Chapter XI: Part 11

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.)

CLITOPILUS ORCELLA.
Two-thirds natural size.
]

=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.)

Nolanea pascua.
About natural size.
]

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.)

ECCILIA ATROPUNCTA.
Two-thirds natural size.
]

=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.)

ECCILIA CARNEO-GRISEA.
Natural size.
ECCILIA ATROPUNCTA.
]

=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.)

CLAUDOPUS VARIABILIS.
Natural size.
]

=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.)

PHOLIOTA PRÆCOX.
After Peck.
]

=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.)

PHOLIOTA SQUARROSA.
One-half natural size.
]

=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.)

PHOLIOTA ADIPOSA.
About natural size.
]

=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.)

INOCYBE LANUGINOSA.
One-fourth natural size.
]

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.)

PLUTEOLUS RETICULATUS.
About natural size.
]

=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_.)

HEBELOMA FASTIBILE.
One-fourth natural size.
]

=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.