Moderate quantities of it have no effect whatever.
=ANELLA´RIA= Karst.
Anellus, a little ring.
=Pileus= slightly fleshy, smooth and even. =Gills= adnexed, dark slate-color, variegated with the black spores. =Stem= central, smooth, shining, rather firm. =Ring= present at first, either persistent or forming a zone around the stem.
The species of this genus were formerly included in Panæolus, from which this is separated by the presence of a ring, more or less definite.
In other characters they are similar. As in Amanitopsis and Amanita.
(Plate CIX.)
=A. separa´ta= Karst.—separatus, distinct, separate. =Pileus= 1–1½ in. across, height about the same, ovate, then bell-shaped, not expanding, viscid, even, ochraceous, then whitish, shining, wrinkled when old. =Flesh= rather thick. =Gills= adfixed, ascending, thin, crowded, broad, 2–3 lines, grayish-black, margin paler. =Stem= long, 3–5 in., straight, base thickened, attenuated upward, whitish, shining, top somewhat striate. =Ring= persistent, distant. Massee.
On dung. Rather variable in size.
=Pileus= bell-shaped, but very obtuse at the summit, ½-1¼ in. from the base to the apex, not expanding at the base without cracking.
=Spores= broadly elliptic-fusiform, black, opaque, 10×7µ Massee; ellipsoid, 16–22×10–12µ K.; 16×11µ W.G.S.
West Virginia, 1881–1885. New Jersey, Mt. Gretna, Pa., July, 1898, on dung. McIlvaine.
A common, frequent species from May to October. It is substantial in flesh, excellent in substance and flavor. Cook soon and not over fifteen minutes.
=PSATHYREL´LA.=
Gr—fragile.
=Pileus= membranaceous, striate, margin straight, at first pressed to the stem, not extending beyond the gills. =Veil= inconspicuous. =Gills= sooty-black, not variegated. =Spores= black.
Closely resembling Psathyra in appearance, but separated by the spore color.
In the black-spored series Panæolus and Anellaria are distinguished by their pilei not being striate and Coprinus by its deliquescent gills.
The species are small and can seldom be gathered in quantity. But those tested have the full mushroom flavor and are valued for the flavor they give to less gifted species when cooked with them.
=P. gra´cilis= Fr.—slender. =Pileus= ½-1 in. broad, sooty, livid, etc., when dry, tan, rosy or whitish, hygrophanous, membranaceous, bell-shaped, obtuse, smooth, even, slightly and pellucidly-striate only round the margin. =Stem= 3 in. and more long, scarcely 1 line thick, tubular, remarkably tense and straight, equal, naked, smooth, whitish, not rooted, white-villous at the base. =Gills= wholly adnate, commonly broader behind (rarely linear), almost distant, distinct, at first whitish, then cinereous-blackish with the black spores, edge rose-colored. Fries.
When dry the pileus is soft to the touch. Gregarious, fragile. Very similar to A. corrugis, and there is a variety corrugated. Stevenson.
=Spores= ellipsoid, 13–14×7–8µ K.; 5×12µ W.G.S.; 7×3–3.5µ Massee; 14×8µ Morgan.
New York, Peck, Rep. 23; West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, common, rich ground, June to October. McIlvaine.
A common and beautiful fungus, growing in patches on rich ground. It is decidedly prim. Its conical cap is regular as an extinguisher. It pays to gather it for flavoring other species. I have not seen the corrugated form mentioned by Fries. P. graciloides Pk. lacks the rosy-edged gills; gills are whitish.
(Plate CX.)
=P. graciloi´des= Pk.—slender. =Pileus= thin, conical or bell-shaped, glabrous, hygrophanous, brown and striatulate when moist, whitish and subrugulose when dry. =Lamellæ= ascending, rather broad, subdistant, brown, becoming blackish-brown, the edge whitish. =Stem= long, straight, fragile, hollow, smooth, white. =Spores= blackish, elliptical, 15–16.5×8–8.5µ.
=Plant= gregarious, 4–6 in. high. =Pileus= 1 in. broad. =Stem= 1 line thick.
Ground in an old dooryard. Maryland. September.
This is allied to A. gracilis Fr., but the edge of the gills is not rosy. When drying the moisture leaves the disk of the pileus first, the margin last. When dry the plant bears some resemblance to large forms of A. tener. Under a lens the texture of the surface of the pileus is seen to be composed of matted fibrils. Peck, 30th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Pennsylvania and New Jersey, on ground about houses and stables, often in barn yards, after they have been cleaned out and are empty for the summer. McIlvaine.
The whitish-edged gills with entire absence of rosiness on gill edges distinguish this species from P. gracilis Fr. It is frequent but not plentiful. Often a pint can be gathered. It has a fine mushroom flavor, resembling the delicate forms of Coprinus.
=P. atoma´ta= Fr.—atomatus, atomate. =Pileus= ½-1 in. broad, livid, when dry becoming pale tan or pale flesh-color, sometimes reddish, hygrophanous, membranaceous, bell-shaped, obtuse, slightly striate, when dry without striæ, slightly wrinkled, sprinkled with shining atoms. =Stem= 2 in. long, almost 1 line thick, tubular, equal, not rooted, lax, slightly bent (not tense and straight), white and white pulverulent at the apex. =Gills= adnate, broad, ventricose, slightly distinct, whitish, but cinereous-blackish with the black spores. Fries.
Solitary or gregarious. Pileus changing like A. gracilis from livid to whitish and rose-color, but more fragile. Stevenson.
=Spores= elliptical, 10×4µ Massee; 14×9µ W.G.S.; 11×8µ Morgan.
Chester county, Pa., June to September. McIlvaine.
Several specimens were eaten. In flavor they could not be distinguished from C. micaceus. The scarcity and small size of the species make it of little value, save as a flavoring.
(Plate CXI.)
=P. dissemina´ta= Pers.—dissemino, to scatter. Found everywhere. Densely tufted. =Pileus= about ½ in. across, membranaceous, ovate, bell-shaped, at first scurfy, then naked, coarsely striate, margin entire, yellowish then gray. =Gills= adnate, narrow, whitish, then gray, finally blackish. =Stem= 1–1½ in. long, rather curved, mealy then smooth, fragile, hollow. Massee.
Crowded. =Pileus= ovate, conical, at length bell-shaped, ⅓-½ in. from the base to the apex, striate and plicate, membranaceous, pale buff or reddish-brown, at length gray, becoming flaccid and dissolving. =Gills= distant, narrow, pale brown. =Stipes= 1–3 in. long, slender, weak, brittle, crooked, hollow, pale yellowish, whitish or grayish. Particularly partial to old willow trees, and when growing on a stump of a felled tree often covering nearly a square yard. Grev.
=Spores= 8×6µ W.G.S.; 7.6×5µ Morgan.
West Virginia, New Jersey, Mt. Gretna, Pa., about abandoned camp. Densely tufted. May to frost. McIlvaine.
Patches of it are very common on old trunks, about decaying trees, on ground. The caps rarely reach 1 in. in diameter. The plants cook away to almost nothing, but they are of fine flavor, which they impart to the cooking medium.
=GOMPHI´DIUS= Fr.
A wooden bolt or nail.
=Hymenophore= decurrent. =Gills= distant, composed of a mucilaginous membrane, which can be readily separated into two plates, continuous at the edge which is acute and powdered with the blackish fusiform spores. =Veil= viscoso-floccose. Fleshy, putrescent, pileus at length the shape of an inverted cone.
A small genus with great difference among the species. Intermediate in habit between Cortinarius and Hygrophorus.
Universal =Veil= glutinous, at first terminating on the stem in a floccose ring soon disappearing. The =Gills= frequently admit of being detached and stretched out into a continuous membrane. Fries.
A genus possessing several well-marked characters. The very decurrent gills differ from all others in their soft mucilaginous consistency. The spores are larger than usual in the Agaricaceæ and have the elongated spindle-shape found in Boleti. The stem and pileus are of the same substance, and the pileus and veil are both glutinous when moist. The spores have been described as greenish-gray becoming black, and as dingy-olive.
I have had opportunity to see but two species of this small genus—G. rhodoxanthus and G. viscidus. Of these the spores are decidedly olivaceous. If the six other species recorded as found in the United States are as creditable, they are well worth hunting for. G. Oregonensis Pk. is reported as edible and as a valuable food species in Oregon. The glutinous coatings to pileus and stem do not appear on the American form of G. rhodoxanthus in the localities I have found it in during fifteen years.
=G. glutino´sus= (Schaeff.) Fr.—glutin, glue. =Pileus= 2–5 in. broad, purple-brown, often mottled with black spots, fleshy, convex, obtuse, at length plane, even depressed, even, smooth, very glutinous. =Flesh= thick, about ½ in., soft, white. =Stem= 2–3 in. and more long, about ½ in. thick, solid, whitish, thickened and externally and internally yellow at the base, viscid with the veil, fibrillose or varying with black scales. =Cortina= often woven in the form of a ring, but soon fugacious. =Gills= deeply decurrent, distant, distinct, branched, quite entire, mucilaginous, 3–4 lines broad, at first whitish, then cinereous, clouded with the spores.
Trama none, wherefore the gills easily separate from the pileus. Taste watery, moldy. Odor not marked. Stevenson.
=Spores= 20µ Cooke; 18–23×6–8µ K.; 16–17×6µ W.G.S.; 18–20×6µ Massee.
Distinguished by the bright yellow base of stem.
Pine woods. July to November. Nova Scotia. Somers.
Edible. Leuba. Chiefly used for catsup. Cooke.
Var. ro´seus. =Pileus= rose-color. =Stem= white, attenuated and rosy flesh-color internally at the base. Very distinguished, always smaller.
=Spores= 20–22×6µ K.
Nova Scotia. Massachusetts. Frost.
I have not seen this species or its variety. Eminent authorities vouch for its edibility.
=G. Oregonen´sis= Pk. =Pileus= at first convex, becoming nearly plane or somewhat centrally depressed, viscid, brown or dark-brown, becoming black in drying, taste sweet and pleasant. =Lamellæ= numerous, rather close, adnate or slightly decurrent, blackish in the dried plant. =Stem= short, solid, equal or slightly tapering upward, colored like the pileus. =Spores= oblong, 10–12.5µ long, 4–5µ broad.
=Pileus= 5–10 cm. broad. =Stem= 2.5–5 cm. long, 4–10 mm. thick.
Fir woods. Oregon. September to December. Lane.
Dr. Lane writes that this species is edible and grows so abundantly in fir woods that it might be gathered by wagon loads and might be made a source of an abundant food supply. Peck. Torrey Bulletin, Vol. 25, No. 6, June, 1898.
(Plate CXII.)
=G. vis´cidus= Fr.—viscid. =Pileus= 2–3 in. and more broad, brownish-red, compact, at first bell-shaped, then expanded, umbonate, slightly viscous, shining when dry. =Flesh= yellowish. =Stem= 3–4 in. and more long, ½ in. thick, solid, equal or attenuated at the base which is rhubarb-colored internally, scaly-fibrillose, not very viscous, yellowish. =Cortina= very evidently floccose, not glutinous, woven in the form of a ring, but readily falling off. =Gills= deeply decurrent, distant, the shorter ones adnexed to the longer, not truly branched, at first paler, somewhat olive, at length brownish-purple, clouded with the spores. Fries.
Hymenophore descending between the gill plates. Odor not unpleasant. Stevenson.
Chiefly used in catsup. Cooke. Edible. Leuba. Cooke.
North Carolina, Massachusetts, Frost. Minnesota, California, Pennsylvania.
Many grew under pines at Mt. Gretna, Pa., September to November. The gills seemed branched, but were grown together. Taste and smell pleasant. The caps are good, but not equal to G. rhodoxanthus.
=G. rhodoxan´thus= Schw. (Plate XCVII, fig. 4, 5, p. 352.) Solitary. =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad, cushion-shaped, reddish-yellow, sometimes with dusky hues. =Gills= arched, decurrent, orange-yellow. =Stem= attenuated, short, firm.
=Spores= oblong, 10–12.5µ in length. Peck. Olivaceous. McIlvaine.
Solitary, gregarious or cespitose.
Among leaves and grass in shady places. August to October.
When the student has mastered the name and memorized the description, Gomphidius rhodoxanthus can not be mistaken for any other species.
It is not common in localities I have frequented, but its presence is pretty general in the United States, specimens having been sent to me from Georgia, Iowa, New York, New Jersey, etc., and I have found it in West Virginia, North Carolina, Woodland Cemetery, Philadelphia, and other places in Pennsylvania, from July to September, 1898, inclusive. Having enjoyed it in West Virginia in 1882, I was delighted to find it in generous quantity at Mt. Gretna, Pa., and to eat many meals of it. Its caps are not excelled by any edible fungus. They have solid, delicious substance and rich full flavor.
The plant is often cespitose. I have never found its cap viscid or glutinous. The cooked flesh has the latter consistency.
=MONTAGNITES= Fr.
After Montagne. (Plate CI, fig. 6, p. 368.)
The universal veil forming a volva, persistent. =Stem= dilated at the apex into a plane round disk, even on both sides, to the margin of which are adfixed the gills which are free, not joined by any membrane, radiating, razor-shaped, persistent, obtuse at the edge. =Trama= cellulose. =Spores= oblong, even, black fuscous. Fries.
A single species is reported from Texas.
FAMILY II.—=POLYPORACEÆ.=
Hymenophore inferior, facing the ground. Hymenium consisting of tubes with poriform mouths which are round or angular, sometimes sinuous or torn, lined with 4-spored sporophores and cystidia.
Fleshy, coriaceous or woody fungi, most abundant and luxuriant in warm countries. Intermediate between the Agaricaceæ and the Hydnaceæ, connected with the former by Dædalea and Lenzites, and with the latter by Fistulina and Irpex. Fries.
Within this large family are famed edible species, notably in Boletinus, Boletus and Fistulina. In the woody species the razor-strop man finds material for his strops (Polyporus celulinus); the surgeon styptics; the peasant punk to catch sparks from his flint, and the 4th of July urchin a fire-holder to light his pyrotechnics. The Chinese have placed some species in their fathomless materia medica, while the Polyporus of the locust tree is used in America as a medicine for horses. No fungoid growth is more universal. They are the ever active pruners of our trees and converters of forest debris. They begin the task in Nature’s laboratory of changing decaying wood into assimilable shape as food to feed the very trees that dropped it. Some are of annual growth, others add to their substance year after year, often attaining enormous size. In summer and in winter they are ever present objects for interesting study.
SYNOPSIS OF GENERA.
BOLETINUS. Page 398.
Hymenium composed of broader radiating gills connected by very numerous more narrow anastomosing branches or partitions and forming large angular pores. Tubes somewhat tenacious, not easily separable from the hymenophore and from each other, adnate or subdecurrent, yellowish. Peck.
BOLETUS. Page 404.
Stratum of tubes easily separable from the hymenophore. Stem central.
STROBILOMYCES. Page 475.
Tubes like Boletus, but pileus with large scales. Stem central.
FISTULINA. Page 477.
Fleshy, lateral, tubes crowded but distinct.
POLYPORUS. Page 479.
Stratum of tubes distinct from hymenophore, but not separable, not stratose; fleshy and tough, stipitate or sessile.
FOMES.
Tubes as in Polyporus, often stratose; woody, sessile; dimidiate. (No edible species reported.)
POLYSTICTUS.
Tubes as in Polyporus, not stratose, generally developing from the center to the margin, at first shallow and punctiform, coriaceous or membranaceous. (No edible species reported.)
PORIA.
Tubes as in Polyporus, not stratose; entirely resupinate. (No edible species reported.)
MUCRONOPORUS.
Tubes studded with reddish-brown spines, intermingled with the basidia, otherwise as in Polystictus (and also as in Polyporus and Fomes). Atkinson. (No edible species reported.)
TRAMETES.
Tubes immersed in flesh of pileus, of various depths, hence not forming a heterogeneous stratum, subcylindrical, not stratose; corky; sessile.
DÆDALEA.
Tubes as in Trametes, but sinuous and labyrinthiform; corky; not stratose; sessile. (No edible species reported.)
HEXAGONIA.
Tubes from the first dilated in hexagonal channels, not stratose; plants corky, sessile. Atkinson. (No edible species reported.)
FAVOLUS.
Tubes large at first, radiating from a central stem, or from a lateral attachment in sessile or dimidiate forms; plants tough and fleshy. Atkinson. (No edible species reported.)
CYCLOMYCES.
Gills or tubes in concentric circles. Stem central, subcentral or none. Atkinson. (No edible species reported.)
MERULIUS. Page 490.
Subgelatinous. Tubes very shallow, formed by anastomosing wrinkles; resupinate.
=BOLETI´NUS= Kalchb.
(Plate CXIII, p. 402.)
=Hymenophore= not even (as in Boletus), but extended in blunt points descending like a trama among the tubes. =Tubes= not easily separable from the hymenophore and from each other. =Stem= ringed, hollow. =Spores= pale yellowish. Sylloge, Vol. VI, p. 51.
Professor Peck has for excellent reasons, given in his Boleti of the United States, emended the generic diagnosis of Fries thus: Hymenium composed of broader radiating lamellæ connected by very numerous more narrow anastomosing branches or partitions and forming large angular pores. Tubes somewhat tenacious, not easily separable from the hymenophore and from each other, adnate or subdecurrent, yellowish.
Professor Peck classifies Boletinus as follows:
Stem hollow B. cavipes Stem solid 1 1. Stem lateral or eccentric B. porosus 1. Stem central 2 2. Pileus pale yellow, silky B. decipiens 2. Pileus red or adorned with red scales 3 3. Pileus red B. paluster 3. Pileus soon red-squamose B. pictus Boleti of the United States, p. 76.
There are six species given as found in the United States—B. cavipes Kalchb., B. pictus Pk., B. paluster Pk., B. decipiens Pk., B. porosus Pk., B. appendiculatus Pk.—of these I have found and eaten four. B. decipiens has, at this writing, not been seen by Professor Peck, but Professor Farlow, of Harvard, has informed him of authentic specimens. There is every probability of its being as edible as the others; a description of it is, therefore, given.
In consistency Boletinus is of the best, being rather like that of marshmallows, and the same as Boletus subaureus. The flavor is mild and pleasant.
Professor Peck mentions that the smell of B. porosus is sometimes unpleasant. I have been fortunate in not having had this experience.
=B. ca´vipes= Kalchb. =Pileus= broadly convex, rather tough, flexible, soft, subumbonate, fibrillose-scaly, tawny-brown, sometimes tinged with reddish or purplish. =Flesh= yellowish. =Tubes= slightly decurrent, at first pale-yellow, then darker and tinged with green, becoming dingy-ochraceous with age. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering upward, somewhat fibrillose or floccose, slightly ringed, hollow, tawny-brown or yellowish-brown, yellowish at the top and marked by the decurrent dissepiments of the tubes, white within. =Veil= whitish, partly adhering to the margin of the pileus, soon disappearing. =Spores= 8–10×4µ.
=Pileus= 1.5–4 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–3 in. long, 3–6 lines thick. Swamps and damp mossy ground under or near tamarack trees. New York, Peck; New England, Frost.
The pileus is clothed with a fibrillose tomentum which becomes more or less united into floccose tufts or scales. The umbo is not always present and is generally small. The young stem may sometimes be stuffed, but, if so, it soon becomes hollow, though the cavity is irregular. The freshly shed spores have a greenish-yellow or olivaceous hue, but in time they assume a pale or yellowish-ochraceous hue. This species is apparently northern in its range. It loves cold sphagnous swamps in mountainous regions. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
West Virginia mountains under spruce trees. Haddonfield, N.J., among scrub pines. Mt. Gretna, Pa., among pines.
It is of excellent consistency and of mild pleasant flavor. It is at its best in patties, croquettes and escallops.
=B. appendicula´tus= Pk. =Pileus= fleshy, convex, glabrous, ochraceous-yellow, the margin appendiculate with an incurved membranous veil. =Flesh= pale-yellow, unchangeable. =Tubes= rather small, yellow, their mouths angular, unequal, becoming darker or brownish where wounded. =Stem= solid, slightly thickened at the base, yellow. =Spores= pale-yellow, oblong, 10–12×4µ. =Pileus= 4–8 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 4–6 lines thick.
Under or near fir trees. Washington. September to December. Yeomans. Peck, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, Vol. 23, No. 10.
=B. pic´tus= Pk. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, at first covered with a red fibrillose tomentum which soon divides into small scales revealing the yellow color of the pileus beneath. =Flesh= yellow, often slowly changing to dull pinkish or reddish tints where wounded. =Tubes= tenacious, at first pale yellow, becoming darker or dingy ochraceous with age, sometimes changing to pinkish-brown where bruised, concealed in the young plant by the copious whitish webby veil. =Stem= equal or nearly so, solid, slightly and somewhat evanescently annulate, clothed and colored like or a little paler than the pileus, yellowish at the top. =Spores= ochraceous, 9–11×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–3 in. long, 3–6 lines thick.
Woods and mossy swamps. New York, Peck; New England, Frost; North Carolina, Curtis. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
West Virginia mountains, 1882. Haddonfield, N.J., Angora, West Philadelphia, Mt. Gretna, Pa. August and September. In mixed woods, principally oak. Leominster, Mass. C.F. Nixon, Ph. G.
It is sometimes found upon much decayed chestnut stumps.
The caps of some species are so cracked as to appear distinctly areolate. The white webby veil is often persistent. The fungus is one of the handsomest. Its rich variegated colors impress it upon eye-memory. It is one of the very best edible species.
(Plate CXII_a_.)
=B. palus´ter= Pk.—=Pileus= thin, broadly convex, plane or slightly depressed, sometimes with a small umbo, floccose-tomentose, bright red. =Tubes= very large, slightly decurrent, yellow, becoming ochraceous or dingy ochraceous. =Stem= slender, solid, subglabrous, red, yellowish at the top. =Spores= pinkish-brown, 8–9×4µ.
=Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 2–3 lines thick.
Wet places and sphagnous mossy swamps. New York, Peck. Maine, Harvey. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Angora, West Philadelphia and Mt. Gretna, Pa. September. McIlvaine.
A few specimens found at Mt. Gretna had stems slightly reticulated. Its taste is sweet, smell mild, and cooked it is of excellent body and flavor.
=B. deci´piens= (B. and C.) Pk. =Pileus= dry, minutely silky, whitish-yellow or pale-buff, flesh buff, one-third in. thick; hymenium plane or somewhat concave, yellow, consisting of large, unequal, flexuous radiating tubes resembling multiseptate lamellæ. =Stem= equal, solid but spongy. Veil floccose, evanescent, adhering for a time to the margin of the pileus. =Spores= rather minute, oblong, ochraceo-ferruginous (rusty yellow), 8–10×3.5–4µ.
=Pileus= 2 in. broad. Stem 2–2.5 in. long, 3–4 lines thick.
Thin woods. North and South Carolina. M.A. Curtis.
Specimens of this species have not been seen by me. The authors remark that its affinities are clearly with Boletinus flavidus and its allies, from which it is distinguished by its large radiating pores. They also say that when dry it is scarcely distinguishable from Paxillus porosus Berk., except by its spores. This would imply that its stem is eccentric or lateral, and I have been informed by Mr. Ravenel that it is sometimes so. But specimens of this kind, labeled Boletinus decipiens B. and C., have been received, which show by their spores that they are Paxillus porosus. Besides, Professor Farlow informs me that authentic specimens of B. decipiens in the Curtisian Herbarium have only central stems, from which things I suspect that the two species have been confused. The spore dimensions here given are derived from a specimen in the Curtis Herbarium, through the kindness of Professor Farlow. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
I have not recognized this Boletinus. Its affinities are with excellent edible species.
=B. poro´sus= (Berk.) Pk. (Plate CXIII.) =Pileus= fleshy, viscid when moist, shining, reddish-brown. =Flesh= 3–9 lines thick, the margin thin and even; hymenium porous, yellow, formed by radiating lamellæ a line to half a line distant, branching and connected by numerous irregular veins of less prominence and forming large angular pores. =Stem= lateral, tough, diffused into the pileus, reticulated at the top by the decurrent walls of the tubes, colored like the pileus. =Spores= semi-ovate.
=Pileus= 2–5 in. broad. =Stem= 6–16 lines long, 4–6 lines thick.
Var. opa´cus (Paxillus porosus Berk., Bull. N.Y. State Mus. 2, p. 32). =Pileus= dry, glabrous or subtomentose, not shining, brown or tawny-brown. =Spores= brownish-ochraceous, 9–11×6–8µ.
Damp ground in woods and open places. Ohio, Lea, Morgan; North Carolina, Curtis; New England, Frost, Farlow; Wisconsin, Bundy; New York, Peck.
This species is remarkable for its lateral or eccentric stem. There is often an emargination in the pileus on the side of the stem which gives it a kidney shape. In the typical form it is described as viscid when moist, and the Wisconsin plant is also described as viscid, but in all the New York specimens that I have seen it is dry and sometimes minutely tomentose. I have, therefore, separated these as a variety. The color of the pileus varies from yellowish-brown to reddish-brown or umber. A disagreeable odor is sometimes present. The tubes are rather short and tough and do not easily separate from the hymenophore and from each other. In the young plant they are not separable. They sometimes become slightly blue where wounded. As in other species they are pale yellow when young, but become darker or dingy-ochraceous with age. The spores have been described as bright yellow, but I do not find them so in the New York plant. The plant is incongruous among the Paxilli by reason of its wholly porous hymenium, but in this place it seems to be among its true allies. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Fine specimens were sent to me by Mr. H.I. Miller, Terre Haute, and Dr. J.R. Weist, Richmond, Ind. They were in condition to be eaten and enjoyed. No disagreeable odor was perceptible.
=B. borea´lis= Pk. =Pileus= fleshy, convex, obtuse or subumbonate, brownish-yellow, obscurely and somewhat reticulately streaked with reddish-brown lines. =Pores= large, angular, unequal, slightly decurrent, brownish-yellow. =Stem= short, equal or slightly tapering upward, brownish-yellow with a whitish myceloid tomentum at the base. =Spores= oblong, 10–12.5×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= about 1 in. long.
Sandy soil. Capstan Island, Labrador. October. Waghorne.
The markings of the pileus appear as if due to the drying of a glutinous substance. The radiating lamellæ and the transverse partitions of the interspaces are very plainly shown. Described from two dried specimens. Peck, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 22, No. 5.
=BOLE´TUS= Dill.
