Chapter VII: Part 7

From the fact that the spores of this fleshy and valuable genus find fostering lodgment in many trees when in decay, it is more than probable that the several species can be propagated by planting their spores upon such decaying woods, or by transplanting the mycelium.

Growths of P. ostreatus, P. sapidus, P. salignus, and probably other species of Pleurotus, can be forced, by watering the spots upon which they are known to grow. Dr. Kalchbrenner mentions that the P. sapidus is in this way cultivated in Hungary. Acting upon this mention the writer had good success with P. ostreatus. Experiments in this direction are likely to be interesting and rewarding.

No species is suspected of being noxious.

An analysis of P. ostreatus is given by Lafayette B. Mendel, Sheffield Laboratory of Physiological Chemistry, Yale University, as follows:

Water 73.70%

Total solids 26.30

The dry substance contained:

Total nitrogen 2.40

Extractive nitrogen 1.27

Protein nitrogen 1.13

Ether extract 1.6

Crude fiber 7.5

Ash 6.1

Material soluble in 85% 31.5
alcohol

American Journal of Physiology, Vol. 1, No. 11, March 1, 1898.

I.—EXCEN´TRICI.

*_Veil fugacious, etc._

=P. dry´inus= Pers. _Gr._—oak. =Pileus= 2 in. broad, whitish, variegated with spot-like scales which become dingy-brown, lateral, oblique, rather plane. =Flesh= thick. =Stem= very curt and obese, commonly 1 in. long and thick, somewhat lateral, somewhat woody, squamulose, white, with a short, blunt root. =Veil= scarcely conspicuous on the stem, but appendiculate round the margin of the pileus when young. =Gills= not very decurrent, somewhat simple, not anastomosing behind, narrow, white, becoming yellow when old.

On trunks, oak, ash, willow, etc. _Stevenson._

=Spores= 10×4µ _Massee_.

Edible. _Cordier_, _Cooke_.

When young the caps are tender; of the consistency, when cooked, of Polyporus sulphureus. In taste and smell the species varies from other Pleuroti, in having a distinct musk-like flavor. This is agreeable, reminding one of the common mushroom—A. campester.

**_Veil none, gills sinuate, etc._

=P. ulma´rius= Bull.—_ulmus_, an elm. =Pileus= 3–5 in. and more broad, _becoming pale-livid_, often marbled with round spots, fleshy, _compact_, horizontal, moderately regular although more or less excentric, convex then plane, disk-shaped, even, smooth. =Flesh= white, tough. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 1 in. thick, solid, firm, _elastic_, somewhat excentric, curved-ascending, _thickened_ and tomentose _at the base_, not rarely villous throughout, white. =Gills= horizontal, _emarginate_ or rounded _behind_, slightly adnexed, broad (broader in the middle), somewhat crowded, whitish.

The pileus is sometimes cracked in a tessellated manner. _Stevenson._

=Spores= nearly globose, 5µ long _Morgan_; 5–6.5µ broad _Peck_; 6µ _W.G.S._

Var. _aceri´cola_—_acer_, maple; _colo_, to inhabit. Plant smaller, cespitose.

Trunks and roots of maple trees. Adirondack mountains. September.

Var. _populi´cola_—_populus_, poplar; _colo_, to inhabit. Plant subcespitose, stem wholly tomentose. West Albany. _Peck_, Monograph, N.Y. Species of Pleurotus, Rep. 39.

The gills are sometimes torn across like those of Lentinus.

The historic elms of Boston Common have borne copious crops of this well-known and easily distinguished species from time immemorial. Every fall, about the first of September, if the season is favorable, later if not, copious crops appear decorating the trunks, and branches, sometimes at a height of thirty or forty feet. Growth takes place where branches have broken off or the trees have been wounded from other causes. They occur very generally on elms in the outlying districts of the city, but are rare in the country, seeming to be distinctly urban in their tastes. No damage is apparent from their growth.

Immediately in the rear of Independence Hall, Philadelphia, a fine cluster appears with equal autumnal regularity.

Though the elm tree is the chosen habitat of this fungus, it is little less select in its choice than other members of its genus.

When young and small P. ulmarius is tender and of acceptable flavor. The stems and centers of older specimens should be cut away, and the tender parts of the caps, only, used.

=P. tessula´tus= Bull.—_tessela_, a small cube for pavement. =Pileus= _becoming pale-tawny_, horizontal, compactly fleshy, convex then plane, and in a form which is somewhat lateral depressed behind, irregular, even, smooth, _variegated_ with round and hexagonal paler _spots_. =Flesh= thick, white. =Stem= short, 1 in. or little more long, solid, _compact_, _equal_ or attenuated at the base, very excentric, curved-ascending, even, _smooth_, white. =Gills= _sinuate behind_, uncinato-adnate, thin, _crowded_, white or becoming yellow.

Solitary; according to some cespitose. The pileus is not cracked in a tessellated manner, as one might easily imagine from the name, but variegated with spots. Smaller than A. ulmarius (to which it is too closely allied), but almost more compact, with a smell of new meal.

On trunks. _Stevenson._

North Carolina, _Schweinitz_. Edible. _Curtis._ Edible. _Cordier._

On specimens growing cespitose and singly, found at Haddonfield, N.J. September, 1895, on trunk of apple tree, and at Eagle’s Mere, Pa., singly on sugar maple, August, 1898, the margin of caps were beautifully marked, but not cracked.

In quality it is better than P. ulmarius.

=P. subpalma´tus= Fr.—_sub_ and _palma_, a palm. =Pileus= 3–5 in. across. =Flesh= thick, soft, variegated; convex then more or less flattened, irregularly circular, obtuse, wrinkled, smooth, with a gelatinous cuticle, rufescent. =Stem= excentric or almost lateral, but the pileus is always marginate behind, fibrillose, short, equal, flesh fibrous, soft. =Gills= adnate, 3–4 lines broad, crowded, joined behind, dingy. _Massee._

On old trunks, squared timber, etc.

Very remarkable for having the flesh variegated as in Fistulina hepatica. Pileus, especially when young, covered with a viscid pellicle. _Fr._

=Spores= minutely echinulate, nearly globose, 5.6×7µ _Morgan_.

Ohio, _Morgan_; Wisconsin, _Bundy_.

I frequently found this species in North Carolina, growing from oak ties and standing oak timber. I did not notice distillation of rufescent drops from the cap. The soft flesh had good flavor. The gelatinous cuticle imparts its character to the dish. Mixed with Lentinus lepideus, a much tougher plant, which grows in great abundance in the same localities, it makes toothsome food.

=P. lignati´lis= Fr.—_lignum_, wood. Dingy whitish. =Pileus= 1–4 in. broad, rarely central, commonly more or less excentric, occasionally wholly lateral, often kidney-shaped, fleshy, thin, but compact and tough, fissile, convex then plane, obtuse and often umbilicate, _flocculoso-pruinate_, at length denuded with rain, repand, margin at first involute then expanded, undulato-lobed when luxuriant. =Stem= sometimes 2–3 in., sometimes 3–4 lines long (even obliterated), _stuffed then hollow_, always _thin_, unequal, curved, curved or flexuous, tough and flexile, whitish, everywhere pruinato-villous, rooting and somewhat tomentose at the base. =Gills= _adnate_, very _crowded_ and narrow, unequal, divergent in the lobes, shining white. _Fries._

Exceedingly variable, wholly inconstant in form; substance thin and pliant; commonly densely cespitose, but also single. Odor strong of new meal.

