Chapter XIV: Part 14

_A._ VISCIPELLES (_viscum_, bird-lime; _pellis_, a skin). Page 349.

Pellicle of the pileus even or scaly, generally viscid.

* Mundi—_mundus_, clean. Not growing on dung.

** Merdarii—_merda_, dung. Ring often incomplete.

_B._ SPINTRIGERI (Stropharia spintriger).

Pileus without a pellicle, but fibrillose, not viscid. None known to be edible.

_A._ VISCIPELLES. Pellicle of the pileus even or scaly.

* Mun´di—_not growing on dung._

(Plate XCVI.)

STROPHARIA ÆRUGINOSA.
Natural size. (After Stevenson.)
]

=S. ærugino´sa= Curt.—_ærugo_, verdigris. =Pileus= fleshy, but not compact, convex-bell-shaped then flattened, somewhat umbonate (obtuse when larger), _with very viscid pellicle_, the ground color yellowish but _verdigris from the azure-blue slime_ with which it is more or less covered over, becoming pale as the slime separates. =Stem= _hollow_, soft, equal, _at the first scaly_ or fibrillose _below the ring, viscid, becoming_ more or less _azure-blue green_. =Ring= distant. =Gills= adnate, plane, 2 lines and more broad, not crowded, soft, whitish then dusky, becoming somewhat purple.

The above are the essential marks of this species. Variable in form, sometimes cespitose. The typical and handsomest form is gathered in soaking weather in later autumn in shaded woods; it is large (pileus and stem 3 in. and more), stem squarrose with white spreading scales, intensely verdigris or azure-blue-pelliculose and very glutinous. From this there is a long series of forms with the gluten more separating (on the separation of the gluten the pileus becomes yellow), and the scales alike of the pileus and stem rubbed off. Finally, a smaller form occurs in open meadows, stem scarcely 2 in. long, only 2 lines thick, becoming azure-blue-green and without scales, pileus 1–2 in. broad, pale verdigris soon light yellowish, less viscid. In this form the ring is incomplete, while in the typical form it is entire, spreading, and persistent.

In woods, meadows, etc. Common. July to November. _Stevenson._

=Spores= ellipsoid or spheroid-ellipsoid, 8×4–5µ _K._; 5×7µ _W.G.S._; elliptical, 10×5µ _Massee_.

POISONOUS. _Stevenson._

“There is a white variety, in which the pileus is perfectly white from the first.” _Cooke._

S. æruginosa has been noted here by Schweinitz in Pennsylvania, Curtis in North and South Carolina, Frost in Vermont and Massachusetts, Harkness and Moore, California, Morgan, Ohio. The qualities of the American representatives are not reported. I have not seen the species. As it is asserted to be poisonous by European writers it may be. M.C. Cooke says: “It has the reputation, which is somewhat general on the continent, of being poisonous, but probably this is only assumed from its disagreeable taste and repulsive appearance.” Collectors are cautioned to look out for it, and not to eat of it carelessly.

I can find no case of poisoning by this species reported. It presents another case of “Not proven.”

** Merda´rii—_ring often incomplete._

=S. stereora´ria= Fr.—_stercus_, dung. =Pileus= 1 in. broad, yellow, fleshy, but thin at the margin, hemispherical then expanded, obtuse, orbicular, with a viscid pellicle, naked, smooth, even or at length slightly striate only at the margin. =Stem= 3 in. and more long, 2–3 lines thick, stuffed with a separate fibrous pith, equal, clothed to the ring (which is scarcely 1 in. distant from the pileus, viscous, narrow, but somewhat spreading) with the flocculose veil which is at the same time viscous (so that it appears as if smooth), yellow. =Gills= adnate, very broad behind, 2 lines broad, somewhat crowded, dusky-umber or dusky-olivaceous, of one color, quite entire.

Stem silky-viscous when moist, when dry becoming even, shining and yellowish-white, and without a manifest veil. The gills are truncate and somewhat decurrent. _Fries._

=Spores= 17×13µ _W.G.S._; elliptical, 18–20×8–10µ _Massee_.

West Virginia, 1881–1885; Pennsylvania; New Jersey. June to November. _McIlvaine._

I have enjoyed this species, which is common, since 1881. It is usually conspicuous upon droppings and manure piles. It also occurs on richly-manured ground, in wood and field, usually single; sometimes two or three are united.

Caps and stems are edible, but do not cook in the same time. It is better to cook the caps only. They are delicious.

(Plate XCVI_a_.)

SECTION OF
STROPHARIA SEMIGLOBATA.
Natural size. (From Massee.)
]

=S. semigloba´ta= Batsch.—_semi_, half; _globus_, a ball. =Pileus= commonly ½ in. broad, _light-yellow_, slightly fleshy, hemispherical, not expanded, very obtuse, even, _viscous_. =Stem= about 3 in. long, 1 line thick, tubed, slender, firm and straight, equal, even, smooth, becoming yellow, paler at the apex, powdered with the spores, otherwise smeared with the glutinous veil which is abrupt above terminating in an _incomplete_ (not membranaceous) viscous, distant _ring_. =Gills= adnate, _very broad_, plane, _clouded with black_.

=Spores= dusky-purple. _Stevenson._

=Spores= blackish-purple, 13×8µ _W.G.S._; elliptical, ends rather acute, 12×6µ _Massee_.

Grows on dung, rich lawns and pastures. April to November. A common, frequent, solitary species, easily recognized by its hemispherical cap, dark mottled gills. At first sight it resembles Naucoria semiorbicularis.

The caps are equal to any mushroom. I have eaten it since 1881. M.C. Cooke says: “It was Sowerby who drew attention to this species as dangerous, and intimated that it had been fatal. Since that period we are not aware of any further evidence against it.”

It is tender, good and harmless.

FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE. 1. HYPHOLOMA APPENDICULATUM, 363 3. HYPHOLOMA SUBLATERITIUM, 359 2. HYPHOLOMA PERPLEXUM, 354 4. GOMPHIDIUS RHODOXANTHUS, 394

HYPHOLO´MA.

_Gr_—a web; _Gr_—a fringe.

(Plate XCVIII.)

HYPHOLOMA FASCICULARIS.
Natural size.
]

=Pileus= more or less fleshy, margin at first incurved. =Veil= _webby, adhering in fragments to the margin of the pileus_, not forming a distinct ring on the stem. =Stem= fleshy, similar in substance to that of the pileus with which it is continuous. =Gills= attached to the stem, sometimes with a notch at the juncture (emarginate), occasionally separating and then appearing to be free.

Generally cespitose, mostly growing on wood above or under the ground.

=Spores= brownish-purple, sometimes intense-purple, almost black.

Corresponding to Tricholoma, Entoloma and Hebeloma.

ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.

FASCICULARES (H. fascicularis). Page 354.

Pileus tough, smooth, bright colored, not hygrophanous.

VISCIDI (_viscidus_, viscid).

Pileus naked, viscid. None known to be edible.

VELUTINI (_H. velutinus_). Page 360.

Pileus silky or streaked with small fibers.

FLOCCULOSI (_floccus_, a lock of wool).

Pileus covered with superficial floccose scales, at length disappearing. (None reported edible.)

APPENDICULATI (_H. appendiculatus_). Page 362.

Pileus smooth, hygrophanous.