Gr—a clod.
The name of a fungus considered a great delicacy among the Romans, derived from bolos, a clod, probably to denote the round figure of the plant.
=Hymenium= wholly composed of small tubes, connected together in a stratum, the surface of which is dotted with their poriform mouths, and which is distinct from the hymenophore on account of the latter not descending into a trama. =Tubes= packed close together, easily separating from the hymenophore and from one another. =Pores= or mouths of the tubes round or angular (in the subgenus Gyrodon sinuous or gyroso-plicate). =Spores= normally fusiform, rarely oval or somewhat round. Growing on the ground, fleshy, putrescent, with central stems. Mostly edible, and of importance as articles of food; a few poisonous. Fries.
No American species in Gyrodon. It is therefore omitted in synopsis of tribes. C.M.
This genus abounds in species and is related to Boletinus on one hand and to Polyporus on the other. From the latter it is distinguished by the absence of a trama and from both by the tubes being easily separable from the hymenophore and from each other. Some of the species are very variable, others are so closely allied that they appear to almost run together.
The species are generally terrestrial, but B. hemichrysus is habitually wood-growing, and others are occasionally so.
The spores vary so much in color in such closely related species that this character is scarcely available for general classification, but it is valuable as a specific character and should always be noted.
SYNOPSIS OF THE TRIBES.
Pileus and stem yellow-pulverulent, stem not reticulated with veins (p. 421.) Pulverulenti
Pileus and stem not yellow-pulverulent, or if so then the stem reticulated with veins 1
1. Tubes yellowish with reddish, or reddish-brown mouths (p. 453.) Luridi
1. Tubes of one color, or mouths not reddish. 2
2. Stem lacunose-reticulated and lacerated. (p. 436.) Laceripedes
2. Stem reticulated with veins, not lacerated. 3
2. Stem not reticulated. 5
3. Tubes white, becoming flesh-colored. (p. 466.) Hyporhodii
3. Tubes not becoming flesh-colored. 4
4. Tubes free, or if adnate then stuffed when young. (p. 444.) Edules
4. Tubes adnate, not stuffed when young. (p. 438.) Calopodes
5. Pileus viscid or glutinous when moist. 6
5. Pileus dry. 7
6. Tubes adnate. (p. 406.) Viscipelles
6. Tubes free or nearly so, yellowish. (p. 444.) Edules
6. Tubes free or nearly so, whitish. (p. 459.) Versipelles
7. Stem solid. 8
7. Stem spongy within, soon cavernous or hollow. (p. 471.) Cariosi
8. Tubes becoming flesh-colored. (p. 466.) Hyporhodii
8. Tubes not becoming flesh-colored. 9
9. Tubes adnate. 10
9. Tubes free or nearly so. 11
10. Pileus subtomentose. (p. 430.) Subtomentosi
10. Pileus glabrous or pruinose. (p. 423.) Subpruinosi
11. Tubes yellowish or stuffed when young. (p. 444.) Edules
11. Tubes whitish, not stuffed. (p. 459.) Versipelles
Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
C.H. Peck, N.Y. State Botanist, has contributed to Mycological literature his careful arrangement and analysis of species of this genus, in his “Boleti of the United States.” Species of the genus are found in every state of the Union. Several species are common to all the states. Comprehending, as do the states, all sorts of climates within their vast range of latitude, differences in appearance and structure in the same species must be expected, dependent largely, as they are in most fungi, upon habitat and environment. These variations will frequently suggest new species. Descriptions which are typical and which can be recognized as standard are most desirable. Professor Peck’s are accepted by the writer as such, that there may be uniformity, and are quoted as fully as space will permit. Such variations as are attributable to locality will be noted.
Since 1882 the writer has given great attention to the edible qualities of the Boleti. He is convinced by many personal tests and those made by his family and friends, that much, if not all, of the suspicion thrown about Boleti is unjust and erroneous. He is able to state positively that change of color when bruised or broken; bitter and pepperiness have nothing whatever to do with the edible qualities of species exhibiting them, excepting in B. felleus, which exhibits an intense bitter, not lost in cooking. It is not poisonous.
The writer has the courage of his convictions, and has taken interest in eating species with a bad reputation whenever opportunity afforded, that their just dues might be given them. He has never experienced the slightest inconvenience. But others may not be so fortunate.
Before cooking Boleti the stem, unless crisp and tender, should be removed, as should the tubes unless young and fresh. They broil, fry, stew, make good soups and dry well. See recipes.
It is believed that all species of Boleti up to this time found in America are described in this volume. When no remarks of the writer follow the descriptions, he has not had an opportunity to test the edible quality of the species.
VISCIPELLES—viscum, bird lime; pellís, a skin.
=Pileus= covered with a viscose pellicle. =Stem= solid, neither bulbous, lacerated nor reticulated with veins. =Tubes= adnate, rarely sinuate, of one color.
The first four and several of the final species here described recede somewhat from the character of the central or typical species of the group.
Stem with an annulus 1
Stem without an annulus 9
1. Stem dotted both above and below the annulus 2
1. Stem dotted above the annulus 3
1. Stem not dotted 4
2. Tubes salmon color B. salmonicolor
2. Tubes yellowish B. subluteus
3. Annulus entirely viscose B. flavidus
3. Annulus membranous, fugacious B. elegans
3. Annulus membranous, persistent B. luteus
4. Pileus squamose B. spectabilis
4. Pileus not squamose 5
5. Tubes whitish or grayish 6
5. Tubes yellow or yellowish 7
6. Flesh white, unchangeable B. Elbensis
6. Flesh white, changing to bluish B. serotinus
7. Spores globose or broadly elliptical B. sphærosporus
7. Spores much longer than broad 8
8. Annulus fugacious B. flavus
8. Annulus persistent B. Clintonianus
9. Stem dotted with glandules 10
9. Stem not dotted 16
10. Pileus some shade of yellow 11
10. Pileus some other color 15
11. Stem rhubarb color B. punctipes
11. Stem some other color 12
12. Stem four lines or more thick 13
12. Stem less than four lines thick B. Americanus
13. Pileus adorned with tufts of hairs or fibrils B. hirtellus
13. Pileus glabrous 14
14. Stem yellow within B. subaureus
14. Stem whitish or yellowish-white within B. granulatus
15. Pileus white B. albus
15. Pileus not white B. granulatus
16. Stem squamulose 17
16. Stem not squamulose 18
17. Pileus dull red B. dichrous
17. Pileus some other color B. collinitus
_W.G.S._us yellow 19
_W.G.S._us bay-red or chestnut 20
_W.G.S._us some other color 21
19. Flesh pale-yellow B. unicolor
19. Flesh white B. bovinus
20. Stem short, one inch or less B. brevipes
20. Stem longer, two inches or more B. badius
21. Tubes olivaceous or golden-yellow B. mitis
21. Tubes ferruginous 22
22. Taste mild B. rubinellus
22. Taste acrid or peppery B. piperatus
Peck, Boleti of the U.S., p. 83.
(Plate CXV.)
=B. specta´bilis= Pk.—spectabilis, distinguished. =Pileus= broadly convex, at first covered with a red tomentum, then scaly, viscid when moist, red, the tomentose scales becoming grayish-red, brownish or yellowish. =Flesh= whitish or pale-yellow. =Tubes= at first yellow and concealed by a reddish glutinous membrane, then ochraceous, convex, large, angular, adnate. =Stem= nearly equal, annulate, yellow above the annulus, red or red with yellow stains below. =Spores= purplish-brown, 13–15×6–7µ.
=Pileus= 2–5 in. broad. =Stem= 3–5 in. long, 4–6 lines thick.
Thin woods in swamps. New York, Peck; Wisconsin, Bundy.
This is a rare and showy species which inhabits the cold northern swamps of the country. It probably extends into Canada. When cut, the flesh emits a strong, unpleasant odor. Wounds of the flesh made by insects or other small animals have a bright-yellow color. When young, the tomentose veil covers the whole plant, but it soon parts into scales on the pileus and partly or wholly disappears from the stem. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
London, Can., J. Dearness; Peck, Rep. 44, N.Y. State Bot.
=B. Elben´sis= Pk. =Pileus= convex, glabrous, viscid when moist, dingy gray or pinkish-gray inclining to brownish, obscurely spotted or streaked as if with patches of innate fibrils. =Flesh= white. =Tubes= at first whitish, becoming dingy or brownish-ochraceous, nearly plane, adnate or slightly decurrent, rather large, angular. =Stem= nearly equal, annulate, whitish above the ring, colored like the pileus below, sometimes slightly reticulated at the top. =Spores= ferruginous-brown, 10–12×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 3–5 in. long, 4–6 lines thick. Thin woods of tamarack, spruce and balsam. New York. Peck.
Its locality is thus far limited to the Adirondack region of this state. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. sero´tinus= Frost.—late. Bulletin Buffalo Soc. Nat. Sci., 1874. =Pileus= flat or convex, viscid, sordid brown, streaked with the remnants of the veil, especially near the margin, which is white, very thin, and when partly grown singularly pendent. =Flesh= white, changing to bluish. =Tubes= large, angular, unequal, slightly decurrent, at first sordid white or gray, sometimes tinged with green near the stem, afterward cinnamon-yellow. =Stem= reticulated above the ring which adheres partly to it and partly to the margin of the pileus, white but stained by the brownish spores and tinged with yellow at maturity. =Spores= 10×6µ.
Shaded grassy ground. New England, Frost.
Probably this is only a variety of the preceding species. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. salmoni´color= Frost. Bull. Buff. Soc. Nat. Sci., 1874. =Pileus= convex, soft, very glutinous, brownish or tawny-white with a faint tinge of red, wine-color when dry, the margin thin. =Flesh= tinged with red. =Tubes= simple, even, angular, adnate, pale salmon color. =Stem= small, dotted above with bright ferruginous red, sordid below, annulus dingy salmon-color. =Spores= 8×2.5µ.
Borders of pine woods. New England. Frost.
Apparently a distinct species. No specimens seen. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. el´egans= Schum. =Pileus= convex or plane, viscose, golden-yellow or somewhat rust-color. =Flesh= pale-yellow. =Tubes= decurrent, golden or sulphur-yellow, the mouths minute, simple. =Stem= unequal, firm, golden or reddish, dotted above the fugacious white or pale-yellowish annulus.
=Pileus= 3–4.5 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long.
Woods, especially under or near larch trees. North Carolina, Curtis; Wisconsin, Bundy; Minnesota, Johnson. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Cordier and Gillet give the species as edible though not delicate.
West Philadelphia on lawns under larches, 1887–1891. McIlvaine.
The caps are of good flavor and consistency. They are best fried or broiled.
=B. Clin´tonianus= Pk. =Pileus= convex, very viscid or glutinous, glabrous, soft, shining, golden-yellow, reddish yellow or chestnut color, the margin thin. =Flesh= pale yellow, becoming less bright or dingy on exposure to the air. =Tubes= nearly plane, adnate or subdecurrent, small, angular or subrotund, pale-yellow, becoming dingy-ochraceous with age, changing to brown or purplish-brown where bruised. =Stem= equal or slightly thickened toward the base, straight or flexuous, yellow at the top, reddish or reddish-brown below the annulus, sometimes varied with yellow stains, the annulus white or yellow, persistent, forming a thick band about the stem. =Spores= brownish-ochraceous, 10–11×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 2–5 in. broad. =Stem= 2–5 in. long, 4–9 lines thick.
Mossy or grassy ground in woods or open places, especially under or near tamarack trees. New York, Peck; New England, Frost.
This is apparently closely related to B. elegans, from which it differs in its thick persistent ring, in its stem which is not at all dotted and in its longer and darker-colored spores. Its smaller tubes and persistent ring separate it also from B. flavus. In the typical form the pileus is bay-red or chestnut color, but plants growing in open places generally have it yellowish or reddish-yellow. It is mild to the taste and I have eaten it sparingly. It sometimes grows in tufts. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. inflex´us= Pk.—curving. =Pileus= convex, glabrous, viscid, yellow, often red or reddish on the disk, the margin thin, inflexed, concealing the marginal tubes. =Flesh= whitish, not changing color where wounded. =Tubes= rather long, adnate, yellowish, becoming dingy-yellow with age, the mouths small, dotted with reddish glandules. =Stem= rather slender, not ringed, solid, viscid, dotted with livid-yellow glandules. =Spores= yellowish, 10–12×4–5µ.
=Pileus= about 1 in. broad. =Stem= about 2 in. long, 2–4 lines thick.
Open woods. Trexlertown. September. Herbst.
This Boletus belongs to the tribe Viscipelles. It is remarkable for and easily recognized by the inflexed margin of the pileus, which imitates to some extent the appendiculate veil of Boletus versipellis. It sometimes grows in tufts. The paper in which fresh specimens were wrapped was stained yellow. Boletus Braunii Bres. has an inflexed margin, but that is a much larger plant with a yellowish-brown pileus, a fibrillose stem and much smaller spores. Peck, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 22, No. 5.
=B. fla´vus= With. =Pileus= convex, compact, covered with a brownish separating gluten, pale-yellow. =Flesh= pale-yellow. =Tubes= large, angular, adnate, yellow. =Stem= yellow, becoming brownish, reticulated above the membranous fugacious dirty yellowish annulus. =Spores= 8–10×3–4µ.
=Pileus= 2–5 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 6–10 lines thick.
Woods. Minnesota, Johnson; Wisconsin, Bundy.
This is apparently a rare species in this country. I have not seen it. It is said to resemble B. luteus, from which it is separated by the large angular mouths of the tubes. In British Fungi the spores are described as “spindle-shaped, yellowish-brown;” in Sylloge, as “ovoid-oblong, acute at the base, granulose, pale ochraceous.” Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. fistulo´sus= Pk. =Pileus= convex, viscid, glabrous, yellow, the margin at first incurved or involute. =Flesh= yellow. =Tubes= plane or subventricose, medium size, round with thin walls, adnate or sometimes depressed around the stem, yellow. =Stem= rather slender, subequal, viscid, glabrous, hollow, yellow, with a white mycelioid tomentum at the base. =Spores= elliptical, 13×6µ.
=Pileus= about 1 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, about 3 lines thick.
Grassy woods. Auburn, Ala. July. Underwood.
A small but pretty species of a yellow color throughout. It is remarkable for its hollow stem, which is suggestive of the specific name. It is referable to the tribe Viscipelles. Peck, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, Vol. 24, No. 3.
=B. sphæros´porus= Pk.—globose-spored. (Bulletin Torrey Botanical Club, Vol. XII.) =Pileus= at first hemispherical, then convex, glabrous, viscid, creamy-yellow, becoming reddish-brown or chestnut color with age. =Flesh= pale yellowish-brown. =Tubes= adnate or slightly decurrent, large, angular, pale-yellow, becoming brown, sometimes tinged with green. =Stem= stout, equal, even or slightly reticulated at the top, the membranous annulus persistent, sometimes partly adhering to the margin of the pileus. =Spores= globose or broadly elliptical, 8–9µ long.
=Pileus= 3–8 in. broad. =Stem= 1–3 in. long, 6–12 lines thick.
Low ravines and sandy places. Wisconsin, Trelease; Iowa, McBride.
The spores easily serve to distinguish this species from its allies. The European B. sphærocephalus has ovoid spores, but its tube mouths are minute and rotund and its stem is densely squamose. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. lu´teus= L.—yellow. =Pileus= gibbous or convex, covered with a brownish separating gluten, becoming yellowish-brown and virgate-spotted. =Flesh= white. =Tubes= adnate, minute, simple, yellow, becoming darker with age. =Stem= stout, yellowish and dotted above the large membranous brownish-white annulus, brownish-white or yellowish below. =Spores= fusiform, yellowish-brown, 6–7×3–4µ.
=Pileus= 2–5 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 6–10 lines thick.
Pine woods and groves. New York, Peck.
B. luteus has an international reputation for edibility. I have found it at Waretown and Haddonfield, N.J.; in Bartram’s Garden, West Philadelphia, always under pines. At Waretown it was gregarious. Pine needles, sand, anything through which it grows, adheres to the glutinous cap. It must be carefully cleaned before cooking. It is then of choice consistency and good flavor.
(Plate CXV_a_.)
=B. sublu´teus= Pk.—luteus, yellow. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, viscid or glutinous when moist, often obscurely virgate-spotted, dingy-yellowish, inclining to rusty-brown. =Flesh= whitish, varying to dull-yellowish. =Tubes= plane or convex, adnate, small, subrotund, yellow becoming ochraceous. =Stem= equal, slender, pallid or yellowish, dotted both above and below the ring with reddish or brownish glandules; ring submembranous, glutinous, at first concealing the tubes, then generally collapsing and forming a narrow whitish or brownish band around the stem. =Spores= subfusiform, ochraceo-ferruginous, 8–10×4–5µ. =Pileus= 1.5–3 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–2.5 in. long, 2–4 lines thick.
Sandy soil in pine woods. New York, Peck, Clinton; New England, Frost.
The species is closely related to B. luteus, from which it differs in its smaller size, more slender stem and glutinous collapsing veil. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Found at Waretown, N.J., 1887, under pines and in same locality as B. luteus, for which it can be readily mistaken. It is usually covered with adherent sand or pine needles. Its flesh is tender with a pleasant glutinosity. Flavor good.
=B. fla´vidus= Fr.—light yellowish. =Pileus= thin, gibbous, then plane, viscose, livid, yellowish. =Flesh= pallid. =Tubes= decurrent, with large angular compound mouths, dirty yellowish. =Stem= slender, subequal, pallid, sprinkled with fugacious glandules above the entirely viscose ring. =Spores= oblong-ellipsoid, straight, subhyaline, 8–10×3–4µ.
=Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 2–3 lines thick.
Pine woods and swamps. Pennsylvania, Schweinitz; North Carolina, Curtis; New England, Frost; California, H. and M.; Rhode Island, Bennett.
Fries says that this species is more slender than its allies, and differs from them all in its merely glutinous veil. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Dr. Curtis, of North Carolina, places it among edible species.
Many specimens were found by the writer near Waretown and Haddonfield, N.J., and a few at Mt. Gretna, Pa. The stems are thin and slightly spreading at the top. They are hard. The caps are excellent.
=B. America´nus= Pk. =Pileus= thin, convex or nearly plane, sometimes umbonate, soft, very viscid or glutinous when moist, slightly tomentose on the margin when young, soon glabrous or the margin sometimes remaining scaly, rarely scale-spotted from the drying of the gluten, yellow, becoming dingy or less bright with age, sometimes vaguely dotted or streaked with bright red. =Flesh= pale-yellow, less clear or pinkish-gray on exposure to the air. =Tubes= plane or convex, adnate, rather large, angular, pale-yellow, becoming sordid-ochraceous. =Stem= slender, equal or slightly tapering upward, firm, not at all annulate, yellow, often pallid or brownish toward the base, marked with numerous brown or reddish-brown persistent glandular dots, yellow within. =Spores= oblong or subfusiform, ochraceo-ferruginous, 9–11×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 1–3 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–2.5 in. long, 2–4 lines thick.
Woods, swamps and open places, especially under or near pine trees. New York, Peck, Clinton; Minnesota, Arthur.
A slight subacid odor is sometimes perceptible in our plant. It sometimes grows on much decayed wood. Its mycelium is white. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
The caps, only, are good.
=B. subau´reus= Pk.—sub and aureus, golden. (Plate CXIV, fig. 2, p. 414.) =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, viscose, pale-yellow, sometimes adorned with darker spots, the young margin slightly grayish-tomentose. =Flesh= pale-yellow. =Tubes= small or medium; somewhat angular, adnate or subdecurrent, pale-yellow becoming dingy-ochraceous. =Stem= equal, stout, glandular-dotted, yellow without and within. =Spores= oblong or subfusiform, ochraceo-ferruginous, 8–10×4µ.
=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–2.5 in. long, 4–6 lines thick.
Thin woods and open places. New York, Peck; North Carolina, C.J. Curtis; Massachusetts, Mississippi, G. Survey (Rep. 51).
This plant might almost be considered a stout variety of the preceding, but in addition to its thicker pileus and stouter stem, it has smaller tubes of a clearer yellow color, and the exuding drops are yellow, not whitish, as in that species. In habit it appears more like B. granulatus, from which it is distinct in color. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
From early October, through heavy frosts and until long after November snows I found this species at Mt. Gretna, Pa., in 1897–1898. Specimens were sent to Professor Peck and identified as this species. It grew in grass on borders of woods, or gravelly ground, sometimes among pine needles. Large troops of it were frequent, and tufts containing many individuals were common.
I regard B. subaureus as among the most valuable of our food species. Its plentifulness, lateness, excellent quality will commend it to all Mycophagists. It can be cooked in any way. The tubes need not be removed.
FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE. 1. BOLETUS GRACILIS, 467 3. BOLETUS CASTANEUS, 472 2. BOLETUS SUBAUREUS, 414
=B. hirtel´lus= Pk.—slightly hairy. =Pileus= broadly convex, soft, viscose, golden-yellow, adorned with small tufts of hairs or fibrils. =Flesh= pale-yellow. =Tubes= adnate, medium size, angular, becoming dingy-ochraceous. =Stem= subcespitose, equal, stout, glandular dotted, yellow. =Spores= pale, ochraceous-brown, 9–10×4µ.
=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 4–6 lines thick.
Sandy soil under pine trees. New York, Peck.
This species is very rare and was formerly confused with the preceding from which it is separated by the hairy adornment of the pileus and the darker, more brown color of the spores. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. punc´tipes= Pk.—punctum, a dot; pes, a foot. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, glutinous when moist, yellow, the thin margin at first minutely grayish-pulverulent, becoming recurved with age. =Tubes= short, nearly plane, adnate, small, subrotund, at first brownish, then sordid-ochraceous. =Stem= rather long, tapering upward, grandular-dotted, rhubarb-yellow. =Spores= 9–10×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 3–5 lines thick. Mixed woods. New York, Peck.
The rhubarb-colored stem and the brownish color of the young hymenium are the distinguishing features of this species. The glandules occur also on the tubes. The species is rare. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Not seen by Professor Peck since its discovery in 1878.
Spores when first dropped are olive-green on white paper, but the green hue soon changes to brownish-ochraceous. Peck, 44th Rep. N. Y. State Bot.
Ontario, Prof. Dearness (Lloyd, R. 4).
=B. al´bus= Pk.—white. =Pileus= convex, viscid when moist, white. =Flesh= white or yellowish. =Tubes= plane, small or medium, subrotund, adnate, whitish, becoming yellow or ochraceous. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering downward, both it and the tubes glandular-dotted, white, sometimes tinged with pink toward the base. =Spores= ochraceous, subfusiform, 8–9×4µ.
=Pileus= 1.5–3 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–3 in. long, 3–5 lines thick.
Woods, especially of pine or hemlock. New York, Peck; New England, Frost.
This species is easily known by its white pileus, but its color is lost in drying. Sometimes the fresh plant emits a peculiar fetid odor. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. granula´tus=—granula, a granule. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, very viscid or glutinous and rusty-brown when moist, yellowish when dry. =Flesh= pale-yellowish. =Tubes= short, adnate, yellowish, their mouths simple, granulated. =Stem= dotted with glandules above, pale-yellowish. =Spores= spindle-shaped, yellowish-orange, 7.5–10×2–3µ.
=Pileus= 1.5–4 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 4–6 lines thick.
Woods, especially of pine and in open places under or near pine trees. Very common.
The plant is generally gregarious and sometimes grows in circles, whence the name B. circinans Pers. Occasionally it is cespitose. The pileus is very variable in color—pinkish-gray, reddish-brown, yellowish-gray, tawny-ferruginous or brownish—and is sometimes obscurely spotted by the drying gluten. The flesh is rather thick and often almost white, except near the tubes, where it is tinged with yellow. The tubes are small, at first almost white or very pale-yellow, but they become dingy-ochraceous with age. The stem is generally short, stout and firm, whitish-pallid or yellowish, and often dotted to the base, though the glandules are more numerous and distinct on the upper part. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
B. granulatus is of frequent and general occurrence. I have found it in the pine woods of New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and in West Virginia and Pennsylvania in mixed woods.
It is a late-growing species, appearing in September and continuing until frost.
All authors, with one exception (Gillet), give the species as edible. From frequent and copious testings, the writer vouches for its edibility and excellence. It bears favorable comparison with any of the late Boleti.
=B. bre´vipes= Pk.—brevis, short; pes, foot. =Pileus= thick, convex, covered with a thick, tough gluten when young or moist, dark chestnut color, sometimes fading to dingy-tawny, the margin inflexed. =Flesh= white or tinged with yellow. =Tubes= short, nearly plane, adnate or slightly depressed around the stem, small, subrotund, at first whitish becoming dingy-ochraceous. =Stem= whitish, not dotted or rarely with a few very minute inconspicuous dots at the apex, very short. =Spores= subfusiform, 7.5×3µ.
=Pileus= 1.5–2.5 in. broad. =Stem= .5–1 in. long, 3–5 lines thick.
Sandy soil in pine groves and woods. New England, Frost; New York, Peck.
The species is closely related to B. granulatus, from which it differs especially in its darker colored pileus, more copious gluten, shorter stem and the almost entire absence of granules from the tube mouths and stem. In the rare instances in which these are present they are extremely minute and inconspicuous. The plant occurs very late in the season and the pileus appears as if enveloped in slime and resting stemless on the ground. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Specimens found in pine woods of New Jersey, identified by Professor Peck. Lambertville, N.J., C.S. Ridgway; Haddonfield, N.J., T.J. Collins; Pleasantville, Isaac F. Shaner.
B. brevipes is a disreputable, dirty, tramp-looking fungus, from which the collector would expect no good. Nevertheless, when it has had a good scrubbing it becomes respectable and is sweet, tender, good eating. When other species abound, it does not pay for the cleansing.
=B. collini´tus= Fr.—collino, to besmear. =Pileus= convex, even, becoming pale when the brown gluten separates. =Flesh= white. =Tubes= adnate, elongated, naked, the mouths two-parted, pallid, becoming yellow. =Stem= firm, often tapering downward, somewhat reticulate with appressed squamules, white, becoming brown.
Woods of pine or fir. North Carolina, Curtis; New England, Frost.