On wood, beech, etc. _Stevenson._

Parasitic on a rotten plant of Polyporus annosus on elm. _W.G.S._

White and grayish-white, margin faintly striate; white-spotted, odor distinctly farinaceous. _C.M._

=Spores= 3–4µ long, _Morgan_, _Cooke_, _W.G.S._; 4–5µ _K._

Var. _abscon´dens_ Pk.—obscure. New York, _Peck_, Rep. 31, 39.

On trunks, scattered, sometimes loosely clustered. Griffins, Delaware county, N.Y. September. New York, _Peck_, Rep. 31, 39.

Kingsessing, near Philadelphia; Mt. Gretna, Pa. _McIlvaine._

This is a good species in every way. I have not found it in extended quantity, but it is probable that it will be found in plenty when closer observed and better known.

=P. circina´tus= Fr.—to make round. _Wholly white_, not hygrophanous. =Pileus= about 3 in. broad, _orbicular_, horizontal, fleshy, tough, convex then plano-disk-shaped, obtuse, even, but _covered over with a shining whitish slightly silky luster_. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 3–4 lines thick, _stuffed_, _elastic_, equal, _central_ or slightly excentric, commonly _straight_, _smooth_, bluntly rooted at the base. =Gills= adnate, slightly decurrent, crowded, broad (as much as 3 lines), white. _Fries._

An exceedingly distinct species. Regular, solitary, with a weak, pleasant, not mealy odor. The pileus is a little thicker than that of A. lignatilis, but less compact; the gills are twice as broad. As A. lignatilis is changeable, this is always constant in form.

On rotting birch stump. _Stevenson._

California, _H. and M._

Found at Eagle’s Mere, Pa., August, 1898, on birch trees. Generally solitary; sometimes six or eight on one tree, beautifully shining white, at a distance resembling young Polyporus betulinus. Large quantities of it grow in the extensive birch forests at Eagle’s Mere, yielding a ready food supply. Its flavor is pleasant, and texture, when cooked, quite tender.

=P. pubes´cens= Pk.—_pubes_, down or soft hair. =Pileus= fleshy, convex, suborbicular, pubescent, yellowish. =Gills= broad, subdistant, rounded behind, sinuate, pallid tinged with red. =Stem= short, firm, curved, eccentric, colored like the pileus. =Spores= globose, 8µ broad.

=Pileus= about 2 in. broad. Stem scarcely 1 in. long.

Trunks of trees. Lyndonville. _C.E. Fairman._ _Peck_, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

West Virginia, on oak trunks. _McIlvaine._

High, agreeable flavor; texture about as in P. ostreatus.

*** _Gills decurrent; stem distinct, etc._

(Plate XXXVI.)

SECTION OF PLEUROTUS SAPIDUS.
One-half natural size.
]

=P. sa´pidus= Kalchb.—savory. Cespitose, or several pilei appearing to spring from a common branched stem. =Pileus= 1–3 in. across. =Flesh= thick, excentric, regular, convex or obtusely gibbous then depressed, glabrous, white or brownish. =Stem= stout, solid, several usually springing from a thickened knob, whitish, 1–2 in. long, expanding upward into the pileus. =Gills= decurrent, rather distant, narrow, whitish. =Spores= elliptical, 10–11×4–5µ.

On elm trunks.

A very variable species; according to Kalchbrenner, the spores have a faint tinge of lilac, and the pileus is white, tawny, brownish, or umber on the same trunk. The white form only has been met with in this country. _Massee._

=Spores= with a lilac tinge, oblong or a little curved and pointed, 8.3×3.7µ _Morgan_; oblong, 9–11.5×4–5µ _Peck_; 10–11×4–5µ _Massee_.

Not observed in England until 1887.

Quite common throughout the United States, growing upon decaying wood, whether above or under ground. It has few distinct features. The only positive one distinguishing it from P. ostreatus is its lilac-tinted spores. The tint is faint but noticeable upon white background. Excepting for purposes of the student, its separation, as a species, from P. ostreatus is not necessary. When old it has more body than the latter, but is equally superior as a food fungus.

Professor Peck remarks of it: “A stew made of it is a very good substitute for an oyster stew.”

It can be cultivated by watering the places upon which it is known to appear.

=P. pome´ti= Fr.—_pometum_, an orchard. =Pileus= white, fleshy, soft, sub-flaccid, irregular, involute, convex, even, smooth, disk depressed. =Gills= decurrent, crowded, separate behind. =Stem= 2–3 in. high, 3–4 lines thick, excentric, solid, tough, ascending, rooting.

On trunks of pear and apple trees.

Especially distinguished by the rooting stem.

North Carolina, edible, _Curtis_; California, _H. and M._

**** _Gills decurrent. Stem lateral, etc._

=P. ostrea´tus= Jacq.—_ostrea_, an oyster. (Plate XXXV, p. 134, XXXV_a_, p. 142.) =Pileus= 3–5 in. broad, when young almost becoming black, _soon becoming pale_, brownish-ash color, passing into yellow when old, fleshy, _soft, shell-shaped_, somewhat dimidiate, _ascending_, smooth, moist, even, but sometimes with the cuticle torn into squamules. =Stem= shortened or obliterated, firm, elastic, ascending obliquely, _thickening upward_, white, strigoso-villous at the base. =Gills= _decurrent, anastomosing behind, somewhat distant_, broad, white, sometimes turning light yellow, _and without glandules_.

For the most part cespitose, imbricated, very variable, sometimes almost central. The pileus is at first convex and horizontal, then expanded and ascending. _Stevenson._

=Spores= 10–12×4–5µ _Massee_; 7.5–10×4µ _Peck_.

General over the United States.

Var. _glandulo´sus_ Ag. g. Bull.—With the habit of the typical form, but larger. Pileus dark brown, becoming pale. Gills white, with scattered small wart-like or glandular bodies.

On trunks. A very constant but somewhat rare variety; easily known by the dark-brown pileus. The gland-like bodies on the gills are due to the outward growth of the hyphæ of the trama in minute patches here and there. _Massee._

Var. _euos´mus_ Berk.—strong-smelling. Strong scented, imbricate. Pileus fleshy, depressed, shining, silky when dry, at first white with a tinge of blue, then brownish. Stem short or obsolete. Gills decurrent, ventricose, dingy, white. =Spores= 12–14×5µ, pale pinkish-lilac.

On elm trunks. Pilei very much crowded, 2 in. or more across, deeply depressed, unequal, at first white, invested with a slight blue varnish, at length of a pale brown. Stems distinct above, connate below. Gills rather broad; running down to the bottom of the free portion of the stem. Spores oblong, narrow, oblique, white, tinged with purple. The whole plant smells, when first gathered, strongly of tarragon. _B. and Br._

Found at Richmond, Ind., _Dr. J.R. Weist_. On hickory stump at Mt. Gretna, Pa., _McIlvaine_; Haddonfield, N.J., _T.J. Collins_.

This esculent fungus closely allied to P. ostreatus, and differing only in having lilac spores, has been followed from book to book by a bad reputation, probably because of its “rosy” or lilac spores—all fungi having pink spores having been, until recently, ignorantly branded by authors as poisonous. The writer has eaten meals of it many times, as have his friends. It is in every way equal to P. ostreatus.

The rare qualities of this species are stated in the descriptive heading of the genus. Its very name implies excellence. The camel is gratefully called the ship of the desert; the oyster mushroom is the shellfish of the forest. When the tender parts are dipped in egg, rolled in bread crumbs, and fried as an oyster they are not excelled by any vegetable, and are worthy of place in the daintiest menu.