Members of this purple-spored genus grow upon decayed wood, either standing or as roots in the ground, or from ground heavily laden with woody material. They grow singly, in groups, or in densely-tufted or overlapping masses. The several species vary in shades of yellow, red, orange, brick-color and brown; their caps are from 1–6 in. across; their stems are short or long, as the number in the cluster permits; when growing singly the stems are short and sturdy. There is a floccose veil, or remnants of one, about the stem. The gills are yellowish, greenish, olivaceous or greenish shades of yellow, gray, purple, almost black. They are showy, easily recognized and are found from September until mid-winter. I have gathered them when frozen hard. The flesh is solid, or spongy, flexible or fragile, white or yellowish; the tastes are sweet, nutty, bitter and saponaceous. Patches of them—and they are frequent in almost every woods in the land—often yield several bushels. Tons of them annually go to waste.

Old authors and some copyists say “the species are not edible, the tough ones being bitter, the fragile ones almost void of flesh.” Eighteen years of experience with them warrants my saying that there is not a single wild genus approaching it in economic value, and when its most prominent species are properly cooked, few equal it in consistency and flavor. As a pickle the Hypholomas have no superior.

Half a dozen or more of the species are exceedingly difficult to separate. Professor Peck has happily made a new species, H. perplexum, which is well named. For all culinary purposes these affiliated species may be gathered under that convenient name; for botanic purposes his description covers several perplexing characteristics common to what have been written as separate species, and covers a composite species.

The occasional bitter taste of some species is not constant, and can not be relied upon as a distinguishing mark. In the same tufts some individuals may be mild, others bitter; some individuals in groups are in a position and of an age to absorb water; others are not. There will be a marked difference in their taste raw. A few in the same group may have been infested by insects; others not. Those infested are often intensely bitter, while their companions are of pleasant flavor. The same remarks apply to neighboring clusters and individuals. I am of the opinion, from long observation, that the bitter is largely due to the injury and excrement of larvæ. Changes of taste occur in toadstools in a most marked and rapid manner. Apples from the same tree, chestnuts from the same tree, acorns from the same oak, radishes from the same seed, blackberries from the same bush, differ widely in taste. Why not toadstools of the same species?

I have often seen species of this genus, described as having stems up to 5 in. long, stretch and twist their stems to over a foot in order to get their caps from the inside of, or from a crack in a decaying stump, out into the light; and I have seen stems of the same species stout, solid and sturdy when individuals grew upright and singly. But wherever and however they grow, Hypholomas are safe. I have eaten them indiscriminately since 1881, and as long ago as 1885 published their edibility.

FASCICULA´RES. Pileus smooth, etc.

=H. perplex´um= Pk.—_perplexus_, perplexed. Perplexing Hypholoma. (Plate XCVII, fig. 2, p. 352.) =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, glabrous, sometimes broadly and slightly umbonate, reddish or brownish-red fading to yellow on the margin, the flesh white or whitish. =Lamellæ= thin, close, slightly rounded at the inner extremity, at first pale-yellow, then tinged with green, finally purplish-brown. =Stem= nearly equal, firm, hollow, slightly fibrillose, whitish or yellowish above, rusty-reddish or reddish-brown below. =Spores= elliptical, purplish-brown, 8×4µ.

The Perplexing hypholoma has received the name because it is one of a group of five or six very closely allied species, whose separation from each other is somewhat difficult and perplexing. Of these six species three have a decidedly bitter, unpleasant flavor, and three are mild, or not decidedly bitter, if we may rely on the published descriptions of them. The three bitter ones, also, have no purplish tints to the mature gills; but two of the mild ones have. By using these and other distinguishing characters the six species may be tabulated and their several peculiarities more clearly shown.

Taste bitter 1

Taste mild, or not clearly bitter 3

1. Stem solid or stuffed, flesh whitish, gills sublateritium
whitish, then sooty-olive

1. Stem hollow, flesh yellow 2

2. Cap yellow or tinged with tawny, stem yellow, fasciculare
gills yellow, becoming greenish

2. Cap brick-red, stem ferruginous, gills green, elæodes
becoming olive

3. Cap red or brick-red, with a yellow margin; gills perplexum
yellow, then greenish, finally
purplish-brown

3. Cap yellow, or slightly tawny on the disk only 4

4. Gills gray, becoming purplish-brown capnoides

4. Gills yellow, becoming gray, neither green nor epixanthum
purplish

Probably in general appearance the Perplexing hypholoma most nearly resembles the brick-red Hypholoma, H. sublateritium; but it has often been mistaken for the tufted Hypholoma, H. fasciculare. From this it may be separated by the more red cap, the whitish flesh, the purplish-brown color of the mature gills, and the mild flavor. From H. sublateritium it is distinguished by its usually smaller size, more slender hollow stem, the yellow greenish and purplish tints of the gills, and the absence of a bitter flavor. Some may prefer to consider it a variety of this fungus, rather than a distinct species.

Its cap is 1–3 in. broad, its stem 2–3 in. long and 2–4 lines thick. It commonly grows in clusters, though sometimes singly, on or about old stumps or prostrate trunks of trees, in woods or open places. The caps of the lower ones in a cluster are often defiled and apparently discolored by the spores that have lodged on them from the upper ones. It appears in autumn, and continues until freezing weather stops its growth. It is a very common species, as well as a late one, and may often be gathered in large quantity. Its flavor is not first quality, but with good preparation it makes a very acceptable dish. It has been tested by myself and correspondents several times, and has been proved harmless. _Peck_, 49th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

West Virginia, 1881–1885; New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, October to January. On stumps, roots, ground containing decayed woody matter. _McIlvaine._

H. perplexum is abundant in most if not all the states. I have eaten it and its allied species since 1881; dried them, pickled them, and fed them to many. If the collector gets puzzled, as he will, over one or all of these species, because no description fits, he can whet his patience and appetite by calling it H. perplexum and graciously eating it.

=H. capnoi´des= Fr. _Gr_—like smoke, from the color of the gills. =Pileus= 1 in. sometimes 3 in. broad, _ochraceous-yellowish_, fleshy, convex, then flattened, obtuse, dry, _smooth_. =Flesh= somewhat thin, white. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 2–4 lines thick, growing together at the base, _hollow_, equal, often curved and flexuous, _becoming silky-even_, pallid, whitish at the apex, here and there striate, becoming rust-colored under the surface-covering when old. Cortina appendiculate, white, then becoming brownish-purple. =Gills= adnate, easily separating, somewhat crowded, rather broad, arid, _at first bluish-gray then becoming brownish-purple_.

Cespitose, fasciculate; odor and taste mild. On pine-stumps. Uncommon. _Fries._

=Spores= ellipsoid-spheroid, 7×5µ _K._; elliptical, brownish-purple, 8×4µ _Massee_.

California, _H. and M._; Minnesota, not necessarily in fir-woods, _Johnson_; New York, on or about stumps or decaying wood of spruce. _Peck_, 50th Rep.

Haddonfield, N.J., 1894. Pine roots and stumps, and on ground. Cespitose. September to frost. _McIlvaine._

A pretty species with caps up to 1½ in. across. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, ¼-⅜ in. thick, growing together (connate). The taste and smell are pleasant. The basket is soon filled from its clusters. There is not a better Hypholoma. The slightly soapy taste which attaches to most of the abundant and better known species is absent in this.