I have seen no specimens of this apparently rare species. It is said to be solitary in its mode of growth and to resemble B. luteus in size and color, but to be distinct from it by its ringless, dotless stem. Dr. Curtis records it as edible. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
I found three specimens at Haddonfield, N.J., October, 1897, under scrub pines. Cap 2½ in. across, convex, gibbous; stem equal, 2½ in. long, ½ in. in diameter, slightly tapering at base. The two-parted mouths to the tubes were very distinct. The stems were tough, but the caps, washed and fried, were good.
=B. di´chrous= Ellis. =Pileus= convex, viscose, dull red. =Flesh= soft, dull, yellowish-white, changing to greenish-blue where wounded, finally yellow. =Tubes= subdepressed around the stem, large, unequal, straw-colored, changing color like the flesh where wounded. =Stem= thickened below, solid, covered with a red scaly coat, except at the yellow apex, yellow within. =Spores= elliptical, slightly bent at one end, 2µ long.
=Pileus= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 3 in. long, 6 lines thick.
Dry soil in oak and pine woods. New Jersey. Ellis.
I have seen no specimens of this species. From the description, its affinities appear to be with B. bicolor, but it is placed here because of its viscose pileus. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. ba´dius= Fr.—bay-brown. =Pileus= convex, even, soft, viscose or glutinous, shining when dry, tawny-chestnut. =Flesh= whitish, tinged with yellow, bluish next the tubes. =Tubes= large, angular, long, adnate or sinuate-depressed, whitish-yellow, becoming tinged with green. =Stem= subequal, even, solid, paler, brown-pruinate. =Spores= fusoid-oblong.
=Pileus= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 3–5 lines thick.
Woods, especially of pine. New York, Peck; Minnesota, Johnson; Wisconsin, Bundy; Nova Scotia, Somers.
In the American plant the spores are 10–12×4–5µ.
Cordier classes it among the edible species. Peck, Boleti of the United States.
=B. mi´tis= Krombh.—mild. =Pileus= convex, then plane or depressed, firm, viscid, yellowish-flesh color, reddish-rust color when dry. =Flesh= pale, grayish-yellow. =Tubes= short, olivaceous or golden-yellow, their mouths compound, angular, unequal. =Stem= firm, short, even, narrowed toward the base, colored like the pileus. =Spores= 12–14×4µ.
=Pileus= 2–2.5 in. broad. =Stem= 2–2.5 in. long.
Mixed woods. New England, Frost.
This species is unknown to me and is recorded by Mr. Frost only. Peck, Boleti of the United States.
=B. uni´color= Frost MS. =Pileus= broadly convex or nearly plane, viscid when moist, even, sometimes streaked as if with minute innate brown fibrils, pale-yellow. =Flesh= pale-yellow. =Tubes= adnate or slightly decurrent, rather short, compound, lemon-yellow, becoming darker with age. =Stem= even, equal or narrowed toward the base, colored like the pileus. =Spores= reddish-yellow, 9–11×4µ.
=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 2 in. long, 4–6 lines thick.
Pine woods and open sedgy places. New England, Frost.
Specimens not seen. The species seems too near B. bovinus, of which it may possibly be a variety, but its yellow flesh and the colors ascribed to the tubes and spores require its separation. Rev. C.J. Curtis sends notes of a species found by him in North Carolina, which agree with this in its characters so far as noted. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. ignora´tus= Pk. =Pileus= convex, viscid, bright lemon-color, marked with wrinkled lines of orange color, which are distributed over the pileus, giving it a streaked appearance. =Flesh= white, solid, does not change color when cut or broken; taste slightly acid. =Pores= lemon-color, moderately large, free, connected with the stem by web-like filaments. =Stem= larger at the apex, somewhat tapering toward the base, yellow, smooth, solid. =Spores= 4.5×11µ.
This closely approaches Boletus unicolor Fr., from which it scarcely differs except in its white flesh and free tubes. Fungi of Maryland, Mary E. Banning. Peck, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=B. bovi´nus=—bos, an ox. =Pileus= nearly plane, glabrous, viscid, pale yellow. =Flesh= white. =Tubes= very short, subdecurrent, their mouths compound, pale yellow or grayish, becoming rust-colored. =Stem= equal, even, colored like the pileus. =Spores= fusiform, dingy greenish-ocher, 7.5–10×3–4µ.
=Pileus= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–2 in. long, sometimes cespitose.
Pine woods. North Carolina, Schweinitz, Curtis; Pennsylvania, Schweinitz; New England, Frost, Palmer, Bennett, Sprague, Farlow; California, H. and M.
The shallow tubes, 2–3 lines long, are said to resemble the pores of Merulius lacrymans. The species is recorded edible by Curtis, Gillet and Palmer. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
West Virginia mountains under hemlocks, 1882–1885, and near Haddonfield, N.J., under pines. McIlvaine, 1892. Gregarious and in clusters. The pore surface was in some specimens broadly wrinkled.
Smell and taste pleasant. Cooked, the quality is of the best in Boleti.
=B. rubinel´lus= Pk.—dim. of ruber, red. =Pileus= broadly conical or convex, viscid when moist, subtomentose or slightly pubescent when dry, red fading to yellow on the margin. =Flesh= whitish or yellowish, taste mild. =Tubes= adnate or slightly depressed around the stem, dingy-reddish, becoming subferruginous. =Stem= equal, slender, even, colored like the tubes, yellow within, sometimes yellow at the base. =Spores= oblong-fusiform, ferruginous-brown, 12.5–15×4µ.
=Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 1–3 lines thick.
Mixed woods or under or near coniferous trees in open places. New York, Peck. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. pipera´tus= Bull.—piper, pepper. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, glabrous, slightly viscid when moist, yellowish, cinnamon or subferruginous. =Flesh= white or yellowish, taste acrid, peppery. =Tubes= rather long and large, angular, often unequal, plane or convex, adnate or subdecurrent, reddish-rust color. =Stem= slender, subequal, tawny-yellow, bright yellow at the base. =Spores= subfusiform, ferruginous-brown, 9–11×4µ.
=Pileus= 1–3 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–3 in. long, 2–4 lines thick.
Woods and open places. Common and variable.
This species may easily be recognized by its peppery flavor. The pileus sometimes appears as if slightly tomentose, and both this and the preceding species recede from the character of the tribe by the slight viscidity of the pileus. This is sometimes cracked into areas and sometimes the margin is very obtuse by the elongation of the tubes. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Haddonfield, N.J., 1892. McIlvaine.
This fungus is reckoned poisonous by Stevenson. Massee gives its taste as very hot. The taste of the American plant is peppery but not offensively so. This pepperiness it loses in cooking. It has been eaten by the writer and his friends with enjoyment and without any discomfort.
FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE. 1. BOLETUS ECCENTRICUS, 470 4. BOLETUS SUBSANGUINEUS, 420 2. BOLETUS BADICEPS, 436 5. BOLETUS CRASSIPES, 452 3. BOLETUS FULVUS, 465
=B. subsanguin´eus= Pk.—sub and sanguineus, bloody. (Plate CXVI, fig. 4, p. 420.) =Pileus= convex or slightly depressed in the center, glabrous, viscid, bright-red or scarlet. =Flesh= thick, firm but flexible, white, slowly changing to a pale brownish-lilac on exposure to the air, taste slightly bitter. =Tubes= very short, 2–4 mm. long, adnate, but often separating from the stem with the expansion of the pileus, reddish, the mouths minute, stuffed at first, pinkish, then brownish-yellow, changing to a light-brown where wounded. =Stem= short, thick, uneven, often tapering downward, streaked with red, pale-yellow at the top, white at the base, marked at the top by the decurrent walls of the tubes.
=Pileus= 2.5–10 cm. broad. =Stem= 2.5–5 cm. long, 2–4 cm. thick.
Solitary, gregarious or cespitose. Under beech trees. West Philadelphia, Pa. August. C. McIlvaine.
This is a very showy species, easily recognized by its bright-red viscid pileus and its short, thick and uneven or somewhat lacunose stem. It is closely related to the European B. sanguineus With., from which it is separated by its minute tubes, its uneven stem and the brownish hues assumed where wounded.
The spore characters of this and the four succeeding species are unknown, but the other characters are quite distinctive and apparently sufficient for the recognition of the species. The descriptions have been derived from colored figures and other data furnished by Mr. McIlvaine, who says all are edible. Peck, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, No. 27.
When slowly stewed for thirty minutes, there is no better Boletus.
PULVERULENTI.
=Pileus= clothed with a yellow dust or a yellow powdery down. =Stem= more or less yellow powdered, neither bulbous nor distinctly reticulated.
The species which constitute this tribe are easily distinguished from all others by the sulphur-colored pulverulence which coats the pileus and stem like a universal veil. They appear thus far to be peculiar to this country. Though strongly resembling each other in the tribal character they are very diverse in other respects. One species, by its viscidity, connects with the preceding tribe; another by its differently colored tube mouths is related to the Luridi; and the third is peculiar in its ligneous habitat.
Plant growing on the ground 1 Plant growing on wood B. hemichrysus 1. Tubes adnate, of one color B. Ravenelii 1. Tubes free, with red mouths B. auriflammeus Peck, Boleti of the U.S., p. 103.
=B. hemichry´sus= B. and C.—half-golden. =Pileus= convex, at length plane or irregularly depressed, floccose-squamulose, covered with a yellow powder, sometimes cracked, bright golden-yellow. =Flesh= thick, yellow. =Tubes= adnate or decurrent, yellow, becoming reddish-brown, the mouths large, angular. =Stem= short, irregular, narrowed below, sprinkled with a yellow dust, yellowish tinged with red; mycelium yellow. =Spores= oblong, minute, dingy-ochraceous.
Var. muta´bilis. =Flesh= slightly changing to blue where wounded. =Stem= reddish, yellow within, sometimes eccentric. =Spores= oblong-elliptical, 7.5–9×3–4µ.
=Pileus= 1.5–2.5 in. broad. =Stem= about 1 in. long, 3–6 lines thick.
Roots of pine, Pinus palustris. The variety on stumps of Pinus strobus.
South Carolina, Ravenel; North Carolina, Curtis; New York, Peck.
The species is remarkable for its habitat, which is lignicolous. The New York variety grew on a stump of white pine. By its eccentric stem it connects this genus with Boletinus, through Boletinus porosus. According to the authors of this species it resembles Boletus variegatus. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. Ravenel´ii= B. and C.—after Ravenel. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, slightly viscid when young or moist, covered with a sulphur-yellow powdery down, becoming naked and dull-red on the disk. =Flesh= whitish. =Tubes= at first plane, adnate, pale-yellow, becoming yellowish-brown or umber, dingy-greenish where bruised, the mouths large or medium size, subrotund. =Stem= nearly equal, clothed and colored like the young pileus, yellow within, with a slight evanescent webby or tomentose ring. =Spores= ochraceous-brown, 10–12×5–6µ.
=Pileus= 1–3 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–4 in. long, 3–6 lines thick.
Woods and copses. South Carolina, Ravenel; North Carolina, Curtis; New York, Peck; New England, Frost.
This is a very distinct and very beautiful species. Mr. Ravenel remarks in his notes that “this plant is not infested by larvæ and preserves more constant characters than any other Boletus with which I am acquainted.” The webby powdered filaments constitute a universal veil which at first covers the whole plant and conceals the young tubes. As the pileus expands this generally disappears from the disk, and, separating between the margin and the stem, a part adheres to each. The flesh is sometimes stained with yellow. The tubes in some instances become convex and slightly depressed around the stem. They are almost white when young, and often exhibit brownish hues where wounded. The plant is sometimes cespitose. I have observed a greenish tint to the freshly shed spores, but it soon disappears. Boletus subchromeus Frost Ms. is this species. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. auriflam´meus= B. and C.—flaming yellow. =Pileus= convex, dry, powdered, bright golden-yellow. =Flesh= white, unchangeable. =Tubes= plane or convex, free, yellow, their broad angular mouths scarlet. =Stem= slightly tapering upward, powdered, colored like the pileus. =Spores= 10–12.5×5µ.
=Pileus= 8–12 lines broad. =Stem= 1–1.5 in. long.
Woods. North Carolina, Curtis; New York, Peck.
This is evidently a rare species and as beautiful as it is rare. The whole plant is bright-yellow except the tube mouths, and is sprinkled with yellow dust or minute yellow branny particles. In the New York specimen the scarlet color is wanting in the marginal tube mouths and the stem is marked with fine subreticulating elevated lines. In other respects it agrees well with the diagnosis of the species. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
SUBPRUINOSI—sub, pruina, hoar frost.
=Pileus= glabrous, but more often pruinose. =Tubes= adnate, yellowish. =Stem= equal, even, neither bulbous nor reticulated.
The species of this tribe have the pileus neither viscid nor distinctly and permanently tomentose. Typically it is glabrous or merely pruinose, but Fries has admitted into the group one species with a pulverulent, and one with a silky pileus. The species are not sharply distinguished from those of the following tribes, and possibly some have been admitted here which might as well have been placed there. Some of the species are variable in color and their characters are not sufficiently well known.
Tubes bright-yellow, golden or subochraceous 1
1. Tubes pale or whitish-yellow 6
1. Tubes changing to blue where wounded 2
1. Tubes not changing to blue 3
2. Stem pallid, with a circumscribing red B. glabellus line at the top
2. Stem yellow, sometimes with red stains B. miniato-olivaceus
2. Stem red, yellow at the top B. bicolor
3. Stem viscid or glutinous when moist B. auriporus
3. Stem not viscid 4
4. Plant growing on Scleroderma B. parasiticus
4. Plant terrestrial 5
5. Tubes greenish-yellow B. alutaceus
5. Tubes golden-yellow B. tenuiculus
6. Pileus reticulated with subcutaneous brown B. dictyocephalus lines
6. Pileus not reticulated 7
7. Tubes changing to blue where wounded B. pallidus
7. Tubes not changing to blue 8
8. Stem uniformly colored B. subglabripes
8. Stem yellowish, streaked with brown B. innixus
Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. minia´to-oliva´ceus= Frost—olive-red. =Pileus= at first convex and firm, then nearly plane, soft and spongy, glabrous, vermilion, becoming olivaceous. =Flesh= pale-yellow, changing to blue where wounded. =Tubes= bright lemon-yellow, adnate or subdecurrent. =Stem= glabrous, enlarged at the top, pale-yellow, brighter within, sometimes lurid at the base. =Spores= 12.5×6µ.
Var. sensi´bilis (Boletus sensibilis Rep. 32, p. 33).
=Pileus= at first pruinose-tomentose, red, becoming glabrous and ochraceous-red with age. =Tubes= bright-yellow tinged with green, becoming sordid-yellow. =Stem= lemon-yellow with red or rhubarb stains at the base, contracted at the top when young, subcespitose. =Spores= 10–12.5×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 2–6 in. broad. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, 3–6 lines thick.
Woods and their borders. New England, Frost; New York, Peck.
Though the sensitive Boletus differs considerably in some respects from the olive-red Boletus, it is probably only a variety, and as such I have subjoined it here. In it every part of the plant quickly changes to blue where wounded, and even the pressure of the fingers in handling the fresh specimens is sufficient to induce this change of color. I have not found the typical plant in New York, but specimens received from Mr. Frost are not, in the dry state, distinguishable from the variety. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Indiana, H.I. Miller; West Virginia. Haddonfield, N.J. Cheltenham, Pa., McIlvaine.
Years ago I marked it edible and excellent when young. My friends have eaten it, and continue to do so. Yet Professor Peck (48th Rep., p. 202) reports a case brought to his notice of an entire family being sickened by eating B. sensibilis. All recovered. It may, therefore, be one of those species which, while disagreeing with some persons, can be eaten by the majority. Clitocybe illudens, Lepiota Morgani and others of the Agaricaceæ are such species.
FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE. 1–2. BOLETUS BICOLOR, 425 4. BOLETUS PALLIDUS, 429 3. BOLETUS RUBROPUNCTUS, 429
=B. bi´color= Pk.—two-color. (Plate CXVII, figs. 1, 2, p. 424.) =Pileus= convex, glabrous or merely pruinose-tomentose, dark-red, firm, becoming soft, paler and sometimes spotted or stained with yellow when old. =Flesh= yellow, not at all or but slightly and slowly changing to blue where wounded. =Tubes= nearly plane, adnate, bright-yellow, becoming ochraceous, slowly changing to blue where wounded, their mouths small, angular or subrotund. =Stem= subequal, firm, solid, red, generally yellow at the top. =Spores= pale, ochraceous-brown, 10–12.5×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 1–3 in. long, 4–6 lines thick.
Woods and open places. New York, Peck; Wisconsin, Bundy.
The color of this plant is somewhat variable. In the typical form the pileus and stem are dark red, approaching Indian red, but when old the color of the pileus fades and is often intermingled with yellow. The surface sometimes cracks and becomes cracked in areas. From the European B. Barlæ this species is separated by its solid stem; from B. versicolor by its small tube mouths and its red stem. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Plentiful at Mt. Gretna, Pa., July, August, September, 1898, in mixed woods. Very variable in shape and color. Identified by Professor Peck from painting and description.
Fine eating, one of the very best.
=B. glabel´lus= Pk.—smooth. =Pileus= fleshy, thick, broadly convex or nearly plane, soft, dry, subglabrous, smoky-buff. =Flesh= white, both it and the tubes changing to blue where wounded. =Tubes= nearly plane, adnate, ochraceous, tinged with green, their mouths small, subrotund. =Stem= subequal, glabrous, even, reddish toward the base, pallid above, with a narrow reddish circumscribing zone or line at the top. =Spores= oblong, brownish-ochraceous, tinged with green when fresh, 10–12.5×4µ.
=Pileus= 3–5 in. broad. =Stem= 1–3 in. long, 5–10 lines thick.
Grassy ground under oaks. New York, Peck.
The species is well marked by the reddish band or line on the stem just below the tubes, but this disappears in drying. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. aluta´ceus= Morgan—yellowish. =Pileus= cushion-shaped, glabrous, alutaceous with a tinge of red. =Flesh= white, inclining to reddish. =Tubes= semifree, medium in size, unequal, angular, greenish-yellow. =Stem= nearly equal, striate, reticulate at the apex, colored like the pileus. =Spores= fusiform, brownish-olive, 12.5×5µ.
=Pileus= 3 in. broad.
Rocky woods of oak and chestnut. Kentucky, Morgan.
The general aspect of the figure of this species recalls some of the forms of Boletus subtomentosus. The tubes are nearly equal in length to the thickness of the flesh of the pileus. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Quite frequent at Mt. Gretna, Pa., in mixed woods, principally oak and chestnut.
Stem should be removed, and tubes when old. It cooks well and is especially good.
=B. tenui´culus= Frost—thin. =Pileus= nearly plane, thin, lurid-red on a yellow ground. =Flesh= unchangeable. =Tubes= short, adnate, small, golden-yellow. =Stem= slender, equal, colored like the pileus. =Spores= 10×6µ.
=Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 4–6 in. long.
Woods. New England. Frost.
The thin pileus and long slender stem readily distinguish this species. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. auri´porus= Pk.—golden-pore. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, glabrous or merely pruinose-tomentose, grayish-brown, yellowish-brown, or reddish-brown. =Flesh= white, unchangeable. =Tubes= plane or slightly depressed around the stem, adnate or subdecurrent, bright golden-yellow, retaining their color when dried. =Stem= equal or slightly thickened at the base, viscid or glutinous when moist, especially toward the base, colored like or a little paler than the pileus. =Spores= 7.5–10×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 1–3 in. broad. =Stem= 1–3 in. long, 2–4 lines thick.
Thin woods and shaded banks. New York, Peck; New England, Frost.
This species is remarkable for the rich yellow color of the tubes, which is retained unchanged in the dried specimens, and for the viscid stem. This character, however, is not noticeable in dry weather and was overlooked in the original specimens.
Boletus glutinipes Frost Ms. is not distinct. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Hopkins' Woods, Haddonfield, N.J. Grassy oak woods. 1891–1894. McIlvaine.
The caps are delicious.
=B. innix´us= Frost. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, glabrous, yellowish-brown, slightly cracked in areas when old, yellow in the interstices. =Flesh= white. =Tubes= adnate, lemon-yellow, unchangeable. =Stem= slender, short, much thickened at the base in large specimens, yellowish, streaked with brown, brownish within. =Spores= 10×5µ.
Grassy woods. New England. Frost.
The whole plant often reclines as if for support, Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. parasi´ticu=s Bull.—a parasite. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, dry, silky, becoming glabrous, soon tessellately cracked, grayish or dingy-yellow. =Tubes= decurrent, medium size, golden yellow. =Stem= equal, rigid, incurved, yellow without and within. =Spores= oblong-fusiform, pale-brown, 12.5–15×4µ.
=Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 2–4 lines thick.
Parasitic on species of Scleroderma. New York, Gerard; New England, Sprague, Bennett.
This species is very rare in this country. It is remarkable for its peculiar habitat. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
New York, Lydia M. Patchen; Westfield, on Scleroderma vulgare.
I found many specimens of this rare species during August, 1897, growing on Scleroderma vulgare.
Professor Peck, to whom I sent specimens, identified them as B. parasiticus. The tubes were large, unequal, dissepiments thin, decurrent. The Sclerodermas frequently appear to be parasitic upon the Boletus. I have seen the host plant thrown entirely free from the ground by the Boletus.
B. parasiticus is edible, but it is not of agreeable flavor.
=B. dictyoceph´alus= Pk.—reticulate. =Pileus= convex, glabrous, reticulate with brown lines beneath the thin separable cuticle, brownish-orange, darker in the center and there tinged with pink. =Flesh= white, unchangeable. =Tubes= nearly plane, slightly depressed around the stem, grayish-yellow, becoming brown where bruised. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering at the top, solid, rimose, dotted with scales, lemon-yellow, darker toward the base. =Spores= 15–20×6µ.
=Pileus= 2.5 in. broad. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, 5–6 lines thick.
Mixed woods. North Carolina. C.J. Curtis.
The description here given has been derived from a single dried specimen and from the notes kindly sent by Mr. Curtis. The species is apparently well marked and very distinct by the peculiar reticulations of the pileus. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. subgla´bripes= Pk.—rather smooth. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, glabrous, reddish inclining to chestnut color. =Flesh= white, unchangeable. =Tubes= adnate, nearly plane in the mass, pale yellow, becoming convex and darker or greenish-yellow with age, the mouths small, subrotund. =Stem= equal, solid, scurfy, pale yellow. =Spores= oblong-fusiform, 12.5–15×4–5µ.
The smoothish-stemmed Boletus is well marked by its cylindric minutely scurfy stem which is colored like the tubes. Its cap is smooth and nearly always some shade of red or bay. Specimens occur occasionally in which it approaches grayish-brown or wood-brown. The flesh is white and unchangeable when cut or broken.
The tubes at first have a nearly plane surface, but this becomes somewhat convex with age, and slightly depressed around the stem. The tube mouths are small and nearly round. The color of the tubes is at first a beautiful pale yellow, but it becomes darker or slightly greenish-yellow with age.
The stem is colored very nearly like the tubes, but sometimes it has a slight reddish tint toward the base. Its peculiar feature consists of the minute, branny particles upon it. They are so small and pale that they are easily overlooked.
There is a variety in which the cap is corrugated or irregularly pitted and wrinkled. Its name is Boletus subglabripes corrugis Pk.
The =cap= is 1½-4 in. broad, the =stem= is 2–3 in. long and 4–8 lines thick. The plants are found in woods in July and August. Peck, 51st Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=B. pal´lidus= Frost—pale. (Plate CXVII, fig. 4, p. 424.) =Pileus= convex, becoming plane or centrally depressed, soft, glabrous, pallid or brownish-white, sometimes tinged with red. =Flesh= white. =Tubes= plane or slightly depressed around the stem, nearly adnate, very pale or whitish-yellow, becoming darker with age, changing to blue where wounded, the mouths small. =Stem= equal or slightly thickened toward the base, rather long, glabrous, often flexuous, whitish, sometimes streaked with brown, often tinged with red within. =Spores= pale ochraceous-brown, 10–12×5–6µ.
=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 3–5 lines long, 4–8 lines thick.
Woods. New England, Frost; New York, Peck.
The species is readily recognized by its dull pale color, rather long stem, and tubes changing to blue where wounded. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Common in West Virginia mountains, Angora, West Philadelphia, Mt. Gretna, Pa. Solitary, on ground in mixed woods.
The caps are tender and delicately flavored.
=B. rubropunc´tus= Pk.—red-dotted. (Plate CXVII, fig. 3, p. 424.) =Pileus= convex, glabrous, reddish-brown. =Flesh= yellowish, unchangeable. =Tubes= nearly plane, depressed about the stem, their mouths small, round, bright golden-yellow, not changing color where bruised. =Stem= firm, solid, tapering upward, yellow, punctate with reddish dots or squamules. =Spores= olive-green, 12.5×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 3–6 lines thick.
Woods. Port Jefferson. July. Cold Spring Harbor, H.C. Beardslee.
This is a pretty Boletus, well marked by the red dots of the stem. It is apparently a very rare species. B. radicans is said to have the stem sprinkled with red particles, but that is a larger plant with the margin of the pileus persistently involute or incurved and with a radicating stem, characters which are not shown by our fungus. Peck, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
I found my specimens at Mt. Gretna, Pa., August-September, 1898.
Identified for the writer by Professor Peck from painting and description.
Taste and smell slight. Cooks well and is pleasant to the taste. The tubes should be removed.
SUBTOMENTO´SI—sub, tomentosus, downy.
=Pileus= when young villose or subtomentose, rarely becoming glabrous with age, destitute of a viscid pellicle. =Tubes= of one color, adnate. =Stem= at first extended, neither bulbous nor reticulated with veins, wrinkled or striated in some species. =Flesh= in some changing color where wounded.
The tubes are generally yellow or greenish-yellow. In some species they are occasionally somewhat depressed around the stem, but they do not form a rounded free stratum, nor, with the exception of B. rubeus, are they stuffed when young as in most of the Edules. The species are scarcely separable from those of the preceding tribe except by the more evidently tomentose young pileus.