=P. salig´nus= Schwam.—_salix_, willow. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad, sooty ash-color or ochraceous, fleshy, compact, _spongy_, somewhat dimidiate, _horizontal_, at first pulvinate, even, at length depressed behind and here and there strigose, the incurved margin entire. =Stem= always short, firm, more or less tomentose. =Gills= horizontal, hence less manifestly decurrent, separate behind, but _branched in the middle_, crowded, dingy, often eroded at the edge, not glandular.

Among the larger and firmer species. Solitary, scarcely ever cespitose. It is commonly confounded with A. ostreatus, but is certainly a different species. Although the stature is in general the same, it is easily distinguished by the pileus being more compact, and more pulverulent when young, then depressed, by the gills being thinner, more crowded, somewhat branched, but not anastomosing behind, and dingy soot-color; the spores also are dingy. _Stevenson._

=Spores= oblong or cylindrical-oblong, 8×4µ _W.G.S._; 8–10×3–4µ _B._

Dr. Curtis wrote of this: “Indeed I have found several persons who class this among the most palatable species. To such persons a dish of fresh mushrooms need seldom be wanting, as this one can be had every month of the year in this latitude.”

In New Jersey, in the vicinity of Philadelphia, Pa., I have found P. salignus in quantity. It has been sent to me by Dr. J.R. Weist, of Richmond, Ind., who writes, “I have eaten it with great enjoyment.”

In 1881 I found it frequently on water beeches and willows, and thoroughly tested its edible qualities. _R.K. Macadam_, Boston.

When young or fresh, it is quite equal to any Pleurotus. When old, as with others of the Pleuroti, it is tough. Nevertheless their margins are always edible unless decaying.

II.—DIMIDIA´TI.

=P. petaloi´des= Bull.—petal of a flower. =Pileus= 1–2 in. long, _dingy-brown_, becoming pale, dimidiate, fleshy, but in no wise compact, rather plane, _somewhat spathulate_, continuous with the stem and _depressed behind_, hence the villous down of the stem ascends to this point (the disk) of the pileus, otherwise smooth, even, margin at first involute then expanded. =Stem= about ½ in. long, sometimes however very short, solid, firm, _compressed, channeled_ when larger, more or less villous, whitish. =Gills= _decurrent, very crowded_, very narrow (scarcely beyond 2 mm. broad), linear, very unequal, white then ash-color.

Taste bitter. The form on wood is somewhat horizontal, gregarious here and there imbricated. _Stevenson._

=Spores= 9–10×4µ _Massee_; 8×4µ _W.G.S._; minutely globose, 3–4µ _Peck_.

Edible. _Cooke_, _Cordier_.

=P. spathula´tus= Pers.—shaped like a spathula. =Pileus= rather thin, 1–2 in. broad, ascending, spathulate, tapering behind into the stem, glabrous, convex or depressed on the disk and there sometimes pubescent, alutaceous or brownish tinged with gray, red or yellow. =Gills= crowded, linear, decurrent, whitish or yellowish. =Stem= compressed, sometimes channeled above, grayish-tomentose. =Spores= elliptical, 7.6×4–5µ broad; odor and taste farinaceous.

Ground. Sandlake. June. Edible.

It grows singly or in tufts and is an inch or more in height. The margin is thin and sometimes striatulate and reflexed. Toward the base the flesh is thicker than the breadth of the gills. The cuticle is tough and separable. The flesh is said by Gillet to be tender and delicate. Persoon describes the disk as spongy-squamulose, but in our specimens it is merely pubescent or tomentose. _Peck_, 39th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Recorded as edible by Professor Peck. At Eagle’s Mere, Pa., I found many specimens agreeing with this description. They grew from decaying wood under ground, yet had the appearance of growing from the earth. It is probable that others have been deceived. In quality I found this to be one of the best.

=P. sero´tinus= Fr.—late. =Pileus= fleshy, 1–3 in. broad, compact, convex or nearly plane, viscid when young and moist, dimidiate kidney-shaped or suborbicular, solitary or cespitose and imbricated, variously colored, dingy-yellow, reddish-brown, greenish-brown or olivaceous, the margin at first involute. =Gills= close, determinate, whitish or yellowish. =Stem= very short, lateral, thick, yellowish beneath and minutely tomentose or squamulose with blackish points. =Spores= minute, elliptical, 5µ long, 2.5µ broad.

Dead trunks of deciduous trees. _Peck_, 39th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Mt. Gretna, Pa., 1887, and at Mt. Moriah, near Philadelphia, from August until November, 1898. Upon these findings the pileus was tomentose at base, as was the short stem.

The species is not noticeably viscid after its youth. The viscidity can be detected in old specimens by moistening the pileus. Its flavor is not marked, nor is its texture as pleasing as most others of its genus, but being a late species it satisfies the longing of the mycophagist for his accustomed food.

=P. pulmona´rius= Fr.—_pulmo_, lung, from texture. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad, _ash-colored_, continuous with the stem, fleshy, soft, but tough, _flaccid_, _obovate_ or kidney-shaped, plane or reflexo-conchate at the margin, even, _smooth_. =Flesh= thin, soft, white. =Stem= very short, solid, exactly lateral, _horizontal_ or ascending, _round_, _villous_, expanded into the pileus. =Gills= decurrent but _ending determinately_, _moderately broad_, distinct, not branched or anastomosing at the base, livid or _ash-color_.

The primary form is solitary. The pileus is ashy-tan when dried. It differs from A. salignus alike in the definitely lateral stem and in the thin flaccid pileus. _Fries._

Not previously reported.

Found by Miss Madeleine Le Moyne, Washington, Pa., September, 1898, and sent to writer. Gills 3 lines broad, not narrow in proportion to flesh.

Taste and smell similar to P. ostreatus. Cooked it is tender, and more succulent than P. ostreatus.

III.—RESUPINA´TI.

=P. mastruca´tus= Fr.—_mastruca_, a sheepskin. =Pileus= up to 2 in. long and 1 in. broad, sessile, at first resupinate then expanded and horizontal, often lobed, upper stratum of pileus gelatinous, brown, bristling with squarrose or erect squamules. =Flesh= thickish. =Gills= radiating from the point of attachment, broad, rather distant, grayish-white.

On old trunks. Imbricated. Readily distinguished by the brown, squarrosely scaly pileus. _Massee._

=Spores= oblong, oblique, 8×5µ _Morgan_.

In June, 1886, the writer found this species in oak woods near Philadelphia. It grew on fallen trunks and on decaying spots of living timber.

It is edible, and of good flavor, but is rough in the mouth. If found in quantity, the extract of it would make a delicate soup.

FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE.

1. HYGROPHORUS PRATENSIS (WHITE 5. HYGROPHORUS
VAR.), 152 CANTHARELLUS, 156

2. HYGROPHORUS PRATENSIS (COLORED 6. HYGROPHORUS VIRGINEUS,
VAR.), 152 153

3. HYGROPHORUS PRATENSIS (AFTER 7. HYGROPHORUS NIVEUS,
RAIN), 152 153

4. HYGROPHORUS MINIATUS, 159

HYGROPH´ORUS Fr.

_Gr._—moist; _Gr._—to bear.

(Plate XXXVIII.)

=Pileus= regular or undulated and wavy, often viscid or moist. =Flesh= of the pileus continuous with that of the stem and descending as a trama into the gills. =Gills= adnate or adnexed, more or less decurrent, _waxy_, often thick and forked, _edge always thin and sharp_, often branched.