=H. fascicula´ris= Huds.—_fasciculus_, a small bundle. (Plate XCVIII, p. 352.) =Pileus= about 2 in. broad, _light yellow_, the disk commonly darker, fleshy, thin, convex, then flattened, somewhat umbonate or obtuse, even, smooth, dry. =Flesh= _light yellow_. =Stem= very variable in length, hollow, thin, incurved or flexuous, fibrillose, of the same color as the pileus and flesh. =Gills= adnate, very crowded, linear, _somewhat deliquescent, sulphur-yellow then becoming green_.

It is very easily distinguished from the preceding species by its _bitter odor and taste, light-yellow flesh, and somewhat deliquescent, sulphur-yellow then green gills_. It forms also more crowded clusters. There are many remarkable varieties; one _robustior_ (more robust), stem thickened at the base, another _nana_ (dwarf), both on the ground.

Cespitose on old stumps and the ground. Extremely common. _Stevenson._

=Spores= elliptical, 7×4µ _Massee_; 6–7×4µ _K._; 6×4µ _W.G.S._; ferruginous purple, 6×4µ _Morgan_.

“It is very usual to regard this as a poisonous species, but possibly it is not so in reality.” _Cooke._

West Virginia, 1881, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, North Carolina, _McIlvaine_.

A very common species appearing in October and lasting until well into the winter, growing in large, overlapping masses or in tufts from old stumps or roots, and about trees where decay has begun. Sometimes solitary. It is then short-stemmed and sturdy. There are several closely allied species. To know the one from the other, a careful study of the group is necessary. (See introduction to genus, H. epixanthum, H. sublateritium, H. capnoides, H. elæodes, and H. perplexum.) Old authors give it as bitter and poisonous. The bitter is not always present. Any there is disappears in cooking. It is not poisonous, but one of our most valuable species. I have eaten it since 1881. A little lemon juice or sherry will cover the slightly saponaceous taste sometimes present. The caps only are good. It makes a choice pickle and a good catsup.

=H. epixan´thum= Fr. _Gr_—_epixanthos_, yellowish-brown. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad, light-yellow or becoming pale, the disk commonly darker, fleshy, moderately thin, convexo-plane, obtuse or gibbous, even, _slightly silky then becoming smooth_. =Flesh= white, becoming light-yellow. =Stem= about 8 in. long, 3–4 lines thick, _hollow_, attenuated from the thickened base or equal; _floccose-fibrillose, pale rust color_ or becoming dingy-brown _below_, with a frosty bloom at the apex; veil hanging from margin of pileus, white. =Gills= adnate, crowded, _at first light yellow-white, at length becoming ash-colored_, not deliquescent, and not becoming purple or green.

Strong smelling, odor acid; extremely variable in stature; not hygrophanous. _Fries._

=Spores= elliptical, 7×4µ _Massee_.

West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, North Carolina. On oak, chestnut stumps and growing from tree roots in ground. October to December. _McIlvaine._

(See H. perplexum, H. sublateritium and compare descriptions.)

This species, in common with its allies, is extremely hard to determine. When growing singly from roots or from ground heavily charged with decaying wood, it is a sturdy, solid plant; when in clusters the stem is longer, more flexible and the whole character of the plant is modified. Except for botanic purposes there is no occasion to puzzle over it. It is in every way an excellent and useful fungus.

=H. disper´sus= Fr.—_dispergo_, to scatter. =Pileus= 1–1½ in. broad, _tawny-honey-color_, not hygrophanous, _slightly fleshy_, bell-shaped then convex, at length expanded, even, _superficially silky round the margin_ with the veil, or squamulose, otherwise even and smooth. =Flesh= thin, a little paler than the pileus. =Stem= 2 in. or a little more long, 2 lines thick, tubed, equal, _tense and straight_, tough, _fibrilloso-silky_, somewhat rust-colored, becoming dingy-brown at the base, pale at the apex. =Gills= adnate, thin, _ventricose, broad_, 3–4 lines, _crowded, at first pallid-straw color, at length crowded_, obsoletely green. _Fries._

Gills broader than H. fascicularis, etc. Solitary, scarcely ever cespitose. On pine stumps and the ground. April to November.

=Spores= elliptical, 7×3–4µ _Massee_.

North Carolina, in pine woods, _Curtis_; California, _H. and M._; West Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New Jersey, _McIlvaine_.

Difficult to distinguish from H. fascicularis when growing solitary. Its edible qualities are precisely the same.

=H. elæo´des= Fr. _Gr_—_an olive_; _Gr_—_eidos_, appearance. =Pileus= brick-red or tan, fleshy, rather plane, somewhat umbonate, _dry, smooth_, opaque. =Flesh= yellow. =Stem= stuffed then hollow, equal, commonly slender, incurved or flexuous, fibrillose, of the same color as the pileus, becoming rust-color. =Gills= adnate, crowded, thin, _green then_ pure olivaceous.

Cespitose. Odor bitter. On trunks and on the ground. _Fries._

=Cap= 1–2 in. across. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, ¼-⅜ in. thick, stuffed then hollow.

West Virginia, 1881–1885, Haddonfield, N.J.; Pennsylvania. On stumps, roots and ground in woods, etc. _McIlvaine._ Not reported elsewhere.

Its habit is the same as H. fascicularis, to which it is closely allied, and to me seems but a form of this very variable species. It is equally good.

=H. sublateri´tium= Schaeff.—_sub_ and _later_, a brick. (Plate XCVII, fig. 3, p. 352.) =Pileus= 2–3 in. and more broad, tawny-brick-red, but paler round the margin and covered over with a superficial, somewhat silky, whitish cloudiness (arising from the veil), fleshy, convexo-plane, obtuse, _discoid_, _dry_, even, _becoming smooth_. =Flesh= _compact_, white, then becoming yellow. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, 3–5 lines thick, _stuffed, stout_ and firm, commonly manifestly attenuated downward, rarely equal, _scaly-fibrillose_, fibrils pallid, rust-colored downward. =Cortina= superior, at first _white, at length becoming black_. =Gills= adnate, more or less crowded according to stature, narrow, at first _dingy yellowish_ and darker at the base, _then sooty_, and at length inclining to olivaceous.

=Spores= brownish purple. Somewhat cespitose. =Stem= incurved from position. There are many varieties: _B_, somewhat solitary, the pileus and stem, which is thickened at the base, of the same color, reddish. _C_, smaller, pileus light yellowish, the hollow stem equal. _Schaeff._

Var. _squamo´sum_, Cooke. Pileus convex, bright brick-red, shading to yellow at the margin, spotted with superficial scales. Flesh very thick, yellowish. Gills narrowish, adnate. Stem elongated, stout, pale above, rust-colored below, hollow, veil hanging from the margin when young.

On trunks. A very beautiful variety, larger and more robust than the typical form. _Massee._

=Spores= 6×3µ. _W.G.S._; elliptical, sooty-brown, 8×4µ _Massee_.

West Virginia, 1881–1885; Pennsylvania, New Jersey, densely cespitose on stumps and roots. October to long after frosts. _McIlvaine._

Edible. _Dr. Taylor_, 1893. Dept. of Agr. Rep. No. 5.

H. sublateritium has many forms. Both Fries and Stevenson indicate this as a variable species and my own observation confirms the truth of this.

This is a very common autumnal species, lasting into the winter. Old authors give it as bitter and very poisonous. I tested it in 1881 and have been eating it, in common with all Hypholomas I have found, ever since. At times it is bitter. I believe this to be due to the passage of larvæ through the flesh. Unattacked specimens are slightly saponaceous to the taste while others in the same bunch are bitter.

