Chapter IV: Part 4

In the very young plant the cap is somewhat egg-shaped and nearly covered by the thin reddish-brown cuticle, but as the plant enlarges the cuticle separates and forms the scales that adorn the cap. On the central prominence or umbo, however, it usually remains entire. The margin of the cap is thin and is generally marked with short radiating lines or striations. The gills do not quite reach the stem and are, therefore, free from it. Sometimes they are connected with each other at or near their inner extremity by transverse branches. They are a little broader near the margin of the cap than at their inner extremity. The stem affords a peculiar feature. It is often enlarged towards the base and then abruptly narrowed below the enlargement, as in the Onion-stemmed lepiota. In some instances, however, the enlargement is not contracted below and then the stem gradually tapers from the base upward. The stem is hollow and usually furnished with a collar, but sometimes this is thin and may disappear with advancing age. Wounds or bruises are apt to assume brownish-red hues.

The caps vary in width from 1–4 in.; the stems are from 3–5 in. long, and 2–5 lines thick. Sometimes plants attain even larger dimensions than these. The plants grow singly or in tufts in grassy ground or on old stumps. They may be found from July to October.

Photographed by Dr. J.R. Weist. PLATE XV_a_.
LEPIOTA AMERICANA.
]

In flavor this species is not much inferior to the parasol mushroom, but when cooked in milk or cream it imparts its own reddish color to the material in which it is cooked. It is, however, a fine addition to our list of esculent species. _Peck_, 49th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

I found several on a decaying willow trunk, and on the ground beside it, in Philadelphia. In July, 1898, large quantities, often clustered, grew under the great, open auditorium of the Pennsylvania Chautauqua, at Mt. Gretna, Pa., from ground covered with crushed limestone.

The caps are meaty and excellent in flavor. They should be broiled or fried.

GRANULOSI. Pileus granular or warty. Stem sheathed, etc.

=L. granulo´sa= Batsch.—_granosus_, full of grains. =Pileus= thin, convex or nearly plane, sometimes almost umbonate, rough, with numerous granular or branny scales, often radiately wrinkled, rusty-yellow or reddish-yellow, often growing paler with age. =Flesh= white or reddish-tinged. =Gills= close, rounded behind and usually slightly adnexed, white. =Stem= equal or slightly thickened at the base, stuffed or hollow, white above the ring, colored and adorned like the pileus below it. =Ring= slight, evanescent. =Spores= elliptical 4–5×3–4µ.

=Plant= 1–2.5 in. high. =Pileus= 1–2.5 in. broad. =Stem= 1–3 lines thick. Woods, copses and waste places. Common. August to October.

This is a small species with a short stem and granular reddish-yellow pileus, and gills slightly attached to the stem, a character by which it differs from all the preceding. The ring is very small and fugacious, being little more than the abrupt termination to the coating of the stem. _Peck_, 35th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

=Spores= 5–6×3µ _B._; 3×4µ _W.G.S._; elliptical, 4–5×3–4µ _Peck_.

Var. _rufes´cens_ B. and Br. Pure white at first, then partially turning red and in drying acquiring everywhere a reddish tint.

Var. _al´bida_ Pk. Persistently white.

Though small many plants grow neighboring. Being fleshy for their size, and of pleasing quality, they well repay gathering. Remove stems.

Open woods, Angora, West Philadelphia; Haddonfield, New Jersey, _McIlvaine_.

_A._ CUTICLE VISCID. NEITHER SCALY NOR WARTY.

=L. delica´ta= Fr.—_delicatus_, delicate. Up to 1½ in. across, reddish, becoming yellowish toward margin. Flesh well proportioned to cap, convex, obscurely umbonate, glabrous, slightly viscid. =Stem= 1½-2 in. long, very thin, but covered with dense downy scales, equal, lighter than cap. =Ring= usually entire, membranaceous, fluffy from scales. =Gills= free, crowded, ventricose, white.

Haddonfield, N.J., January, 1896–97, in hot-houses. _McIlvaine._

A delicate, delicious Lepiota. Though small, it is meaty. Its appearance in hot-houses (it is found in woods) insures a crop at a time of year when other species are not plentiful, and when anything edible in the toadstool line is most welcome to their lovers.

=L. lenticula´ris= Lasch.—_lenticula_, a lentil. =Pileus= at first globose, then convex, even, naked, pinkish-tan color. =Flesh= thick, spongy, white. =Gills= close to stem, but free from it, ventricose, crowded, whitish. =Stem= 4–6 in. high, thick, equal or swollen at base, solid but spongy, more or less covered with scales; above the ring it is frequently covered with drops of water more or less green, which leave spots when they dry. =Veil= superior and very large.

=Pileus= 3–4 in. across. =Stem= 4–6 in. long, ½ in. and more thick. In damp woods.

Redman’s Woods, Haddonfield, N.J. September, 1894. _McIlvaine._

This species is included in Amanita by Fries and Stevenson. Massee places it in Lepiota. In the dozen or more specimens I have found, there was no trace of a volva, even when very young. I tested it carefully and at one time ate three good-sized caps without experiencing any indications of poison. I have seen it during but one season and not then (at one time) in sufficient quantity to make a meal off it. Cooked it has a slight cheesy flavor which is pleasant.

=L. illi´nita= Fr.—_illino_, to smear over. =Pileus= rather thin, soft, at first ovate, then campanulate or expanded, subumbonate, smooth, white, very viscid or glutinous, even or striate on the margin. =Gills= close, free, white. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering upward, stuffed or hollow, viscid, white. =Spores= broadly elliptical, 5×4µ broad.

=Plant= 2–4 in. high. =Pileus= 1–2.5 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 lines thick.

Thin or open woods. Adirondack mountains. July to September.

This is a smooth white species with the stem and pileus clothed with a clear viscid or glutinous veil. The margin of the pileus is often even, but the typical form of the species has it striate. The flesh is soft and white. The species may be distinguished from the viscid white species of Hygrophorus by the free, not adnate nor decurrent lamellæ. _Peck_, 35th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Springton and Mt. Gretna, Pa., 1887–1897. _McIlvaine._

Not yet found by me in quantity. Several specimens eaten were of good flavor.

=L. rugulo´sa= Pk. =Pileus= thin, submembranaceous, broadly convex or nearly plane, umbonate, rugulose, widely striate on the margin, whitish. =Lamellæ= thin, narrow, close, free, whitish. =Stem= short, equal, slightly silky, whitish, the annulus thin, persistent, white. =Spores= elliptic, 7.5µ long, 4µ broad.

=Pileus= 12–20 mm. broad. =Stem= about 2.5 cm. long, 2 mm. thick.

Moist grassy places under trees. Washington, D.C. July. _Mrs. E.M. Williams._ Perhaps in the fresh state the pileus is not as distinctly rugulose as when dry. _Peck_, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, Vol. 27, January, 1900.

=ARMILLA´RIA= Fr.

_Armilla_, a ring.

(Plate XVII.)

=Pileus= and =Stem= continuous. =Veil= partial, sometimes only indicated by the scales which clothe the stem terminating in the form of a ring. =Spores= white. On the ground or on stumps.

In the young plant the veil extends from the stem to the pileus, sometimes forming scaly patches upon it; below the ring it is attached to the stem often in scales.