Tubes brown, becoming cinnamon B. variegatus
Tubes not having these colors 1
1. Flesh or tubes changing to blue where 2 wounded
1. Flesh or tubes not changing to blue 5
2. Stem glabrous 3
2. Stem not glabrous 4
3. Flesh yellow under the cuticle B. rubeus
3. Flesh red under the cuticle B. chrysenteron
4. Stem velvety at the base B. striæpes
4. Stem with a reddish bloom or scurf B. radicans
4. Stem with brown dot-like scales B. mutabilis
5. Tubes whitish, becoming yellow B Roxanæ
5. Tubes yellow 6
6. Tube mouths large and angular B. subtomentosus
6. Tube mouths minute B. spadiceus
Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. variega´tus= Swartz. =Pileus= at first convex, then plane, obtuse, moist, sprinkled with superficial bundled hairy squamules, dark-yellow, the acute margin at first flocculose. =Flesh= yellow, here and there becoming blue. =Tubes= adnate, unequal, minute, brown then cinnamon. =Stem= firm, equal, even, dark-yellow, sometimes reddish. =Spores= oblong-ellipsoid, hyaline or very pale-yellowish, 7.5–10×3–4µ.
=Pileus= 2–5 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 6 lines thick.
Woods, especially of pine. North Carolina, Curtis, Schweinitz; California, Harkness, Moore; Rhode Island, Bennett. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
West Virginia mountains, 1882–1885. Haddonfield, N.J., McIlvaine; Doylestown, Pa., Paschall. Quite common on flat benches where hemlocks and spruces have grown.
When the caps are cooked they are sweet, nutty, excellent.
=B. Roxa´næ= Frost. =Pileus= broadly convex, at first subtomentose, then covered with red hairs in bundles, yellowish-brown. =Flesh= yellowish-white. =Tubes= at first whitish, then light-yellow, arcuate-adnate or slightly depressed around the stem, the mouths small. =Stem= enlarged toward the base, striate at the apex, yellowish or pale-cinnamon. =Spores= 10×4µ.
Var. auri´color. =Pileus= and subequal stem bright-yellow, the tomentum of the pileus yellow.
=Pileus= 1.5–3 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 3–5 lines thick.
Borders of woods. New England, Frost; New York, Peck.
Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. striæ´pes= Secr.—striate stem. =Pileus= convex or plane, soft, silky, olivaceous, the cuticle rust-color within. =Flesh= white, yellow next the tubes, sparingly changing to blue. =Tubes= adnate, greenish, their mouths minute, angular, yellow. =Stem= firm, curved, marked with brownish-black striations, yellow, velvety and brownish-rufescent at the base. =Spores= 10–13×4µ.
Pine and oak woods. Minnesota, Johnson.
I have seen no specimens of this species, which is recorded from but one locality in our country. The character—flesh sparingly changing to blue—is given on the authority of Rev. M.J. Berkeley. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. chrysen´teron= Fr.—golden within. =Pileus= convex or plane, soft, floccose-squamulose, often cracked in areas, brown or brick-red. =Flesh= yellow, red beneath the cuticle, often slightly changing to blue where wounded. =Tubes= subadnate; greenish-yellow, changing to blue where wounded; their mouths rather large, angular, unequal. =Stem= subequal, rigid, fibrous-striate, red or pale-yellow. =Spores= fusiform, pale-brown, 11–12.5×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 1–3 in. broad. =Stem= 1–3 in. long, 3–6 lines thick.
Woods and mossy banks.
The species is common and very variable. The color of the pileus may be yellowish-brown, reddish-brown, brick-red, tawny or olivaceous. The subcutaneous reddish tint and the reddish chinks of the cracked pileus are distinguishing features. Wounds of the tubes sometimes become blue then greenish. Authors disagree concerning the edible qualities of this Boletus. Stevenson gives it as edible, but Cordier and Gillet say that it is regarded with suspicion. In one strongly marked form the tubes are decidedly depressed around the stem, in another the flesh is whitish tinged with red. It may be doubted whether these are varieties or distinct species. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
I have found, and eaten plentifully of this species in West Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, from July until October. I have no hesitancy in recommending it in all of its varieties. Excepting from very young specimens the tubes and stems should be removed. The flesh is sweet, delicate and toothsome.
=B. fumo´sipes= Pk. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, minutely tomentose, sometimes minutely rivulose, dark olive-brown. =Flesh= whitish. =Tubes= at first nearly plane, becoming convex with age, their mouths whitish when young, becoming yellowish-brown, changing to bluish-black where bruised. =Stem= equal, solid, smoky-brown, minutely scurfy under a lens. =Spores= purplish-brown, 12.5–15×5–6µ.
=Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 3–4 lines thick.
Woods. Port Jefferson. July.
This species resembles small dark-colored forms of B. chrysenteron, and this resemblance is still more noticeable in those specimens in which the pileus cracks in areas, for in these the chinks become red as in that species. The different color of the stem and tubes will at once separate these species. Peck, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=B. ru´beus= Frost—red. =Pileus= broadly convex, very finely appressed subtomentose, bright brick-red when young, becoming mottled with red and yellow, yellow under the cuticle, the thin margin at first inflexed, then horizontal, curved upward when old. =Flesh= pale-yellow, changing to blue where wounded. =Tubes= adnate or slightly depressed around the stem, lemon-yellow and stuffed when young, becoming yellow and sometimes red at the mouths. =Stem= small, often flexuous, colored like the pileus, reddish within, white-tomentose at the base. =Spores= 9–12.5×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 1–3 in. long, 3–5 lines thick.
Deep woods. Rare. New England, Frost.
This is apparently too closely related to B. chrysenteron, and it also resembles B. bicolor. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. frater´nus= Pk. =Pileus= convex, becoming plane or depressed, slightly tomentose, deep red when young, becoming dull red with age. =Flesh= yellow, slowly changing to greenish-blue where wounded. =Tubes= rather long, becoming ventricose, slightly depressed about the stem, their walls sometimes slightly decurrent, the mouths large, angular or irregular, sometimes compound, bright yellow, quickly changing to blue where wounded. =Stem= short, cespitose, often irregular, solid, subtomentose, slightly velvety at the base, pale reddish-yellow, paler above and below, yellow within, quickly changing to dark green where wounded. =Spores= 12.5×6µ.
=Pileus= 1–1.5 in. broad. =Stem= 1–1.5 in. long, 3–6 lines thick.
Shaded streets. Auburn, Alabama. July. Underwood.
The species is apparently allied to B. rubeus, but is very distinct by its small size, cespitose habit, color of the flesh of the stem and by the peculiar hues assumed where wounded. When the pileus cracks the chinks become yellow as in B. subtomentosus. The species belongs to the tribe Subtomentosi. Peck, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, Vol. 24, No. 3.
=B. subtomento´sus= L.—sub; tomentosus, downy. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, soft, dry, villoso-tomentose, subolivaceous, concolorous beneath the cuticle, often cracked in areas. =Flesh= white or pallid. =Tubes= adnate or somewhat depressed around the stem, yellow, their mouths large, angular. =Stem= stout, somewhat ribbed-sulcate, scabrous or scurfy with minute dots. =Spores= 10–12.5×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 1–4 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2.5 in. long, 2–5 lines thick.
Common and variable. The pileus is usually olivaceous or yellowish-brown, but it may be reddish-brown or tawny-red. When it cracks the chinks become yellow. The species, as I understand it, may be distinguished from its near relative, B. chrysenteron, by its paler flesh, the clearer yellow tubes not changing to blue where wounded, and by the chinks of the pileus becoming yellow. The species is recorded edible by Cordier, Curtis and Palmer. Gillet says it is only medium in quality. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Found and eaten in West Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. Specimens received from Indiana, Minnesota, Alabama. I have not seen any change of color in flesh or tubes. It is common in Woodland Cemetery and Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. If the tubes are not removed the dish is slimy. The B. chrysenteron also makes such a dish when stewed, but fried, and well done, both species are decidedly good.
=B. cæspito´sus= Pk.—cespitose. =Pileus= broadly convex or nearly plane, sometimes slightly concave by the elevation of the margin, even, brown or blackish-brown, the margin often a little paler or reddish-brown. =Flesh= slightly tinged with red. =Tubes= adnate or slightly decurrent, yellow, their mouths rather large, angular, concolorous. =Stem= short, even, solid, glabrous, tapering upward, brown or reddish-brown. =Spores= oblong-elliptic, 10µ long, 5µ broad.
=Pileus= 1–2.5 cm. broad. =Stem= 2–2.5 cm. long, 4–6 mm. thick.
Cespitose. Virginia. August. R.S. Phifer.
A small species growing in tufts and referable to the tribe Subtomentosi. The tubes retain their bright yellow color in the dried specimens. Peck, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, January 27, 1900.
Edible qualities not stated.
=B. spadi´ceus= Schaeff.—nut brown. =Pileus= convex or plane, moderately compact, dry, tomentose, opaque, date-brown, irregularly cracked. =Flesh= white, unchangeable, brownish-red above. =Tubes= adnate, yellow, their mouths minute, subrotund. =Stem= firm, clavate, even, woolly-scaled, yellow or brownish, yellowish-white within. =Spores= 12×4µ.
=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad.
Woods. New England, Frost.
This species is admitted on the authority of Mr. Frost who alone has recorded it in this country. But specimens received from him under this name do not in my opinion belong to it, and its occurrence here is somewhat doubtful. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
In oak woods near Bartram’s Garden, West Philadelphia, in 1887–1888, I found several Boleti answering the description, exactly, of B. spadiceus. They proved to be good eating.
=B. radi´cans= Pers.—radix, a root. =Pileus= convex, dry, subtomentose, olivaceous-cinereus, becoming pale-yellowish, the margin thin, involute. =Flesh= pale-yellow, instantly changing to dark blue, taste bitterish. =Tubes= adnate, their mouths large, unequal, lemon-yellow. =Stem= even, tapering downward and radicating, flocculose with a reddish bloom, pale-yellow, becoming naked and dark with a touch.
=Pileus= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 2 in. long, 6 lines thick.
Woods. Ohio, Morgan.
Of the American plant Mr. Morgan says that the pileus is quite firm and dry, becomes reddish or brownish-yellow and nearly glabrous, that the flesh is pale-yellow, but that he has not observed any bluish tinge, and that the spores are olive, fusiform, 10–12.5×5µ. Those of the European plant have been described as very pale ocher, almost white, 6µ long, 3µ broad. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Near Bryn Mawr, Pa. W.C. Alderson, 1894.
Several specimens brought to me were eaten. The change in color of flesh was instantaneous upon exposure to the air. Taste strong and raw rather than bitterish. The caps alone were cooked, and dish marked “fine.”
=B. muta´bilis= Morg.—changeable. Jour. Cin. Soc. Nat. Sci., Vol. VII. =Pileus= convex, then plane or depressed, compact, dry, subtomentose, brown. =Flesh= bright-yellow, promptly changing to blue where wounded. =Tubes= adnate or subdecurrent, their mouths large, angular, unequal, some of them compound, yellow changing to greenish yellow and quickly becoming blue where wounded. =Stem= stout, solid, flexuous, subsulcate, yellowish beneath the brown dot-like scales, bright yellow within. =Spores= olive, fusiform, 12–13×5µ.
=Pileus= 2.5–4 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 6 lines thick.
Thick woods. Ohio, Morgan.
A shade of yellow sometimes appears beneath the brown of the pileus, and as the plants grow old the pileus becomes blackish, glabrous and shining. The stem increases in thickness above and downward. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. badi´ceps= Pk.—badius, bay and head. (Plate CXVI, p. 420.) =Pileus= firm, convex or somewhat centrally depressed when mature, dry, velvety, obliquely truncate on the margin, bay-red or dark-maroon color. =Flesh= white unchangeable, taste and odor mild, sweet, suggestive of molasses. =Tubes= plane, adnate, white or whitish, becoming dingy with age, the mouths minute. =Stem= equal or slightly swollen in the middle, radicating, glabrous, solid, brownish.
=Pileus= 4–8 cm. broad. =Stem= 4–5 cm. long, 1.5–3 cm. thick.
Oak woods. West Philadelphia, Pa. August and September. Charles McIlvaine.
The truncate or beveled margin of the pileus is a striking feature in this species. It is about 4 mm. broad and as even as if cut with a knife. Sometimes the surface of the stem ruptures transversely just below the top, the liberated shreds above curling upward against the tubes and those below curving outward and downward. In mature plants brownish spots appear in the flesh of the pileus. “When cooked it is of high flavor and tender as kidney,” C. McIlvaine. Peck, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, January 27, 1900.
FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE. 1. BOLETUS SEPARANS, 445 4. BOLETUS SCARER AREOLATUS, 461–463 2. BOLETUS RUSSELLI, 436 5. BOLETUS EDULIS, 445 3. BOLETUS ILLUDENS, 439
LACERI´PEDES—lacerated stem.
Stem elongated, coarsely pitted or deeply and lacunosely reticulated in small hollows, the ridges somewhat intumescent in wet weather and more or less lacerated, giving a rough or shaggy appearance to the stem.
The species of this tribe are few, very closely allied and so far as known are peculiar to this country.
Pileus viscid 1
Pileus dry B. Russelli
1. Stem red in the depressions, tubes tinged with B. Morgani green
1. Stem pale-yellow, tubes not greenish B. Betula
Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. Rus´selli= Frost—Russell’s Boletus. (Plate CXVIII, fig. 2, p. 436.) =Pileus= thick, hemispherical or convex, dry, covered with downy scales or bundles of red hairs, yellowish beneath the tomentum, often cracked in areas. =Flesh= yellowish, unchangeable. =Tubes= subadnate, often depressed around the stem, rather large, dingy-yellow or yellowish-green. =Stem= very long, equal or tapering upward, roughened by the lacerated margins of the reticular depressions, red or brownish-red. =Spores= olive-brown, 18–22×8–10µ.
=Pileus= 1.5–4 in. broad. =Stem= 3–7 in. long, 3–6 lines thick.
This is distinguished from the other species by the dry squamulose pileus and the color of the stem. The latter is sometimes curved at the base. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
B. Russelli occurs in the West Virginia mountains, where I found and ate it in August, 1883. Though solitary in its method of growth, it is frequent in many parts of Pennsylvania, among leaves in mixed woods. August to October.
Taste when raw, sweet, mild. Cooked it is rather soft, tasty. Tubes and stem should be removed.
=B. Mor´gani= Pk. =Pileus= convex, soft, glabrous viscid, red or yellow, or red fading to yellow on the margin. =Flesh= whitish tinged with red and yellow, unchangeable. =Tubes= convex, depressed around the stem, rather long and large, bright-yellow becoming greenish-yellow. =Stem= elongated, tapering upward, pitted with long, narrow depressions, yellow, red in the depressions, colored within like the flesh of the pileus. =Spores= olive-brown, 18–22µ long, about half as broad.
=Pileus= 1.5–2.5 in. broad. =Stem= 3–5 in. long, 3–6 lines thick.
Rocky hillsides in woods of deciduous trees. Kentucky, Morgan.
In wet weather the anastomosing ridges of the stem swell and become broadly winged, thereby giving the stem a peculiar lacerated appearance. The glabrous viscid pileus and the coloration of the stem distinguish the species. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
B. Morgani is found in like localities with B. Russelli. Excepting in its smooth, viscid cap and whitish flesh, it closely resembles the latter. The ridges in the stems of both species swell when moist.
Its edible qualities are the same as B. Russelli.
=B. Be´tula= Schw.—birch. =Pileus= convex, viscose and shining in wet weather, tessellately cracked and reticulated, orange-fawn color, rather small. =Flesh= yellowish-white. =Tubes= separating, rather large, yellow, almost like those of B. subtomentosus but not greenish. =Stem= long, attenuated downward, everywhere covered with a deciduous reticulated bark two lines high and separating like the bark of birches, pale-yellow without and within.
=Pileus= 1.5 in. broad. =Stem= 5–6 in. long.
Ligneous earth. North Carolina, Schweinitz, Curtis; Pennsylvania, Schweinitz. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
During several seasons I found B. Betula in Woodland Cemetery, Philadelphia.
Edible qualities good.
CALO´PODES. Gr—beautiful; Gr—feet.
=Stem= stout, at first bulbous, typically venose-reticulated with veins. =Tubes= adnate, their mouths not reddish.
The reticulate stem and adnate tubes of one color distinguish the species of this tribe. In the Luridi the mouths of the tubes are differently colored, and in the closely related Edules the tubes are more or less depressed around the stem or sub-free, and their pores are commonly stuffed when young. Fries did not admit species with whitish tubes into this tribe, but we have done so in those cases in which this was the only character to exclude them.
Tubes yellow or yellowish 1 Tubes white or whitish, at least when young 7 1. Tubes or flesh changing to blue where wounded 2 1. Tubes or flesh not changing to blue where wounded 5 2. Pileus red, at least when young 3 2. Pileus some other color 4 3. Stem red B. Peckii 3. Stem yellow or reddish only at the base B. speciosus 4. Tubes angular, pileus olivaceous B. calopus 4. Tubes rotund, pileus not olivaceous B. pachypus 5. Pileus viscid B. Curtisii 5. Pileus pulverulent, stems cespitose B. retipes 5. Pileus neither viscid nor pulverulent 6 6. Stem yellow B. ornatipes 6. Stem brown B. modestus 6. Stem yellowish-white B. rimosellus 7. Pileus some shade of red 8 7. Pileus some shade of brown or gray 9 8. Stem pallid or yellowish B. rubignosus 8. Stem dark-brown B. ferrugineus 9. Pileus pale-brown, stem flexuous B. flexuosipes 9. Pileus gray or grayish-black, stem straight B. griseus Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. specio´sus= Frost—handsome. =Pileus= at first very thick, subglobose, compact, then softer, convex, glabrous or nearly so, red. =Flesh= pale-yellow or bright lemon-yellow, changing to blue where wounded. =Tubes= adnate, small, subrotund, plane or but slightly depressed around the stem, bright lemon-yellow, becoming dingy-yellow with age, changing to blue where wounded. =Stem= stout, subequal or somewhat bulbous, reticulated, bright lemon-yellow without and within, sometimes reddish at the base. =Spores= oblong-fusiform, pale ochraceous-brown, 10–12.5×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 3–7 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 10–24 lines thick.
Thin woods. New England, Frost; New York, Peck.
This is a very beautiful Boletus. When young the whole plant except the surface of the pileus is of a vivid lemon-yellow color. Wounds quickly change to green, then to blue. The color of the pileus approaches closely to solferino. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Caps of specimens found in mixed woods at Mt. Gretna, Pa., were minutely areolate when old. Stems yellow at top and with purplish red over the bright yellow toward the bulbous base, solid, bright yellow within.
Stems and caps are edible and rank high in flavor and texture.
=B. illu´dens= Pk.—deceiving. (Plate CXVIII, fig. 3, p. 436.) =Pileus= convex, dry, subglabrous, yellowish-brown or grayish-brown, sometimes tinged with red, especially in the center. =Flesh= pallid or yellowish. =Tubes= bright yellow, plane or somewhat convex when old, adnate, their mouths angular or subrotund, often larger near the stem. =Stem= nearly equal, sometimes abruptly pointed at the base, glabrous, pallid or yellowish, coarsely reticulated either wholly or at the top only. =Spores= oblong or subfusiform, yellowish-brown tinged with green, 11–12.5×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 1.5–3 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–2.5 in. long, 3–5 lines thick.
Woods and copses. Port Jefferson. July. Peck, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Found in plenty at Mt. Gretna, Pa., September, 1898. On ground and old stumps in mixed woods. Identified by Professor Peck.
Taste and smell pleasant. Cooked as egg-plant it is one of the best. Remove tubes.
=B. Peck´ii= Frost—after C.H. Peck. =Pileus= convex, firm, dry, subglabrous, red, fading to yellowish-red or buff-brown with age, the margin usually retaining its red color longer than the disk. =Tubes= adnate or slightly decurrent, nearly plane, yellow, changing to blue where wounded. =Stem= equal or subventricose, reticulated, red, yellow at the top. =Spores= oblong, pale ochraceous-brown, 9–12×4–5µ.
Var. læ´vipes. =Stem= reticulated above, even below.
=Pileus= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 3–6 lines thick.
Woods of frondose trees. New York, Peck. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. cal´opus= Fr. Gr—beautiful; Gr—foot. =Pileus= globose, then convex, unpolished, subtomentose, olivaceous. =Flesh= pallid, slightly changing to blue when wounded. =Tubes= adnate, their mouths minute, angular, yellow. =Stem= firm, conical, then elongated and subequal, reticulated, wholly scarlet or at the apex only, sometimes colored like the pileus toward the base. =Spores= fusiform, yellowish-brown, 7–8×3–4µ.
=Pileus= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= longer than the diameter of the pileus.
Woods. North Carolina, Schweinitz, Curtis; Pennsylvania, Schweinitz; New England, Sprague, Bennett. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. orna´tipes= Pk.—ornate-stem. (Boletus retipes, Rep. 23.) =Pileus= convex, firm, dry, glabrous or very minutely tomentose, grayish-brown or yellowish-brown. =Flesh= yellow or pale-yellow. =Tubes= adnate, plane, or concave, rarely convex, the mouths small or medium size, clear-yellow. =Stem= firm, subequal, distinctly and beautifully reticulated, yellow without and within. =Spores= oblong, ochraceous-brown, 12–16×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 2–5 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 4–6 lines thick.
Thin woods and open places. New York, Peck.
The color of the tubes becomes darker with age, but it does not change to blue where wounded. The species is related to the next following one with which it has sometimes been confused, but from which it is clearly distinct. The color of the spores is quite dark and approaches snuff-brown. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Edible. Good.
=B. re´tipes= B. and C.—reticulate stem. =Pileus= convex, dry, powdered with yellow, sometimes rivulose or cracked in areas. =Tubes= adnate, yellow. =Stem= subequal, cespitose, reticulate to the base, pulverulent below. =Spores= greenish-ochraceous, 12–15×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 1.5–2 in. broad. =Stem= 2 in. long, 3–6 lines thick.
The tufted mode of growth, pulverulent pileus and paler-colored spores separate this species from the preceding one. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
West Virginia, 1882–1885. Mt. Gretna, Pa.; New Jersey, McIlvaine.
The caps, alone, of this species, are desirable, the stems not cooking well. Its way of bunching itself gratifies the collector, as do its flavor and quality.
=B. pa´chypus= Fr. Gr—thick-footed. =Pileus= convex, subtomentose, brownish or pale tan-color. =Flesh= thick, whitish, changing slightly to blue. =Tubes= rather long, somewhat depressed around the stem, their mouths round, pale-yellow, at length tinged with green. =Stem= thick, firm, reticulated, at first ovate-bulbous, then elongated, equal, variegated with red and pale-yellow. =Spores= large, ovate, pale yellowish-ochraceous, 12.5–14×5–6µ.
=Pileus= 4–8 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long.
Woods, either of pine or beech.
This species is noted for its thick, stout stem, which sometimes attains a diameter of more than two inches. It approaches the Edules in habit, but according to Gillet it is poisonous, or at least to be suspected, has a penetrating unpleasant odor and a somewhat nauseous flavor. He also describes the pores as at first whitish. The stem is sometimes intensely blood-red. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
A common species in West Virginia mountains, 1881–1885, in beech groves. August to frost. It is rare in the pines of New Jersey, though I have found it there. Like B. felleus, its size and attractiveness induce the finder to over and over again try cooking it, hoping the discovery of a successful way to rid it of its unpleasantness. I have never succeeded. It is not poisonous.
=B. rimosel´lus= Pk.—cracked. =Pileus= broadly convex, flat or irregular, glabrous, tessellately cracked, dark-brown. =Flesh= whitish. =Tubes= adnate or sinuately decurrent, somewhat depressed around the stem, pale-yellow, becoming darker or brownish with age. =Stem= tapering upward, broadly reticulated with brown veins, yellowish-white. =Spores= fusiform, 15–17.5×5–6µ.
=Pileus= 3–5 in. broad. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, 6–9 lines thick.
Mixed woods. North Carolina, C.J. Curtis.
I have described this species from the notes and a single dried specimen sent me by Mr. Curtis. More extended observation may require some modification of the description. The color of the spores is described as brown. They are remarkable for their size. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. modes´tus= Pk.—modest. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, often irregular, firm, dry, very minutely tomentose, yellowish-brown. =Flesh= gray or pinkish-gray. =Tubes= nearly plane, adnate or subdecurrent, the mouths angular, pale-ochraceous. =Stem= equal, reticulated, brown. =Spores= elliptical, 10×5µ.
=Pileus= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 2–4 lines thick.
Grassy ground in thin woods. New York, Peck.
Miss Banning finds in Maryland what appears to be a form of this species in which the part of the hymenium near the stem consists of lamellæ, the rest of tubes. The species needs further investigation. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. Cur´tisii= Berk.—after Dr. Curtis. =Pileus= hemispherical or convex, viscose, golden-yellow. =Tubes= depressed around the stem, nearly free, their mouths umber, at length tawny. =Stem= slender, attenuated upward, polished, reticulated, straw-colored. =Spores= ferruginous, subelliptical, slightly attenuated at each end.
=Pileus= 1 in. or more broad. =Stem= 2 in. long, 2–3 lines thick.
Pine woods. North and South Carolina, Curtis.
In the original description the stem of this species is said to be hollow. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. gri´seus= Frost—gray. =Pileus= broadly convex, firm, dry, subglabrous, gray or grayish-black. =Flesh= whitish or gray. =Tubes= adnate or slightly depressed around the stem, nearly plane, their mouths small, subrotund, white or whitish. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering upward, distinctly reticulated, whitish or yellowish, sometimes reddish toward the base. =Spores= ochraceous-brown, 10–14×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 3–6 lines thick.
Thin woods and open places. New York, Peck.
Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. flexuos´ipes= Pk.—flexuous stem. =Pileus= convex or plane, even, subtomentose, pale-brown. =Flesh= white, unchangeable, the cuticle separable. =Tubes= long, convex, decurrent, white or whitish, becoming brownish with age. =Stem= flexuous, solid, reticulated, whitish or pallid, changing to brown where bruised. =Spores= 7.5–10×4µ.
=Pileus= 3–4 in. broad. =Stem= 4–6 in. long, 8–15 lines thick.
Mixed woods. North Carolina, C.J. Curtis. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. ferrugi´neus= Frost—rust color. =Pileus= convex, soft, subtomentose, dark reddish-brown. =Flesh= white, unchangeable. =Tubes= generally adnate, dingy-white, their mouths stained brown by the spores. =Stem= short, reticulated, dark-brown. =Spores= 10–13×6µ.
=Pileus= 3–6 in. broad.
Borders of woods. New England, Frost. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Alabama, 1897.
=B. rubigino´sus= Fr.—rusty. =Pileus= convex, soft, pubescent, soon bare, brownish-rust color. =Flesh= subspongy, white, unchangeable. =Tubes= adnate, their mouths unequal, white. =Stem= firm, stout, reticulated, at first whitish or pallid, then yellowish, subcinereous or yellowish-olivaceous where touched.
