Chapter X: Part 10

Stem thread-like, flaccid, base not dilated or floccose but appearing to enter the matrix abruptly. Pileus soon becoming plane or umbilicate. On leaves.

* Stem quite smooth, shining.

** Stem minutely velvety or hairy.

APUS (_a_, without; _pous_, a foot).

Pileus sessile, resupinate.

I.—COLLY´BIA.

_A._ SCORTEI.

* _Stem woolly or strigose at base._

=M. u´rens= Fr.—_uro_, to burn. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad, unicolorous, pale yellowish, _becoming pale_, slightly fleshy, _moderately compact at the disk, even_, but here and there scaly or cracked in wavy lines when dry, smooth, the thin margin involute. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 3 lines thick, _solid_, composed of crisp tough fibers, rigid, equal, sometimes however ventricose, ½ in. thick, _everywhere clothed with white flocci, pale_, white-downy at the base. =Gills= free, united behind, _at length remote_ from the stem, _distant_, tough, at first pale-wood-color, _then brown_.

Gregarious, somewhat cespitose. _Taste very stinging._ The stem is not strigosely sheathed at the base. _Fries._

In mixed woods. Frequent. June to September.

A curious form occurred with the pileus turning very dark when full-grown. _B. and Br._ POISONOUS. Worthington Smith has tested it by accident. It produced headache, swimming of brain, burning in throat and stomach, followed by severe purging and vomiting. _Stevenson._

Gregarious or cespitose. Taste very pungent, a feature which separates the present from M. oreades. Not coarsely tomentose at the base, as in M. peronatus, but only downy. _Massee._

=Spores= 3×4µ _W.G.S._; elliptical, 8×4µ _Massee_.

Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia. _McIlvaine._

I have not known it to disagree with myself or friends. That it may not agree with some persons is unquestioned. Collectors should carefully test it upon themselves.

=M. perona´tus= Fr.—_pero_, a kind of boot. =Pileus= 1–2 in. and more broad, light yellowish or pallid brick-red, then becoming pale, _wood-color_ or tan, at first fleshy-pliant, then _coriaceo-membranaceous_, convex then plane, obtuse, flaccid, slightly wrinkled, even at the disk, _at length pitted, striate at the margin_. =Flesh= white. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 1–2 lines thick, stuffed, fibrous, tough, attenuated upward, _at length hollow_ and compressed, _furnished with a bark_, light yellow then pallid, _cuticle villous_ but separating and reddish when rubbed, somewhat incurved at the base, where it is _clothed with dense, somewhat strigose_, yellowish or white _villous down_. =Gills= _adnexed, then separating_, free, moderately _thin_, and _crowded_, when young whitish, _pallid wood-color_, at length somewhat remote, reddish.

_B._ Woolly sheathed at the base. Taste acrid like that of M. urens, odor none. _Fries._

In woods. Common. _Stevenson._

=Spores= pip-shaped, 7×4µ _W.G.S._; 10×6–7µ _Massee_.

New York. Thin woods. North Elba. August. September. _Peck_, 42d Rep.; West Virginia, June to December, West Philadelphia and Mt. Gretna, Chester county, Pa. _McIlvaine._

M. peronatus is the wood-cousin of M. oreades. It is still reputed poisonous by all writers upon the subject, though M.C. Cooke gives it the benefit of a doubt. The name is given because of the base of the stem being densely covered with short hairs or a woolly down, and is thus easily recognized. It is common in woods, among decaying leaves, especially of the oak, from May until after frosts. It is usually solitary, but a few individuals are sometimes clustered. It is quite peppery to the taste, but pleasantly so. I have repeatedly eaten it, as have my friends. It loses its acridity in cooking, and though the caps are tougher than M. oreades, they make a highly flavored and delicious dish. Collectors should carefully test it for themselves.

** _Stem naked at the base, etc._

=M. ore´ades= Fr. _Gr_—mountain-nymphs. Scotch bonnet. Champignon. Mousseron. (Plate LI, p. 221.) =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad, _reddish then becoming pale, absorbing moisture, whitish when dry, fleshy_, pliant, convex then plane, somewhat umbonate, even, smooth, slightly striate at the margin when moist. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 1½ lines thick, _solid_, very tough, _equal_, tense and straight, _everywhere clothed with a villous-woven cuticle_ which can be rubbed off, pallid; bluntly rooted at the base, naked, not villous or tomentose. =Gills= free, broad, _distant_, the alternate ones shorter, _at first soft_, then firmer, pallid-white.

_Odor_ weak, but _pleasant_, stronger when dried, _taste mild_. Commonly growing in circles or rows. _Fries._

=Spores= 6–7×5–6µ _K._; elliptical, 8×5µ _Massee_; nearly elliptical, white, 7.6–9µ long _Peck_.