On the ground. Many species are brightly colored. =Spores= white.

This genus differs from the preceding genera in the manifest trama, the substance of which is similar to that of the pileus; from Lactarius and Russula by the trama not being vesicular, but somewhat floccose with granules intermixed; from Cantharellus, its nearest ally, by the sharp edge of the gills. The Cortinarii, Paxilli and Gomphidii are at once distinguished from it by their colored spores and the changing color of their gills, as well as by other marks. From all the other genera of Agaricini it is distinguished by a mark peculiar to itself, viz., by the hymeneal stratum of the gills changing into a waxy mass, which is at length removable from the trama. This altogether singular character is specially remarkable in H. caprinus, coccineus, murinaceus, etc. Hence the gills seem full of watery juice, but they do not become milky like those of the Lactarii. _Fries._

From the description by Fries, the author of the genus, it is manifest that one has to wait the ripening of the fungus before the peculiar characteristic mark of the genus, _i. e._—gills turning into a waxy mass, easily removable from the cap—can be observed. Many of the species are difficult to determine when fresh. Nevertheless, there is an indescribable, watery, waxy, translucent appearance about the gills which catches the eye of the expert, and is soon learned by the novice. The white spores readily separate the genus from kindred shapes in the colored-spored genera.

So far as tested none of the species is poisonous. One English species is fetid. It is probable that they are all edible, varying in quality only. Fries well, and is superior in croquettes and patties.

ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.

LIMACIUM (_limax_, a slug). Page 148.

Universal veil viscid, with occasionally a floccose partial one, which is annular or marginal.

* White or becoming yellowish.

** Reddish.

*** Tawny or yellow.

**** Olivaceous-umber.

***** Dingy cinereous or livid.

None known to be edible.

CAMAROPHYLLUS (_Gr._—a vault; a leaf). Page 152.
(From the arched shape of the gills.)

Veil none. Stem even, smooth or fibrillose, not rough with points. Pileus firm, opaque, moist after rain, not viscid. Gills distant, arcuate.

* Gills deeply and at length obconically decurrent.

** Gills ventricose, sinuately arcuate or plano-adnate.

HYGROCYBE (_Gr_—moist; _Gr_—the head). Page 155.

Veil none. Whole fungus thin, watery, succulent, fragile. Pileus when moist viscid, shining when dry, rarely floccoso-scaly. Stem hollow, soft, without dots. Gills soft. Most of the species are brightly colored and shining. This tribe is the type of the genus.

* Gills decurrent.

** Gills adnexed, somewhat separating.

LIMA´CIUM.

* _White or yellowish-white._

=H. chry´sodon= Fr. _Gr_—gold; a tooth. From tooth-like squamules. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad, _white_, shining when dry, but commonly yellowish with minute adpressed squamules at the disk, light yellow-_flocculose at the involute margin_, fleshy, convex then plane, obtuse, viscid. =Flesh= white, sometimes reddish. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, about ½ in. thick, stuffed, soft, somewhat equal (sometimes, however, irregularly shaped or thickened at the base), white, with minute _light yellow squamules_, which are more crowded and arranged in the form of a ring _toward the apex_. =Gills= decurrent, distant, 3 lines broad, thin, white, somewhat yellowish at the edge, sometimes crisped.

Odor not unpleasant. There is a manifest _veil_, not woven into a continuous ring, but _collected in the form of floccose squamules at the apex of the stem and the margin of the pileus_. Var. leucodon with white squamules. _Fries._

In woods.

The lamellæ are said to be crisped, and when young, to have the edge yellow-floccose; but I have seen no such specimens. _Peck_, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

=Spores= 8×4µ _Cooke_.

West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. _McIlvaine._

A pleasant, excellent species, whose rarity is regrettable.

=H. ebur´neus= Bull. Fr.—_ebur_, ivory. Wholly _shining white_. =Pileus= fleshy, sometimes thin, sometimes somewhat compact, convexo-plane, somewhat repand, even, _very glutinous_ in rainy weather, _margin soon naked_. =Stem= sometimes short, sometimes elongated, stuffed then hollow, unequal, _glutinous_ like the pileus, _rough at the apex with dots in the form of squamules_. =Gills= decurrent, distant, veined at the base, 3–4 lines broad, tense and straight, quite entire. _Fries._

Odor mild, not unpleasant. Very changeable. The veil is absent, unless the _very plentiful gluten_ which envelops the stem be regarded as a universal veil; _margin of the young pileus_ involute, only at the first _pubescent_, _soon naked_. The stem is soft internally, at length hollow, attenuated toward the base.

In woods and pastures. Frequent. September to October. _Stevenson._

The whole plant is pure white when fresh, but in drying the gills assume a cinnamon-brown hue. _Peck_, Rep. 26.

=Spores= 6×5µ _Cooke_; 4×5µ _W.G.S._; 5–6µ _K._; 6×4µ _C.B.P._

A common and wide-spread species frequenting woods and pastures.

Edible. _Curtis._

The author ate it in West Virginia, in 1882; at Devon, Pa., 1887; Haddonfield, N.J., 1890. It is well flavored but in texture is not of first quality.

=H. pena´rius= Fr.—_penus_, food. =Pileus= _tan-color, opaque_, fleshy, especially when young, at first umbonate, then very obtuse, hemispherical then flattened, even, smooth, _commonly dry_, margin at first involute, exceeding the gills, undulated when flattened. =Flesh= thick, hard, whitish, unchangeable. =Stem= curt, 1½ in. or more long, about ½ in. thick at the apex, _solid, compact_, hard, _attenuated at the base into a spindle-shaped root_, ventricose to the neck, again attenuated upward or wholly fusiform-attenuated, pale-white, smeared with tenacious, easily dried slime, _warty_. =Flesh= firm, but _externally more rigid_, cuticle somewhat fragile. =Veil= not conspicuous. =Gills= adnato-decurrent, acute behind, _distant, thick_, 3–4 lines broad, veined, tan inclining to pale. _Fries._

Odor pleasant, taste sweet. The fusiform root is as long as the stem.

In mixed woods. _Stevenson._

=Spores= 7–8×4–5µ.

Edible. _Cooke_.

Large specimens occurred in mixed woods, in November, 1898, at Mt. Gretna. The caps varied from 1½-5 in. across. The color was white, tinged with yellow, much lighter than described. The caps look coarse and the stems are not inviting; but the caps have a pleasant odor. When stewed for twenty minutes they are meaty and tasty.

** _Reddish._

=H. erubes´cens= Fr.—_erubesco_, to become red. =Pileus= 2–4 in. and more broad, white becoming everywhere red, fleshy, gibbous then convexo-plane, viscid, _adpressedly dotted with squamules or becoming smooth_, sometimes wholly compact, sometimes thin towards the _margin which is at the first naked_. =Flesh= firm, white. =Stem= sometimes short, robust, 2 in. long, 1 in. thick and attenuated upward, sometimes elongated, 4 in. long, equal or attenuated at the base, _solid_, flexuous, _with red fibrils, dotted with red upward_. =Gills= decurrent, distant, _soft, white, with red spots_. _Fries._

Veil none. The ground color is white, as it is also internally, but it everywhere becomes red and the pileus often rosy blood-color. Handsome, growing in troops, commonly forming large lax circles.

In pine woods. _Stevenson._

=Spores= ellipsoid, very obtuse at both ends, 8–10×4–5µ _K_.; 8×4µ _Cooke_.