But for the presence of the ring the species of this genus could be distributed in Tricholoma, Clitocybe and Collybia, with which they agree in all other characters.

In Amanita and Lepiota, the other ringed genera of the white-spored series, the flesh of the stem and pileus is not continuous; and their stems are therefore easily separated. Amanita is also distinguished by its volva.

ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.

TRICHOLOMATA. Page 52.

Gills sinuately adnexed, stem fleshy, ring often evanescent. (Like Tricholoma.)

CLITOCYBÆ. Page 55.

Gills not sinuate, more or less decurrent, narrowed behind; ring permanent. (Resembling Clitocybe.)

COLLYBLÆ. Page 58.

Gills adnate, equal behind; stem somewhat cartilaginous outside; ring permanent. (Resembling Collybia.)

FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE.

1. Armillaria mellea, 55 3–4. Lentinus 230
lepideus,

2. Armillaria mellea var. 56
exannulata,

I.—TRICHOLOMATA. Gills sinuately adnexed, etc.

=A. robus´ta= A. and S.—_robustus_, robust, sturdy. Substance of entire plant compact. =Pileus= 2–3 in. across, varying in shades of gray and brown, scaly, fibrillose on margin, decreasing toward center or smooth, convex or top-shaped and margin involute at first, expanding. =Flesh= firm, very thick. =Gills= broad, emarginate, nearly free, crowded, whitish, up to ½ in. broad. =Veil= large, membranaceous, sometimes floccose, remaining adherent to the stem. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, obese, solid, tapering at the base, brownish-white and fibrillose below veil, white and flocculose above, flesh of stem continuous with that of the cap.

Stevenson gives var. _minor_ with even cap with both gills and ring very narrow.

=Spores= ovoid-spherical. 7µ. _Q._

Edible, _Curtis_; District Columbia, _Mrs. M. Fuller_.

In mixed woods. Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New Jersey, _McIlvaine_.

The substance of A. robusta differs from all other Armillaria in being very compact. It is not acrid but has a marked flavor. Cut into small pieces and well cooked it makes an acceptable dish. It is best in croquettes and patties, or served with meats.

=A. viscid´ipes= Pk.—_viscidus_, sticky; _pes_, a foot. =Pileus= fleshy, compact, convex or nearly plane, glabrous, whitish with a slight yellowish or reddish-yellow tint. =Flesh= white, odor peculiar, penetrating, sub-alkaline. =Gills= narrow, crowded, sinuate or subdecurrent, whitish. =Stem= equal, solid, viscid and slightly tinged with yellow below the narrow membranous ring, whitish above. =Spores= elliptical, 8×5µ.

=Pileus= 3–6 in. broad. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, 6–12 lines thick.

In mixed woods. Rock City, Dutchess county. October.

It is a large fine fungus, easily known by its white and yellowish hues, its crowded gills, viscid stem and peculiar penetrating almost alkaline odor. The cuticle of the pileus is thin and soft to the touch, but it sometimes cracks longitudinally and is sometimes slightly adorned with innate fibrils. A. dehiscens is said to have a viscid stem, but it is also squamose and the pileus is yellowish-ochraceous. _Peck_, 44th Rep N.Y. State Bot.

Quite common in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. _McIlvaine._

It loses its strong odor when cooked and is equal to other Armillaria in edibility. Unless well cooked it has a slight saponaceous flavor. This is easily overcome by a few drops of lemon juice or sherry.

=A. appendicula´ta= Pk.—bearing an appendicula or small appendage. =Pileus= broadly convex, glabrous, whitish, often tinged with rust color or brownish rust color on the disk. =Flesh= white or whitish. =Gills= close, rounded behind, whitish. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering upward, solid, bulbous, whitish, the veil either membranous or webby, white, commonly adhering in fragments to the margin of the pileus. =Spores= subelliptical, 8×5µ.

=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–3.5 in. long; 5–10 lines thick.

Auburn, Ala. October. _C.F. Baker._

The general appearance of this species is suggestive of Tricholoma album, but the presence of a veil separates it from that fungus and places it in the genus Armillaria. The veil, however, is often slightly lacerated or webby and adherent to the margin of the pileus. _Peck_, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, Vol. 24.

Mt. Gretna, Pa., Angora, Pa. On decaying roots in ground. August to November. Found plentifully in resorts of other Armillaria. Edibility the same. _McIlvaine._

=A. pondero´sa= Pk.—_ponderosus_, weighty, ponderous. =Pileus= thick, compact, convex or subcampanulate, smooth, white or yellowish, the naked margin strongly involute beneath the slightly viscid, persistent veil. =Gills= crowded, narrow, slightly emarginate, white inclining to cream color. =Stem= stout, subequal, firm, solid, coated by the veil, colored like the pileus, white and furfuraceous above the ring. =Flesh= white. =Spores= nearly globose, 4µ in diameter.

=Plant= 4–6 in. high. =Pileus= 4–6 in. broad. =Stem= about 1 in. thick.

Ground in woods. Copake, Columbia county. October.

The veil for a long time conceals the gills, and finally becomes lacerated and adheres in shreds or fragments to the stem and margin of the pileus. _Peck_, 26th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

New England, _Frost_; New York, _Peck_, Repts. 26, 29, 41. West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Ground in woods. September to November. _McIlvaine._

Professor Peck says in 26th Report: “This species has not been found since its discovery in 1872.”

Where the Armillaria mellea frequents I have often found A. ponderosa. It was plentiful at Mt. Gretna, Pa., in September, 1898. Young specimens are quite as edible as A. mellea, and rather more juicy.

II.—CLITOCYBÆ. Gills not sinuate, etc.

=A. mel´lea= Vahl.—_melleus_, of the color of honey. (Plate XVI, fig. 1, p. 52.) =Pileus= adorned with minute tufts of brown or blackish hairs, sometimes glabrous, even or when old slightly striate on the margin. =Gills= adnate or slightly decurrent, white or whitish, becoming sordid with age and sometimes variegated with reddish-brown spots. =Stem= ringed, at length brownish toward the base. =Spores= elliptical, white, 8–10µ long. _Peck_, 48th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

=Spores= 9×5–6µ _W.G.S._; 10×8µ _B._; 8–10µ _Peck_.

The A. mellea is unusually prolific and is common over the United States and Europe. Specimens may be found in the spring-time, but in middle latitudes it is common from August until after light frosts. It is usually in tufts, some of which contain scores of plants and are showy over ground filled with roots, or on stumps or boles of decaying trees. It frequents dense woods and open clearings. I have seen acres of dense woodland at Mt. Gretna, Pa., so covered with it and its varieties that but few square yards were unoccupied.

A description of the typical A. mellea will rarely apply to any one plant. A combination of its variable features in one description would include something of nearly every white-spored Agaric under the sun. Yet there is something indescribable about it which once learned will unerringly betray it.

Its =Caps= vary from perfectly smooth, through tufts of scales and hairs, more or less dense, to matted woolliness. It may show any one of these conditions in youth and be bald in age. Some shade of yellow is the prevailing color, but this will vary from whitish to dark-purplish or reddish-brown. When water-soaked it is one color, when dry, another. Commonly the margins of the =Caps= are striated, sometimes they are smooth as a cymbal, and not unlike one, have a raised place or umbo in the center. =Flesh= white or whitish. =Gills= when young are white or creamy, usually running down the stem, sometimes slightly notched at attachment. They freckle in age and lose their fair complexion. The =Veil= or collar about the stem is as variable as fashion—thick and closely woven or flimsy as gossamer, or vanishing as the plant grows old. The =Stems= may be even as a lead pencil, or swollen like a pen-holder, or bulbous toward the base, or distorted by pressure in the tufts. It is as variable in color as the cap, usually darkening downward in hues of brown. The outside is firm and fibrous, sometimes furrowed, inside soft or hollow.