Common throughout the states during the summer months after rains, and in rings, but can be found from May until after frost. If one knows where the rings are to be found M. oreades can be gathered when shriveled, and are quite as good, after soaking, as when fresh.

M. oreades must be sought for where the grass is luxuriant. It hides among it. It is well worthy of the search. Raw, fresh or shriveled, it is sweet, nutty, succulent when eaten; stewed well it is delicious. Though tough its consistency is agreeable. The most delicate stomachs can digest it. The writer saved the life of a lovely woman by feeding her upon it when nothing else could be retained; and of another, by feeding Coprinus micaceus, after a dangerous operation. He introduced these species, together with a few others, into a large hospital in Philadelphia, where they were used with marked beneficial effect, and such use is now widespread.

When dried, by exposure to the air or sun, it can be kept indefinitely, neither losing its aroma or flavor, which it graciously imparts to soups or any other dish.

Collybia dryophila, Stropharia semi-globata, and Naucoria semi-orbicularis are sometimes found growing with it. These species are delicious and harmless.

Lafayette B. Mendel in the Am. Jour. of Physiology, March, 1898, gives the following analysis:

Twenty freshly gathered specimens (from New Haven) weighed 9 grams, an average weight of 0.45 grams each. The analysis gave:

Water 74.96%

Total solids 25.04

Total nitrogen of dry 5.97
substance

Ash of dry substance 7.23

_B._ TERGINI.

** _Stem downy when dry, etc._

=M. Wyn´nei= B. and Br. =Pileus= 1–1½ in. broad, _lilac_-brown, tardily changing color, fleshy, convexo-plane, somewhat umbonate. =Stem= 2 in. long, 1½ line thick, tubed, _furfuraceous_, somewhat of the same color as the pileus. =Gills= adnexed, thick, distant, bright-colored, beautifully tinged with _lilac_; interstices even.

Inodorous. Gregarious or cespitose. The stem springs from a white mycelium, but is by no means strigose or tawny at the base. Quite distinct from M. fusco-purpureus. _Fries._

Among leaves, twigs, etc. _Stevenson._

=Spores= elliptical, 7–8×4µ _Massee_.

Kingsessing, West Philadelphia. Gregarious and cespitose, among leaves, etc., in oak woods. September to October, 1885.

This very pretty fungus very much resembles at first sight the small purplish Clitocybes, but is readily distinguished on examination. I ate the caps and enjoyed them during the seasons of 1885 and 1887, but have not seen the plant since.

The caps are equal to M. oreades.

_C._ CALOPODES.

* _Stem smooth, etc._

=M. scorodo´nius= Fr. _Gr_—a plant that smells like garlic. =Pileus= ½ in. and more broad, rufous when young, but soon becoming pale, whitish (not hygrophanous), slightly fleshy, pliant, convex then soon plane, obtuse, always arid; even when young, at length wrinkled and crisped. =Stem= 1 in. long, scarcely 1 line thick, _horny_, tough, tubed, equal, _very smooth throughout, shining, reddish, inserted and naked_ at the base. =Gills= _adnate_, often separating, connected by veins, at length crisped in drying, whitish.

Commonly gregarious. _Readily distinguished from neighboring species by its strong odor of garlic._ _Fries._

Heaths and dry pastures on twigs, etc. Rare.

Edible. Esteemed for flavoring. _Stevenson._

=Spores= elliptical, 6×4µ _Massee_.

North Carolina, _Schweinitz_, _Curtis_; New England, _Frost_; New Jersey, _Ellis_; New York, August, _Peck_, 23d Rep.

=M. ca´lopes= Fr. _Gr_—beautiful; a foot. =Pileus= about 4 lines broad, _whitish_, slightly fleshy, tough, convex then flattened, obtuse, rarely depressed, even, smooth, slightly wrinkled when dried. =Stem= 1 in. long, 1 line thick, tubed, slightly attenuated upward, even, _smooth_, tough, dull-red or _bay-brown-red_, shining, _somewhat rooted_. =Gills= slightly emarginate, in groups of 2–4, thin, white.

_Inodorous._ Almost smaller than M. scorodonius, but the stem is longer, otherwise very like it. _Fries._

=Spores= elliptical, 7×4µ _Massee_.

Twigs and stems among fallen leaves in woods. Ticonderoga. August.

This might easily be mistaken for M. scorodonius, but it is without odor, and has a different insertion of the lamellæ. It is sometimes cespitose. The pileus in our specimens is whitish. _Peck_, 31st Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Because of its similarity to M. scorodonius, which is edible, it is given here.

II.—MYCENA.

_A._ CHORDALES.