=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 1 in. thick.
Woods. North Carolina, Curtis.
Although apparently distinct, this and the two preceding species are not sufficiently well known. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. tabaci´nus= Und. =Pileus= fleshy, convex or nearly plane, subglabrous, often cracked in areas, tawny-brown. =Flesh= at maturity soft and similarly colored. =Tubes= concave or nearly plane, depressed around the stem, their mouths small, angular, colored like the pileus. =Stem= subequal, solid, reticulated, concolorous. =Spores= oblong or subfusiform, 12.5–14×5µ. =Pileus= 2.5–5 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–3 in. long, 6–10 lines thick.
Along road-sides. Alabama. May. Underwood.
The species is referable to the section Calopodes, but the tubes are more or less depressed about the stem. Peck, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, Vol. 23, No. 10.
EDU´LES—edulis, edible.
=Tubes= subfree, rounded-depressed around the stem, their mouths not at first reddish, but commonly white-stuffed. =Stem= stout, bulbous as in the Luridi but not, with a few exceptions, reticulate nor dotted with pointed scales nor red. =Flesh= scarcely changeable. =Taste= pleasant.
This tribe is not sharply limited but partakes to some extent of the characters of Calopodes and Luridi. From the former its nearly free and at first white-stuffed tubes and its generally even stem separate it, from the latter its tubes with concolorous mouths or at least with mouths not red or reddish when young will distinguish it. The species are generally of large or medium size and noted for their esculent qualities.
Stem brownish-lilac or chocolate color 1
Stem some other color 2
1. Stem reticulated B. separans
1. Stem not reticulated, furfuraceous B. eximius
2. Pileus viscid B. limatulus
2. Pileus not viscid 3
3. Tubes yellow with no tinge of green 4
3. Tubes tinged with green or becoming green where 6 bruised
4. Pileus whitish B. æstivalis
4. Pileus not whitish 5
5. Stem glabrous B. affinis
5. Stem pubescent B. impolitus
6. Pileus becoming white-spotted where bruised B. leprosus
6. Pileus not becoming spotted 7
7. Pileus glabrous B. edulis
7. Pileus not glabrous 8
8. Stem reticulated, whitish or pallid B. variipes
8. Stem even, brownish-red B. decorus
Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. sep´arans= Pk. (Plate CXVIII, fig. 1, p. 436.) =Pileus= convex, thick, glabrous, subshining, often pitted, pitted or corrugated, brownish-red or dull-lilac, sometimes fading to yellowish on the margin. =Flesh= white, unchangeable. =Tubes= at first nearly plane, adnate, white and stuffed, then convex, depressed around the stem, ochraceous-yellow or brownish-yellow and sometimes separating from the stem by the expansion of the pileus. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering upward, reticulated either wholly or in the upper part only, colored like the pileus or a little paler, sometimes slightly furfuraceous. =Spores= subfusiform, brownish-ochraceous, 12–15×5–6µ.
=Pileus= 3–6 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 6–12 lines thick.
Thin grassy woods. New York, Peck. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
West Virginia. September, 1881. New Jersey and Pennsylvania. October, 1887, McIlvaine. Indiana, October, 1898. Dr. J.R. Weist, _H.I. Miller_.
One of the handsomest of Boleti. It varies greatly in size and color, but traces of purple or lilac are always detectable. The reticulations upon the stem are often obscure, especially in young specimens.
It is pleasant when raw, and quite equal to any Boletus when cooked.
(Plate CXIX.)
=B. edu´lis= Bull.—edulis, edible. (Plate CXVIII, fig. 5, p. 436.) =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, glabrous, moist, at first compact, then soft, variable in color, grayish-red, brownish-red or tawny-brown, often paler on the margin. =Flesh= white or yellowish, reddish beneath the cuticle. =Tubes= convex, nearly free, long, minute, round, white, then yellow and greenish. =Stem= short or long, straight or flexuous, subequal or bulbous, stout, more or less reticulate, especially above, whitish, pallid or brownish. =Spores= oblong-fusiform, 12–15×4–5µ.
Var. cla´vipes. Plate CXIX. =Stem= tapering upward from an enlarged base, everywhere reticulated.
=Pileus= 4–6 in. broad. =Stem= 2–6 in. long, 6–18 lines thick.
Woods and open places. Not rare. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Indiana, H.I. Miller, Dr. J.R. Weist; New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, McIlvaine.
Some species of fungi appear to have that prize of Fairyland—the Wishing Cap—and by its power be able to take on any form they please. Boletus edulis is one of them. Its variableness is puzzling. It is eaten everywhere where found and is a favorite. Carefully sliced, dried and kept where safe from mold it may be prepared for the table at any season.
=B. edulis= Bull.—Var. clavipes Pk. (Plate CXIX, fig. 1, p. 445.) =Pileus= fleshy, convex, glabrous, grayish-red, bay-red or chestnut-color. =Flesh= white, unchangeable. =Tubes= at first concave or nearly plane, white and stuffed, then convex, slightly depressed around the stem, ochraceous yellow. =Stem= mostly obclavate (inversely club-shaped) and reticulate to the base. =Spores= oblong-fusiform, 12–15×4–5µ.
The club-stemmed Boletus is so closely related to the edible Boletus and so closely connected by the intermediate forms that it seems to be only a variety of it, but one worthy of illustration. It differs in the more uniform color of the cap, in having the tubes less depressed around the stem and less tinted with green when mature, and in having the stem more club-shape and commonly reticulated to the base. The lower reticulations are usually coarser but less permanent than the upper. The cap is more highly colored when young and is apt to become paler with age, but the margin does not become paler than the central part, as it so often does in the edible Boletus. Individuals sometimes occur in which the stem is nearly cylindric and reticulated only on the upper part. These connect so closely with the edible Boletus that we have considered this to be a mere variety of it. In size and in edible qualities it is very similar to that species. Peck, 51st Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Same in quality as B. edulis.
=B. vari´ipes= Pk.—variable stem. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, thick, soft, dry, scaly, pointed scaly or minutely tomentose, grayish or pale grayish-brown, sometimes tinged with yellow or ochraceous. =Flesh= white, unchangeable. =Tubes= convex or nearly plane, slightly depressed around the stem, at first white, then greenish-yellow, their mouths small, subrotund, ochraceous, stuffed when young. =Stem= firm, reticulated, whitish or pallid. =Spores= oblong-fusiform, ochraceous-brown tinged with green, 12–15×5µ. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Mt. Gretna, Pa. August, 1898. Stem slightly reticulated at top, indistinctly striate below. Smell and taste strong, like B. felleus, but sweetish, not bitter. When tubes are removed and cap fried it is excellent.
Var. al´bipes. =Stem= whitish, wholly reticulated, the reticulations coarser near the base. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Mt. Gretna, Pa. August, 1898. Taste slightly acrid, smell slight. Excellent.
Var. pallid´ipes. =Stem= pallid, slightly furfuraceous, even or obscurely reticulated toward the base, distinctly reticulated above. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Satiny, shining. Taste slightly acrid, smell slight. Excellent.
Var. tenu´ipes. =Stem= slender, elongated. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Mt. Gretna, Pa. August, 1898, on decaying chestnut stump and on ground. Excellent. McIlvaine.
This species, with its varieties, grows in mixed woods, the density of which has much to do with its general appearance. Individuals growing where the sun plays upon them, show the reticulations plainer than those maturing in the shade. The tubes should be removed before cooking. The caps are best fried.
=B. exi´mius= Pk.—select. =Pileus= at first very compact, subglobose or hemispherical, subpruinose, purplish-brown or chocolate color, sometimes with a faint tinge of lilac, becoming convex, soft, smoky-red or pale-chestnut. =Flesh= grayish or reddish-white. =Tubes= at first concave or nearly plane, stuffed, colored nearly like the pileus, becoming paler with age and depressed around the stem, their mouths minute, rotund. =Stem= stout, generally short, equal or tapering upward, abruptly narrowed at the base, minutely branny, colored like or a little paler than the pileus, purplish-gray within. =Spores= subferruginous, 12.5–15×5–6µ.
=Pileus= 3–10 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 6–12 lines thick.
Woods and their borders. New England, Frost; New York, Peck. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
In mixed woods and in new clearings near Bartram’s Garden, Philadelphia, Pa. McIlvaine.
A patch of it is treasure trove.
=B. lepro´sus= Pk.—leprous. Pileus very convex, glabrous, soft like kid, cinereous-yellowish-drab or pale-brown, slowly changing to whitish where bruised, the cuticle separable. =Flesh= white, changing to yellowish. =Tubes= yellow or brownish-yellow, changing to greenish where wounded, plane, depressed around the stem, short, small, stuffed when young. =Stem= solid, enlarged at the top, lemon-yellow. =Spores= oblong-fusiform, 12.5–15×5µ.
=Pileus= 4–6 in. broad. =Stem= 2 in. long, 1 in. thick.
Mixed woods. North Carolina, C.J. Curtis.
This plant is remarkable for the whitish or leprous spots which the pileus assumes, even from being handled, and for the change in the color of the flesh and tubes. The stem is very thick at the top but tapers downward. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
(Plate CXX.)
=B. affi´nis= Pk.—related. =Pileus= convex above or nearly plane, subglabrous, reddish-brown or chestnut color fading to tawny or dingy-ochraceous with age. =Flesh= white. =Tubes= plane or convex, adnate or slightly depressed around the stem, at first white and stuffed, then glaucous-yellow or subochraceous, changing to rusty-ochraceous where wounded. =Stem= subequal, even, glabrous, colored like or paler than the pileus. =Spores= rusty-ochraceous, 9–12×4–5µ.
The Related boletus belongs to the tribe of Boleti known as Edules because of their especially esculent character, but it differs from the general character of the tribe in having its tubes not at all or but slightly shortened around the stem and in its stem not being thickened or bulbous at the base. The species is quite variable in the color of the cap, which is generally darker in young plants, paler in old ones. It may be brown, reddish-brown or blackish-brown when young, but is more or less tinged with tawny or ochraceous when old. It is smooth and even or minutely tomentose and sometimes slightly rugose. In wet weather the margin of the cap sometimes curves upward, giving a very convex surface to the tubes. Sometimes the wounded flesh slowly assumes a yellowish hue. The peculiar rusty-ochraceous hue of the spores is also seen sometimes in the tubes of old specimens. As in many species, the flesh of old plants is more soft than that of young ones. The stem is quite variable and is often narrowed downward. It is sometimes very obscurely reticulated at the top.
The cap is generally 2–4 in. broad, the stem 1.5–3 in. long, 4–8 lines thick. The plants are found in thin woods or in bushy places in July and August.
Var. maculo´sus Pk. differs from the type simply in having a few yellowish spots scattered over the cap.
While not as high flavored as some Boleti this is, nevertheless, a fairly good and perfectly safe one. Peck, 49th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Very open timber in Woodlands Cemetery, Philadelphia. August, 1898. McIlvaine.
A solitary species which does not appear to be plentiful. The whole fungus is edible, but the stems and tubes are of different texture from the caps and do not cook well with them.
=B. æstiva´lis= Fr.—pertaining to summer. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, even, glabrous, whitish, granulose in dry weather. =Flesh= yellow below, white above. =Tubes= nearly free, the mouths minute, equal, yellow. =Stem= very thick, bulbous, even, glabrous, pale yellow, reddish within at the base. =Spores= elongated-oval, greenish-brown, rather dark, 11×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 4–6 in. broad. =Stem= 4–5 in. long.
Woods and woodland pastures. Minnesota, Johnson; California, H. and M.
A large species, recorded as edible and said to be pleasant and delicate in flavor. I have seen no specimens of this. Peck, Boleti of the United States.
West Virginia mountains, 1882, Haddonfield, N.J., 1894, McIlvaine, on grassy margin of woods.
The flesh is sweet, nutty. Remove stems and tubes when old.
=B. impoli´tus= Fr.—unpolished. =Pileus= convex, dilated, flocculose, at length grained in lines, unpolished, tawny-brown. =Flesh= white or whitish, unchangeable, yellowish under the cuticle. =Tubes= free, their mouths minute, yellow. =Stem= stout, subbulbous, even, pubescent, pale-yellow, sometimes with a reddish zone near the top. =Spores= oval or fusiform, pale greenish-brown, 7.5–10×5µ.
=Pileus= 4–6 in. broad. =Stem= 2 in. long.
Oak woods. California, Harkness and Moore.
This species is recorded as edible and said to be among the most delicious. It is evidently rare in this country. According to Quelet the spores are ellipsoid, papillate, 15–18µ long. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Near Bartram’s Garden, West Philadelphia, Pa., 1885. Thin mixed woods. McIlvaine.
That this species is edible and delicious is vouched for by many. I can add my own pleasurable experience.
=B. deco´rus= Frost.—decorous. =Pileus= convex, rather firm, tomentose, brownish tinged with red, the margin often darker colored. =Flesh= white, unchangeable. =Tubes= becoming free, yellow, changing to green where wounded. =Stem= bulbous, minutely branny, brownish-red, the bulb sometimes white and attenuated at the base. =Spores= 13×5µ.
Rich woods. New England, Frost. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Leominster, Mass., C.F. Nixon, August, 1897; Woodland Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pa., August, 1897, McIlvaine.
=Cap= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 2–2½ in. high, but variable in size. Its edible qualities are excellent.
=B. lima´tulus= Frost—polished. =Pileus= nearly flat, thin, glabrous, viscid when moist, somewhat polished and shining when dry, rich yellowish-brown. =Flesh= reddish in the pileus, darker in the stem. =Tubes= depressed around the stem, greenish-yellow, their mouths yellowish-brown. =Stem= small, subbulbous, colored like the pileus. =Spores= 12–15×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 1–2.5 in. broad.
Woods. New England, Frost.
By the differently-colored tube mouths, this species approaches those of the next following tribe, but it is placed here because these are not red or reddish. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. au´ripes= Pk.—yellow-stem. =Pileus= convex, subglabrous, yellowish-brown, sometimes cracking in areas when old. =Flesh= yellow, fading to whitish with age. =Tubes= nearly plane, their mouths small, subrotund, at first stuffed, yellow. =Stem= nearly equal, solid, even or slightly reticulated at the top, bright yellow, a little paler within. =Spores= ochraceous-brown tinged with green, 12×5µ.
=Pileus= 3–6 in. broad. =Stem= 3–5 in. long, 8–12 lines thick.
Under mountain laurel, Kalmia latifolia. Port Jefferson. July.
The whole plant, except the upper surface of the pileus, is of a beautiful yellow color. The stem is sometimes more highly colored than the tubes. The species is referable to the tribe Edules. Peck, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Mt. Gretna, Pa. August, September, 1898. McIlvaine.
In mixed woods in which Kalmia latifolia is plentiful. The specimens found were in its vicinity. The caps are excellent.
=B. leptoceph´alus= Pk. Gr—thin; Gr—head. =Pileus= thin, broadly convex or nearly plane, dry, minutely cracked, especially near the margin, light tawny-brown, sometimes tinged with reddish-brown. =Flesh= yellowish-white, taste at first mild, then slightly acrid. =Tubes= subventricose, depressed about the stem, nearly free, dingy olive-yellow, the mouths small, subrotund. =Stem= nearly equal, enlarged at the top, solid, glabrous or slightly pruinose-mealy, reticulated above, colored like the pileus, white within, with a white mycelium at the base. =Spores= greenish-olivaceous, fusiform, 12.5–17.5µ long, 5–6µ broad.
=Pileus= 10–12.5 cm. broad. =Stem= 10–12.5 cm. long, 1.2–1.6 cm. thick.
Dry, open woods. July. Earle.
The reticulation of the upper part of the stem appears to be formed by the decurrent walls of the tubes. The species belongs to the tribe Edules. Peck, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 25.
Edible.
=B. fra´grans= Vitt.—fragrant. Fasciculate or solitary. =Pileus= 1–4 in. across, convex, dark-brown or umber-brown, often wavy, slightly tomentose, margin incurved. =Flesh= very thick, yellowish, sometimes unchangeable, at others changing to green or blue, and finally becoming reddish when broken. =Tubes= shortened around the stem and almost free, ½ in. or more long, openings small, roundish, yellow then greenish. =Stem= at first stout, ovate, usually tapering at the base, then lengthening and becoming thinner upward, even, variegated with yellow and red, solid. =Spores= pale-olive, elongato-fusiform, 10–12×4µ.
In woods, under oaks, etc. =Pileus= bronze-brown, sometimes with purple shades. Often grows in dense clusters, and in this particular differing from any other British species. Very good for eating. Massee.
Haddonfield, N.J. Oak woods. August to September, 1894. Mt. Gretna, Pa., 1898. McIlvaine.
Solitary. A handsome valuable species which appears to be rare in the United States. Shade a beautiful bronze. Cap 3–4 in. across. A dozen or more individuals were found and eaten. Excellent.
=B. frustulo´sus= Pk.—frustulum, a small bit. =Pileus= thick, convex or nearly plane, subglabrous, cracked in areas, white or whitish. =Flesh= whitish. =Tubes= equal to or a little longer than the thickness of the flesh of the pileus, depressed about the stem, whitish, becoming pale brown. =Stem= equal, solid, whitish, reticulated above. =Spores= 15–17×5–6µ.
=Pileus= 3–5 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 6–10 lines thick.
Open grounds and clay banks. Ocean Springs, Mississippi and Akron, Alabama. May and June. Underwood.
The deeply cracked surface of the pileus is the most notable feature of this species. This sometimes is seen even in quite young plants. The cracked areas are quite unequal in size. The deep chinks with sloping sides cause them to appear like frusta of polygonal pyramids. In some specimens the reticulations of the stem extend nearly or quite to its base, and make the place of the species ambiguous between the Calopodes and Edules. Peck, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, Vol. 24, No. 3.
Mt. Gretna, Pa., September, 1898, on soil over red conglomerate and on road-sides. McIlvaine.
The deep cracks in the cap readily distinguish this species. After rains the caps are frequently slightly dished and widely cracked at margin. The exposed flesh dries with a fine silky gloss. The caps are excellent. The tubes and stem should be removed.
=B. cras´sipes= Pk.—thick-footed. (Plate CXVI, fig. 5, p. 420.) =Pileus= convex or centrally depressed, firm, dry, velvety, brown tinged with yellow, the wavy or lobed involute margin extending beyond the tubes. =Flesh= lemon-yellow, unchangeable, taste sweet, odor like that of yeast. =Tubes= rather short, depressed around the stem, almost free, yellowish mottled with brown, the mouths minute, stuffed when young. =Stem= stout, thick, sometimes swollen in the middle and sometimes bulbous, beautifully reticulated but the reticulations sometimes disappearing with age, orange-yellow tinged with brown. =Flesh= of a brighter yellow than that of the pileus.
=Pileus= 5–10 cm. broad. =Stem= 6–8 cm. long, 2.5–3.5 cm. thick.
Oak woods. Mt. Gretna, Pa. August and September. McIlvaine.
The thick, beautifully reticulated stem, the deep velvety brown color of the pileus and the yellow color of the flesh serve to distinguish this species. Peck, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 27, January, 1900.
It is one of the best edible mushrooms. I have also found it in New Jersey.
LU´RIDI.
Stratum of tubes rounded toward the stem and free, their mouths at first closed and red. =Pileus= compact, then soft, cushion-shaped, the flesh juicy, changeable. =Stem= stout, at first short, bulbiform, then elongated and subequal, subreticulated or dotted.
Growing especially in frondose woods. Very poisonous.
In this tribe the tubes and their mouths are differently colored, the latter being red or some shade of red. By this character the species are easily distinguished from those of other tribes.
Flesh distinctly changing color where wounded 1
Flesh not at all or scarcely changing color where 7 wounded
1. Flesh white or whitish 2
1. Flesh yellow or yellowish 5
2. Flesh changing to red or violet B. Satanus
2. Flesh changing to blue 3
3. Stem roughened B. alveolatus
3. Stem even 4
4. Stem hairy at the base B. subvelutipes
4. Stem not hairy at the base B. vermiculosus
5. Stem red B. luridus
5. Stem yellow or reddish only at the base 6
6. Pileus purplish-red B. purpureus
6. Pileus gray B. firmus
6. Pileus yellow or yellowish B. magnisporus
7. Pileus blood-red B. Frostii
7. Pileus reddish-tawny or brown B. Sullivantii
Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
All authors, up to this date, agree in stating that the species within this series are poisonous. Experiments made by Smiedeberg and Koppe with Boletus Satanus developed symptoms closely resembling poisoning by Amanitæ. Kobert, who made analysis of B. luridus, shows that it contains muscarine, which is one of the most deadly poisons. Such a mass of evidence commands respect. It is urged upon finders of these species to either leave them alone or test them in minute quantities until they have established their ability to eat them without injury.
I have taken special pains to establish the edibility of B. Satanus and B. luridus. For fifteen years I have eaten them in quantity when opportunity afforded, in West Virginia, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. My family, and my friends in widely separated localities, have partaken freely of them many times and without discomfort. They are remarkably fine eating. The same can be said of B. alveolatus, B. purpureus, B. subvelutipes. I have not seen the other species of this tribe.
I have determined so many of the reputed poisonous species to be edible, that unless positively authenticated, I do not accept repute as truth, but carefully test suspicious species upon myself. When sure there is no danger, I as carefully have them tested by my numerous under-tasters—male and female.
=B. Sa´tanus= Lenz.—Satanic. =Pileus= convex, glabrous, somewhat gluey, brownish-yellow or whitish. =Flesh= whitish, becoming reddish or violaceous where wounded. =Tubes= free, yellow, their mouths bright red becoming orange-colored with age. =Stem= thick, ovate-ventricose, marked above with red reticulations. =Spores= 12×5µ.
=Pileus= 3–8 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long.
Woods. Rare. North Carolina, Curtis; New York, Peck; California, H. and M., N.J. Ellis.
Though mild to the taste, this Boletus is said to be very poisonous, a character suggestive of the specific name. Fries describes the color of the spores as earthy-yellow; Smith as rich brown. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, McIlvaine.
Boletus Satanus is sometimes plentiful in spots. Where it luxuriates it is a rich decoration to the ground, and earth upon upturned-roots upon which it often grows. It does not live long after reaching maturity, but decomposes into a putrescent mass.
Its reputation rivals that of the original possessor of its name. But old proverb sayeth that even “The Devil is not as black as he is painted.” See remarks heading Luridi.
=B. alveola´tus= B. and C. =Pileus= convex, glabrous, shining, bright crimson or maroon-color, sometimes paler and varied with patches of yellow. =Flesh= firm, white, changing to blue where wounded. =Tubes= adnate, subdecurrent, yellow with maroon-colored mouths, the hymenial surface uneven with irregular alveolar depressions. =Stem= very rough with the margins of rather coarse subreticular depressions, the reticulations bright-red above with yellow stains. =Spores= yellowish-brown, 12.5–15×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 3–6 in. broad. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, 9 lines thick.
Damp woods. New England, Frost. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
West Virginia mountains, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, in mixed woods and on banks of streams. McIlvaine.
B. alveolatus appears to be more generally distributed than B. Satanus. It is not as clannish, though occasionally three or four are found growing together. When growing from the banks of creeks, or between the roots of beech and other trees in low places, it is often deformed in cap and stem. The texture is firm, close and the taste is very pleasant. It botanically takes its place in this suspected series. I consider it one of the best Boleti. See remarks heading Luridi.
=B. lu´ridus= Schaeff.—lurid in color. =Pileus= convex, tomentose, brown-olivaceous, then somewhat viscose, sooty. =Flesh= yellow, changing to blue where wounded. =Tubes= free, yellow, becoming greenish, their mouths round, vermilion, becoming orange. =Stem= stout, vermilion, somewhat orange at the top, reticulate or punctate. =Spores= greenish-gray, 15×9.
=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long.
The lurid Boletus, though pleasant to the taste, is reputed very poisonous. Boletus rubeolarius Pers., having a short bulbous scarcely reticulated stem, is regarded as a variety of this species. The red-stemmed Boletus, B. erythropus Pers., is also indicated as a variety of it by Fries. It is smaller than B. luridus, has a brown or reddish-brown pileus and a slender cylindrical stem, not reticulated, but dotted with squamules. It has been reported from California by Harkness and Moore. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Var. erythropus received from Dr. J.W. Harshberger, Philadelphia, May, 1896.
Often shining as if varnished and very handsome. I frequently found it in West Virginia, New Jersey and Pennsylvania in mixed woods among leaves. Its reputation is bad. It is undoubtedly edible by many, and is delicious. The caution heading Luridi should be carefully observed.
=B. purpu´reus= Fr.—purple. =Pileus= convex, opaque, dry, somewhat velvety, purplish-red. =Flesh= in the young plant only becoming blue, then dark-yellow. =Tubes= nearly free, yellow or greenish-yellow, their mouths minute, purple-orange, changing to blue where wounded. =Stem= stout, firm, adorned with purple veins or dots, sometimes reticulated at the apex only, yellow, reddish within, especially at the base. =Spores= greenish-brown, 10–12×5–6µ.
=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 6–8 lines thick.
Woods. North Carolina, Curtis; New York, Peck; Minnesota, Johnson. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
West Virginia, Mt. Gretna, Pa., McIlvaine.
At Mt. Gretna, Pa., 1897–1898, B. purpureus was common in oak and chestnut woods. It is a showy species, easily distinguished by its velvety cap. In young specimens the stem is robust, then tapering upward. When old the cap loses its rich color toward the margin, becoming yellowish. The flesh is thick, firm and of excellent flavor. It undoubtedly proved itself delicious and harmless to many eating it.
=B. vermiculo´sus= Pk.—wormy. =Pileus= broadly convex, thick, firm, dry, glabrous, or very minutely tomentose, brown, yellowish-brown or grayish-brown, sometimes tinged with red. =Flesh= white or whitish, quickly changing to blue where wounded. =Tubes= plane or slightly convex, nearly free, yellow, their mouths small, round, brownish-orange, becoming darker or blackish with age, changing promptly to blue where wounded. =Stem= subequal, firm, even, paler than the pileus. =Spores= ochraceous-brown, 10–12×4–5µ.
Var. Spra´guei. (Boletus Spraguei Frost, Bull. Buff. Soc., p. 102.) =Stem= yellow above, minutely velvety below.
=Pileus= 3–5 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 4–10 lines thick.