VIS´CIDI. Pileus viscid, etc. (None known to be edible.)

Velutini. _Pileus silky, etc._

=H. veluti´nus= Pers.—_vellus_, a fleece. Velvety. =Pileus= fleshy, thin, convex or expanded, brittle, minutely tomentose-scaly, becoming smooth, hygrophanous, yellow with the disk reddish. =Lamellæ= rather broad, attached, tapering toward the outer extremity, dark brown tinged with red, the edge whitish-beaded. =Stem= equal, rather slender, hollow, fibrillose, subconcolorous, white-mealy and slightly striate at the top. =Spores= black.

=Height= about 2 in., breadth of pileus 1–1.5 in.

Roadsides. Albany Cemetery. September. The pileus sometimes cracks transversely. _Peck_, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

=Spores= 6×8µ _W.G.S._; elliptical, 10×5µ _Massee_.

Often used in catsup. Innocent and edible. _Cooke._

West Virginia. 1881–1885, Pennsylvania, West Philadelphia, Bartram’s Creek, 1887, _McIlvaine_.

Var. _leioceph´alus_ B. and Br. (_Gr_—smooth; _Gr_—head, from its smooth pileus). =Pileus= hygrophanous, rugged, smooth except at the margin, where it is fibrillose, pallid as is the stem, whose apex is mealy.

Densely cespitose, much smaller than the common form, but apparently a mere variety, though a striking one from its smooth but very rugged disk. On old stumps. _Stevenson._

New York, _Peck_, 23d Rep.; West Virginia, West Philadelphia, Bartram’s Creek, Haddonfield, N.J., September to November. _McIlvaine._

Quantities of var. leiocephalus grow in the West Virginia forests on stumps and on the ground from decaying roots. 1½ in. is the limit of its width. Its frequent and dense clusters, its tenderness and delicacy of flavor make it a favorite.

=H. aggrega´tum= Pk.—_aggrego_, to grow together. Densely cespitose. =Pileus= thin, convex or subcampanulate, grayish-white, obscurely spotted with appressed brownish fibrils. =Lamellæ= subdistant, rounded behind, nearly free, at first whitish, then brown or blackish-brown with a whitish edge. =Stem= rather long, hollow, somewhat woolly or fibrillose, white. =Spores= brown, elliptical, 8×4–5µ.

=Pileus= about 1 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 1.5–2 lines thick.

At the base of trees and stumps in woods. Alcove. September.

The cespitose habit and obscurely spotted grayish-white pileus are marked features of this species. From H. silvestre the species may be distinguished by its smaller size, adnexed or nearly free lamellæ which have no rosy tint, and by its very cespitose mode of growth. _Peck_, 46th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Mt. Gretna, Pa., about trees and stumps. September to November, 1898–1899. _McIlvaine._ Not reported elsewhere.

The caps are oyster-color. Amateurs accustomed to the gayer colors of the autumnal Hypholomas will not suspect this of belonging to the genus, until the color of the spores is obtained.

The caps are fine.

=H. lachrymabun´dum= Fr.—_lachryma_, a tear. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad, whitish when young, then dingy-brown, becoming pale around the margin, truly fleshy but not compact, convex, obtuse, scaly with hairs, the innate scales darker. =Flesh= white. =Stem= 2 in. long, 3–4 lines thick, hollow, somewhat thickened at the base, scaly with fibrils, becoming brownish-whitish. =Veil= separate, clothed with fibers, hanging from the pileus, white. =Gills= adnate, crowded, 3 lines broad, whitish then brownish-purple, edge whitish and distilling drops in wet weather.

=Spores= brownish-purple. From mutual pressure the caps are often irregular. Very cespitose, firm. _Fries._

=Spores= brownish-purple, 9×4µ _Massee_.

On ground and on trunks. Truly cespitose. Smaller than H. velutinus, but firmer, truly fleshy, not hygrophanous. Bushy pastures. Bethlehem. October.

Our specimens do not agree in all respects with the published description of the species. The pileus is sometimes wholly destitute of scales and sometimes densely clothed with hairy, erect ones. The species is manifestly variable. _Peck_, 30th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

“Like H. fascicularis in quality. Intensely irritant. It is bound with the weight of its own guilt.” _Hay._

This is a good specimen of Hay’s comments. H. fascicularis is never irritant, is good eating, is innocent.

There is irony in the comment of Dr. Cooke: “This doubtful species is used by the smaller ketchup makers.”

I have not seen this species. When I do I shall eat it and expect to live.

APPENDICULA´TI. Pileus hygrophanous, smooth.

=H. incer´tum= Pk. (Plate XCVII_a_.) =Pileus= fragile, convex or subcampanulate, then expanded, hygrophanous, often radiately wrinkled, whitish with the disk yellowish, the thin margin sometimes purplish-tinted, often wavy, adorned by fragments of the white flocculent fugacious veil. =Lamellæ= close, narrow, whitish then rosy-brown, the edge often uneven. =Stem= equal, straight, hollow, easily splitting, whitish with a frosty bloom or slightly scurfy at the top. =Spores= elliptical, purplish-brown, 8×5µ.

=Plant= gregarious or subcespitose, 2–3 in. high. =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 lines thick.

Ground among bushes. Green Island and Sandlake. June and July.

The veil is sometimes so strongly developed as to form an imperfect ring. The color is nearly white from the first. _Peck_, 29th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

As the name indicates, I was uncertain whether this was a form of H. Candolleanum, to which it is very closely related, but as Fries says of that “Gills at first violaceous,” and as our plant has them at first white or whitish, I concluded to risk the uncertainty on a new species.

I have seen Central Park, New York, well covered with it in May. It is also common in the vicinity of Boston. Of very agreeable flavor and delicate substance. The profusion of its growth compensates for its small size. _Macadam._

Indiana, _H.I. Miller_; Mt. Gretna, Pa., in great clusters between railroad ties and beside track, _McIlvaine_.

Tender. One of the best.

Photographed by Dr. J.R. Weist. PLATE XCVII_a_.
HYPHOLOMA INCERTUM.
]

=H. appendicula´tum= Bull.—a small appendage. From the veil adhering to margin of pileus. (Plate XCVII, p. 352.) =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad, date-brown then tawny, becoming pale yellowish when dry, fleshy-membranaceous, thin, ovate then expanded, at length flattened, obtuse, smooth, when dry slightly wrinkled, somewhat sprinkled with atoms. =Stem= 3 in. long, 2–3 lines thick, fistulose, equal, smooth, white, _pruinate at the apex_; veil fringing the margin of the pileus, fugacious, white. =Gills= somewhat adnate, crowded, _dry, white_ then flesh-colored, at length dingy-brown.

Densely cespitose, very fragile and hygrophanous. Much thinner and more fragile than H. Candolleanus. It may be safely distinguished from species which are nearest to it by the gills being whitish then brownish-flesh color.

Var. _lana´tum_. A curious form, densely woolly when young, traces of the woolly coat remaining at the apex when the pileus is fully expanded. Sibbertoft. B. and Br., 1876. _Stevenson._

=Spores= ellipsoid, pellucid, 6–8×3–4µ _K._; 4×6µ _W.G.S._; elliptical, 5×2.5µ _Massee_.