Edible. _Cooke._

*** _Tawny or yellow._

=H. ni´tidus= B. and Rav.—_shining_. =Pileus= thin, fleshy, convex, broadly umbilicate, smooth, shining, viscid, pale yellow with the margin striatulate when moist, nearly white when dry. =Gills= arcuate, decurrent, yellow. =Stem= slender, brittle, smooth, viscid, hollow, yellow. =Flesh= yellow.

=Height= 2–4 in., breadth of =Pileus= 8–12 lines. =Stem= 1–2 lines thick.

Swamps. Sandlake. August.

The cavity of the stem is very small. _Peck_, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Found in many states and places, usually on moist ground beside streams, or spring heads. It sometimes parades itself in irregular processions, at others in sparse patches. It is delicate in flavor, and tender cooked.

**** _Olivaceous-umber._

=H. limaci´nus= Fr.—_limax_, a slug. =Pileus= 1½-2½ in. broad, _disk umber then sooty_, paler round the margin, fleshy, convex then flattened, obtuse, smooth, viscid. =Flesh= rather firm, white. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, ½ in. thick, _solid_, firm, ventricose, _sticky_, flocculose, fibrilloso-striate, _roughened with squamules at the apex_. =Gills= adnate, then decurrent, somewhat distant, thin, _white inclining to ash-color_. _Fries._

Veil entirely viscous, not floccose.

In woods among damp leaves. _Stevenson._

=Spores= 12×4µ _Cooke_.

New York, _Peck_, Rep. 34. Thin woods and open places.

Reported edible Bulletin No. 5, 1897, Boston Mycological Club.

=H. hypoth´ejus= Fr. _Gr._—under; _Gr_—sulphur (under gluten). =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad, _at first smeared with olivaceous gluten_, ash-colored, when the gluten disappears, becoming pale and yellowish, orange or rarely (when rotting) rufescent, fleshy, _thin_, convex then depressed, _obtuse_, even, somewhat streaked. =Flesh= thin, white then becoming light yellow. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 2–3 lines and more thick, _stuffed_, equal, _even, viscous_, but rarely spotted with the veil, at length hollow. Partial _veil_ floccose, at the first _cortinate and annular, soon fugacious_. =Gills= decurrent, _distant_, distinct, at first pallid (even whitish) soon _yellow_, sometimes flesh-color. _Fries._

Very protean, changeable in color and variable in size. Stem not scabrous. There is no trace of the veil when the plant is full grown. Appearing after the first cold autumn nights, and lasting even till snow.

In pine woods. Frequent. _Stevenson._

=Spores= 10×6µ _Cooke_; 12×4µ _W.G.S._

Hollis Webster, in Bulletin No. 5, 1897, Boston Mycological Club, writes: “H. hypothejus Fr., when dried, is crisp and nutty, and very good to carry in the pocket for occasional nibble.”

II.—CAMAROPHYL´LUS.

* _Gills deeply decurrent, etc._

=H. praten´sis= Fr.—_pratum_, a meadow. (Plate XXXVII, figs. 1, 2, 3, p. 146. Plate XXXVIII, p. 147.) =Pileus= 1–2 in. and more broad, somewhat pale yellowish, _compactly fleshy especially at the disk, thin toward the margin_, convex then flattened, _almost top-shaped_ from the stem being thickened upward, even, smooth, moist (but not viscous) in rainy weather, when dry often rimosely incised, here and there split regularly round. =Flesh= firm, white. =Stem= 1½-2 in. long, ½ in. and more thick, _stuffed_, internally spongy, externally polished-evened and firmer, _attenuated downward_, even, smooth, naked. =Gills= _remarkably decurrent_, at _first arcuate, then extended in the form of an inverted cone_, very distant, thick, firm, brittle, connected by veins at the base, very broad in the middle, of the same color as the pileus. _Fries._

Very protean. Veil none. The flesh of the pileus is formed as it were of the stem dilated upward. The typical form resembles the Cantharelli. _Everywhere becoming light yellow-tawny_, but varying with the stem and gills pale-white.

In pastures. Common. _Stevenson._

=Spores= 6×4µ _Cooke_; 6–10×4–6µ _K._

Common over the United States. West Virginia, 1881, North Carolina, 1890, Pennsylvania, 1887, Mt. Gretna, 1897–1898. _McIlvaine._

Gregarious, and often in tufts, sometimes in partial rings.

An exceedingly variable species. White, buff, smoky, pinkish colors are common. The cap shapes are also diverse. The margins of some are incurved; of others repand. The weather seems to have much to do with their shapes.

M.C. Cooke says: “It requires careful cooking, as it is liable to be condemned as tough, unless treated slowly, but it is a great favorite abroad.” He calls them “Buff Caps.”

All fungi are the better for slow cooking. The H. pratensis in all its forms is excellent, but particularly so in croquettes and patés.

=H. virgin´eus= Fr.—_virgo_, a virgin. (Plate XXXVII, fig. 6, p. 146.) _Wholly white._ =Pileus= fleshy, convex then plane, _obtuse_, moist, _at length depressed_, cracked into patches, floccose when dry. =Stem= _curt, stuffed, firm_, attenuated at the base, externally becoming even and naked. =Gills= decurrent, distant, rather thick. _Fries._

=Flesh= sometimes equal, sometimes abruptly thin. Commonly confounded with H. niveus, but it is more difficult to distinguish it from white forms of H. pratensis. It is distinguished chiefly by its smaller stature, by the color being constantly white, sometimes becoming pale, by the _obtuse pileus_ being scarcely turbinate, _at length cracked into patches and floccose when dry_, and by the gills being thinner, etc.

In pastures. Common. _Stevenson._

=Spores= 12×5–6µ _Cooke_.

Tastes like M. oreades. _M.J.B._ Delicious broiled or stewed. _Cooke._

“Mony littles make muckle,” says the Scotch proverb. It applies well to the brave little toadstool looking through the first grass of lawns for the coming of spring, and coming again in the autumn, defiant of early frosts. Small though it be, its numbers soon fill the basket.

The “Ivory Caps” are plentiful, and extend their haunts to the woods, where thick mold or grassy places abound.

=H. ni´veus= Fr.—_niveus_, snow-white. (Plate XXXVII, fig. 7, p. 146.) Wholly white. =Pileus= scarcely reaching 1 in. broad, _somewhat membranaceous_, and without a more compact disk, hence truly _umbilicate_, bell-shaped then convex, smooth, striate and viscid when moist, not cracked when dry. =Flesh= thin, everywhere equal, white, hygrophanous. =Stem= 2 in. or a little more long, 1–2 lines thick, _tubed_, _equal_, even, smooth, tense and straight. =Gills= decurrent, _distant_, _thin_, scarcely connected by veins, arcuate, quite entire.

Thinner, _tougher_, and later than H. virgineus, etc. Being hygrophanous the pileus is shining white when dry. Very tender forms occur.

In pastures. _Stevenson._

=Spores= 7×4µ _Cooke_.

The H. niveus, H. virgineus, “Ivory Caps” as M.C. Cooke calls them, are pretty and plentiful in some sections. In the West Virginia mountains, along grass-grown road-sides, their purity and exquisite perfume attracted me in 1881. I have them and a few others to thank for seducing me into becoming a mycophagist. I think of them affectionately. I have seldom met with them since. They are found on lawns and in pastures and on grassy edges of woods, early in spring and late in autumn.

=H. boreal´is= Pk.—northern. =Pileus= thin, convex or expanded, smooth, moist, white, sometimes striatulate. =Gills= arcuate-decurrent, distant, white. =Stem= smooth, equal or tapering downward, stuffed, white.