Woods. New York, Peck; Ohio, Morgan; New England, Frost.
The species is separated from B. luridus by its dry pileus, white flesh, even stem, which is neither reticulated nor dotted, and by its smaller spores. I can not distinguish specimens of B. Spraguei received from Mr. Frost, from this species. The name is scarcely appropriate, for specimens are not always infested by larvæ. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
I have not seen this species, therefore, have not tested it. CAUTION.
=B. subvelu´tipes= Pk.—velvety-stem. =Pileus= convex, firm, subglabrous, yellowish-brown or reddish-brown. =Flesh= whitish, both it and the tubes changing to blue where wounded. =Tubes= plane or slightly convex, nearly free, yellowish, their mouths small, brownish-red. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering upward, firm, even, somewhat pruinose above, velvety with a hairy tomentum toward the base, yellow at the top, reddish-brown below, varied with red and yellow within. =Spores= 15–18×5–6µ.
=Pileus= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 4–6 lines thick.
Woods. New York, Peck.
This species resembles the preceding one in general appearance, but it is very distinct by its much longer spores and by the velvety hairiness toward the base of the stem. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Boletus subvelutipes is common in some localities in Pennsylvania, especially on the Springton Hills, in chestnut and oak woods. I have frequently eaten it and found it excellent. Others should carefully test it.
=B. fir´mus= Frost—firm. =Pileus= convex, very firm, slightly tomentose, gray, often pitted. =Flesh= yellowish or deep-yellow, changing to blue where wounded. =Tubes= adnate, deeply arcuate, unequal, yellow, their mouths tinged with red. =Stem= solid, hard, very finely reticulated, yellowish, reddish at the base. =Spores= 13×3µ.
=Pileus= 2.5–4 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long.
Rich moist wood. New England, Frost.
Apparently a well-marked and very distinct species. According to the author, it is readily distinguished by its tenacity and generally distorted growth. I have not seen it nor the next. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Professor Peck’s measurement of spores, 50th Report, New York State Botanist, is 13µ long, 6µ wide.
=B. magnis´porus= Frost. =Pileus= convex, firm, tomentose, golden-yellow; tubes scarcely adnate, even, greenish-yellow, their mouths light cinnabar-red. =Stem= long, slender, yellow above, red below. =Spores= 15–18×6µ.
=Pileus= 2.5 to 3.5 in. broad.
Woods and thickets. New England, Frost; Ohio, Morgan. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
I have not recognized it. CAUTION.
=B. Fros´tii= Russell. =Pileus= convex, polished, shining, blood-red, the margin thin. =Flesh= scarcely changing to blue. =Tubes= nearly free, greenish-yellow, becoming yellowish-brown with age, their mouths blood-red or cinnabar. =Stem= equal or tapering upward, distinctly reticulated, firm, blood-red. =Spores= 12.5–15×5µ.
=Pileus= 3–4 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 3–6 lines thick.
Grassy places under trees or in thin woods. New England, Frost; New York, Peck; New Jersey, Ellis.
This is a highly colored, beautiful Boletus, but it is not common. The stem sometimes fades with age, and both it and the tubes are apt to lose their color in drying. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
I have not recognized it. CAUTION.
=B. Sullivan´tii= B. and M. =Pileus= hemispherical, glabrous, reddish-tawny or brown, brownish when dry, cracked in squares. =Tubes= free, convex, medium size, angular, longer toward the margin, their mouths reddish. =Stem= solid, violaceous at the thickened base, red-reticulated at the apex, expanded into the pileus. =Spores= pallid ochraceous, oblong-fusiform, 10–20µ long.
=Pileus= 3–4 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–3 in. long.
Compact soil. Ohio. Sullivant.
The species is said to be intermediate between Boletus scaber and B. edulis. From the former it differs in its reticulated stem, from the latter, in its larger tubes and from both in its stratum of tubes being remote from the stem. I have not seen it. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. Un´derwoodii= Pk. =Pileus= rather thin, convex, becoming nearly plane, slightly velvety, bright brownish-red, becoming paler with age. =Flesh= yellow, changing to greenish-blue where wounded. =Tubes= adnate or slightly decurrent, greenish-yellow, becoming bluish where wounded, their mouths very small, round, cinnabar red, becoming brownish-orange. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering upward, somewhat irregular, solid, yellow without and within. =Spores= 10–12 x 5µ.
=Pileus= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, 4–6 lines thick.
Grassy woods. Auburn, Alabama. July. Underwood.
This species is remarkable for its adnate or subdecurrent tubes, in which it departs from the character of the tribe to which it belongs according to the colors of the tubes. Peck, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, Vol. 24, No. 3.
=B. par´vus= Pk.—parvus, small. =Pileus= convex, becoming plane, often slightly umbonate, subtomentose, reddish. =Flesh= yellowish-white, slowly changing to pinkish where wounded. =Tubes= nearly plane, adnate, their mouths rather large, angular, at first bright red, becoming reddish-brown. =Stem= equal or slightly thickened below, red. =Spores= oblong, 12.5×4µ. =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 2–3 lines thick.
Grassy woods. Auburn, Ala. July. Underwood. Peck, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, Vol. 24, No. 3.
VERSIPEL´LES—verto, to change; pellis, a skin.
=Tubes= at first white or whitish, minute, round, equal, forming a convex stratum free from the stem.
Stem black B. alboater
Stem some other color 1
1. Stem yellow at the base B. chromapes
1. Stem not yellow at the base 2
2. Margin of the pileus B. versipellis appendiculate
2. Margin not appendiculate 3
3. Stem scabrous or B. scaber punctate-squamulose
3. Stem even 4
4. Pileus white or whitish B. albellus
4. Pileus dark-brown B. sordidus
Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. alboa´ter= Schw.—black and white. =Pileus= convex, subtomentose-velvety, black. =Tubes= free, their mouths rather small, white. =Stem= black.
=Pileus= 3 in. broad. =Stem= 2 in. long.
Moist woods. Frequent. North Carolina and Pennsylvania, Schweinitz.
In Epicrisis, p. 424, Fries adds to the description here quoted, that the stem is flocculose-veiled. He subjoins to this as a subspecies, Boletus floccosus Schw.; but in Syn. N.A. Fung., Schweinitz makes this a synonym of Boletus floccopus. The species does not appear to have been recognized by recent collectors, which seems strange unless there is some error concerning it. Can it be a black variety of Boletus scaber? Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Mt. Gretna, Pa. Gravelly woods. McIlvaine.
Cap 1½-4 in. across, convex, slightly depressed, margin involute when young, black, densely velvety in youth and age—beautifully so. =Flesh= firm, thick, solid, white changing to grayish. =Tubes= white, stuffed, sometimes blackish when young, excepting a grayish-white circle around stem, becoming yellowish-white when matured, rotund, minute, up to ½ in. long, plane when young; when caps expand tubes draw away from stem leaving a deep white depression. This drawing away apparently elongates many dissepiments, creating a gill-like effect, decurrent upon stem. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, swollen toward base when young, equal, expanding into cap and tapering to a point at base; ¾-1 in. thick, slightly compressible, hard, sooty-black, velvety near base, satiny and glossy upward, has the appearance of having been blackened with burnt cork, usually with narrow white band next to the tubes, no trace of veil, composed of rather hard waved fibers, white when split, but changing to sooty black toward base, lighter upward.
Smell like common mushroom; taste nutty.
Gregarious in sandy-conglomerate soil in mixed woods, among moss and leaves. Mt. Gretna, Pa.
Differs from B. alboater Schw., in having densely tomentose cap, tubes widely separated from stem in age.
A young specimen of apparently same species in same patch had very short, decurrent tubes (not over 1 line) which were sooty-black.
Delicious.
=B. sor´didus= Frost—sordid. =Pileus= convex, subtomentose, dirty dark-brown. =Flesh= white, slightly tinged with green. =Tubes= long, nearly free, at first white, changing to bluish-green. =Stem= smaller at the top, brownish, marked with darker streaks, generally greenish above. =Spores= 10–13×5µ.
=Pileus= about 2 in. broad.
Recent excavations in woods. New England, Frost; Ohio, Morgan.
The Ohio plant occurs in damp woods, has the flesh sometimes tinged with red and green, the tubes white, then sordid, but changing to bluish-green when bruised, their mouths large and angular, the stem somewhat flexuous and striate and the spores fusiform and dirty-brown, Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. versipel´lis= Fr. =Pileus= convex, dry, at first compact and minutely tomentose, then squamose or smooth, reddish or orange-red, the margin appendiculate with the inflexed remains of the membranous veil. =Flesh= white or grayish. =Tubes= at first concave or nearly plane, almost or quite free, minute, sordid-white, their mouths gray. =Stem= equal or tapering upward, solid, wrinkled-scaly, whitish or pallid. =Spores= oblong-fusiform, 14–18×4–6µ.
=Pileus= 2–6 in. broad. =Stem= 3–5 in. long, 4–10 lines thick.
Woods and open places, especially in sandy soil. North Carolina, Curtis; New England, Frost; New York, Peck; California, _H. and M. Peck_, Boleti of the U.S.
West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. McIlvaine.
The caps are good cooked in any way.
(Plate CXXI.)
=B. sca´ber= Fr.—scaber, rough. (Plate CXVIII, fig. 4, p. 436.) =Pileus= convex, glabrous, viscid when moist, at length wrinkled or lined. =Tubes= free, convex, white, then sordid, their mouths minute, rotund. =Stem= solid, attenuated above, roughened with fibrous scales. =Spores= oblong-fusiform, snuff-brown, 14–18×4–6µ.
=Pileus= 1–5 in. broad. =Stem= 3–5 in. long, 3–8 lines thick.
Woods, swamps and open places. Very common and appearing through summer and autumn.
This may fairly be called our most common and variable species. It is recorded in nearly every local list of fungi. The pileus is convex, hemispherical or even subconical. It may be glabrous, minutely tomentose, subvelvety or squamulose. The flesh is white or whitish and sometimes slightly changeable where wounded. The tubes are generally rather long and with a rounded or convex surface. The stem is distinctly scabrous or roughened with small blackish-brown or reddish dots or scales, the ground color generally being whitish, grayish or pallid. The spores have been described as pale-brown and light-yellowish. When caught in a mass on white paper they appear to me to approach snuff-brown. The viscidity of the pileus is not always clearly discernible. Indeed the pileus is often quite as dry as in B. versipellis. When moistened by heavy rains it sometimes is smooth and clammy to the touch but scarcely viscid. Several varieties have been indicated which are expressive of the variations in the color of the pileus.
Var. testa´ceus. =Pileus= brick-red.
Var. auranti´acus. =Pileus= orange or orange-red.
These appear to connect this species and B. versipellis.
Var. aluta´ceus. =Pileus= yellowish-tan color.
Var. fuligin´eus. =Pileus= fuliginous or cinereous-fuliginous.
Var. fus´cus. =Pileus= brown or dark-brown.
Var. oliva´ceus. =Pileus= olivaceous.
Var. ni´veus. =Pileus= white, when old sometimes stained with blue or livid-blue.
To these might be added:
Var. areola´tus. =Pileus= rimose-areolate. (Plate CXVIII, fig. 4, p. 436.)
Var. mutab´ilis. =Flesh= changing slightly to brown or pinkish where wounded.
Var. graci´lipes. =Stem= very slender, 2–3 in. long, 2–3 lines thick. =Pileus= thin, translucent when held toward the light.
This Boletus is classed among the edible species, but it is said to be less agreeable than B. edulis. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
West Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, McIlvaine.
The numerous varieties with their peculiarities here given by Professor Peck will enable the finder of a Boletus with a distinctly scabrous stem—roughened with scales, not reticulate—to select its name. For the mycophagist it is enough to know that he has Boletus scaber. In all of its varieties it is edible. The stems, often the tubes, unless young, should be discarded, as they do not cook in the same time as the caps. The comparative excellence of the species rests with the devourer. It deserves a high place.
B. scaber, var. areolatus, Plate CXVIII, fig. 4, has slight flavor, but is of pleasing consistency.
=B. durius´culus= Schulz—somewhat hard. =Pileus= 2–5 in. across, hemispherical, minutely velvety, viscid when moist, varying in color from pale-brown, through dingy-chestnut, to umber-brown, often becoming cracked in areas when dry, interstices paler. =Flesh= thick, white or tinged yellow, when cut becoming reddish copper-color. =Tubes= ½-¾ in. long, shortened round the stem and free, openings about ⅔ mm. across, often compound, irregularly angular, bright-yellow. =Stem= 4–7 in. long, fusiform, thickest part 1½-2 in. across, situated below the middle, yellowish, rough with blackish points, which are sometimes arranged in a subreticulate manner, apex sometimes more or less grooved, solid, flesh of upper part becoming coppery like the pileus. =Spores= elongato-cylindrical, pale-umber, 14–16×5–6µ.
In woods. Esculent and very delicious. Allied to Boletus scaber, but distinguished by the bright-yellow tubes and the very firm flesh, which turns coppery-red when exposed to the air; this color eventually changes to a dingy grayish-violet. Also allied to Boletus porphyrosporus. Massee.
Snow Hill, N.J. Gravelly soil, mixed woods, 1892. McIlvaine.
The stem and tubes should be removed. The caps are very fine.
=B. albel´lus= Pk.—whitish. =Pileus= convex or gibbous, soft, glabrous, whitish. =Flesh= white, unchangeable. =Tubes= convex, free, or nearly so, small, subrotund, whitish, unchangeable. =Stem= glabrous or minutely branny, substriate, bulbous or thickened at the base, whitish. =Spores= brownish-ochraceous, 14–16×5–6µ.
=Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 3–6 lines thick.
Woods. New York, Peck.
This is closely related to B. scaber, of which it may possibly prove to be a dwarf form; but it is easily distinguished by its smooth or only slightly scurfy and subbulbous stem. It presents no appearance of the colored dot-like squamules which are a constant and characteristic feature of that species. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
West Virginia. Woodland Cemetery, Philadelphia. McIlvaine.
Specimens found at Mt. Gretna, Pa., had a satiny, glossy stem, beautifully furfuraceous, and stem not thickened at base. Professor Peck, to whom specimens were sent, writes: “Stem is a little more furfuraceous, and not thickened at the base, otherwise the agreement is very good.” It is good fried.
=B. chro´mapes= Frost. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, slightly and sometimes fasciculately tomentose, pale-red. =Flesh= white, unchangeable. =Tubes= subadnate, more or less depressed around the stem, white or whitish, becoming brown. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering upward, rough-spotted, whitish or pallid, chrome-yellow at the base both without and within, sometimes reddish above. =Spores= oblong, 12–14×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 4–6 lines thick.
Woods. New England, Frost; New York, Peck.
The yellow base of the stem appears to be a peculiar and constant character by which the species may easily be recognized. It imitates Boletus piperatus in this respect, but in everything else it is very distinct from that plant. Sometimes the stem is so badly infested by larvæ that it is difficult to procure a sound specimen. The spores have a subferruginous color with a slight incarnate tint, but the rough-dotted stem indicates a relationship with B. scaber. Through this species, Boletus conicus and B. gracilis, the Versipelles and the Hyporhodii appear to run together. In the Catalogue of Plants of Amherst the specific name is “chromapus.” It would be more in accordance with present custom to write it “chromopus.” Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
A dozen or more specimens referable to this species were found by me at Mt. Gretna, Pa., August, 1897, in mixed woods. The caps were eaten and were excellent.
=B. nebulo´sus= Pk. =Pileus= convex, dry, snuff-brown or smoky-brown. =Flesh= white, unchangeable. =Tubes= convex, depressed around the stem, pallid or brownish, becoming purplish-brown where wounded, the mouths small, rotund. =Stem= enlarged toward the base, solid, scurfy, colored like the pileus. =Spores= 12.5–15×6µ.
=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, 4–6 lines thick.
Shaded banks by road-side. Raybrook. August.
No young or immature specimens were seen, and the description is to that extent incomplete. Peck, 51st Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
By a painting made by the writer September, 1885, Professor Peck identified the species of which it is a picture as B. nebulosus Pk. The following notes accompany it, which have been verified many times since their writing:
Oak woods. West Philadelphia, Pa., September. Mt. Gretna, Pa., September.
=Pileus= chestnut-brown and darker, covered with small, low, black spots; convex, often depressed in center, sharp on margin. =Flesh= white, thick, solid, unchangeable. =Tubes= very small, and light pinkish-brown. When touched they change to a deeper hue. =Stem= same color as pileus, but a shade lighter, solid, scurfy, having a striate appearance, enlarging toward base.
Taste sweet and pleasant. Cooked it is juicy, meaty and very fine.
=B. ful´vus Pk=.—brownish-yellow. (Plate CXVI, fig. 3, p. 420.) =Pileus= thick, convex or subcampanulate, dry, glabrous, rimose-areolate, tawny-yellow, the extreme margin dark-brown. =Flesh= spongy, tough, white, slowly assuming a reddish tint upon exposure to the air. =Tubes= rather long, ventricose, depressed around the stem and free or nearly so, greenish-yellow, the mouths small, tawny-yellow. =Stem= rather long, often narrowed and striate at the top, dotted with brownish-orange granules or points, radicating, tough, stuffed with greenish-yellow fibers, colored like the pileus. =Spores= unknown.
=Pileus= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 4–5 in. long, 4–8 lines thick.
Cespitose on decaying stumps. West Philadelphia, Pa. August. McIlvaine.
Mr. McIlvaine says that there were between twenty and thirty specimens on and about an old stump and that they were as attractive to the eye as a cluster of Clitocybe illudens. Peck, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, Vol. 27, January, 1900.
Excellent in flavor, rather spongy, but fine.
HYPORHO´DII. Gr—somewhat rose-colored.
=Tubes= adnate to the stem, whitish, then white-incarnate from the rosy spores.
In this tribe the tubes are at first whitish, but with the development of the spores they usually assume a pinkish or flesh-colored hue. Wounds of the tubes in some species cause a change in color but not to blue, nor are the tube mouths differently colored as in the Luridi. The stem in some is more or less reticulated but this is scarcely a constant or reliable character in these species. Typically the spores are rosy or flesh-colored, but I have admitted species in which they incline to rust-colored, giving more weight to the color of the tubes than to that of the spores.
Pileus black or blackish B. nigrellus
Pileus some other color 1
1. Stem more than four lines thick 2
1. Stem slender, generally less than four B. lines thick gracilis
2. Stem not reticulated 3
2. Stem more or less reticulated 4
3. Tubes angular, flesh-colored B. conicus
3. Tubes round, white B. alutarius
4. Taste mild B. indecisus
4. Taste bitter B. felleus
Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. con´icus= Rav.—conical. =Pileus= convex or subconical, clothed with bundled appressed yellowish flocci. =Flesh= white, unchangeable, tasteless. =Tubes= ventricose, flesh-colored, becoming darker from the spores, the mouths small, angular, slightly fringed. =Stem= glabrous, tapering upward, pale-yellow. =Spores= fusiform, subferruginous.
=Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 2 in. long, 6 lines thick.
Damp pine woods. South Carolina, Ravenel.
The species is compared to Boletus scaber, from which it differs in its smaller tubes and smooth stem, and from both this and B. albellus it differs in the color of the tubes and in the yellowish flocci of the pileus. I have seen no specimens, but on account of the color of the tubes I have placed the species with the Hyporhodii. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. gra´cilis= Pk.—slender. (Plate CXIV, fig. 1, p. 414.) =Pileus= convex, glabrous or minutely tomentose, rarely squamulose, ochraceous-brown, tawny-brown or reddish-brown. =Flesh= white. =Tubes= plane or convex, depressed around the stem, nearly free, whitish, becoming pale flesh-colored, their mouths subrotund. =Stem= long, slender, equal or slightly tapering upward, pruinose or minutely branny, even or marked by slender elevated anastomosing lines which form long narrow reticulations. =Spores= subferruginous, 12.5–17.5×5–6µ.
Var. l[oe]´vipes. =Stem= even.
=Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 3–5 in. long, 2–4 lines thick.
Woods. New York, Peck; New England, Frost; Ohio, Morgan.
The slender habit separates this species from all the others here included in this tribe. Its spores are not a clear incarnate in color, but incline to dull-ferruginous, and by this character this and the preceding species connect this tribe with Versipelles. In color B. gracilis resembles some forms of B. felleus, but in size, habit and color of spores it is easily distinct. The tomentum of the pileus sometimes breaks into tufts or squamules. This is Boletus vinaceus, Frost MS. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
B. gracilis, var. lævipes, was found by the writer in Woodland Cemetery, West Philadelphia, August, 1897, and at Mt. Gretna, Pa., September, 1898. The stem of some specimens spreads at the top. The pileus is often cracked on the margin, and the upturning of the margin often exposes the tubes. Painting, as of this species, identified by Professor Peck.
The taste is at first sweet, then bitter. The bitterness is lost in cooking. Edible, good.
=B. indeci´sus= Pk.—undecided. (Plate CXXII, fig. 1, p. 468.) =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, dry, slightly tomentose, ochraceous-brown, often wavy or irregular on the margin. =Flesh= white, unchangeable; taste mild. =Tubes= nearly plane or convex, adnate, grayish becoming tinged with flesh color when mature, changing to brownish where wounded, their mouths small, subrotund. =Stem= minutely furfuraceous, straight, or flexuous, reticulated above, pallid without and within. =Spores= oblong, brownish flesh color, 12.5–15×4µ.
=Pileus= 3–4 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 4–6 lines thick.
Thin oak woods. New York, Peck.
The mild taste and darker colored spores will separate this Boletus from any form of B. felleus. Its stem reticulated above distinguishes it from B. alutarius. It resembles B. modestus in some respects, but its tubes are not at all yellow. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Kentucky, Lloyd, Rep. 4.
Woodland Cemetery, Philadelphia, July, 1897, McIlvaine; Trenton, N.J., August, 1897, Sterling. In open mixed woods.
Boletus indecisus so closely resembles B. felleus in some of its forms that until the color of the spores is ascertained, the sweet taste, without trace of bitter, is the only thing that will enable the finder to discriminate between them. Young B. felleus are at first pleasant to the taste and do not, at once, develop their intense bitter in the mouth. They may readily be taken for B. indecisus. If, by mistake, a single B. felleus is cooked with mild species, the dish will be spoiled. Specimens believed to be B. indecisus should be tested. A minute will perfectly satisfy anyone.
The B. indecisus is delicious.
FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE. 1. BOLETUS INDECISUS, 468 2–3–4. BOLETUS FELLEUS, 460
=B. aluta´rius= Fr.—aluta, tanned leather. =Pileus= convex, then nearly plane, soft, velvety, becoming glabrous, brownish tan color. =Flesh= almost unchangeable, taste mild, watery. =Tubes= depressed around the stem, plane, short, round, white, becoming brownish where wounded. =Stem= solid, bulbous, nearly even, small, irregular prominences at the top. =Spores= 14×4µ.
=Pileus= 3–4 in. broad. =Stem= 4–5 in. long.
Grassy woods. Minnesota, Johnson. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
West Virginia mountains, 1882–1885. Margins of woods. Cheltenham, Pa. Margins of woods, 1888–1889, grassy woods and margins. McIlvaine.
Common in West Virginia mountains where it grows with B. felleus, from which it is impossible to distinguish it without tasting. It is delicious when cooked. But I long ago ceased collecting for the table any Boletus questionable for B. felleus. I have been deceived so many times—taken the bitter for the sweet—that, preferring the sweet, I take no chances for the bitter.
=B. fel´leus= Bull.—fel, gall. Bitter. (Plate CXXII, fig. 2, 3, 4, p. 468.) =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, firm, becoming soft, glabrous, even, variable in color, pale-yellowish, grayish-brown, yellowish-brown, reddish-brown or chestnut. =Flesh= white, often changing to flesh color where wounded, taste bitter. =Tubes= adnate, long, convex, depressed around the stem, their mouths angular, white, becoming tinged with flesh-color. =Stem= variable, equal or tapering upward, short or long, sometimes bulbous or enlarged at the base, subglabrous, generally reticulated above, colored like or a little paler than the pileus. =Spores= oblong-fusiform, flesh-colored, 12.5–17.5×4–5µ.
Var. obe´sus. =Pileus= large. =Stem= thick, coarsely and distinctly reticulated nearly or quite to the base.
=Pileus= 3–8 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 6–12 lines thick.
The variety is large and solitary in its mode of growth. It is remarkable for the coarse reticulations of the stem which extend nearly or quite to the base. After heavy rains the pileus is viscid. It may prove to be a distinct species.
The flesh in the American plant does not always assume incarnate hues where wounded. The color of the fresh tubes often changes to a deeper tint where wounded. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, North Carolina, McIlvaine; Indiana, H.I. Miller.
A very common species in woods and on thin margins, on open grassy places, and about decayed stumps. I saw hundreds of plants, var. obesus, some a foot in diameter, in a wheat stubble near oak woods.
One of the most attractive of Boleti. Its cap resembles a handsomely browned cake. Its solidity is inviting; its flesh, generous in quantity, excites appetite. Until one experiences its intense lasting bitter, one clings to it with hope. Even after tasting, it is thrown away with regret. It is not poisonous, but a small piece of one will embitter a whole dish. McIlvaine, Bull. Phila. Myc. Center. July, 1898.
=B. nigrel´lus= Pk.—blackish. =Pileus= broadly convex or nearly plane, dry, subglabrous, blackish. =Flesh= soft, white, unchangeable. =Tubes= plane or convex, adnate, sometimes slightly depressed around the stem, their mouths small, subrotund, whitish becoming flesh-colored, slowly changing to brown or blackish where wounded. =Stem= equal, short, even, colored like or a little paler than the pileus. =Spores= dull flesh-colored, 10–12×5–6µ.
=Pileus= 3–6 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–2.5 in. long, 6–12 lines thick.
Woods and copses. New York, Peck.
The blackish color of the pileus and stem distinguishes this species. From Boletus alboater Schw., the adnate, flesh-colored tubes will separate it. The surface of the pileus sometimes becomes cracked in areas. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Mt. Gretna, Pa., August, 1898. McIlvaine.
Another distinguishing mark from B. alboater is the velvety pileus of the latter. B. nigrellus is mild in taste and smell and an excellent species for the table.