Angora, West Philadelphia, October, November, December, 1897; Haddonfield, N.J., Mt. Gretna, Pa., cespitose and gregarious in woods about stumps. _McIlvaine._

“It is very common and edible.” _Farlow._

At Mt. Gretna, Pa., October, 1898, in great abundance. When found it was gregarious in large patches and cespitose on stumps. My identification was confirmed by Professor Peck.

It dries well, and retains flavor and esculent qualities. Cooked it is among the best.

=H. Candol´leanum= Fr.—After De Candolle. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad, date-brown then becoming white, the top somewhat yellowish, somewhat fleshy, acorn-shaped then bell-shaped, soon convex and at length flattened, obtuse and unequal, smooth, even. =Flesh= thin, white. =Stem= 3 in. long, 2–4 lines thick, fistulose, solid at the base, somewhat thickened, fibrillose, white, striate at the apex; veil in the form of a cortina, web-like, appendiculate (depending from the margin of the pileus), white, at length becoming dingy-brown. =Gills= rounded-adnexed, then separating, crowded, violaceous then brownish-cinnamon, the edge at first whitish.

Readily distinguished from neighboring species by the gills being at first beautifully dark violaceous, never flesh-colored. Densely cespitose, fragile, very hygrophanous. _Stevenson._

=Spores= elliptical, 8×4µ _Massee_.

Edible, often used in catsup. _Cooke._

A species variable in color with the weather. Its gills are cream-colored at first, then purplish, then very dark. After rain the fragile cap often turns up at the margin and splits.

It differs somewhat in texture from other Hypholomas, being more delicate in texture and substance. It is excellent.

=H. suba´quilum= Banning.—_aquilus_, brownish, tawny. =Pileus= brown, convex, smooth, hygrophanous, often shaded into ocher at margin, veil delicate, silk-like, encircling and covering the marginal extremities of the lamellæ but forming no ring on the stem. =Flesh= white, turning umber when cut. =Lamellæ= adnexed or nearly free, close, forked, umber. =Stem= cespitose, regular, hollow, silky, white, 2–3 in. long.

=Spores= brown, 4×5µ. _Banning_ MS.

Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, _Miss Banning_; decaying wood, Adirondack mountains. August and September. New York. _Peck_, 45th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

H. subaquilum is closely allied to H. appendiculatum, but is distinguished by its darker colored cap and gills.

Its edible qualities are the same. It is among the best.

=PSILO´CYBE= Fr.

_Gr_—naked; head.

=Pileus= more or less fleshy, smooth, _margin at first incurved_. =Gills= becoming brownish or purple. =Stem= somewhat cartilaginous, rigid or tough, tubular, hollow or stuffed, often rooting. =Veil= absent or rudimentary, never forming a membrane. =Spores= purple, purple-brown or slate-color.

Generally growing on the ground, gregarious, sometimes cespitose.

Psilocybe is analogous in form to Collybia, Leptonia and Naucoria, which are distinguished by their spore colors. Separated from Psathyra by the incurved margin of the pileus.

But one species of Psilocybe is herein given as edible. Of it, alone, the writer has had opportunity to eat meals. Several others of the species have been found by him and tested in small quantity. They are all of good texture, substance and flavor, though most are small. He is of the opinion that increased testing will prove the entire genus edible. Nothing can or should be prognosticated about a toadstool, but the indications are all in favor of Psilocybe.

(Plate XCIX.)

PSILOCYBE SPADICEA.
Two-thirds natural size.
]

=P. spadi´cea= Schaeff.—_spadiceus_, date-brown. =Pileus= thin, submembranaceous, hemispherical, then convex or expanded, smooth, hygrophanous, pale grayish-brown and striatulate when moist, white or yellowish when dry. =Gills= narrow, close, attached, easily separating from the stem, at first whitish, then brown, tinged with flesh-color. =Stem= straight, equal, hollow, smooth, white.

=Height= 1–2 in., breadth of pileus 1–1.5 in. =Stem= 1–2 lines thick.

Grassy ground in yards and fields. Albany. June. Gregarious or cespitose. The pileus is fragile, the spores are brown. _Peck_, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

=Spores= brown, 9×4µ _Massee_; purplish brown, 7.6×5.1µ _Morgan_.

Haddonfield, N.J., October, November, December, 1896. In large patches and where stumps had been taken from the ground. _McIlvaine._

Var. _hygro´philus_ Fr. _Gr_—moist; loving.

Pileus tawny, then clay-color. Stem 4–6 in. long, rather fusiform, rooting. Gills emarginate with a deeply decurrent line; at length umber-brown.

Var. _polyceph´alus_ Fr.—_polus_, many; _cephale_, head.

Densely crowded. Stem thinner, flexuous. Gills nearly free, at length tawny-umber.

The plant is tender, cooks easily and is of fine flavor.

=P. semilancea´ta= Fr.—_semi_, half; _lancea_, a spear. =Pileus= ½ in. high, not broad, various in color, becoming yellow, green, dingy-brown, somewhat membranaceous, _acutely conical_, almost _cuspidate_, never expanded, but the margin when young at first bent inward, _covered with a pellicle which is viscous and separable in wet weather_, slightly striate chiefly round the margin. =Stem= as much as 3 in. long, scarcely 1 line thick, tubular and _containing a pith_, equal, more frequently _flexuous_, smooth, _capable of being_ twisted round the finger, smooth, _becoming pale; furnished with a veil when young_. =Gills= _ascending_ into the summit of the cone, adnexed, almost _linear_, crowded, becoming purple-black. _Fries._

Gregarious, very tough. Pastures and roadsides, etc. Common. August to November. _Stevenson._

=Spores= ellipsoid, 9–16×4–9µ _K._; 14×9µ _W.G.S._

New York, _Peck_, Rep. 23; Novia Scotia, _Somers_.

Var. _cærules´cens_ Cooke—becoming blue. Base of stem turning indigo-blue.

Not common in America, but frequently found. According to M. C. Cooke—a careful authority—P. semilanceata has a dangerous reputation. It is said to have proved fatal to children when eaten raw. It is not deleterious when cooked.

=PSA´THYRA= Fr.

_Gr_—friable.

(Plate C.)

PSATHYRA GYROFLEXA.
Natural size. (After Massee.)
Omitted from Index to Species.
]

=Veil= none or only universal, and floccoso-fibrillose. =Stem= somewhat cartilaginous, fistulose with a tube, polished, _fragile_. =Pileus= conical or bell-shaped, _membranaceous, the margin at the first straight and adpressed to the stem_. =Gills= becoming purple or brownish. _Slender, fragile, hygrophanous._

_Some of the last species of_ Hypholoma and Psilocybe _are very closely allied to them_. The Coprinarii are readily distinguished by the gills being white or ash-color, then black, _not dusky-brown nor becoming purple_.

Psathyra corresponds with Mycena, Nolanea, Galera and Psathyrella. All the species grow on the ground or on trunks. _Stevenson._

But four American species reported. Small and unimportant.

=DECONICA.=

=Stem= tough; margin of =Pileus= at first incurved. =Gills= subtriangularly decurrent. Corresponds with Omphalia, Eccilia, Tubaria.

Few American species. Small and unimportant.

_Series V._ =MELANOS´PORÆ= (spores black). _Gr_—black; _Gr_—seed.