=Cap= 1–6 in. across. =Stem= 1–6 in. long, ¼-¾ in. thick.

Var. _obscu´ra_ has the cap covered with numerous small blackish scales.

Var. _fla´va_ has the cap yellow or reddish-yellow, but in other respects it is like the type.

Var. _gla´bra_ has the cap smooth, otherwise like the type.

Var. _radica´ta_ has a tapering, root-like prolongation of the stem, which penetrates the earth deeply.

Var. _bulbo´sa_ has a distinctly bulbous base to the stem, and in this respect is the reverse of var. radicata.

Professor Peck writes: “Var. _exannulata_ (Plate XVI, fig. 2, p. 52) has the cap smooth and even on the margin, and the stem tapering at the base. The annulus is very slight and evanescent or wholly wanting. The cap is usually about an inch broad, or a little more, and the plants grow in clusters, which sometimes contain forty or fifty individuals. It is more common farther south than it is in our state (N.Y.), and is reported to be the most common form in Maryland. This I call var. exannulata.” From _Dr. Taylor_, Washington, D.C.; Indiana, _H.I. Miller_.

To these may be added also var. _al´bida_ Pk. in which the pileus is white or whitish.

A variety, perhaps a variation of var. bulbosa was sent to me by E. B. Sterling, Trenton, N.J., and afterward found by myself at Mt. Gretna, Pa. The =Cap= purplish-brown, convex, striate and light on margin, edge irregular with parts of veil attached. =Flesh= white, very thin. =Gills= decurrent, arcuate, pinkish-gray. =Stem= stuffed, fibrous, white above, dense floccose veil, same color as cap below, swollen toward base which is pointed, sulcate, white inside, closely clustered and some of the stems distinctly bulbous. =Taste= decidedly unpleasant. An intense acridity develops and increases when the juices of raw pieces are swallowed, and the salivary glands are much excited. The acridity is not lost in cooking. It simply can not be eaten. Specimens were sent by me to Professor Peck who referred it to A. mellea.

I have never seen the abortive form of Clitopilus abortivus, though found in many places and in great quantity, showing any part or trace of the original plant. But that a similar monstrosity occurs upon A. mellea is shown by individuals and parts of individuals of a cluster being aborted. Without such positive proof, no one would suspect either of these odd formations to be abortive of either C. abortivus or A. mellea, or any other fungus. I consider the abortive form of A. mellea far superior in substance and flavor to it or any of its varieties.

The Armillaria can not be ranked among the tender or high-flavored toadstools, yet their abundance, meaty caps and nourishing qualities place them among our most valuable food species.

The caps when chopped into small pieces make good patties and croquettes. They have an impressive flavor of their own, and offer an esculent medium for seasoning and the gravies of various meats.

=A. nardos´mia= Ellis—_nardosmius_, of the odor of nardus. (A name applied by the ancients to several plants, especially _spica nardi_—spikenard.) =Pileus= fleshy, firm, thick and compact on the disk, thin toward the margin, whitish, variegated with brown spots, with a thick, tough and separable cuticle. =Flesh= white. =Gills= crowded, subventricose, slightly emarginate, whitish. =Stem= solid, fibrous, not bulbous, sheathed below by the brown velvety veil, the ring narrow, spreading, uneven on the edge. =Spores= subglobose, 6µ in diameter.

=Pileus= about 3 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–3 in. long, 4–6 lines thick.

Ground in woods, Suffolk county. September. _Peck_, 43d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Several specimens from sandy grounds in pine woods, Haddonfield, N.J., were sent by me to Professor Peck and were identified by him. Plentiful at Mt. Gretna, Pa., September to frost, 1898. In mixed woods, on gravelly ground. Eaten in quantity by several persons. _McIlvaine._

Cuticle of caps when dry breaking up into brownish, squamulose scales, margin involute. =Gills= subdecurrent. =Veil= thick, persistent. =Stem= short, subbulbous, solid. =Flesh= white. Very much resembles a short-stemmed Lepiota. Smell and taste strong, like almonds. Disappears in cooking.

III.—COLLYBIÆ. Gills adnate, stem somewhat cartilaginous.

=A. mu´cida= Schrad.—_mucidus_, slimy. =Pileus= commonly shining white, thin, almost transparent, hemispherical then expanded, obtuse, more or less radiato-wrinkled, smeared over with a thick tenacious gluten; margin striate when thinner. =Stem= 1½-3 in. long, 1–2 lines thick at the apex, thickened at the base, stuffed, thin, rigid, curved ascending, smooth, white, but sooty scaly at the base when most perfectly developed. =Ring= inserted at the apex of the stem, bent downward and glued close to the stem, furrowed, the white border again erect, with a swollen and entire margin, which sometimes becomes dingy brown. =Gills= rounded behind, obtuse, adhering to the stem and striato-decurrent, distant, broad, lax, mucid, always shining white.

Very variable in stature, from 1 in. (when of this size the stem is almost equal) to as much as 6 in. broad. The color of the pileus varies gray, fuliginous, olivaceous. The gills sometimes become yellow, but only from disease. Sometimes solitary, sometimes a few are joined in a cespitose manner at the base. _Stevenson._

=Spores= elliptical, 15–16×8–9µ _Massee_; 17×14µ _W.G.S._

North Carolina, _Schweinitz_, _Curtis_; Pennsylvania, _Schweinitz_; Maryland, _Miss Banning_.

West Virginia mountains, 1882, Haddonfield, N.J., 1891–94, on beech trees and roots. _McIlvaine._

Commonly considered esculent in Europe.

Dirt adheres so tenaciously to it that it is difficult to clean. This, however, occurs only when the fungus grows from roots and pushes its way up through covering earth. When growing from trees it is attractive and of good quality.

Should be chopped fine and well cooked.

=TRICHOLO´MA= Fr.

_Gr._—a hair, a fringe.

(Plate XIX.)

=Pileus= symmetrical, generally fleshy, never truly umbilicate, seldom umbonate. =Veil= absent or appearing only as fibrils or down on the margin of the pileus. =Gills= sinuate (the small sudden curve near the stem always apparent in the young plant), sometimes with a slightly decurrent tooth. =Stem= central, usually stout, fleshy-fibrous, without a bark-like skin. =Flesh= continuous with that of the pileus. =Ring= and =Volva= absent. =Spores= white or dingy.

But one is known to be poisonous. Some are acrid or unpleasant in flavor. With one exception all grow on the ground in pastures and woods, appearing from May to late in the autumn.

Gills generally white or dingy, frequently spotted or stained. The pileus may be smooth or adorned with fibrous or downy scales, dry, moist, viscid or water-soaked.

The distinguishing feature of Tricholoma is the sinuate gills. In Collybia the stem bears a distinct bark-like skin; in Clitocybe the gills are never sinuate; species of Pleurotus are distinguished by growing on wood only, and Paxillus by their strongly-incurved margin and anastomosing gills.