=Plant= 2 in. high. =Pileus= 8–12 lines broad. =Stem= 1 line thick.

Ground in woods. Croghan and Copake. September and October.

The species is related to H. niveus but the pileus is not viscid. _Peck_, 26th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Found at Mt. Gretna, Pa., October 20, 1898, ground in mixed woods. The cap is white, silky, smooth, _not_ viscid. Stem likewise.

A neat species pleasant in every way.

** _Gills ventricose, adnate, etc_.

=H. dis´tans= Berk.—distant (of the gills). =Pileus= about 2 in. broad, white, with a silky luster, here and there stained with brown, somewhat fleshy, plane or depressed, viscid. =Stem= white above, _gray_ below, and attenuated, not spotted. =Gills= decurrent, _few_, _very distant_, somewhat ventricose, pure white then tinged with ash-color, interstices obscurely wrinkled.

Often umbilicate. Remarkable for the few and distant gills. _Stevenson._

=Spores= 10×8µ _Cooke_.

Caps white, shaded to light pinkish-brown toward center. Gills very distant. Leaves adhere to cap.

Specimens tested were of mild, pleasant flavor.

=H. sphæro´sporus= Pk. =Pileus= fleshy and thick in the center, sub-obconic, convex, obtuse or slightly umbonate, whitish, inclining to reddish-brown, the margin incurved. =Flesh= firm, white. =Gills= rather broad, subdistant, adnate or slightly decurrent, white. =Stems= tufted, flexuous, solid, glabrous, often slightly thickened at the base, colored like the pileus. =Spores= globose, 6–8µ broad.

=Pileus= 6–12 lines broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 2–3 lines thick.

Iowa. October. Communicated by C. McIlvaine.

The fresh plant is said to have no decided odor, but when partly dried it emits a slight but rather unpleasant odor. It belongs apparently to the section Camarophyllus, and is related to Hygrophorus Peckii. _Peck_, Torr. Bull., Vol. 22, No. 12.

Received by the writer from Hon. Thomas Updegraff, MacGregor, Iowa, and forwarded to Professor Peck as a new species.

The fungus has but slight taste and is without odor when fresh.

It is probably edible. Not received in sufficient quantity to test.

III.—HYGRO´CYBE.

* _Gills decurrent._

=H. cera´ceus= Fr.—_cera_, wax. =Pileus= about 1 in. broad, _waxy-yellow, shining_, slightly fleshy, thin, but slightly firm, convexo-plane, obtuse, slightly pellucid-striate, viscid. =Stem= 1–2 in. and more long, about 2 lines thick, _hollow_, often _unequal_, flexuous and at length compressed, even, smooth, of the same color as the pileus, never darker at the apex. =Gills= _adnato-decurrent, broad, almost triangular_, distinct, yellow. _Fries._

Fragile; easily distinguished from others by its waxy (not changeable) color. _Stevenson._

=Spores= 8×6µ _Cooke_.

Eaten in Germany.

Found at Angora and Kingsessing, Philadelphia, 1887. August to October. Open grassy places in woods, and in pastures. Scattered and in troops. Excellent. Stew slowly.

=H. cantharel´lus= Schw. _Gr_—a small vase. (Plate XXXVII, fig. 5, p. 146.) =Pileus= thin, convex, at length umbilicate or centrally depressed, minutely squamulose, moist, bright red, becoming orange or yellow. =Gills= distant, subarcuate, decurrent, yellow, sometimes tinged with vermilion. =Stem= smooth, equal, subsolid, sometimes becoming hollow, concolorous, whitish within.

=Height= 2–4 in., breadth of pileus 6–12 lines. =Stem= 1–2 lines thick.

Swamps and damp shaded places in fields or woods. July to September. Common. _Peck_, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Var. _fla´va_. Pileus and stem pale yellow. Gills arcuate, strongly decurrent.

Var. _fla´vipes_. Pileus red or reddish. Stem yellow.

Var. _fla´viceps_. Pileus yellow. Stem red or reddish.

Var. _Ro´sea_. Has the pileus expanded and the margin wavy scalloped. Swamps. Sandlake. _Peck_, 23d Rep.

Common in the Adirondack region, and throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, in all its varieties.

The resemblance to H. miniatus in color is great, but there is a marked difference in the gills, which extend further down the thinner stem. It is tougher, and takes longer to cook. It has a flavor of its own which is enjoyed by some and condemned by others.

=H. cocci´neus= Schaeff.—of a scarlet color. (Plate CXXXVI, fig. 6, p. 508.) =Pileus= 1–2 in. and more broad, _at first bright scarlet, then soon changing color and becoming pale_, slightly fleshy, convex, then plane and often unequal, _obtuse_, at first viscid and even, _smooth_, not floccose-scaly. =Flesh= of the same color as the pileus. =Stem= 2 in. long, 3–4 lines thick, _hollow_, then _compressed_ and rather even, not slippery, _scarlet upward, always yellow at the base_. =Gills= wholly adnate, _decurrent with a tooth_, plane, distant, connected by veins, watery-soft as if fatty, when full grown _purplish at the base, light yellow in the middle, glaucous at the edge_. _Fries._

Flesh of the pileus descending into the gills and forming a trama of the same color. Fragile. Varying in stature, easily mistaken for some of the following species which are of the same color. Pileus at length becoming yellow. _Stevenson._

=Spores= 10–12×6µ _Cooke_; 7×4µ _Morgan_.

Edible. _Cooke_, _Peck_.

In woods and pastures. In troops. Common in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey. _McIlvaine._

Excellent when stewed for twenty minutes.

(Plate XXXIX.)

HYGROPHORUS FLAVO-DISCUS.
About two-thirds natural size.
]

=H. fla´vo-dis´cus= Frost—_flavus_, yellow; _discus_, disk. =Pileus= convex or plane, smooth, glutinous, white with a pale-yellow or reddish-yellow disk. =Flesh= white. =Gills= adnate or decurrent, subdistant, white, sometimes with a slight flesh-colored tint, the inter-spaces sometimes veiny. =Stem= subequal, solid, glutinous, white, sometimes slightly stained with yellow. =Spores= elliptical, 6–8×4µ.

=Plant= 2–3 in. high. =Pileus= 1–3 in. broad. =Stem= 2–8 lines thick.

Pine woods. West Albany. November.

This, like H. fuligineus, has a short white space at the top of the stem, free from the viscidity that exists elsewhere. It resembles in many respects Hygrophorus speciosus, which has the pileus red, fading to yellow with advancing age. Perhaps the three may yet prove to be forms of one very variable species, for the most conspicuous differences between them consist in the colors of the pileus. The constancy with which the three styles of coloration has thus far been maintained indicates a specific difference, but color alone is not generally regarded as having any specific value. _Peck_, 35th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

=Spores= 6.4–7.6×4µ _Peck_.

I find this very good but its dirty pellicle should be peeled before using. _Peck_, in letter, 1896.

Mr. Hollis Webster writes of H. flavo-discus (Yellow Sweet Bread) in Bull. No. 45, of the Boston Mycological Club, 1897: “This is a mushroom worth going a long way to get. It is abundant in rich woods under pines in certain localities, and is a great favorite with those who know it. It is easily prepared and requires little cooking.”

I have eaten enjoyably of it since 1881.

Plentiful in the Jersey pines, in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, and equal to any toadstool of its size.

(Plate XL.)