Various as are the spore colors in this series (in its broadest sense), there is an entire absence of brown and purple shades in the black spores of four of the genera belonging to this group or series. In Gomphidius the spores are dingy-olivaceous. It is an outsider affiliating with thoroughbreds because of more technical congeniality than other genera afford. Like comets in the universe, it has no home. The singular genus Montagnites (of which but one species has been found in America, and that in Texas) has the relationship of spore-color. Panæolus, Anellaria, Psathyrella, when young, have gills free from each other; Coprinus, in early life, presents them pressed tightly together; as the plants age and the spores ripen, the entire gill structure becomes black and dissolves into an inky fluid, the color of which is due to the spores.

The species are all of delicate body, and many of them add generously to table luxuries.

=COPRI´NUS= Pers.

_Gr_—dung.

=Pileus= separate from the stem. =Gills= membranaceous, at first closely pressed together, cohering, at length melting into a black fluid. =Trama= obsolete. =Spores= oval, even, black.

The extreme closeness of the gills and their entire deliquescence into a fluid, black from the spores, sharply define this genus and separate it from all others. At first the form is oval or cylindrical; most are furnished with a downy or scurfy veil often adhering to the pileus, sometimes forming an adhering volva at the base of the stem. Nearly all are ephemeral, many completely disappearing in a day.

Cystidia (sterile cells) of large size are frequent on the gills of many species.

MELANOSPORAE.

_Hymenophore distinct from fleshy stem._

COPRINUS.

_Hymenophore confluent and homogeneous with fleshy stem._

ANELLARIA. PANAEOLUS.

Spores dingy
olivaceous

GOMPHIDIUS.

_Hymenophore confluent with, but heterogeneous from cartilaginous stem._

PSATHYRELLA. MONTAGNITES.

PLATE CI.

CHART OF GENERA IN BLACK-SPORED SERIES—MELANOSPORAE, PAGE 368.

]

The majority grow on richly manured ground or dung, some on rotten wood and other materials. Bolbitius, the only ally, has the same ephemeral existence, and grows in similar situations, but the gills only soften (not melting) and the spores are somewhat rust-colored.

The blackening of the gills is not a process of decay, but is due to the growth of the spores, and the plant is still (before deliquescence) perfectly edible although not so inviting in appearance as before.

Species of Coprinus are very common and are easily recognized by the deliquescent gills which, when mature, stain the fingers black.

In “Once upon a Time,” when country people made their own writing inks, the convenient Coprinus gave its juices for this purpose. A little corrosive sublimate added to the boiled and strained fluid prevented it from molding.

With few exceptions the species are small. They are tender, of real mushroom flavor and highly enjoyable. They make a thin, well flavored catsup, but are better used to give flavor to their less favored brethren.

They stew in from two to fifteen minutes, depending upon the solidity of the species.

ANALYSIS OF THE TRIBES.

_A._ PELLICULOSI (_pellicula_, a thin skin). Page 370.

Gills covered above with a fleshy or membranaceous skin, hence the pileus does not split along the lines of the gills, but becomes lacerated with the edges turned upward.

* Comati—_coma_, hair. Furnished with a ring formed from the free margin of the volva. The skin of the pileus torn into innate scales.

** Atramentarii—_atramentum_, ink. Ring imperfect. Volva absent. Pileus dotted with minute innate scales.

*** Picacei—_pica_, a magpie. Universal veil downy, at first continuous then broken up into superficial scales forming patches on the pileus.

**** Tomentosi—_tomentum_, down. Pileus at first covered with a loose hairy down, becoming torn into distinct scales, at length disappearing. Ring absent.

***** Micacei—_mico_, to glitter. Pileus at first covered with minute glistening scales, soon disappearing. Ring none.

****** Glabrati. Pileus smooth. Veil absent.

_B._ VELIFORMES (_velum_, a veil; _forma_, form). Page 380.

Pileus very thin without a skin, at length opening into furrows along the backs of the gills and becoming folded in furrows. Stem thin, hollow. Gills wasting away into thin lines.

* Cyclodei. _Gr_—a circle; appearance. Stem with a ring or volva.

** Lanatuli—_lanatus_, woolly. Pileus covered with superficial woolly floccules, at length disappearing. Ringless.

*** Furfurelli—_furfureus_, branny. Pileus mealy or scurfy. Gills generally attached to a collar at the apex of the stem. Ringless.

**** Hemerobii. _Gr_.—living a day. Pileus always smooth.

None known to be edible.

Photographed by Dr. J.R. Weist. PLATE CIII.
COPRINUS COMATUS.
]

_A._ PELLICULO´SI. Cap becoming torn, edge turning upward, etc.

* Comati. _Furnished with a ring, etc._

=C. coma´tus= Fr.—_coma_, hair. (Plate CIII.) =Pileus= 2–7 in. high, white, fleshy, at first oblong, becoming bell-shaped, seldom expanded, when in mature deliquescing state, splitting at the margin along the line of the gills, the cuticle, except upon the apex, separating into shaggy, often concentric scales, at times yellowish, at others tinged with purplish-black. =Gills= free from the stem, crowded and at first cohering, broad, white then tinged with pink or salmon color, then purple to black and dissolving into ink. =Stem= up to 10 in. long, up to ⅝ in. thick, attenuated upward, most part concealed within the cap, hollow, but with spider-web threads within, smooth or fibrillose, white or lilac-white, easily pulling out of cap, brittle. =Ring= thin, torn, sometimes entire and movable.

On rich soil, lawns, gardens, roads, dumps, especially where ashes have been placed. Solitary or in large dense clusters. August until after frost, but it is occasionally found during the spring months.

Spores elliptical, black, 13–18µ long _Peck_. Almost black, elliptical, 13–18×7–8µ _Massee_; 11–13×6–8µ _K._; 15×8µ _W.G.S._ Var. _brev´iceps_ Pk. =Pileus= before expansion subovate, shorter and broader than in the typical form, 1.5–2.5 in. high. Dumping ground. Albany. November. _H. Neiman._ _Peck_, 49th Rep.

Coprinus comatus is common to the United States. In its perfection it is a stately and beautiful plant. I have seen it with the oblong cap eight inches long, but its usual height is from 2–4 in. It occurs after hard rain and often in the most unexpected places. It is a rather domestic species, usually in troops, but often in clusters of from five to fifty individuals. I have seen it lift firmly sodded ground about railroad stations, and again, bulging the surface of gardens like mole-hills.

There are toadstools of higher flavor, but not one of greater delicacy. In this C. comatus is not excelled from its earliest stage until fully ripened. It is everywhere commended.

Lafayette B. Mendel, in American Journal of Physiology, gives the following analysis:

The specimens were freshly gathered and had not yet turned “inky.” They varied very widely in size, thirty-six mushrooms weighing 1485 grams, of which 980 grams belonged to the caps (pileus) and 505 grams to the stems. The average weight of a fresh specimen was thus:

Pileus 27 grams
Stem 14
—
Total weight 41

A specimen which had attained the average growth weighed:

Pileus 43 grams
Stem 25
—
Total weight 68

An analysis yielded the following results:

Water 92.19 per cent.
Total solids 7.81

The dry substance contained:

Total nitrogen 5.79 per cent.