=M. allia´ceus= Fr.—_allium_, garlic. =Pileus= 1–1½ in. broad, whitish inclining to fuscous, often milk-white when young, somewhat membranaceous, campanulate then expanded, somewhat umbonate, even, at length striate and sulcate, smooth, dry. =Stem= as much as 8 in. long, _horny_, rigid, fistulose, attenuated upward, _pruinato-velvety, blackish_, rooted at the base where it is somewhat incurved and naked. =Gills= adnexed in the form of a ring, then _free_, slightly ventricose, arid, slightly distant, fuscous-whitish, crisped when dry.

Odor strong, of garlic, persistent. _There is nothing of a reddish tinge in the whole plant._ The stem is not tomentose at the base as in the Tergini. _Fries._

Among leaves and on rotten wood. Frequent. August to October. _Stevenson._

=Spores= 14–16×8µ. _Massee_.

North Carolina, _Schweinitz_, _Curtis_; Pennsylvania, _Schweinitz_; Minnesota, _Johnson_; Novia Scotia, _Somers_.

Edible. Bull. Boston Myc. Club.

=HELIOMYCES= Lev.

_Helios_, the sun; _myces_, a fungus.

=Pileus= membranaceous, between leathery and gelatinous, radiately sulcate. =Gills= equal, edge acute. =Stem= somewhat woody, cylindrical, central.

Allied to Marasmius, but differing in its sub-gelatinous substance.

None reported edible.

----------

=LENTI´NUS= Fr.

_Lentus_, tough or pliant.

(Plate LII.)

=Pileus= fleshy-coriaceous, pliant, tough and hard when old, persistent. =Gills= becoming dry, tough, simple, unequal, thin, margin acute, _toothed_, more or less decurrent. =Stem= when present central, excentric or lateral, hard and firm, continuous with the flesh of the pileus.

Growing on wood.

=Spores= somewhat round, even, white.

Distinguished from other coriaceous genera by its serrated and torn gills.

“The genera Lentinus and Lenzites are found in every region of the world; their principal center, however, is in hot countries, where they attain a splendid development. On the contrary, toward the north they rapidly decrease in number.” Fungi. _Cooke and Berkeley._

In habitat and mode of growth Lentinus closely resembles Pleurotus, and parallel genera with colored spores. When young the species are inviting, and when well cooked are meal-giving. They are not delicacies, but substantials. They dry well. Grated they make soups, and give their pleasant flavor to any dish.

ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.

MESOPODES (_mesos_, middle; _pous_, a foot). Page 229.

Stem distinct.

PLEUROTI (_pleura_, a side; _ous_, an ear).

Stem lateral or absent. None known to be edible

I.—MESO´PODES (center-stemmed).

=L. Lecom´tei= Fr. =Pileus= coriaceous, funnel-shaped, regularly reflexed, hairy, tawny. =Gills= crowded, pallid. =Stem= short, hairy, tawny.

Common to the states.

Professor Peck writes to me: “This plant, by reason of its rather tough substance, has commonly been referred to Lentinus, under the name L. Lecomtei Schw., but this reference is scarcely satisfactory to me, since the edge of the lamellæ is scarcely at all serrate as required by that genus. It seems to me it would go better under the genus Panus. It is variable—sometimes eccentric or even lateral. It is sometimes called Lentinus strigosus, but I do not think the two are distinct species, however distinct they may be in form.” February 26, 1894.

Like all Lentinus the present species is rather tough, yet chopped into small pieces, well cooked and seasoned, it is quite equal to P. ostreatus and many others of high renown.

(Plate LIII.)

LENTINUS TIGRINUS.
About one-half natural size.
]

=L. tigri´nus= Fr.—_tigris_, a tiger. From the markings. =Pileus= commonly 2 in. broad, white, _variegated_ with somewhat adpressed, _blackish_, _hairy squamules_, fleshy-coriaceous, _thin_, commonly orbicular and central, at first convexo-plane, _umbilicate, at length funnel-shaped_, often split at the margin when dry. =Stem= about 2 in. long, _thin_, solid, very hard, commonly attenuated downward, minutely _squamulose_, whitish, often ascending and becoming dingy-brown at the base, at first furnished _at the apex with an entire reflexed ring_, _which soon falls off_. =Gills= decurrent (_by no means sinuate_), narrow, crowded, unequal, toothed like a saw, white.

Somewhat gregarious, even cespitose, thinner and more coriaceous and regular than L. lepideus B., wholly blackish with squamules. _Fries._

On old stumps. Rare. _Stevenson._

When fresh very tender and easily torn, when dry coriaceous. _Sow._ Smell strong, acrid, like that of some Lactarii. _M.J.B._

=Spores= 6.6×3.3µ _Morgan_; elliptical, smooth, 7×3.5µ _Massee._

Agreeable taste and odor, eaten in Europe. _Roques._

Edible, tough when old and never very delicate or digestible.—_M. C. Cooke._

Not found in sufficient quantity to test.