In cooking Tricholoma consistency must be the guide to plan and time. The tougher varieties require to be cut into small pieces and to be well cooked, while the brittle and delicate varieties will cook quickly. Many of them make excellent soups.

ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.

_A._ PILEUS VISCID, FIBRILLOSE, SCALY OR DOWNY, NOT WATER-SOAKED.

Stem fibrillose from the remains of the adnate universal veil.

LIMACINA (_limas_, a slug or snail, slimy). Page 61.

Cuticle of pileus viscid when moist, innately fibrillose or scaly, but not lacerated; flesh of pileus thick, firm; margin almost naked.

* Gills not discolored, nor becoming reddish.

** Gills discolored, usually spotted with reddish-brown.

GENUINA. Page 67.

Cuticle of the pileus never moist or viscid; torn into downy or floccose scales. Flesh soft, not water-soaked; margin involute and slightly downy at first.

* Gills not changing color, nor spotted with red or black.

** Gills becoming reddish or gray, the edge at last generally with reddish or black spots.

RIGIDA (_rigeo_, to be stiff). Page 74.

Pileus rigid, hard, somewhat cartilaginous when fleshy, very fragile when thin, cuticle rigid, granulated or broken up when dry into smooth scales, not torn into fibrils. Young specimens occur which are fibrillose from the veil, not from laceration of the cuticle.

* Gills white or pallid, not becoming spotted with red or gray.

** Gills becoming reddish, grayish or spotted.

SERICELLA (_sericeus_, silky). Page 74.

Pileus first slightly silky, soon becoming smooth, very dry, neither moist, viscid, water-soaked, nor distinctly scaly; rather thin, opaque, absorbing moisture, but is the same color as the gills. Stem fibrous, by which the smaller species resembling Collybia may be distinguished.

* Gills broad, rather thick, somewhat distant.

**:sericella2 Gills narrow, thin, crowded.

B. PILEUS EVEN, SMOOTH, NOT DOWNY NOR SCALY, NOT VISCID.

In rainy weather moist; when very young pruinose (but rarely conspicuously) from the universal veil. Flesh soft and spongy or very thin when it is water-soaked.

GUTTATA (_gutta_, a drop). Page 76.

Pileus fleshy, soft, fragile, marked with drop-like spots or rivulose. Appearing in spring, rarely in autumn.

Cespitose, in troops or often in rings.

* Gills whitish.

** Gills becoming reddish or smoky-gray.

FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE.

1–2. TRICHOLOMA PERSONATUM, 79 5. TRICHOLOMA 68
COLUMBETTA,

3. TRICHOLOMA RUSSULA, 65 6. TRICHOLOMA HUMILE, 81

4. TRICHOLOMA TERREUM, 71

SPONGIOSA (_spongia_, a sponge). Page 78.

Pileus compact, then spongy, obtuse, even, smooth, moist but not hygrophanous; firm, growing in troops late in the autumn. Stem stout, base usually thickened, spongy fibrous. Gills at length decurrent but sinuate, by which character they are distinguished from Clitocybe.

* Gills not discolored.

** Gills discolored.

HYGROPHANA (_Gr._, wet; to appear). Page 80.

Pileus thin, somewhat umbonate; flesh at length soft, watery. Stem rootless, containing a pith, entirely fibrous.

Flesh not exceeding in depth the width of the not broad, thin gills; thinnest toward the margin, hence somewhat umbonate. Color of the pileus either moist or dry, very variable in the same species. Pileus sometimes pulverulent from the persistence of the veil in dry weather.

* Gills whitish, not spotted.

** Gills more or less violet, gray or smoky. Not represented.

_Series A._

PILEUS VISCID OR FIBRILLOSE, DOWNY OR SCALY.

I.—LIMA´CINA. Viscous when moist.

* _Gills not becoming discolored, nor becoming reddish._

=T. eques´tre= Linn.—_equestre_, belonging to a horseman or knight, from distinguished appearance. =Pileus= fleshy, compact, convex becoming expanded, obtuse, pale-yellowish, more or less reddish tinged, the disk and central scales often darker, the margin naked, often wavy. =Flesh= white or tinged with yellow. =Gills= rounded behind, close, nearly free, _sulphur-yellow_. =Stem= stout, solid, pale-yellow or white, white within. =Spores= 6.5–8×4–5µ.

=Pileus= 3–5 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 6–10 lines thick.

Pine woods, especially in sandy soil. Albany county. September to November.

This is a noble species but not plentiful in our state (N.Y.). The pileus is said to become greenish very late in the season. The stem, in the typical form, is described as sulphur-yellow in color, but with us it is more often white. The scales of the disk are sometimes wanting. In our plant the taste is slightly farinaceous at first, but it is soon unpleasant.

Var. _pinastreti_ A. and S. is a slender form having a thin, even pileus, thinner and more narrow gills and a more slender stem. A. crassus Scop., A. aureus Schaeff., and A. flavovirens Pers. are recorded as synonyms of this species. _Peck_, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Professor Peck later says in “Mushrooms and Their Use,” p. 52: “I confidently add it to the list of edible species.”

New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. In pine forests and groves. September to frost. _McIlvaine._

I have eaten it since 1883. All disagreeable odor about T. equestre (which I have seldom noticed) disappears upon cooking. The substance is rather tough, but good.

=T. coryphæ´um= Fr.—chief, leader. From its distinguished appearance. =Pileus= very fleshy but not compact, convex then plane, obtuse, viscid, yellowish, streaked with small brownish scales. =Stem= solid, attenuated upward. =Gills= emarginate, crowded, white, edge yellow.

Large and of striking appearance. In shady beech woods.

Pronounced a good edible by the Boston Myc. Club.

The color of the plants is given as greenish-yellow. Bull. Boston Myc. Club, 1896.

=T. ustale= Fr.—_uro_, to burn. =Pileus= fleshy, convex, then plane, obtuse, even, smooth, viscid, bay-brownish. =Stem= stuffed, equal, dry, rufo-fibrillose, apex naked, silky, nearly smooth. =Gills= emarginate, crowded, white, at length with reddish spots. _Cooke._

Chiefly in pine woods.

=Pileus= 3 in. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, about ½ in. thick.

=Spores= 5×8µ _W.G.S._; 7–8×5µ _Massee_.

North Carolina, _Curtis_, pine woods, _Schweinitz_; Kansas, _Cragin_. Massachusetts. Edible. Boston Myc. Club, Bull. No. 5.

=T. resplen´dens= Fr.—shining brightly. =Pileus= fleshy, convex then nearly plane, even, bare, _viscid, white_, sometimes hyaline-spotted or yellowish on the disk, shining when dry, the _margin straight_. =Flesh= white, taste mild, odor pleasant. =Gills= nearly free when young, then emarginate, somewhat crowded, rather thick, entire, white. =Stem= _solid_, bare, subbulbous, even, dry, white. =Spores= 8×4µ.

=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 4–8 lines thick.

Thin woods. Catskill mountains. September. _Peck_, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Mt. Gretna, Pa., in mixed woods. October and November. _McIlvaine._

It is of excellent flavor, consistency and food value.