Extractive nitrogen 3.87

Protein nitrogen 1.92

Ether extract 3.3

Crude fiber 7.3

Ash 12.5

Material soluble in 85 56.3
per cent. alcohol

=C. soboli´ferus= Fr. =Pileus= 1½-2½ in. across, subcylindrical, then oval bell-shaped, lower half of pileus usually undulate but not furrowed or striate, disk obtuse, usually depressed, distinctly scaly, dingy white, toward the apex tinged with pale brown, scales darker. =Flesh= very thin. =Gills= free, tapering toward each end, ¼ in. or more broad, crowded, pale then blackish. =Stem= 5–8 in. long, ¾ in. thick at the base, slightly attenuated upward, silky-white, stuffed; toward the base there is a depressed zone caused by the edge of the pileus when young. =Ring= fugacious. =Spores= elliptical, 15×7µ.

Amongst grass near to trunks, buried wood, etc. A very large and beautiful species, distinguished from Coprinus atramentarius, its nearest ally, by the larger size of every part, the costate (ribbed) or waved lower portion of the pileus, the truncate, depressed disk, with distinct squamules, the whitish color of the pileus, and the imperfectly hollow or stuffed stem.

=Spores= elliptical, 15×7µ _Massee_.

Almshouse grounds, Philadelphia. On maple roots in grass-grown places, May, 1897–1898. _McIlvaine._ Not previously noted in United States.

C. soboliferus is a substantial food-giving species, very heavy for its size. It grows singly and in clusters and will immediately attract attention, wherever found. It is of fine flavor and substance. Cook at once.

=C. ova´tus= (Schaeff.) Fr.—_ovum_, an egg. =Pileus= white, somewhat membranaceous, _at the first egg-shaped and densely imbricated with thick spreading concentric scales_, covered with an even hood at the apex, then expanded, striate. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, solid at the base, rooting, otherwise hollow, with spider-web threads within, attenuated upward, downy, shining white. =Ring= not very conspicuous and soon vanishing. =Gills= free, remote, slightly ventricose, at the first somewhat naked and remaining long shining white, _at length umber-blackish_, never becoming purple.

Smaller, thinner, less handsome than C. comatus. For the most part solitary. _Fries._

=Spores= 11–12×7–8µ _Massee_.

On rich ground, dumps, etc. Same habitat as C. comatus.

West Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New Jersey. _McIlvaine._

So closely allied to C. comatus that it is with difficulty distinguished from it. However, its edible qualities are the same, and into these the name does not enter.

FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE.

1. COPRINUS ATRAMENTARIUS, 373 3. PANAEOLUS SOLIDIPES, 385

2. COPRINUS MICACEUS, 378 4. PANAEOLUS SOLIDIPES 385
(SECTION),

=C. sterquili´nus= Fr.—_sterquilinium_, a dunghill. =Pileus= about 2 in. across when expanded, conical, then expanded, sulcate more than half way from margin to disk, at first villous or silky, disk rather fleshy with rough scales, silvery-gray, tinged with brown at the apex. =Flesh= thin. =Gills= free, ventricose, about 2 lines broad, pale then umber-purple. =Stem= 4–6 in. high, slightly attenuated upward, white, fibrillose, hollow, thickened base solid, and booted for about an inch from the base, margin of sheath ending in a free border or ring.

On dung. A fine large species known by the scaly apex of the pileus, the basal portion of the stem surrounded by a volva-like, adnate structure with a free upper margin. The stem soon becomes black when bruised. Base of stem not rooting but abrupt, and furnished with a few white fibers. _Massee._

Edible, _Cooke_, 1891; also _Leuba_.

Nova Scotia, _Dr. Somers_.

This species is not reported as found in the United States.

** Atramentarii. _Ring imperfect, etc._

=C. atramenta´rius= (Bull.) Fr.—_atramentum_, ink. (Plate CII, fig. 1, p. 372.) =Pileus= 1½-4 in. across, ovate, expanding, grayish, lead-color or grayish-brown, with occasionally a few obscure scales on disk, often covered with bloom; margin ribbed, sometimes notched, soft, tender. =Gills= free, ventricose, up to ½ in. broad, crowded and at first cohering and white with white floccose edges, then becoming black and dissolving into ink. =Stem= up to 5 in. long, up to ½ in. thick, smooth, whitish, hollow, at first spindle-shaped, then attenuated upward, with more or less distinct ring near base.

=Spores= subcylindrical, large cystidia numerous, 12×6µ _Massee_; 9–10×6µ _K._; 9×5µ _W.G.S._; 8–10µ long _Peck_.

Indiana, _H.I. Miller_; Harrisburg, Pa., _Dr. J.H. Fager_; West Virginia, _McIlvaine_.

The stem is obscurely banded within, by which it may be recognized with certainty.

It grows singly or in clusters of many individuals on rich ground, whether lawns, gardens, gutter sides, or in woods, but not on dung. I know of a fine cluster growing year after year on a much-decayed pear-stump. Occasionally it appears in the spring months, but is common during the summer and autumn after rains, and from its first appearance it occurs in successive crops until stopped by severe frost. It is common in Europe and over the United States.

The flavor is higher than that of C. comatus. It should be cooked as soon as gathered, and kept in a cool place until needed.

Analysis shows the following:

Two separate, freshly-gathered lots of this species were examined. The one (_a_) contained six young small specimens weighing 5.5 grams, or .9 gram each; the other (_b_) contained eight mushrooms weighing 12 grams, or 1.5 grams each. An analysis gave:

_a._ _b._
Water 92.31 per cent. 94.42 per cent.
Total solids 7.69 5.58
The dry substance contained:
Total nitrogen 4.68 4.77
Ether extract 3.1 5.7
Crude fiber 9.3 .....
Ash 16.8 20.1
_Lafayette B. Mendel_ in American Journal of Physiology.

=C. fusces´cens= (Schaeff.) Fr.—_fuscus_, dark or swarthy. =Pileus= 1–1¼ in. across, submembranaceous, ovate, expanded, dull, disk rather fleshy, even or cracked into squamules, grayish-brown, disk reddish. =Gills= adfixed, blackish-umber. =Stem= 4–5 in. long, about ¼ in. thick, equal, fragile, hollow, subfibrillose. =Ring= indistinct or absent, whitish. _Massee._

Smaller and more slender than Coprinus atramentarius. =Pileus= brownish-gray, disk becoming reddish, not sprinkled with micaceous particles, but at first covered with a mealy bloom. =Gills= adnexed, attenuated from the stem to the margin, deliquescent. _Fries._

=Spores= elliptical, pointed at the ends, 10x6µ _Massee_; 10x5µ _W.G.S._

Solitary and in tufts. On stumps, trunks, etc. May to October.

West Philadelphia, Pa., _McIlvaine_.

C. fuscescens is tender, delicate and of excellent flavor. In this it ranks with C. atramentarius.

(Plate CIV.)

COPRINUS MACROSPORUS.
Enlarged one-third.
]

=C. macro´sporus= Pk. =Pileus= ovate, then expanded, rimose-striate (cracked in lines), obscurely floccose-squamulose, white, the small even brownish disk scaly. =Lamellæ= crowded, free, white then black. =Stem= glabrous, white, with traces of an annulus (ring) near the thickened or subbulbous base.

=Spores= very large, elliptical, 20–20.5 long, 12–16µ broad.

=Plant= cespitose, 2–3 in. high. =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 1 line thick.

Ground in open fields. Ticonderoga. August.

The prominent characters of this species are the cracked pileus, squamose disk, free lamellæ and large spores. In its early state it resembles some species of Lepiota. It seems to be intermediate between the sections Atramentarii and Micacei. _Peck_, 31st Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Found in quantity at Mt. Gretna, Pa. August to September, 1898, growing among old stable bedding on parade ground.