=L. lepi´deus= Fr. _Gr_—scaly. (Plate XVI, fig. 3, 4, p. 52.) =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad, pallid-ochraceous, variegated with adpressed, _darker, spot-like scales, fleshy_, very _compact_ and firm, _irregular_, commonly excentric, convex then depressed, but not truly umbilicate, sometimes broken up into cracks. =Flesh= pliant, white. =Stem= short, commonly 1 in. long, solid, _stout, very irregularly formed_, almost woody, tomentose-scaly, whitish, rooted at the base, _at the first furnished with a veil toward the apex_. =Gills= decurrent, but _sinuate behind_, crowded broad, transversely striate, whitish, edge torn into teeth.

Odor pleasant. _Fries._

=Spores= 11×5µ _W.G.S._, 7×3µ. _Massee._

Lentinus lepideus is a sort of commercial traveler. It is common wherever railroads are. It is partial to oak ties and its mycelium is injurious to them. It is found upon pine and other timbers. The writer has collected large clusters of it from oak sawdust. The European plant is noted as “almost always solitary.” In the United States it is seldom so. It is noted as growing in damp, dark places, but it loves the sun.

As a food it is about on a par with P. ulmarius, not as tough, but harder when old. It is a reliable species from spring until late autumn, is persistent and dries well. It is neat, handsome, prolific. When young it makes a good dish, and when old can be used to advantage in soups.

=L. cochlea´tus= Fr.—_cochlea_, a snail. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad, flesh-color, but becoming pale, somewhat tan, fleshy-pliant, thin, commonly excentric, imbricated, very unequal, somewhat lobed or contorted, sometimes plane, sometimes funnel-shaped-umbilicate, but not pervious, _smooth_. =Stem= solid, firm, sometimes central, most frequently excentric, sometimes wholly lateral, _always sulcate, smooth_, flesh-colored upward, reddish-brown downward. =Gills= decurrent, crowded, serrated, white-flesh-color. _Fries._

Pliant, tough, flaccid, very changeable in form, sometimes solitary, sometimes cespitose, imbricated, growing into each other. From very small forms which are commonly solitary, with the stem and pileus scarcely 1 in. it ranges to 3 in.

On stumps. Frequent. August to October.

According to Fries the odor is weak, of anise; but it is generally strong and very pleasant. _Stevenson._

=Spores= nearly globular, 4µ diameter _Morgan_; spheroid or ellipsoid-spheroid, uniguttate, 4–6µ _K._; almost globular, 4µ _W.G.S._

The dense clusters of all sized members are usually plenty in favored localities. It is inviting in appearance, taste and spicy odor. It retains a suspicion of the latter when cooked which gives the dish a flavor pleasant to many. It must be young to be tender. When dry—like others of its kind—it can be grated and used in many ways.

=L. Un´derwoodii= Pk. =Pileus= fleshy, tough, convex or nearly plane, the glabrous surface cracking into areola-like scales which are indistinct or wanting toward the margin, whitish or slightly tinged with buff or pale ochraceous. =Flesh= white. =Gills= moderately close, decurrent, slightly connecting or anastomosing at the base, somewhat notched on the edge, whitish, becoming discolored in drying. =Stem= stout, hard, solid, eccentric, squamose, colored like the pileus. =Spores= oblong, 13–15×5–6.5µ.

=Plant= cespitose. =Pileus= 3–6 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–3 in. long, about 1 in. thick.

This differs from L. magnus in its cespitose habit, eccentric stem, longer spores, less distinctly areolate-squamose pileus and in its habitat. The gills are connected at the base very much like those of Pleurotus ostreatus. _Peck_, Torr. Bull. Vol. 23, No. 10.

North Carolina, Pennsylvania, _McIlvaine_.

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.)

PANUS TORULOSUS.
About one-fourth natural size.
]

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.

Photographed by Dr. J.R. Weist. PLATE LV.
PANUS STRIGOSUS.
]

=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_.)

PANUS STRIGOSUS.
One-third natural size.
]

=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.)

TROGIA CRISPA.
Natural size.
]

=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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

----------

_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.

Photographed by Dr. J.R. Weist. PLATE LIX.
VOLVARIA BOMBYCINA.
]

* _Pileus dry, silky or fibrillose._

(Plate LIX_a_.)

VOLVARIA BOMBYCINA.
Natural size.
]

=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.)

VOLVARIA VOLVACEA.
Two-fifths natural size.
]

=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.)

ENTOLOMA SINUATUM.
About one-fourth natural size.
]

=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.)

CLITOPILUS PRUNULUS.
One-third natural size.
]

=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.