=T. transmu´tans= Pk.—changing. =Pileus= convex, _nearly bare_, viscid when moist, brownish, reddish-brown or tawny-red, usually paler on the margin. =Flesh= white, taste and odor farinaceous. =Gills= narrow, close, sometimes branched, whitish or pale yellowish, becoming dingy or reddish-spotted when old. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering upward, _bare_ or slightly silky-fibrillose, stuffed or hollow, whitish, often marked with reddish stains or becoming reddish-brown toward the base, white within. =Spores= subglobose, 5µ.

=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, 3–6 lines thick.

Woods. The plants are often cespitose.

I suspect that Agaricus frumentaceus of Curtis’s catalogue belongs to this species. Both the pileus and stem, as well as the gills, are apt to assume darker hues with age or in drying, and this character suggested the specific name. The species is classed as edible. _Peck_, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Curtis catalogues T. frumentaceum as edible.

T. transmutans is reported from many states. It has a mealy taste and odor. Wherever it is found it is a valuable food species.

=T. sejunc´tum= Sow.—separated; from the peculiar manner in which the gills separate from the stem. =Pileus= fleshy, convex then expanded, umbonate, slightly viscid, _streaked with innate brown or blackish fibrils_, whitish or yellowish, sometimes greenish-yellow. =Flesh= white, fragile. =Gills= _broad, subdistant_, rounded behind or emarginate, white. =Stem= solid, stout, often irregular, white. =Spores= subglobose, 6.5µ.

=Pileus= 1–3 in. broad. =Stem= 1–3 in. long, 4–8 lines thick.

Mixed woods. Suffolk county, N.Y. September.

The plants referred to this species are not uncommon on Long Island, growing on sandy soil in woods of oak and pine. They are usually more or less irregular and the pileus becomes fragile. It is quite variable in color, sometimes approaching a smoky-brown hue, again being nearly white. The taste of the typical form is said to be bitter, but the flavor of our plant is scarcely bitter. In other respects, however, it agrees well with the description of the species. _Peck_, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

=Spores= 6µ. _W.G.S._

Flesh is tender. Cooked, of good body and peculiar but pleasant flavor. A valuable species, baked, scalloped, fried.

=T. terri´ferum= Pk.—_terra_, earth; _fero_, to bear. =Pileus= broadly convex or nearly plane, irregular, often wavy on the margin, glabrous, viscid, _pale-yellow_, generally soiled with adhering particles of earth carried up in its growth. =Flesh= white, with no decided odor. =Gills= thin, crowded, slightly adnexed, white, not spotted or changeable. =Stem= equal, short, solid, white, _floccose-squamulose at the apex_. =Spores= minute, subglobose, 3µ.

=Pileus= 3–4 in. broad. =Stem= 1–1.5 in. long, 6–8 lines thick.

Woods. Catskill mountains. September. _Peck_, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Found in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey. August to frost. _McIlvaine._

Not inviting, hard to clean, nevertheless edible and good.

=T. portento´sum= Fr.—_portentosus_, strange, monstrous. =Pileus= 3–5 in. broad, _sooty_, livid, sometimes violaceous, fleshy, but thin in comparison with the stoutness of the stem, convexo-plane, somewhat umbonate, unequal and turned up, viscid, _streaked with black lines_ (innate fibrils), but otherwise even and smooth, the very thin margin naked. =Flesh= not compact, white, fragile. =Stem= commonly 3 in. often 4–6 in. long, 1 in. thick, stout, _solid_, the whole remarkably fibrous-fleshy, somewhat equal, _naked_, but _fibrilloso-striate_, white; the base, which is occasionally attenuato-rooted, villous. =Gills= rounded, almost free, 3–4 lines to as much as 1 in. broad, _distant, white_, but varying, becoming pale-gray or yellow. _Fries._

=Spores= 4–5×4µ _K._; 5×4µ _W.G.S_

West Virginia, 1882; New Jersey, Pennsylvania, in woods and open places. May to November. _McIlvaine._

It is one of the first toadstools I experimented upon. I have been constant to it. Its caps fried in butter are unsurpassed.

** _Gills discolored, usually spotted with reddish-brown._

=T. fla´vo-brun´neum= Fr.—_flavus_, yellow; _brunneus_, brown. =Pileus= fleshy, conical, then convex, at length expanded, subumbonate, viscid, _clothed with streak-like scales_. =Stem= _hollow, somewhat ventricose_, fibrillose, _at first viscid, yellowish within_, tip naked. =Gills= emarginate, _decurrent_, crowded, yellowish, then reddish. _Fries._

Odor that of new meal. =Stem= 3–5 in. long, ½ in. thick, dull-reddish or brownish. =Pileus= 3–6 in. broad, disk darker, dingy dull-red or reddish-brown.

North Carolina, _Curtis_; damp woods, A. fulvus, _Schweinitz_.

Edible, _Cooke_, 1891.

=T. rus´sula= Schaeff.—reddish. (Plate XVIII, fig. 3, p. 60.) =Pileus= fleshy, convex, becoming plane or centrally depressed, obtuse, viscid, even or dotted with granular squamules on the disk, _red or incarnate_, the margin usually paler, involute and minutely downy in the young plant. =Flesh= white, sometimes tinged with red, taste mild. =Gills= sub-distant, rounded behind or subdecurrent, white, often becoming red-spotted with age. =Stem= solid, firm, whitish or rose-red, squamulose at the apex. =Spores= elliptical, 7×4µ.

=Pileus= 3–5 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 6–8 lines thick.

Mixed woods. Albany. Cattaraugus and Steuben counties. September and October.

According to the description the typical plant has the pileus incarnate and the stem rosy-red, but in the American plant the pileus is generally more clearly red and the stem white, though this is often varied by reddish stains. _Peck_, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Mixed woods. August until after frost. At Mt. Gretna, Pa. 1897–1898 the patches were large, generous yielders.

Edible, _Cooke_; edible, _Cordier_, _Roques_.

T. russula is a dressy fungus and has a fashion of its own. The mottlings upon its cap, gill and stem, in shades of red, subdued though they be, give it a handsome personality distinct from any other.

The species is a variable one in its minor markings. When moisture is prevalent the caps of all are viscid. Both young and old are often cracked. Stems frequently not squamulose at apex, frequently rosy when young, often flattened. The fibrous interior of the stem and its fibrous connection with the flesh of the cap are very marked. Gills emarginate in youth as well as in age. It is solitary, gregarious, occasionally bunched.

An excellent fungus, a free late grower, meaty, easily cooked, and of fine flavor.

=T. frumenta´ceum= Bull.—_frumentum_, made of corn. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad, whitish or clay-color and variegated dull red, truly fleshy, convex then plane, obtuse, viscous, dry in fine weather, _even, smooth_. =Flesh= white. =Stem= 3 in. long, ½ in. thick, _solid, equal, fibrillose_ when dry, whitish. =Gills= _rounded_, somewhat crowded, rather broad, white, at length spotted-red.

Wholly _becoming pale white_, but the stem and pileus are alike _marked-red_, and the gills are at length reddish, wherefore, as well as for the _strong smell of new meal_, it is undoubtedly nearest to A. pessundatus. When full grown it has all the appearance of Entoloma. On the ground. _Stevenson._

=Spores= 6µ _W.G.S._

North Carolina, _Curtis_. Edible. Porcher says Dr. Curtis was the first to declare it edible.