=B. eccen´tricus= Pk.—eccentric. (Plate CXVI, fig. 1, p. 420.) =Pileus= thick, firm, convex, irregular, glabrous, more or less lobed or wavy on the involute margin, gray or yellowish-gray. =Flesh= white, close-grained, elastic, unchangeable, taste and odor farinaceous. =Tubes= convex, depressed around the stem, not reaching the margin of the pileus, somewhat uneven and pitted on the surface, yellowish-brown, the mouths subangular, at first concolorous, becoming reddish or reddish-purple. =Stem= eccentric, tapering downward, solid, uneven with short irregular shallow grooves or obscure reticulations, tinged with red at the top, grayish below, tinged with red or purple within at the base.
=Pileus= 5–10 cm. broad. =Stem= 4–5 cm. long, 3–4 cm. thick at the top.
Sandy soil in grassy places in woods. Mt. Gretna, Pa. August and September.
The species is well marked by its eccentric stem, thick irregular pileus and the reddish or reddish-purple mouths of the mature tubes. Mr. McIlvaine remarks that when it is cooked it is delicate and savory. Peck, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, No. 27.
In commenting upon this new species to the writer, Professor Peck says: “I suspect that the spores of this (B. eccentricus) are pinkish or rosy. If so, it belongs here (in Hyporhodii). If not, it may have to go in the Luridi, or possibly may be made the type of a new tribe.”
CARIO´SI—caries, rottenness.
Stem never reticulated, stuffed with a spongy pith, at length commonly excavated. Tubes at first white, then often yellowish, their mouths minute, round.
Fries adds to these characters, “spores white.” But in our species the spores are pale-yellow when shed in a mass on white paper. They are more elliptical in outline than the spores of most Boleti. The character of the stem is peculiar and easily distinguishes the tribe. The exterior is firm, the interior soft and spongy, becoming irregularly hollow or cavernous in the typical species.
Flesh unchangeable 1 Flesh quickly changing to blue where wounded B. cyanescens 1. Pileus minutely velvety-tomentose B. castaneus 1. Pileus granulated B. Murray Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. cyanes´cens= Bull.—cyaneus, deep-blue. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, opaque, floccose-scaly or covered with an appressed tomentum, pale-buff, grayish-yellow, yellowish or somewhat brown. =Flesh= rigid, white, quickly changing to blue where wounded. =Tubes= free, white, becoming yellowish, the mouths minute, round, changing color like the flesh. =Stem= ventricose, hoary with fine hairs, stuffed, becoming cavernous, contracted and even at the top, colored like the pileus. =Spores= subelliptical, 10–12.5×6–7.5µ.
=Pileus= 2–5 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 8–18 lines thick.
Woods and open places. New York, Peck; New England, Frost, Bennett; Minnesota, Johnson; Wisconsin, Bundy. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
High ground in woods. Solitary. West Virginia mountains, Springton Hills, Pa., Kingsessing, Philadelphia, Mt. Gretna, Pa., McIlvaine.
Boletus cyanescens is a sparse grower. The quality of the juice varies. That of young specimens stains the fingers blue, that of old, brown. The caps are firm and make an excellent dish cooked in any way.
=B. casta´neus= Bull.—chestnut. (Plate CXIV, fig. 3, p. 414.) =Pileus= convex, nearly plane or depressed, firm, even, dry, minutely velvety-tomentose, cinnamon or reddish-brown. =Flesh= white, unchangeable. =Tubes= free, short, small, white becoming yellow. =Stem= equal or tapering upward, even, stuffed or hollow, clothed and colored like the pileus. =Spores= 10–12.5×6–7.5µ.
=Pileus= 1.5–3 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2.5 in. long, 3–5 lines thick.
Woods and open places. Rather common and wide spread. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
Boletus castaneus is one of the neatest looking of fungi. The prevailing color is cinnamon, that of the tubes white or very light yellow, spotted with brown wherever insects have touched them. The pore surface of mature specimens is usually irregular. Whoever has seen the stalagmites of Luray Cave will recognize their color on the stems of B. castaneus. These are brittle, snapping like pipe stems, with a small tube in center.
The fungus is common from June until September. It is gregarious, occasionally three or four individuals form a group. Either raw or cooked the caps are edible and will become favorites.
=B. Mur´rayi= B. and C. =Pileus= hemispherical, granulated, vivid red. =Flesh= yellow. =Tubes= decurrent, about 1 line deep, yellow. =Stem= clavate, even, pale-yellow. =Spores= pale-yellow.
=Pileus= 2–3 in. broad, nearly 1.5 thick.
New England, Murray.
On account of the color of the spores this species has been placed with the Cariosi. The description does not mention the character of the interior of the stem, and the decurrent tubes depart from the character of the typical species so that its true position is uncertain. The species seems well marked by the character of the pileus. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. isabelli´nus= Pk. =Pileus= convex, firm, minutely tomentose, whitish, becoming darker and smoother with age. =Flesh= isabelline. =Tubes= adnate, minute, sometimes larger near the stem, nearly round, whitish. =Stem= nearly equal, subglabrous, hollow, whitish. =Spores= subelliptical, 7.5–9×5–6µ. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 4–6 lines thick.
Woods. Ocean Springs, Miss. June. Underwood.
The species belongs to the Cariosi. Peck, in Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, Vol 24, No. 3.
APPENDIX (Boletus).
The descriptions of the following species are scarcely sufficient to permit of the satisfactory reference of the species to their places in the tribes. It is to be hoped that these plants may again be found and their proper relations be ascertained.
=B. Ana´nas= Curt. =Pileus= pulvinate, thickly and rigidly floccose-verrucose, yellow, flocci white above, flesh-colored beneath, the margin thin, membranous, lacerated; hymenium plane, depressed around the stem, yellow or tawny-yellow, becoming greenish where wounded, their mouths medium size, obtusely angular. =Stem= even, solid, somewhat enlarged at the base, white. =Spores= ferruginous.
=Pileus= 3–4 in. broad. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, 6–9 lines thick.
Under prostrate trunks of pine trees.
South Carolina, Ravenel; North Carolina, Curtis.
This is said to approach S. strobilaceus in habitat, but to be otherwise very different. It is placed among the Subtomentosi in Sylloge, but from these it recedes by its floccose wart-like scales. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. radico´sus= Bundy. =Pileus= thin, wide, recurved, yellow tinged with brown, the cuticle easily removed. =Flesh= pale-yellowish tinged with pink, not changing color when bruised. =Tubes= decurrent, large, uneven-mouthed, compound, angular, tinged with brown. =Stem= flexuous, yellow above, whitish below, rough with dark appressed scales, fibrous-rooted.
=Pileus= 4 in. broad. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, 5 lines thick.
Wisconsin, Bundy.
The pileus is not described as viscid, but in other respects the species appears to belong to the Viscipelles and to be related to Boletus collinitus. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. Po´cono= Schw. =Pileus= pulvinate, cervine (dun color), minutely covered with bundles of tomentum on the closely-inflexed margin. =Tubes= rather large, somewhat prominently angular, concolorous. =Stem= subattenuated, thickened toward the base, pallid-striate at the apex, elsewhere spadiceous, subfurfuraceous.
=Pileus= 1 in. broad. Stem 2–3 in. long.
Beech woods. Pennsylvania, Schweinitz.
=STROBILO´MYCES= Berk.
Gr—a pine cone; a fungus.
(Plate CXXIV.)
Hymenophore even. =Tubes= not easily separable from it, large, equal. =Pileus= and =stem= distinctly rough-scaled, the =flesh= tough. Syl. Fung., Vol. VI, p. 49.
I have given Professor Saccardo’s emended diagnosis of this genus, because it expresses what appears to me to be the most important generic character, that is, tubes not easily separable from the hymenophore. By this character and by the tough substance the transition between Boletus and Polyporus is made.
Tubes nearly equal in length S. strobilaceus Tubes shortened around the stem S. floccopus Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
=S. strobila´ceus= Berk. Gr—cone-like. (Plate CXXIV.) =Pileus= hemispherical or convex, dry, covered with thick floccose projecting blackish or blackish-brown scales, the margin somewhat appendiculate with scales and fragments of the veil. =Flesh= whitish, changing to reddish and then to blackish where wounded. =Tubes= adnate, whitish, becoming brown or blackish with age; their mouths large, angular, changing color like the flesh. =Stem= equal or tapering upward, sulcate at the top, floccose-tomentose, colored like the pileus. =Spores= subglobose, rough, blackish-brown, 10–12.5µ.
=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 3–5 in. long, 4–10 lines thick. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
West Virginia mountains, Pennsylvania, McIlvaine; Indiana, H.I. Miller.
Common in woods and their margins, under the overhanging sods of washes and road-cuts. Often in troops, occasionally cespitose. The rough fuzzy cap reminds of short fur that has been wet and dried. Its appearance is unique among Boleti. Before cooking the stem and tubes should be removed, unless the latter are very firm and fresh. The squamules must be cut away or the dish will be rough.
With many this Boletus is a prime favorite. It has a strong woody taste, sometimes musky, sometimes faintly of anisette. It cooks well by any method.
=S. floc´copus= Vahl.—floccose-stemmed. =Pileus= convex, soft, covered with areas of bunched rough, scaly tomentum, cinereous, at length blackish, appendiculate with the silky, thick annular veil. =Tubes= shortened behind, their mouths large, whitish-gray. =Stem= stout, pitted above, umber-tomentose below. =Spores= perfectly globose, brown, 9µ broad.
=Pileus= 4–5 in. broad. =Stem= 4–5 in. long, 1 in. thick.
Woods. North Carolina and Pennsylvania, Schweinitz; Ohio, Morgan; New York, Peck.
According to Fries this is a larger and firmer species than S. strobilaceus but manifestly related to it. The New York specimens which I have referred to it differ from S. strobilaceus in no respect, except in the tubes being depressed around the stem. Unless there are other differences in the European plant, it scarcely seems to me to be worthy of specific distinction. Boletus floccopus, Rost. tab. 40, is referred to Boletus scaber, as is B. holopus, Rost. tab. 48. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
I agree with Professor Peck that this species is not worthy of specific distinction. During 1898 I found a bunch containing eight individuals which varied through all botanic characteristics given to both species. The largest individual was 4½ in. across cap, the smallest 1½ in. On some the tubes were adnate, on others shortened behind. There was no difference in flavor excepting that due to age.
FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE. 1. FISTULINA HEPATICA, 477 2. POLYPORUS SULPHUREUS, 485
=FISTULI´NA= Bull.
Fistula, a pipe.
Hymenium formed on the under surface of a fleshy hymenophore, at first warted, the warts developing into cylindrical tubes that remain distinct and free from each other, producing in their interior cellular processes each bearing four spores. Conidia are produced in cavities of the old hymenophore.
With the outward appearance of a Polyporus, but separated by the tubes being free from each other.
A small genus of which F. hepatica is the principal species. This is known and valued in Europe and wherever found in this country. Unfortunately it is rare or unknown in many localities. A new species has recently been found in the United States—Fistulina firma, by Mrs. A. M. Hadley, Manchester, N.H.—a white-flesh species whose edibility is not reported. Torrey Bull., 1899. F. pallida B. and Rav.; F. radicata, Schw.; F. spathulata B. and C., are reported from Alabama. Edible qualities not stated. The writer has not seen them or he surely would have tested them. The spread and cultivation of F. hepatica is possible. Experiments in this line are desirable.
=F. hepat´ica= (Huds.) Fr. Gr—resembling the liver. (Plate CXXV, fig. 1, p. 476.) Juicy-fleshy, not rooting. =Pileus= entire, blood-red. =Flesh= thick, soft, viscid above, transversed with tenacious fibers, hence variegated-red. =Tubes= at first pallid.
Changeable in form, sessile or extended into a lateral stem. Fries.
=Spores= salmon-color, nearly round with an oblique apiculus, 3µ W.G.S.; broadly elliptical, 5–6×3–4µ; conidia, 6–10×5µ Massee; yellowish, elliptical, 5–6.5µ long Peck.
West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. August to frost. McIlvaine.
Small specimens may be confounded with F. pallida, which follows.
Fistulina hepatica is celebrated in most countries, and known usually as the Beefsteak fungus. It grows from decaying crevices in oak, chestnut and other trees and stumps, but those named are its favorites. July, August, September are its months, and after rains. In some localities and years it is rare. At Mt. Gretna, in 1898, a hundred pounds of it could be gathered almost any day.
August, 1899, at Mt. Gretna, Pa., I found several specimens in vicinity which, though evidently F. hepatica, were remarkable for their structure—2–4 in. across, irregularly cylindrical, with spore surface covering the entire fungus. Stem curt, eccentric, almost central. Specimens were sent Professor Peck, who writes:
“The sample of Fistulina which you send is a singular thing. Saccardo has noted a somewhat similar form but without pore surface. Yours has pore surface, but I do not find spores developed in it. I am inclined to think it a monstrosity, as you do, but as you say you have found several of them I think it would be well to put it on record and I will enter it in my record as Fistulina hepatica monstrosa n. var. and indicate its characters.” Letter from Professor Peck, August 28, 1899.
I have partially succeeded in transplanting the mycelium of F. hepatica. Experiments in this direction, I feel confident, will introduce this valuable fungus to localities where it is not now found, or is rare. Experiments with the spores have not been as yet successful.
=F. hepatica monstrosa= n. var. Pk. Subglobose, supported on a short stem or stem-like base, the external surface entirely covered with tubules 2–4 mm. long.
Pennsylvania. C. McIlvaine. In color and texture resembling the common form, but Mr. McIlvaine informs me that there is nothing in the position or place of growth of the specimens to account for their peculiar character. They are 2–4 in. in diameter. Peck, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, 27, January, 1900.
Excellent.
=F. pal´lida= B. and Rav.—pallidus, pale. =Pileus= kidney-shaped, pallid-red, pulverulent, 1–2 in. broad, about 1 in. long, margin inflexed. =Tubes= more or less decurrent. =Stem= lateral, striate, when dry, 1½ in. long, ⅓ in. thick.
Mountains of South Carolina on the ground. Ravenel. Alabama, base of stumps of white oak. Peters. Grev., Vol. 1, No. 5. New Jersey, Ellis.
No. 1. POLYPORUS FUMOSUS. }
2. POLYSTICTUS VERSICOLOR. } About natural size.
3. MERULIUS CORIUM. }
4. POLYPORUS PERENNIS AND } SECTION.
5. DÆDALEA QUERCINA. }
6. FOMES IGNIARIUS. } Reduced in size.
7. TRAMETES GIBBOSA. }
=POLY´PORUS= Fr.
Gr—many; a passage, pore.
=Pileus= fleshy, moist, tough, becoming harder in age, internally composed of radiating fibers; the spore-bearing surface is within passages or pores which are made by the descending substance of the pileus forming the dissepiments or separating walls, hence they are not easily separable from the pileus or from one another. The pores not appearing at first, then becoming rounded, angular or torn. They form a distinct strata. =Stem= central, eccentric, lateral or absent.
With few exceptions growing from wood. Section Merisma contains species which are conspicuous among fungi for their size and beauty.
The majority of this genus are unedible, because of their being woody, tough or bitter. Few of the edible species are of the first class.
Excellent dishes are made by stewing the species well, serving them in patties or in croquettes. The cooking of P. intybaceus is a guide to all.
ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.
I.—MESOPUS. (Gr—middle; a foot.) Page 479.
Stem single, distinct, central or eccentric; not black at the base.
II.—PLEUROPUS. (Gr—the side; a foot.) Page 480.
Stem single, lateral or eccentric; base black.
III.—MERISMA. (Gr—to divide.) Page 482.
Divided into numerous pileoli, borne on a simple or much-branched stem, or a short, thick tubercle.
IV.—APUS. (Gr—without; a foot.) Page 488.
Stem wanting; pileus attached by the side or spread on the matrix.
V.—RESUPINATI. (Lying on the back.) Page 489.
The pores being placed directly upon the wood or on the mycelium, the pileus proper is absent.
I.—ME´SOPUS.
=P. ovi´nus= Schaeff.—relating to sheep. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad, fleshy, thick, fragile, irregular in shape, becoming scaly, whitish. =Stem= short, thick, 1 in. or more in length, white. =Pores= minute, equal, round, white then citron-color.
On the ground. Autumn.
North Carolina, Curtis; Massachusetts, Frost; Ohio, Morgan; New York, ground in pine woods. Bethlehem. September, Peck, 22d Rep.
Cordier says it possesses an agreeable odor of almonds and that Fries and his companions ate it raw in their mycological excursions.
Edible. Peck, Curtis.
=P. leuco´melas= (Pers.) Fr.—leucos, white; melas, black. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad, fleshy, somewhat fragile, irregularly-shaped, silky, sooty-black. =Flesh= soft, reddish when broken. =Stem= 1–3 in. in length, stout, unequal, somewhat tomentose, sooty-black, becoming black internally. Pileus and stem becoming black in places. =Pores= rather large, unequal, ashy or whitish, becoming black in drying.
=Spores= pale brown, 10–12×4–5µ. Massee.
North Carolina, edible, Curtis; Ohio, a curious esculent. Morgan.
=P. circina´tus= Fr.—round. =Pileus= 3–4 in. broad, compact, thick round, plane, zoneless, velvety, reddish-brown. =Flesh= the same color. It forms duplicate strata of pilei, the inferior contiguous with the stem and corky; the superior compact, soft, floccose. =Stem= 1 in. thick and high, bearing a reddish-brown tomentum. =Pores= decurrent, entire, dusky-gray.
In fir woods.
A noble species, memorable for the stratified duplicate pilei.
Var. prolif´erus. Like the typical form but having one or more pilei developed from the upper surface of the first one. Fulton Chain. August. Peck, 46th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
New York. On ground in borders of woods. September. Peck, 32d, 46th Rep.
On ground in oak woods, West Philadelphia. McIlvaine.
When young the soft pilei are good.
II.—PLEUROPUS.
=P. squamo´sus= Fr.—squama, a scale. (Plate CXXX, p. 480.) =Pileus= 3 in.-1½ ft. broad, somewhat ochraceous, variegated with a broad, adpressed, spot-like, centrifugal, darker scales, fleshy-pliant, fan-shaped, flattened. =Stem= excentric and lateral, obese, reticulated at the apex, blackish at the base. =Pores= thin, variable (at first minute), then large, angular and torn, pallid. Fries.
Handsome, commonly very large, somewhat central and umbilicate when young, at length lateral, very variable in shape.
On trunks and stumps, chiefly ash. Common. May to November. Stevenson.
=Spores= oval, white, 14×6µ W.G.S.; elliptical, colorless, 12×5µ Massee.
Massachusetts, Sprague; Iowa, Macbride; New York. Trunk of elm. May. Peck, 27th Rep.; West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. On fallen trunks and on stumps. May to November. McIlvaine.
This species does not seem to be common in America, but is found throughout Europe. It varies in size from 3 in. to over 3 feet. It has been known to attain the circumference of 7 ft. 5 in., and the weight of 40 lbs. Dr. Badham says that it can not be masticated and that its expressed juice is very disagreeable. The fact, however, remains that it is eaten, and is recorded as edible by most authors. It is undoubtedly tough, but cut fine and stewed slowly for half an hour it is quite as tender as the muscle of an oyster and has a pleasant flavor.
=P. pi´cipes= Fr.—pix, pitch; pes, a foot. Pallid then chestnut, commonly pale yellowish-livid, with the disk chestnut. =Pileus= fleshy-coriaceous, then rigid, tough, even, smooth, depressed at the disk or behind. =Flesh= white. =Stem= excentric and lateral, equal, firm, at first velvety, then naked, dotted, black up to the pores. =Pores= decurrent, round, very small, rather slender, white, then slightly pale yellowish. Fries.
Imbricated, odor somewhat sweet. The pileus is depressed behind, commonly emarginate, funnel-shaped with lobes all round.
On trunks, especially willow. Frequent. July to December. Stevenson.
Many young plants, in tufts upon a decaying oak log, were found by me at Mt. Gretna, August, 1899. They were oyster-color, the very thin caps translucent, 2–6 in. across, 1⁄16 in. thick; pores not visible to the naked eye. The black dots upon the stems developed some time after gathering.
They were pleasantly crisp when stewed and of fine flavor. Older specimens were bitter and tough.
III.—MERISMA.
=P. umbella´tus= Fr.—umbella, a sun-shade. Very much branched, fibrous-fleshy, toughish. =Pileoli= very numerous, ½-1½ in. broad, sooty, dull-red or pallid light-yellow, entire, umbilicate. =Stems= elongated, separate, united at the base, white. =Pores= minute, white.
The pileoli have occurred white. Fries.
Edible. Fries.
New York, Peck, Rep. 51; Richmond, Ind., Dr. J.R. Weist; Gouverneur, N.Y., Mrs. E.C. Anthony; West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. On decaying roots in ground and on stumps. May to November. McIlvaine.
Tufts dense, branches spreading from a center. The pilei up to 2 in. across, connected at base. The dense spreading tufts, up to a foot across and half as high, are very noticeable. The flesh is soft and of good flavor. Cook like P. intybaceus.
=P. a´nax= Berk. Fleshy, fibrous, rather tough, dusky-gray, branching out from a thick, single stem at the base and forming a large head of branches and pileoli 10–20 lines in diameter; the branches terminate in numerous large pileoli of various forms and size, imbricating, confluent and recurved. =Flesh= and =pores= white. =Stems= thick, growing together, white. =Pores= large, unequal, angular, white. =Spores= white, subelliptic, 7–8µ long.
Ohio, at the base of oak trees and stumps. Autumn. Morgan.
This species has apparently been confused by some American mycologists with P. intybaceus. I have received specimens of it bearing that name. The spores of that species are described as elliptic or ovoid. The spores of Polyporus anax, as shown by our specimens, are globose. Peck, 51st Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Ohio, Morgan; New York, Peck, 51st Rep.; New Jersey, Sterling; Angora, West Philadelphia, growing on rotting stump. September, 1897, McIlvaine.
Edible when young and fresh.
=P. frondo´sus= Fr.—frons, a leafy branch. (Plate CXXVIII, p. 482.) Tuft ½-1 ft. broad, very much branched, fibrous-fleshy, toughish. =Pileoli= very numerous, ½-2 in., sooty-gray, dimidiate, wrinkled, lobed, intricately recurved. =Flesh= white. =Stems= growing into each other, white. =Pores= rather tender, very small, acute, white.
Pores commonly round, but in an oblique position, gaping open and torn. Fries.
North Carolina, Curtis; Iowa, Macbride; New York, Peck, 24th Rep.; West Virginia, 1881–1885, Chester county, Angora, Philadelphia, Pa. On stumps, roots, etc. Rare. September to frost, McIlvaine.
Edible. Curtis. Sold in the Roman market.
Tufts up to 12 in. across; the branches very numerous, up to 2 in. wide. The plant is tender when young and grows tough as it matures. When young it is of good flavor and edible—older it makes a well-flavored gravy, or is edible if chopped fine and very well cooked.
(Plate CXXIX.)
=P. intyba´ceus= Fr.—succory-like. Very much branched, fleshy, somewhat fragile. =Pileoli= very numerous, pale-yellowish inclining to fuscous, dimidiate, stretched out, sinuate, at length spathulate. =Stems= connate in a very short trunk. =Pores= firm, obtuse, white, inclining to dingy-brown. Fries.
About same size as P. frondosus and larger. Stevenson.
=Spores= colorless, elliptical, 7×3.5µ Massee; 6×3µ W.G.S.
Indiana, H.I. Miller. Base of living trees. Woodland Cemetery, West Philadelphia, Pa., Mt. Gretna, Pa., West Virginia, New Jersey. Large tufts growing from oak roots in ground and at base of oak trees. McIlvaine.
Edible. Stevenson. Paulet says: In place of its being heavy upon the stomach, he will feel all the lighter who sups upon it.
The people of the Vosges call it the Hen-of-the-Woods.
The words of the old song—
“So very much depends upon The way in which it’s done,”
apply with exceptional force to the cooking of P. intybaceus. If it is cut in thin slices across the grain and slowly stewed for half an hour it will be tender and of good flavor. It can then be served in that way, or made into patties or croquettes.
=P. crista´tus= Fr.—crista, a crest. Branched, firmly fleshy, fragile. =Pileoli= about 3 in. broad, reddish-green, entire and dimidiate, imbricated, depressed, somewhat pulverulent-villous, then cracked into scales. =Stems= connate, irregularly shaped, white. =Pores= minute, angular and torn, whitish. Fries.
Very changeable in form, sometimes simple with an undulato-lobed, central pileus.
Edible. Curtis.
Mt. Gretna, Pa., Woodland Cemetery, Philadelphia, West Virginia. On ground over roots, open woods and grassy places. September, October. McIlvaine.
Variable in form, but usually in rose-shaped clusters, which are slightly greenish at times; oftener shades of yellow. The substance is the same in texture as P. intybaceus. Cook in same manner.
=P. con´fluens= Fr.—stems confluent; adherent. =Pilei= branched, fleshy, fragile, thick, dimidiate, imbricated, confluent, smooth, fleshy-yellow becoming obscure, slightly scaly. =Stem= short. =Pores= short, minute, pallid-white.
Eaten about Nice; savor a little sharp. Cordier; North Carolina, superior eating. Curtis. Pine woods. New Scotland. September.
Our specimens are not at all squamulose, and this character is not attributed to the species by all authors. It is probable that it is not uniform in this respect. Peck, 39th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=P. Berk´eleyi= Fr. Very much branched. =Pileoli= very large, subzonate, finally tomentose, yellowish, fleshy, tough becoming corky and hard. =Stem= short or none, arising from a long and thick common base growing out of the ground usually near trees or stumps. =Pores= rather large, irregular, angular, pale yellowish.
A magnificent specimen found near Boston a dozen years ago and exhibited in the window of Doyle, the florist, was fully four feet high and from two to three feet broad, containing very many pileoli.
North Carolina, edible, Curtis; Iowa, Bessey; Ohio, Morgan; Mt. Gretna, Pa., very large specimens, 20 in. across. McIlvaine.
Edible when young.
=P. gigante´us= Fr.—gigas, a giant. Tuft 1–2 ft. and more broad, in many imbricated layers, fleshy-pliant then somewhat coriaceous. =Pilei= date-brown, dimidiate, very broad, flaccid, somewhat zoned, rivulose, depressed behind. =Stems= connato-branched from a common tuber. =Pores= minute, somewhat round, pallid, at length torn.
The rigid cuticle separates into granules or fibrillose squamules. Pores becoming dark when touched. Fries.
Edible, Curtis. Esculent when young. On the continent its esculent qualities are known and appreciated. Cooke.