C. macrosporus is an excellent species, higher in flavor than any other Coprinus.

*** Pica´cei. _Universal downy veil, etc._

=C. pica´ceus= (Bull.) Fr. =Pileus= 2–2½ in. across, membranaceous, ovato-bell-shaped, striate up to the disk, smoky-black, variegated with large, irregular, superficial white patches. =Gills= free, ½ in. or more broad, ventricose, grayish-black. =Stem= 5–6 in. long, base bulbous, abrupt, otherwise equal, ¼-⅔ in. thick, white, hollow, fragile, smooth. =Spores= elliptical, apiculate, 14×8µ; cystidia large, numerous. _Massee._

Decaying trunks or branches of trees in woods. Lyndonville. June. _Fairman._

The form here referred to this species differs somewhat from the description of the type in being smaller, in having no bulb to the stem and in having smaller spores. It is probably the “smaller variety growing on rotten wood” noticed by Stevenson in his British Fungi. I have seen the true form of the species from Kansas. The New York plant seems to me to be worthy of distinctive designation, at least as a variety, and I call it

Var. _ebulbo´sus_. Plant smaller. =Stem= destitute of a bulb. =Spores= 8–10×5µ. _Peck_, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Minnesota, _Johnson_, 1897; Kansas, _Cragin_, 1884; Wisconsin, _Bundy_, Nebraska, _Clements_.

Edible. _Leuba._

Large quantities grew on rotting chestnut and oak rails at Mt. Gretna, Pa., from June to August, 1899. It is strong and unpleasant.

**** Tomento´si. _Pileus at first veiled with a loose hairy veil._

(Plate CV.)

=C. fimeta´rius= Fr.—_fimetum_, a dunghill. =Pileus= 1–2 in. across, membranaceous, thin, _at first cylindrical_, soon conical, _the edge at length revolute_ and torn at the margin, _when young everywhere covered with floccose-squarrose white scales_ (from the universal veil), which separate from the vertex toward the circumference, at length naked, longitudinally cracked, but not opening into furrows, the vertex which remains entire, livid. =Stem= about 3 in. long, 2–3 lines and more thick, hollow, fragile, _thickened and solid at the base_, attenuated upward, shining white and downy with squamules of the same color. =Gills= free, reaching the stem, at first _ventricose, then linear, flexuous, black_. =Stem= when young curt and firmer. _Fries_.

=Spores= spheroid-ellipsoid, 15–18×9–12µ _K._; 15×9µ _W.G.S._; 12–14×7–8µ _Massee_.

Sometimes there is a root as long as the stem. _M.J.B._ Common on dung heaps in successive crops. Spring to autumn.

Var. _pulla´tus_. =Pileus= with adpressed scales and tomentose, soon naked, brownish, then blackish. =Stem= equal, becoming smooth.

On dung. Clustered. Stature of the type.

Var. _cine´reus_. =Pileus= membranaceous, floccosely mealy, then naked, ashy-gray. =Stem= subequal, rootless, hollow to the base, often twisted. =Spores= 12–8µ.

On dung and rich soil.

Var. _macrorhi´za_. =Pileus= at first with feathery squamules. =Stem= short, hairy, rooting, sometimes more or less marginately subbulbous. =Spores= 13–14×8–9µ.

On dung. Pileus pale and smaller than in the typical form, stem shorter, with a more or less elongated rooting base. _Berkeley._

Of this very variable species there is a small form growing on decayed wood in woods. It has the spores rather smaller than in the type, they being 10–11µ long, 8µ broad. It might be designated Var. _silvi´cola_. _Peck_, 43d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

West Virginia, 1881–1885, May to October. _McIlvaine._

Common to the United States. Of excellent flavor and tender. It must be cooked at once.

=C. tomento´sus= (Bull.) Fr.—_tomentum_, pubescence. =Pileus= very thin, at first oblong-oval and floccose-scaly, soon bell-shaped, naked, closely striate, grayish-brown or blackish-brown, often with a leaden hue, finally expanded, the disk smooth, reddish or ochraceous-brown, the margin turned upwards and much split or lacerated. =Lamellæ= closely crowded, narrow, free, white then pinkish, finally black. =Stem= white, tall, fragile, tapering upward, finely floccose-squamulose, hollow, sometimes with a large tap root. =Plant= gregarious or cespitose.

=Height= 3–6 in., breadth of pileus 6–18 lines.

Very variable in size and color. The covering of the pileus is easily rubbed off. It soon disappears and the plant quickly decays, seldom continuing through the day. _Peck_, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Mt. Gretna, Pa., about old picketing places in camp grounds. _Prof. M.W. Easton_, July, 1898.

West Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, May to September, on dung, rich ground, gardens and in woods. _McIlvaine._

Very delicate; of strong mushroom flavor. It is common, and can usually be collected in numbers. It is of little food value in itself, but yields an excellent flavor to anything it is cooked with. It must be cooked as soon as gathered.

=C. ni´veus= Fr.—_nix_, snow. =Pileus= white, 1–2 in. across, thin, ovate then bell-shaped, margin at length turned upward, split or covered with a dense white, mealy or downy covering, slightly pink. =Gills= _adnexed_, narrow, crowded, at first cohering, white then pinkish, then black. =Stem= at first short, then up to 4 in., slender, attenuated upward, covered with white down, fragile, hollow.

=Spores= 16×11–13µ _Massee_; 10×12µ _W.G.S._

Common on dung and dung heaps, clustered. May to frost.

West Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey. _McIlvaine._

Very variable in size, but clearly distinguished by its snow-white color and adnexed gills. Like all of the thin, delicate species of this genus there is little substance left after cooking, but the savory flavor is imparted to the cooking medium.

***** Mica´cei. _Pileus at first covered with minute, glistening scales,
etc._

=C. mica´ceus= (Bull.) Fr.—_mica_, grain, granular. (Plate CII, fig. 2, p. 372.) =Pileus= thin, ovate, then bell-shaped, with the margin more or less revolute, wavy, splitting, closely striate, with a few minute scales and sparkling atoms, or naked, varying in color from whitish-ochraceous to livid-brown, generally darker when moist or old. =Gills= rather narrow, crowded, white then pinkish, finally black. =Stem= slender, fragile, easily splitting, slightly silky, white, hollow, often twisted. Plant mostly cespitose.

=Height= 2–4 in., breadth of pileus, 1–2 in.

Streets, yards and fields, on or about old stumps. May to September. _Peck_, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

=Spores= elliptical, blackish, 7–8×4–5µ _Massee_; 7×8µ _W.G.S._; 10×5µ _W.P._; elliptical, brown, 6–8µ _Peck_.

Var. _granula´ris_. Pileus sprinkled with granules or furfuraceous scales. New York. August. _Peck_, 47th Rep.

Indiana, _H.I. Miller_; West Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey. May to October. _McIlvaine._

Common from spring until frost. This is the oval-capped toadstool found in clusters about trees, posts, along grassy sides of pavements, popping up, Brownie-like, from sodded places. Although small and thin, its clusters soon fill baskets, and its continuous growth in some places, from month to month, year to year, makes it one to be depended upon. Stewed for ten minutes it makes a rich, luscious dish. C. congregatus closely resembles it and is equally good.

****** Glabra´ti. _Pileus smooth, etc._