=T. pessunda´tum= Fr.—_pessum dare_, bent downward. =Pileus= fleshy, compact, convex, very obtuse, repand, viscid, _granulose or spotted_. =Stem= solid, firm, at first ovato-bulbous, _everywhere villose with whitish scales_. =Gills= emarginate, nearly free, crowded, white, at length spotted with red.

In pine woods. Odor and taste mealy.

=Pileus= bay, reddish, paler at the margin. Stature of Ag. equestris. _Fries._

=Spores= 5×2.5µ Massee; very minute, globose, 2–3µ _C.B.P._

Reckoned edible, but very rare. _Stevenson._

California, _H. and M._

II.—GENUI´NA. Cuticle of pileus torn into downy or fibrillose scales.

* _Gills not changing color nor becoming spotted._

(Plate XX.)

TRICHOLOMA DECOROSUM.
Two-thirds natural size.
]

=T. decoro´sum= Pk.—_decorus_, decorous. =Pileus= firm, at first hemispherical, then convex or nearly plane, adorned with numerous _brownish sub-squarrose tomentose scales_, dull ochraceous or tawny. =Flesh= white. =Gills= close, rounded and slightly emarginate behind, the edge slightly scalloped. =Stem= solid, equal or slightly tapering upward, white and smooth at the top, elsewhere _tomentose-scaly_ and colored like the pileus. =Spores= broadly elliptical, 5×4µ.

=Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 2–4 lines thick.

Decaying trunks of trees. Catskill mountains and Alleghany county. September and October.

A rare but beautiful species. It is often cespitose. It departs from the character of the genus in growing on decaying wood. _Peck_, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Tricholoma decorosum is not rare in Pennsylvania. I have found it at Angora, Philadelphia and in Chester county, Pa., growing in clusters and singly. At first sight one might take it for one of the many forms of Armillaria, but even cursory examination shows the difference.

It is of good consistency and flavor, having a decided mushroom taste.

=T. flaves´cens= Pk.—pale yellow. =Pileus= convex, firm, often irregular, dry, _slightly silky becoming bare_, sometimes cracking into minute scales on the disk, _whitish or pale yellow_. =Flesh= whitish or yellowish. =Gills= close, white or pale-yellow, emarginate, floccose on the edge. =Stems= firm, solid, often unequal, central or sometimes eccentric, single or cespitose, colored like the pileus. =Spores= subglobose, 5µ in diameter.

=Pileus= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2.5 in. long, 4–6 lines thick.

Pine stumps. Albany and Rensselaer counties. October.

The species seems to be related to T. rutilans but has not the red or purplish tomentum of that fungus. It, like T. decorosum, is always lignicolous. T. rutilans is sometimes so. _Peck_, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Frequently found in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Pine stumps. September to frost. _McIlvaine._

The flesh compares with that of T. rutilans, and makes an equally good dish.

=T. gran´de= Pk. =Pileus= thick, firm, hemispherical, becoming convex, often irregular, dry, _scaly_, somewhat silky-fibrillose toward the margin, _white_, the margin at first involute. =Flesh= grayish-white, taste _farinaceous_. =Gills= close, rounded behind, adnexed, white. =Stem= stout, solid, fibrillose, at first tapering upward, then equal or but slightly thickened at the base, pure white. =Spores= elliptical, 9–11×6µ.

=Pileus= 4–5 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 1–1.5 in. thick.

Among fallen leaves in woods. Cattaraugus county. September.

The plants are often cespitose, and then the pileus is more or less irregular and the gills somewhat lacerated. The species is related to T. columbetta, from which its larger size, constantly scaly pileus, more cespitose mode of growth, larger spores and farinaceous taste separate it. The scales of the pileus are brownish, and the pileus itself is sometimes slightly dingy on the disk. The young margin is pure white like the stem, and both it and the upper part of the stem are sometimes studded with drops of moisture.

The plant was found on trial to be edible, but not of first quality. The flesh is not very tender, nor the flavor captivating even in young specimens. _Peck_, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Mt. Gretna, Pa. Mixed woods. August to frost. _McIlvaine._

Gross when old. Young specimens of medium quality and flavor.

=T. columbet´ta= Fr.—_columba_, a pigeon. (Plate XVIII, fig. 5, p. 60.) =Pileus= convex, then nearly plane, fleshy, obtuse, rigid, somewhat flexuous, dry, _at first bare, then silky-fibrillose_, becoming even or scaly, _white_, the margin at first _involute_, more or less tomentose. =Flesh= white, taste _mild_. =Gills= close, emarginate, thin, white. =Stem= stout, solid, unequal, nearly bare, white. =Spores= 7–8×4.5µ.

The species is very variable and the following varieties have been described:

Var. _A_. =Pileus= nearly always repand or lobed, at first bare, even, at length cracked-scaly, often reddish spotted, the margin when young inflexed, tomentose. =Stem= obese, even, unequal, swollen, an inch thick. The typical form.

Birch wood among mosses.

Var. _B_. =Pileus= subflexuous, silky-fibrillose, at length scaly, sometimes dingy-brown spotted, the margin scarcely tomentose. =Stem= longer, equal or slightly narrowed at the base.

Bushy places. Intermediate between _A_ and _C_.

Var. _C_. =Pileus= regular, flattened, evidently fibrillose, sometimes spotted with blue, four inches broad. =Stem= equal, cylindrical, fibrillose-striate, four inches long.

Beech woods. A showy variety so diverse from variety _A_ that it might be regarded as a distinct species, did not variety _B_ connect them, and so much resemble both that it might with equal propriety be referred to either.

=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 1–4 in. long, 3–12 lines thick.

Woods and pastures. Albany county, N.Y.

It may be distinguished from T. album by its mild taste. It is recorded as edible. _Peck_, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Edible, _Curtis_, _Cooke_, _Stevenson_.

This much varied Tricholoma is as varied in its habitat. I have found it on vacant lots in Philadelphia, in mixed woods at Devon, Pa., and in the forests of the West Virginia mountains, and eaten it since 1881.

It cooks readily and is of mild, agreeable flavor.

=T. ru´tilans= Schaeff.—_rutilo_, to be reddish. =Pileus= fleshy, campanulate becoming plane, dry, at first _covered with a dark-red or purplish tomentum_ then somewhat scaly, the margin thin, at first involute. =Flesh= yellow. =Gills= crowded, rounded, _yellow, thickened and downy on the edge_. =Stem= somewhat hollow, nearly equal or slightly thickened or bulbous at the base, soft, pale-yellow variegated with red or purplish floccose scales. =Spores= 6.5–8×6.5µ.

(Plate XXI.)

TRICHOLOMA RUTILANS.
About three-eights natural size.
]

=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 5–8 lines thick.

On or about pine stumps, rarely on hemlock trunks. July to November. _Peck_, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

=Spores= subglobose, 5–6µ diameter _Massee_; 6–8×6µ _B_.; 6×9µ _W.G.S._

West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey. May to November. _McIlvaine._

Quite common in West Virginia mountains and in pine woods of New Jersey. The Boston Mycological Club reports it found in quantity in Massachusetts. The flesh when cooked is gummy, like the marshmallow confection. It is excellent.