West Virginia, Chester county, Pa., Eagle’s Mere, Pa. On decaying stumps and roots. McIlvaine.
It is well marked by its spore-surface becoming black to the touch. When young and fresh it stews to a pleasant, edible consistency, but is tough if not well cooked or too old. The flavor of a gravy from it is at all times good.
=P. sulphu´reus= Fr.—sulphur, brimstone. (Plate CXXV, fig. 2, p. 476.) In many cespitose layers, 1–2 ft. and more, juicy-cheesy. =Pilei= 8 in. or more broad, reddish-yellow, imbricated, undulated, rather smooth. =Flesh= light yellowish, then white, splitting open and not hardened when old. =Pores= minute, plane, sulphur-yellow. Fries.
Soon becoming pale. Commonly sessile, but varying with a stem, lateral on standing trees, but expanded on all sides on fallen ones; also club-shaped, porous throughout. Sow. In its fullest vigor it is filled with sulphur-yellow milk.
On living trees and stumps. Frequent. August to October. Stevenson.
=Spores= oval, white, minutely papillose, 8×5µ W.G.S.; elliptical, hyaline, slightly papillose, 7–8×4–5µ Massee.
Edible. Stevenson, Curtis.
Maryland, Miss Banning; Indiana, H.I. Miller; West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. On willow, apple, cherry, maple, hickory, etc. Frequent. August to November. McIlvaine.
Frequently in large masses. Commonly broadly attached, but sometimes with a short stem. Very occasionally a single pileus will protrude from a tree like a giant yellow tongue shaded with reddish-orange. Usually the pilei are in clusters united in a solid base, white-fleshed and rich in color. I have seen clusters two feet across. On an old willow at Mt. Gretna, a cluster 18 in. across afforded a dozen meals. Whenever a meal was wanted a pound or two was broken off. It lasted until January. If P. sulphureus is cooked properly it is a delicious fungus. Cut fine, stew slowly and well, season, add butter, milk with a little thickening.
=P. macula´tus= Pk.—having maculæ-spots. =Pileus= of a cheesy consistence, broad, flattened, sometimes confluent, sessile or narrowed into a short stem, slightly uneven, white or yellowish-white, marked with darker zones and watery spots. =Pores= minute, subangular, short, whitish, sometimes tinged with brown. =Flesh= white.
=Pileus= 4–6 in. broad, 6–8 lines thick.
Prostrate trunks of trees in woods. Worcester. July.
In texture and shape this species is related to P. sulphureus, but the pores are smaller than in that species. The plants are sometimes cespitose, sometimes single. The spots in the dried specimens have a smooth depressed appearance. Peck, 26th Rep.
Angora, West Philadelphia. September, 1896. Mt. Gretna, Pa., September, 1897–1898. On white oak trunks. McIlvaine.
Several specimens of different ages proved good eating. Like P. sulphureus it must be well cooked.
=P. hetero´clitus= Fr. Gr—one of two; Gr, to lean. In many cespitose layers, coriaceous. =Pilei= 2½ in. broad, orange, sessile, expanded on all sides from a radical tubercle, lobed, villous, zoneless. Pores irregularly shaped and elongated, golden-yellow. Fries.
On the ground under oak. Rare.
The flat pilei extend horizontally from the tubercle. Irregular, eccentric. Stevenson.
Minnesota, Johnson.
Haddonfield, N.J., Hopkin’s woods. June to July, 1890–1896. McIlvaine.
Of all fungoid growth this is the most showy. Its clusters, often a foot and a half in diameter and spread like mammoth dahlias, are gorgeous in color and conspicuous in design. Resting upon the ground or reared against the base of tree or stump, they deceive by their likeness to gaudy bouquets, left by foreign picnickers. In quality it is the same as P. sulphureus. It does not, however, retain its edibility. As it ages it becomes offensive.
=P. por´ipes= Fr.—porous-stemmed. =Pileus= 1.5–3 in. broad, rather fleshy, sinuately repand, smooth, grayish-brown. =Stem= central or excentric, firm, smooth, 1.5–3 in. long, 4–6 lines thick, punctuated by the whitish decurrent pores.
On earth in hilly regions.
=Cap= 2 in. across, light drab, smooth, slightly furfuraceous toward center, broken into minute appressed squamules, zoned. =Flesh= fibrous, white-pliable. =Tubes= very shallow, round mouths with obtuse divisions, china-white, running down to base of stem. =Stem= eccentric, almost lateral, entirely surrounded by pores, connate at base, ½ in. thick.
=Smell= pleasant.
New York. Ground. August, Peck, Rep. 24; Mt. Gretna, Pa., August to November, McIlvaine. A large tufted species growing on the ground in woods, August to November, McIlvaine.
When raw tastes like the best chestnuts or filberts, but rather too dry cooked. Curtis.
It must be chopped fine and slowly cooked.
=P. immi´tis= Pk.—wide, rude. =Pilei= cespitose-imbricated, broad, slightly convex or flattened, more or less rough or uneven, radiately-wrinkled, tuberculose or fibrous-bristled, zoneless, white, becoming tinged with yellow or alutaceous in drying. =Flesh= white, slightly fibrous, soft and moist when fresh, cheesy when dry, with a subacid odor. =Pores= minute, angular or even subflexuous, about equal in length to the thickness of the pileus, the dissepiments thin, white, often at length dentate or lacerate on the edge. =Spores= minute, white, elliptical, 3–4×18–20µ.
=Pilei= 2–4 in. broad, the flesh commonly 3–4 lines thick.
Decaying ash trunks. East Berne. August.
The species is apparently related to P. cæsareus, but the character of the pores is quite different in the two species. Peck, 35th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Mt. Gretna, Pa. On dead black oak. August to November, 1898.
Several clusters grew on dead black oaks. The pilei overlap and the wrinkled corrugated margins curve downward, giving them the semblance of shells. From a distance a group looks like Pleurotus ostreatus. The substance is juicy; while cooking it is at first bitter, but this disappears. It becomes tender and well flavored.
=P. alliga´tus= Fr.—alligo, to bind to. In many cespitose layers, fibrous-fleshy, rigid-fragile. =Pilei= tan-isabelline, imbricated, unequal, zoneless, villous. =Pores= minute, soft, white, readily becoming stopped up with flocci.
Often clavate when young. Commonly wrapping round stipules and grasses. Fries.
=Spores= elliptical, pale, 6×7µ Massee.
Woodland Cemetery, Philadelphia. Among oak trees on grassy ground. July, August, September. McIlvaine.
Tufts frequently weigh two pounds. When young the plant cooks well, is tender and of sweet, pleasant flavor. When old it has a sour unpleasant odor.
IV.—APUS.
=P. chio´neus= Fr. Gr—snow. White =pileus= 1 in. and more broad, fleshy, soft, becoming even, smooth, zoneless, often extended behind, margin inflexed. =Pores= curt, very small, round, equal, quite entire. Fries.
Always soft, fragile, hyaline-white when moist, shining white when dry. Odor acid. Without a cuticle. Stevenson.
=Spores= white, oval, 21×3µ W.G.S.
New York. Decaying wood of frondose trees. Peck, 33d Rep.
Angora, Philadelphia, Mt. Gretna, Pa. On standing and fallen timber. June to September. McIlvaine.
This snow-white Polyporus is too conspicuous to be passed unseen. One does not expect to find snow-balls stuck against trees in August. At a distance it resembles one. When young and fresh it is good.
=P. betuli´nus= Fr.—betula, birch. =Pileus= fleshy, then corky, hoof-shaped, obtuse, zoneless, smooth, the oblique vertex in the form of an umbo, pellicle thin, separating. =Pores= late of being developed, curt, minute, unequal, at length separating. Fries.
On living and dead birch. Common. May to December.
=Pileus= 3–6 in. broad. The pileus is at first pale, then acquiring a brownish tinge. The edge is always very obtuse. Stevenson.
The lower surface or hymenium is frequently rough with numerous acicular projections, making the plant look like a Hydnum when viewed horizontally. Peck, 24th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Massachusetts, Kansas, New York. Peck, Rep. 24.
Wherever the birch grows this neat, white-fleshed Polyporus abounds.
When young it is eaten by deer. Dried it burns with a white flame, or holds fire as well as the best punk. It is a valuable fuel, already prepared for the stove. In the birch forests near Eagle’s Mere, Pa., tons of it can be seen protruding from tree and log.
When very young it is fair. Unpleasant when old.
V.—RESUPINATI.
=P. sinuo´sus= Fr.—full of folds. Broadly effused, adnate, dry, the evanescent mycelium somewhat rooting, white then yellowish. =Pores= large, surface flexuous, acute, lacerated. Odor of licorice.
New York. Decaying wood of maple. Peck, 40th Rep.
Mt. Gretna, Pa. McIlvaine.
Of but little food value. Collected carefully and boiled, it yields a pleasantly flavored liquor.
=MERU´LIUS= Hall.
(Plate CXXVI, fig. 3, p. 478.)
Hymenophore resting on a loose mold-like mycelium, covered with the soft, waxy, continuous hymenium, having its surface variously plicate or wrinkled, the folds forming irregular pores, sometimes obsoletely toothed.
Generally on wood.
I have tasted, raw, every species I have found. They are all more or less woody in flavor, and I believe them to be edible. At the best Merulius would be an emergency genus. M. tremellosus is substantial, as is M. rubellus Pk.
=M. tremello´sus= Schrad.—tremellosus, trembling. Resupinate; margin becoming free and more or less reflexed, usually radiately-toothed, gelatinoso-cartilaginous; hymenium variously wrinkled and porous; whitish and subtranslucent looking, becoming tinged brown in the center. =Spores= cylindrical, curved, about 4×1µ.
On wood. From 1–3 in. across, remaining pale when growing in dark places. Margin sometimes tinged rose, radiating when well developed. Massee.
=Spores= cylindrical, curved, hyaline, 4×1µ K.
New York. Old logs, stumps, Catskill mountains. Peck, 22d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Mt. Gretna, Pa. Common, both rose-colored and translucent brown species, numerous on decaying wood. October to November, 1898–1899. McIlvaine.
M. tremellosus is a common species and rather attractive looking. In substance it approaches Tremella and Peziza. The spore-bearing surface is superior (turned upward) and then sometimes turned in at the margin which frequently is bright rose color, sometimes yellowish-rose. It is rather tasteless—slightly woody in flavor, rather tough. An emergency species.
=M. rubel´lus= Pk.—rubellus, dim. of ruber, reddish. Generally cespitose, imbricated, sessile, dimidiate, soft, tenacious, tomentose, evenly red, pale when dry; margin mostly undulately inflexed; hymenium white or flesh-color; folds branching, forming anastomosing pores. =Spores= elliptical, hyaline, minute, 4–5×2.5–3µ.
=Pileus= 2–3 in. long, 1.5 in. broad.
Somewhat related to M. tremellosus.
On trunks of beech in woods.
Ohio, Morgan; Indiana, Dr. J.R. Weist; Mt. Gretna, Pa., November. McIlvaine. Specimens identified by Professor Peck.
Tough, but edible.
FAMILY III.—=HYDNA´CEÆ.=
=Hymenium= inferior or amphigenous (not confined to one surface), from the first definitely protuberant, spread over persistent spines, bristles, teeth, tubercles or papilla. Fries.
While the highest members of this family possess the general form of the mushroom, others, lacking a stem, recline on the back (resupinate); the lowest, without even the appearance of a distinct pileus, seem to be simply spread over the supporting body (effused). In the highest class the spines or other spore-bearing surface are inferior, i. e., below the pileus; in the others they are of course superior, i. e., above the pileus.
Of the eleven genera but two contain species of food value. Hydnum, characterized by its acute spines, embraces species which are eaten as delicacies, and Irpex, distinguished by its somewhat acute teeth growing from a ridgy hymenium, contains those which may furnish sustenance in time of need. In Caldesia, bearing spines, the texture is floccose not fleshy. Sistotrema has a pileus and a central stem, but instead of spines bears irregular flattened teeth. The remaining genera are separated by the tubercles, granules, folds, etc., which take the place of spines or teeth.
Several species of Hydnum are common to earth and wood, others are distinct in their habitats.
SYNOPSIS OF THE GENERA.
HYDNUM. Page 494.
Sporophore fleshy, with a central stem or entirely resupinate, texture compact, spines acute, distinct at the base.
CALDESIELLA.
Resupinate; texture floccose, spines acute; spores muriculate. (No edible species reported.)
SISTOTREMA.
Pileate; fleshy, central-stemmed, teeth flattened, irregular, inferior. (No edible species reported.)
IRPEX. Page 504.
Resupinate; teeth rather acute, springing from folds or ridges that often anastomose irregularly.
RADULUM.
Resupinate; tubercles coarse, deformed, subcylindrical, obtuse. (No edible species reported.)
PHLEBIA.
Resupinate; hymenium covered with folds or wrinkles, having the edge entire or corrugated. (No edible species reported.)
GRANDINIA.
Resupinate; hymenium with crowded, globose, persistent, hemispherical, minute granules, having their apices more or less excavated. (No edible species reported.)
POROTHELIUM.
Resupinate; hymenium with scattered wart-like granules, which become more or less elongated and excavated at the apices. (No edible species reported.)
ODONTIA.
Resupinate; hymenium densely covered with small granules that are divided at the apices in a penicillate manner. (No edible species reported.)
KNEIFFIA.
Resupinate; hymenium covered with very minute, barren, acute spinules. (No edible species reported.)
MUCRONELLA.
Spines slender, elongated, acute, not springing from a sporophore or subiculum. (No edible species reported.)
=HYD´NUM.=
Gr—name for some edible fungus.
Hymenium inferior, bearing awl-shaped =Spines=, distinct at the base. Fries.
In this genus the spines proceed from an even surface, not folded or wrinkled, and are covered with the spore-bearing surface.
The forms are extremely variable, the type of the first section, H. repandum, being easily mistaken for one of the Agaricaceæ until examined, the stem being nearly central and upright, while in other forms it is lateral or absent. Some are dimidiate (as if part of the pileus had been removed and the plant attached by the remaining portion); the lower forms are resupinate.
ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.
MESOPUS (Gr—middle, a foot). Page 495.
Entire, simple, stem central. On the ground, mostly in pine woods.
PLEUROPUS (Gr—the side; a foot).
Stem lateral. None known to be edible.
MERISMA (Gr—to divide). Page 501.
Very much branched or of an irregular form without a distinct margin.
APUS (Gr—without; a foot). Page 503.
Stemless, dimidiate, margin distinct.
RESUPINATI (resupino, to throw on the back).
Without stem or distinct pileus. None known to be edible.
MES´OPUS. Gr—middle; a foot.
(Entire, simple, stem central. On the ground, mostly in pine woods.)
=H. imbrica´tum= L.—imbrex, a tile. =Pileus= about 2–5 in. broad, umber, zoneless, fleshy, rather plane, somewhat umbilicate, floccose, tessulato-scaly. =Flesh= dingy whitish. =Stem= curt, 1–3 in. long, 1–2 in. thick, even. =Spines= 4–6 lines long, decurrent, ashy-white.
There are two forms; one with the pileus plane and with thick persistent scales, another with the pileus somewhat infundibuliform, and with thinner, at length separating scales. Stevenson.
=Spores= pale yellow brown, rough, 6–7×5µ Massee; 6×5µ W.G.S.
Fleshy. The numerous scales over lapping toward the center. The surface of the cap often cracks in a tesselated manner. Flesh dingy, buffish or reddish. =Spines= short, blunt, grayish-white and mostly of equal length.
In pine and mixed woods. Autumn.
Of delicate taste. Cordier. Edible. Curtis.
Fine specimens grew at Mt. Gretna, Pa., from September to November. Until closely examined the cap may be mistaken for that of H. zonatum. The zones of the latter and the pervading rust-color will distinguish it. Both are edible, though H. zonatum is much tougher. H. imbricatum is slightly bitter, raw. It must be sliced thin and well cooked.
=H. læviga´tum= Swartz—lævis, smooth. =Pileus= 4–6 in. broad, umber, fleshy, compact, firm, regular, plane, even, very smooth, margin circinate (not repand). =Flesh= whitish, compact, but by no means fibrous, soft when fresh, pliant when dry. =Stem= short, thick, even, pallid-brown. =Spines= thin, pallid-brown.
Its size is that of H. imbricatum, but it occurs twice as large, with the pileus minutely rimuloso-rivulose, by no means scaly. The stem varies curt and unequal or longer and equal. Quite distinct from H. fragile. Stevenson.
=Spores= 10–15µ long, Massee; globose, warted, pale lemon-yellow, 7µ Q.
In pine woods. August to October.
Edible, Curtis; edible, Leuba. “Eaten in Alpine districts.” Barla.
(Plate CXXXI.)
=H. scabro´sum= Fr.—scabrosus, rough. =Pileus= about 1½-4 in. broad, brownish-yellow, compactly fleshy, at first top-shaped, then plane above, very convex beneath, at first tomentose, then rough with flocci which are fasciculate in the form of minute crowded squamules, slightly repand at the margin. =Flesh= very thick, white, descending into the stem. =Stem= very curt, 1 in. long, and equally thick, round or compressed, dotted with the rudiments of spines decurrent upon it, ash-color, attenuated downward, roundish and blackish at the base. =Spines= 4 lines long, equal, awl-shaped, dingy-rust color, whitish at the apex, at first sight grayish-brown. Fries.
=Spores= 4–5µ diameter. Massee.
Hydnum scabrosum is frequently found in Pennsylvania, among pines and in mixed woods where pines grow. It occurs at Mt. Gretna, Pa., and on Springton Hills under hemlocks.
The caps are soft, fleshy, and equal to H. repandum in quality.
=H. squamo´sum= Schaeff.—squama, a scale. =Pileus= 1½-3 in. across, reddish-brown, fleshy, irregular, depressed, smooth, breaking up into irregular scales. =Flesh= whitish. =Stem= curt, attenuated downward, white. =Spines= grayish-brown, whitish at the apex. Stevenson.
=Spores= subglobose, 5–6µ diameter. Massee.
=Pileus= smooth and even when young. =Flesh= whitish. =Spores= grayish-brown. =Spines= whitish, giving the lower surface a much lighter appearance than the upper.
Under hemlock and spruce in West Virginia, 1884. McIlvaine.
Caps are good when sliced thin and well cooked.
=H. subsquamo´sum= Batsch. =Pileus= fleshy, somewhat convex, subumbilicate, brownish-rust color, superficial scales soon dropping off; spotted with brown. =Stem= stout, unequal, smooth. =Spines= whitish, becoming brown, apex remaining whitish. North Carolina, Curtis; Alabama, Peters; Massachusetts, Sprague. Edible. Curtis. Edible. Cordier.
(Plate CXXXII.)
=H. repan´dum= L.—repandus, bent backward (of the cap, upward). =Pileus= 2–6 in. broad, pallid, etc., fleshy, fragile, somewhat repand, rather smooth. =Stem= 2–5 in. long, ½-1½ in. thick, irregularly shaped, pallid. =Spines= 4 lines long, unequal, of the same color. Stevenson.
=Spores= pointed, 5–8µ Massee.
=Pileus= sometimes depressed, often turned upward at margin, often waved, sometimes tomentose. Color variable—light-buff, brown, pinkish, reddish. =Flesh= whitish, compact, fragile. =Spines= conical, up to ¼ in. in length, whitish but rich creamy shades, mostly pointed, but sometimes appearing to be hollow. =Stem= central or eccentric, sometimes covered with white down, thick, uneven, usually crooked, solid, fleshy, light in color.
July to November.
Edible. Curtis.
Common to most countries, and, although given as a ground-growing species, it is rather indiscriminate in its habitats. Woods, fields, leaf-covered or bare places, much decayed wood and stumps are its living places. Dr. Cooke thinks it irreproachable. Popularly it goes by the name of the Hedgehog mushroom.
H. repandum varies greatly in shape, color and texture. In the open it is usually symmetrical and tough; when clustered it is irregular, often fanciful and quite brittle—tender.
When sliced thin an hour’s slow cooking is sufficient. All writers commend it, and properly.
=H. rufes´cens= Pers.—rufus, red. =Pileus= 2–3 in. across, thin, fragile, usually regular, pubescent, reddish. =Spines= 1–3 lines long, regular. =Stem= 1–3 in. long, commonly thin, nearly equal, reddish.
The whole plant is reddish. In all other respects it resembles H. repandum. Usually more regular.
Commonly found in woods. New York, Peck; North Carolina, Curtis, Schweinitz.
Edible, Curtis. Edible, Leuba.
Fries considered H. rufescens a variety of H. repandum, and the writer agrees with him. It is given distinct place here because Massee and Stevenson—books in the hands of many students of fungi—give it importance.
It is quite as good as H. repandum.
=H. ferrugi´neum= Fr. =Pileus= 1–4 in. across, corky, soft, convex, then plane or depressed, irregularly pitted, ferruginous, at first with whitish tomentum. =Flesh= ferruginous. =Spines= thin, acute, about 2 lines long, rusty-brown. =Stem= firm, 2–3 in. long, unequal, rusty-brown. =Spores= subglobose, 4µ diameter.
In fir woods. Often gregarious; soft when young, corky and dry at maturity. Massee.
Mt. Gretna, Pa. November to December, 1898. Among pine leaves.
Taste mild, mealy. Tough, but when young it cooks tender.
=H. zona´tum= Batsch. Ferruginous. =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad, equally coriaceous, thin, expanded, somewhat infundibuliform, zoned, becoming smooth, radiately-wrinkled, the paler margin sterile beneath. =Stem= ½-¾ in. long, 2–3 lines thick, slender, somewhat equal, floccose, base tuberous. =Spines= 1–1½ lines long, slender, pallid, then rust-color. Stevenson.
=Spores= rough, globose, pale watery brown, 4µ diameter Massee.
New York, Peck, 24th Rep. Mt. Gretna, Pa. Abundant among hemlocks; West Virginia. McIlvaine.
Coriaceous. Edible. It will not cook tender, but yields a pleasant flavor to a gravy made of its juices.
=H. albo´nigrum= Pk. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, broadly obconical, tough but soft and densely tomentose on the upper surface, buff-brown or smoky brown, often wholly covered with a whitish downy tomentum, sometimes on the margin only, substance within soft tomentose and buff-brown in the upper stratum, the lower half hard and black. =Spines= short, at first white, then whitish or grayish. =Stem= short, often irregular, compressed or growing together, blackish when moist, buff-brown when dry, covered with a thick dense tomentum, which is frequently more abundant toward the base, hard and black within. =Spores= white, globose, 4–5µ.
=Pileus= 1–3 in. broad, sometimes 2 or 3 confluent. =Stem= 1–2 in. long.
Ground in mixed woods. Gansevoort. August. Peck, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Specimens from pine woods New Jersey, T.J. Collins, September, 1897. 1½ in. across. Frequent at Mt. Gretna, Pa.
Edible. Good flavor, but tough.
=H. velle´reum= Pk. This species appears to be very much like the preceding one (H. albonigrum Pk.) from which it is separated by its smaller size and the paler brownish or rusty-brown substance of its pileus and stem. Peck, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
At Mt. Gretna, Pa., the species grows with H. albonigrum. In quality it is the same.
(Plate CXXXIII.)
=H. al´bidum= Pk. =Pileus= fleshy, thin, broadly convex or nearly plane, subpruinose, white. =Flesh= white. =Spines= short, white. =Stem= short, solid, central or eccentric, white. =Spores= subglobose, 4–5µ broad.
The whitish Hydnum is uniformly colored in all parts. It grows in groups or in clusters. In the latter case the caps are sometimes irregular because of the crowded mode of growth and the stems are occasionally eccentric. It is a small species not liable to be mistaken for any other except possibly for very small pale forms of the spreading Hydnum. But wholly white examples of this species have never been seen by me.
The =caps= are 1–2 in. broad and the =stems= are generally about 1 in. long and 3–5 lines thick.
The plants grow in thin woods or in open bushy places and appear in June and July. It is not a common species, and though well flavored it is not of very great importance as an edible mushroom, because of its scarcity and small size. Peck, 51st Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Port Jefferson. July. This fungus has been tested and found to be edible. Peck, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Mt. Gretna, Pa., 1897. Specimens identified by Professor Peck. McIlvaine.
The caps are edible and superior to H. repandum.
=H. fen´nicum= Karst. =Cap= fleshy, fragile, unequal, at first scaly, at length breaking up, reddish-brick color becoming darker, margin undulately lobed, 2–4 in. broad. =Flesh= white. =Stem= sufficiently stout, unequal below, attenuated, flexuous or curved, smooth, of the same color as the cap, base acute, light white tomentum outside, inside light pale-blue or dark-gray (wood-ash), 1–3 in. long, .4–1 in. thick. =Teeth= decurrent, equal, pointed, from white dusky, about 4 mm. long. =Spores= ellipso-spheroidical or sub-spheroidical, rough, dusky, 4–6µ long, 3–5µ broad.
Found in gravelly or sandy soil in woods.
Found at Angora near Philadelphia. Top cracked. Identified by Professor Peck.
Occurs frequently at Mt. Gretna, Pa., ground in mixed woods. August to September. The taste and smell are at first inviting, but the extreme bitter which develops destroys all desire to eat it.
=H. spongio´sipes= Pk. =Pileus= convex, soft, spongy-tomentose, but tough in texture, rusty-brown, the lower stratum more firm and fibrous. but concolorous. =Spines= slender, 1–2 lines long, rusty-brown, becoming darker with age. =Stem= hard and corky within, externally spongy-tomentose, colored like the pileus, the central substance often transversely zoned especially near the top. =Spores= subglobose, nodulose, purplish-brown, 4–6µ broad.
=Pileus= 1.5–4 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–3 in. long, 4–8 lines thick.
Woods. Rensselaer and Saratoga counties. August.
This plant was formerly referred to Hydnum ferrugineum Fr. Peck, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Found in pine woods, near Haddonfield, N.J., by T.J. Collins, September, 1897. =Cap= and =stem= dark brown. =Spines= darker. =Stem= swelling toward base, which then tapers in a long rooting way. =Cap= umbilicate. Specimens identified by Professor Peck.
Edible but tough and uninviting. Yields a good fungoid flavor to the water in which it is boiled.
=H. gelatino´sum= Scop. Transferred to Tremelledon as T. gelatinosum, under which heading it is described and its edible qualities noted.
MERIS´MA. Gr—a division.
(Very much branched or of an irregular form without a distinct margin.)