** _Gills becoming reddish or gray, etc._

=T. vacci´num= Pers.—_vacca_, a cow. =Pileus= fleshy, convex or campanulate, becoming nearly plane, umbonate, dry, floccose-scaly, reddish-brown, the margin _involute, tomentose_. =Flesh= white. =Gills= adnexed, subdistant, whitish, then reddish or reddish-spotted. =Stem= equal, _hollow_, covered with a fibrillose bark, naked at the apex, pale reddish.

=Spores= subglobose, 6µ.

=Pileus= 1–3 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 4–6 lines thick.

Under or near coniferous trees. Greene and Essex counties. September and October. _Peck_, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Recorded as edible by Gillet.

Plentiful in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia. Have eaten it since 1885. Fair.

=T. fuligi´neum= Pk.—_fuligineus_, resembling soot. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, obtuse, often irregular, dry, minutely scaly, _sooty-brown_. =Flesh= grayish, odor and taste farinaceous. =Gills= subdistant, uneven on the edge, ash-colored _becoming blackish in drying_. =Stem= short, _solid_, equal, bare, ash-colored. =Spores= oblong-elliptical, 8×4µ.

=Pileus= 1–2.5 in. broad. =Stem= 1–1.5 in. long, 3–5 lines thick.

Among mosses in open places. Greene county. September. Rare. _Peck_, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Quite common in Pennsylvania and New Jersey on mossy wood margins. It is of fair quality and flavor.

(Plate XXII.)

TRICHOLOMA TERREUM.
One-half natural size.
]

=T. ter´reum= Schaeff.—the earth. (Plate XVIII, fig. 4, p. 60.) =Pileus= fleshy, thin, soft, convex, campanulate or nearly plane, obtuse or umbonate, _innately fibrillose or floccose-scaly_, ashy-brown, grayish-brown or mouse color. =Flesh= white or whitish. =Gills= adnexed, subdistant, more or less eroded on the edge, _white becoming ash-colored_. =Stem= equal, varying from solid to stuffed or hollow, fibrillose, white or whitish. =Spores= broadly elliptical, 6–7×4–5µ.

=Pileus= 1–3 in. broad.= Stem= 1–2 in. long, 2–4 lines thick.

Woods. Albany, Rensselaer and Cattaraugus counties. September to November. _Peck_, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

=Spores= 7×5.5µ _Morgan_; 5–6µ, _Massee_; 6–7×4µ _K._; 6µ _W.G.S._

Eaten by Professor Peck. Eaten by McIlvaine. Quality fair.

=T. ter´reum= Schaeff.—var. _fra´grans_ Pk. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, dry, innately-fibrillose or minutely floccose-scaly, grayish-brown or blackish-brown. =Gills= rather broad, adnexed, whitish or ash-colored. =Stem= equal, solid or stuffed, rarely hollow, whitish. =Spores= broadly elliptical, 6–7×4–5µ.

The Fragrant tricholoma has a distinct farinaceous odor and flavor. In other respects it closely resembles the Earth-colored tricholoma of which it is considered a mere variety. The typical European plant is said to be without odor or nearly so and has not been classed among the edible species by European writers. But our variety, though not high-flavored, is fairly good and entirely harmless. Its cap varies considerably in color but is some shade of gray or brown. Its center is without any prominence or very bluntly prominent, and its surface is commonly very obscurely marked with innate fibrils or in small plants may have very small flocculose tufts or scales. The flesh is whitish as also are the gills, though these sometimes assume a more decided grayish hue. They are rather broad and loose and sometimes uneven on the edge or even split transversely. They are usually deeply excavated next the stem and attached to it by a narrow part. The stem is whitish or slightly shaded with the color of the cap. It often has a few longitudinal fibrils, but never any collar. It may be either solid, stuffed or spongy within, or in large specimens, hollow.

The plants grow gregariously or sometimes in tufts on the ground under or near trees or in thin woods, especially of pine, or in mixed woods. The caps vary from 1–4 in. broad, and the stems from 1–3 in. long and from 2–6 lines thick. The plants occur in autumn. In Europe there is a variety of this species which also has a farinaceous odor, but it differs from our plant in having reddish edges to the gills. It is called variety orirubens. _Peck_, 49th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Var. fragrans is plentiful and gregarious among New Jersey pines, October to frost. Other varieties are often found. Specimens found by me at Mt. Gretna, Pa., and sent to Professor Peck who identified them as var. fragrans Pk., were decidedly umbonate. Gills were easily separable from cap.

Var. fragrans is a favorite. It is pleasant to many, even raw. Plentiful salting while cooking develops a high and exquisite flavor.

=T. fumes´cens= Pk.—smoky. =Pileus= convex or expanded, dry, clothed with a very minute appressed tomentum, whitish. =Gills= narrow, crowded, rounded behind, whitish or pale cream color, _changing to smoky-blue or blackish_ where bruised. =Stem= short, cylindrical, whitish. =Spores= oblong-elliptical, 5–6.5µ.

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

Woods. Columbia county. October. Rare.

The species is remarkable for the smoky or blackish hue assumed by the gills when bruised and also in drying. It is apparently related to T. immundum Berk., but in that species the whole plant becomes blackish when bruised, and the gills are marked with transverse lines and tinged with pink. _Peck_, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Mt. Gretna, Pa. September to November, 1898. _McIlvaine._

The size of cap sometimes attains to 3 in and stem to ½ in. in thickness. Taste at first farinaceous then sweetish. The caps are of excellent quality and flavor.

(Plate XXIII.)

TRICHOLOMA IMBRICATUM.
One-half natural size.
]

=T. imbrica´tum= Fr.—covered with tiles. =Pileus= fleshy, compact, convex or nearly plane, obtuse, dry, innately scaly, fibrillose toward the margin, brown or reddish-brown, the margin thin, at first slightly _inflexed and pubescent then naked_. =Flesh= firm, thick, white. =Gills= slightly emarginate, almost adnate, rather close, white when young, becoming reddish or spotted. =Stem= _solid_, firm, nearly equal, fibrillose, white and mealy or pulverulent at the top, elsewhere colored like the pileus. =Spores= 6.5 × 4–5µ.

=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 4–10 lines thick. Under or near coniferous trees. Greene and Essex counties. September and October.

This is an edible species. It has a farinaceous odor and taste when fresh. _Peck_, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Closely resembles T. transmutans in size, color and taste. It is, however, easily separated by its dry cap and solid stem. _Peck._

Plentiful in pine woods of New Jersey, and among hemlocks in West Virginia. Mt. Gretna, Pa., under pines. October and November, 1898. _McIlvaine._

Specimens found at Mt. Gretna had caps dark umber when young, and margin incurved to stem. Gills yellowish. Stem up to 4 in. long, stout, solid, swollen at base, and having a short pointed ending, firm, fibrillose, white. Flavor farinaceous.

Flesh of good texture and taste.

III.—RIG´IDA. Pileus rigid, cuticle broken up into smooth scales, etc.

* _Gills white or pallid, not becoming spotted with red or gray.
Not represented._

** _Gills becoming reddish or grayish, spotted, etc._

=T. sapona´ceum= Fr.—_sapo_, soap. Strong, smelling of an undefinable soap. =Cap= 2–4 in. across, involute at first, convex then flattened, dry, glabrous, moist in wet weather, never viscid, brownish, more or less spotted or having the skin cracked into scales, occasionally covered with dark fibrils. =Flesh= firm, whitish becoming reddish when wounded. =Gills= emarginate, with a hooked tooth (uncinate) thin, distant, pale white. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, about ½ in. thick, often unequal, base sometimes long and rooting, usually smooth, at times reticulated with black fibrils, or is scaly. Distasteful.

The species is variable in size and color. Stevenson remarks: “Scarcely any species has been more confounded with others.” It may always be safely distinguished by its odor, by its distant gills, by the smooth cuticle of the cap cracking into scales, and by the change of color to reddish when bruised.

West Virginia mountains. August to frost. 1881–85. New Jersey, Pennsylvania. _McIlvaine._

This fungus is not extremely unpleasant when eaten—like T. sulphureum, but no one will care to eat it. There is nothing in the flavor to recommend it or to inspire a cultivation of taste for it.

IV.—SERICEL´LA. Pileus slightly silky, soon smooth, etc.

* _Gills broad, rather thick, somewhat distant._

=T. sulphu´reum= Bull.—_sulphur_, brimstone. =Odor= strong, fetid or like gas tar. =Cap= 1–4 in. across, subglobose, then convex and plane, slightly umbonate, sometimes depressed, fleshy, margin at first involute. =Color= dingy or reddish sulphur-yellow, at first silky, becoming smooth or minutely tomentose. =Flesh= thick, yellow. =Gills= rather thick, narrowed behind, emarginate or acutely adnate, sometimes appearing arcuate from shape of cap. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 3–5 lines thick, equal or slightly bulbous, often curved, smooth striate, sulphur-yellow, stuffed, fibrous or hollow, yellow within, at times having yellow fibrous roots.

=Spores= 9–10×5µ _Massee_.

Very variable in size. Gregarious, common in mixed woods.

West Virginia, 1881. West Philadelphia, 1886. _McIlvaine._

When quite young T. sulphureum is showy and inviting. Its smell is discouraging, its taste forbidding. No amount of cooking removes its unpleasant flavor. I have tried to eat enough of it to test its qualities, but was satisfied after strenuous efforts to mark it INEDIBLE.

=T. chrysenteroi´des= Pk.—like gold. =Pileus= fleshy, convex or plane, not at all umbonate, firm, dry, glabrous or slightly silky, _pale-yellow or buff_, becoming dingy with age, the margin sometimes reflexed, _flesh pale-yellow, taste and odor farinaceous_. =Gills= rather close, emarginate, yellowish, becoming dingy or pallid with age, _marked with transverse veinlets along the upper edge_, the interspaces veined. =Stem= equal, firm, _solid_, bare, fibrous-striate, yellowish without and within. =Spores= elliptical, 8–10×5–6µ.

=Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 3–4 lines thick.

Woods. Lewis and Cattaraugus counties. September.

Nearly allied to T. chrysenterum, but separable by the gills, which are somewhat veiny and not free, by the entire absence of an umbo and by its farinaceous odor and taste. _Peck_, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Frequently found at Angora, and in Woodland Cemetery, West Philadelphia.

Edible. Fair flavor and good quality.

=T. o´picum= Fr.—uncouth. =Pileus= 1–1½ in. across. =Flesh= rather thin, becoming grayish; convex, then expanded, obtusely-umbonate, at length usually upturned and split, very dry, even at first, then minutely scaly, gray. =Gills= broadly emarginate, ventricose, rather thick, scarcely distant, hoary. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 2–3 lines thick, equal, fibrillose, becoming almost glabrous, pallid then grayish, stuffed. _Massee._

Among moss, in pine woods, etc.

Inodorous. Somewhat resembling T. saponaceum, but distinguished by the absence of smell.

Waretown, N.J. Under pines and open places in pine woods. August to September, 1889. _McIlvaine._

When wet the caps become darker and have a mottled appearance. They are tender, but rather tasteless. The species serves to make quantity when cooked with others of higher flavor.

=T. pipera´tum= Pk.—_piper_, pepper. =Pileus= rather thin, firm, dry, convex, obtuse or subumbonate, virgate with innate brownish fibrils, varying in color from grayish-brown to blackish-brown, sometimes with greenish or yellowish tints. =Flesh= white or whitish, taste acrid. =Gills= broad, close, rounded behind, adnexed, whitish or yellowish. =Stem= generally short, equal, solid, silky, slightly mealy or pruinose at the top, white or slightly tinged with yellow. =Spores= elliptic, 6–7µ long, 5µ broad. =Pileus= 4–7 cm. broad. =Stem= 5–7 cm. long, 6–12 mm. thick.

The central part of the pileus is sometimes a little darker than the rest. The peppery or acrid taste is very distinct and remains in the mouth many minutes. This and the innately fibrillose character of the pileus are distinguishing characters of the species. The plants appear from September to November. _Peck_, Torr. Bull., Vol. 26.

Mt. Gretna, Pa. October to November, 1898, on damp ground among moss. _McIlvaine._

=Cap= up to 3 in. across, bell-shaped, then convex, depressed in center and undulate, light-brown, darker toward center, dry, minutely fibrillose. =Flesh= thick, white, thin toward margin. =Gills= emarginate, unequal, not forked. =Stem= 1½-2 in. long, hard, equal or enlarging toward base, white, silky, striate.

Though peppery raw, this Tricholoma is of good substance and flavor when cooked.

_B._ PILEUS EVEN, SMOOTH, NOT DOWNY, SCALY, NOR VISCID, ETC.

V.—GUTTA´TA. Pileus marked with drop-like spots or rivulose.

* _Gills whitish._

=T. gambo´sum= Fr.—_gambosus_, swelling near the hoof. =Pileus= 3–4 in. and more broad, _becoming pale-tan_, fleshy, _hemispherico-convex, then flattened_, obtuse, undulated and bent backward, even, smooth, but _spotted as with drops_, at length widely cracked (not, however, torn into squamules), the _margin at the first involute and tomentose_. =Flesh= thick, soft, fragile, white. =Stem= 2 in. and more long, ½-1 in. thick, _solid_, fleshy-firm, almost _equal_, often curved-ascending at the base, _white_, _downy at the apex_. =Gills= rounded or emarginato-adnexed, with a somewhat decurrent tooth and when old sinuato-decurrent, _crowded_, ventricose, 2–3 lines broad, _whitish_. _Fries._

_Odor_ pleasant, _of new meal_. Often forming large rings or clusters. A whitish form must not be confounded with T. albellus.

=Spores= 13×11µ _W.G.S._; 13–14×8–9µ _Massee_; 13×10µ _Cooke_.

Angora, Philadelphia. Chester and Lebanon county, Pa. _McIlvaine._ Fair.

** _Gills becoming reddish or smoky-gray._

=T. tigri´num= Schaeff.—spotted like a tiger. =Pileus= 2 in. broad, pallid-brown, variegated with crowded and _darker dingy-brown spots_, compactly fleshy, convex then expanded, obtuse, repand. =Flesh= thick, firm, white, unchangeable, but thin at the involute margin. =Stem= 1 in. long and thick, very compact, solid, pruinate, white. =Gills= rounded behind, at length decurrent with a tooth, crowded, narrow, white, at length darker.

Solitary or cespitose. Very distinguished, obese, and without any marked smell of new meal. In fir woods and open grassy ground. Rare. June to July. _Stevenson._

Edible, _Cooke_, _Fries_.