HYGROPHORUS FULIGINEUS.
About one-half natural size.
]

=H. fuligi´neus= Frost—resembling soot. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, glabrous, very viscid or glutinous, grayish-brown or soot-color, the disk often darker or almost black. =Gills= subdistant, adnate or decurrent, white. =Stem= solid, viscid or glutinous, white or whitish. =Spores= elliptical, 7–9×5µ.

The Sooty hygrophorous resembles the Club-stemmed clitocybe in the color of its cap, but in nearly every other respect it is different. When moist the cap is covered with an abundant gluten which when dry gives it a shining appearance as if varnished. The color varies from grayish-brown to a very dark or sooty-brown with the central part usually still darker or almost black, but never with an umbo. The flesh and the gills are white. The stem also is white or but slightly shaded toward the base with the color of the cap. It is variable in length and shape, being long or short, straight or crooked, everywhere equal in thickness or tapering toward the base. It is glutinous and unpleasant to handle.

The cap is 1–4 in. broad, the stem 2–4 in. long, and 4–8 lines thick. The plants grow either singly or in tufts. In the latter case the caps are often irregular from mutual pressure.

The plants occur early in October and November, in pine woods or woods of pine and hemlock intermixed.

This mushroom is tender and of excellent flavor, but its sticky and often dirty covering should be peeled before cooking. _Peck_, 49th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Found at Angora, near Philadelphia, August 1, 1897. Densely cespitose.

Raw it tastes like dead leaves. Tender and of fine flavor when cooked.

=H. minia´tus= Fr.—_minium_, red lead. (Plate XXXVII, fig. 4, p. 146.) =Pileus= thin, fragile, at first convex, becoming nearly plane, glabrous or minutely squamulose, often umbilicate, generally red. =Gills= distant, adnate, yellow, often tinged with red. =Stem= slender, glabrous, colored like the pileus. =Spores= elliptical, white, 8µ long.

=Cap= ½-2 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 1–2 lines thick. _Peck_, 48th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Var. _lutes´cens_. Pileus yellow or reddish-yellow. Stem and gills yellow. Plant often cespitose. _Peck_, 41st Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

=Spores= 10×6µ _Cooke_; elliptical, white.

Grows where it pleases and abundantly throughout the land. In wet weather I have found it in July and late in autumn.

Professor Peck says: It is scarcely surpassed by any mushroom in tenderness of substance and agreeableness of flavor.

The gunner for partridges will not shoot rabbits; the knowing toadstool seeker will pass all others where H. miniatus abounds.

** _Gills adnexed, etc._

=H. puni´ceus= Fr.—blood-red. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad, glittering blood-scarlet, in dry weather and when old becoming pale especially at the disk, slightly fleshy for its breadth, at first bell-shaped, obtuse, commonly repand or lobed, very irregular, even, smooth, viscid. =Flesh= of the same color, fragile. =Stem= 3 in. long, ½-1 in. thick, solid when young, at length hollow, very stout (not compressed), ventricose (attenuated at both ends), striate, and for the most part squamulose at the apex, when dry light yellowish or of the same color as the pileus, always white and often incurved at the base. =Gills= ascending, ventricose, 2–4 lines broad, thick, distant, white-light yellow or yellow and often reddish at the base. _Fries._

The largest of the group and very handsome. It certainly differs from H. coccineus, for which it is commonly mistaken, in stature, in the adnexed gills, and in the white base of the striate stem. The attachment of the gills varies, but from the form of the pileus they ascend to the base of the cone and appear free.

In pastures. _Stevenson._

=Spores= 8×5µ _Cooke_.

Edible. _Cooke._ No harm would come of confusing it with the vermilion mushroom—H. miniatus Pk.

=H. con´icus= Fr.—conical. =Pileus= thin, submembranaceous, fragile, smooth, conical, generally acute, sometimes obtuse, the margin often lobed. =Gills= rather close and broad, subventricose, narrower toward the stem, free, terminating in an abrupt tooth at the outer extremity, scarcely reaching the margin, yellow. =Stem= equal, fibrous-striate, yellow, hollow.

=Height= 3–6 in., breadth of pileus 6–12 lines. =Stem= 1–2 lines thick.

Ground in woods and open places. North Elba and Center. August to October.

The color of the pileus is variable. I have taken specimens with it pale sulphur-yellow and others with it bright red or scarlet. The plant turns black in drying. _Peck_, Rep. 23, New York State Bot.

=Spores= 10×7µ _Cooke_; 10×6µ _Morgan_.

An old-time cure-all had medicinal virtues proportionate to its offensiveness. Old-time writers, contrariwise, gave every toadstool a bad name which changed color or displeased their noses. The pretty little Hygrophorus conicus, for these reasons, has, until now, been under the ban of suspicion. M.C. Cooke, in his handy book, Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms, was the first to lighten its sentence and make it a sort of ticket-of-leave culprit.

The writer has frequently eaten it, and is glad to vouch for its harmlessness and testify to its eminent respectability.

=H. chloroph´anus= Fr. _Gr_—greenish-yellow. =Pileus= 1 in. broad, commonly bright sulphur-yellow, sometimes, however, scarlet, not changing color, somewhat membranaceous, very fragile, at first convex, then plane, obtuse, orbicular and lobed, and at length cracked, smooth, viscid, striate. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 2–3 lines thick, hollow, equal, round, rarely compressed, wholly even, smooth, viscid when moist, shining when dry, wholly unicolorous, rich light yellow. =Gills= emarginato-adnexed, very ventricose, with a thin decurrent tooth, thin, distant, distinct. _Fries._

Very much allied to H. conicus, but never becoming black, and otherwise certainly distinguished by its convex, obtuse, striate pileus, by its even and viscous stem, and by its emarginato-free, thin, somewhat distant, whiter gills. Like H. ceraceus in appearance.

In grassy and mossy places. Common. August to October. _Stevenson._

=Spores= 8×5µ _Cooke_; 8µ _Q._

Received from E.B. Sterling, Trenton, N.J., August, 1897.

Open grassy woods.

But three specimens were tested. They were in every way agreeable.

FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE. 1. LACTARIUS PIPERATUS, 168 3. LACTARIUS DELICIOSUS, 170 2. LACTARIUS INDIGO, 171 4. LACTARIUS VOLEMUS, 180

LACTA´RIUS Fr.

Giving _lac_ (milk).

The hymenophore continuous with the stem. =Pileus= somewhat rigid, fleshy, becoming more or less depressed, often marked with concentric zones. =Gills= unequal, membranaceous-waxy, slightly rigid, milky, edge acute, decurrent or adnate and often branched. =Stem= stout, central, rarely excentric except in those growing on trunks. =Spores= globose, minutely echinulate, white, rarely yellowish.

Nearly all grow on the ground.

Distinguished from all other fungi by the presence of a granular milk which pervades every part of the plant and especially the gills; it is commonly white, sometimes changing color and in section Dapetes highly colored from the first. The nature of the milk, especially its taste, whether acrid, subacrid or mild, must be carefully noted in distinguishing species, as it is the most useful characteristic.

In Russula, the only allied genus, the milk-bearing cells are present, but their contents do not appear as milk.

Many of the species are peppery, acrid, astringent; some mildly so, others will be long remembered if tasted raw. Yet not a species is hotter than some radishes, onions, and others of our favorite vegetables. Who would condemn them because they are peppery? There is not a single species of Lactarius which retains its pepperiness after cooking. This quality has to be and is supplied by one of our favorite condiments—pepper itself. Simply because they are _toadstools_ and _hot_, they have been condemned without trial. It is remarkable that not one of the fungi known to be deadly gives any warning by appearance or flavor of the presence of a poison. The day will probably come when it can be said that if toadstool eaters will confine themselves to _hot_ species, otherwise attractive, they will run no risk. Panus stypticus is astringent, not hot.

ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.

PIPERITES (peppery, after _piperitis_, pepperwort). Page 163.

Stem central. Gills unchangeable, not pruinose nor becoming discolored. Milk white at first, usually acrid.

* TRICHOLOMOIDEI—inclining to Tricholoma. Pileus moist, viscid, margin incurved and downy at first.

** LIMACINI—_limax_, a slug. Pileus viscid when moist, with a pellicle, margin naked.

*** PIPERATI. Pileus without a pellicle, hence absolutely dry, often more or less downy or unpolished.

DAPETES (_daps_, a feast). Page 170.

Stem central. Gills naked. Milk highly colored from the first.

RUSSULARIA (inclining to Russula). Page 173.

Stem central. Gills pallid then discolored, at length dark and powdered with the white spores. Milk at first white, mild, or from mild becoming acrid.

* VISCIDI—_viscidus_, viscid, sticky. Pileus viscid at first.

** IMPOLITI—_impolitus_, unpolished. Pileus squamulose, downy or pruinose.

*** GLABRATI—_glaber_, smooth. Pileus polished, smooth.

PLEUROPUS (_pleura_, side; _pous_, a foot).

Stem excentric or lateral. Growing on trunks. None known to be edible.

I.—PIPERI´TES.

* TRICHOLOMOI´DEI. _Pileus viscid, margin incurved, etc._

=L. tormino´sus= Fr.—_tormina_, gripes. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad, convex, then depressed, viscid when young or moist, yellowish-red or paleochraceous tinged with red or flesh color, often varied with zones or spots, the at first involute _margin persistently tomentose-hairy_. =Gills= thin, close, narrow, whitish, often tinged with yellow or flesh color. =Stem= 1.5–3 in. long, 4–8 lines thick, equal or slightly tapering downward, hollow, sometimes spotted, whitish. =Spores= subglobose or broadly elliptical, 9–10µ. =Milk= white, taste acrid.

Woods. Adirondack mountains and Sandlake. August. _Peck_, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Poisonous, and Gillet declares it to be deleterious and even dangerous, and that in the raw state it is a very strong drastic purgative. On the other hand, Cordier states that almost all authors agree in stating that it is eaten with impunity, and that Letellier has eaten it more than once without inconvenience.

Cooke states: “Whether it is poison is rather uncertain, and probably assumed from its acridity.”

Bulliard says: “It is very acrid and this is changed by heat into an astringent of such power that a very little suffices to produce the most terrible accidents.” On the other hand, Boudier says that the presence of an acrid milk is an indication of no importance, that in certain parts of the country they eat such Lactaria as even L. piperatus and do not experience any trouble. Certain Russulæ as acrid as any Lactaria are known to be inoffensive.

The Russians preserve it in salt and eat it seasoned with oil and vinegar.

=L. tur´pis= Fr.—_turpis_, base, from its ugly appearance. =Pileus= large, as much as 3–12 in. broad, _olivaceous inclining to umber_, fleshy, rigid, convex becoming plane, disk-shaped or umbilicate, at length depressed, innately hairy at the circumference or wholly covered over with tenacious gluten, _zoneless_, sometimes tawny toward the margin, _at length_ entirely _inclining to umber_; _margin for a long time involute, at the first villous, olivaceous-light-yellow_, then more or less flattened, at length often densely furrowed. =Flesh= compact, white, then slightly reddish. =Stem= 1½-3 in. long, ½-1 in. and more thick, _solid_, hard, equal or _attenuated downward_, even or pitted and uneven, but not spotted, viscid or dry, _pallid or dark olivaceous_, ochraceous-whitish at the apex. =Gills= adnato-decurrent, thin, 1–2 lines broad, much crowded, forked, _white straw-color_, spotted brownish when broken or bruised. =Milk= acrid, white, unchangeable. _Fries._

Gregarious, _rigidly and compactly fleshy_; habit almost that of Paxillus involutus. It varies with the stem hollow, and the pileus somewhat zoned.

=Spores= spheroid or subspheroid, uniguttate, echinulate, 6–8µ _K._; minutely spinulose, 6–8µ _Massee_.

New Jersey, Trenton, _E.B. Sterling_; North Carolina, _Curtis_, _Schweinitz_; Mt. Gretna, Pa. September, 1898. Along road in woods, moist places. _McIlvaine._

The species is attractive by its very homeliness and odd individuality. It is not inviting. Cooked it is coarse and resembles L. piperatus. An emergency species.

=L. controver´sus= Fr.—_contra_, against; _verto_, to turn. =Pileus= 3 in. and more broad, fleshy, compact, rigid, at the first convex, broadly umbilicate, when fuller grown _somewhat funnel-shaped, oblique_, on emerging from the ground dry, flocculose, _whitish_, then with rain smooth, viscid, _reddish, with blood-colored spots and zones_ (especially toward the margin), margin acute when young, closely involute, more or less villous. =Flesh= _very firm_. =Stem= commonly 1 in. long and thick, sometimes, however, 2 in. long and then manifestly attenuated toward the base and often excentric, _solid, obese_, even but pruinate and as if striate at the apex from the obsoletely decurrent tooth of the gills, wholly _white_, never pitted. =Gills= decurrent, thin, very crowded, 1–2 lines broad, with many shorter ones intermixed, but rarely branched, pallid-white-flesh-color. =Milk= white, unchangeable, plentiful. _Fries._

Odor weak but pleasant, taste very acrid. Allied to L. piperatus.

In woods. Uncommon. August to October. _Stevenson._

=Spores= echinulate, 8×6µ _W.G.S._; globose, rough, 6–8µ _Massee_.

California, _H. and M._

Edible, rather deficient in aroma and flavor. _Cooke._

(Plate XL_a_.)

LACTARIUS BLENNIUS.
About one-fourth natural size.
]

=L. blen´nius= Fr. _Gr_—slimy. =Pileus= 3–5 in. across. =Flesh= thick, firm; soon expanded and more or less depressed, glutinous, dingy greenish-gray, often more or less zoned with drop-like markings; margin at first incurved and downy. =Gills= slightly decurrent, crowded, narrow, whitish or with an ochraceous tinge. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, up to 1 in. thick at the apex, where it expands into the thick flesh of the pileus, often attenuated at the base, viscid, colored like the stem or paler, soon hollow. =Milk= persistently white, very acrid. =Spores= subglobose, 7–8×6µ.

In woods, on the ground, very rarely on trunks.

L. turpis somewhat resembles the present species but differs in the darker olive-brown pileus and the yellow down on the incurved margin, especially when young. _Massee._

=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad, fleshy, rarely subzonate, convex, the margin generally involute and adpresso-tomentose (quite smooth, _Fries_); at length more or less depressed, dull cinereous-green, at first viscid, more or less pitted. =Milk= white, not changeable. =Gills= rather narrow, pale ochraceous, scarcely forked, not connected by veins. =Stem= 1 in. long, ¼-½ in. thick, paler than the pileus, attenuated downward, obtuse, smooth, at length hollow, sometimes pitted, very acrid. _Berk._

Edible. Coarse.

** LIMACI´NI. _Pileus viscid, etc._

=L. insul´sus= Fr.—tasteless. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad, convex and umbilicate, then funnel-shaped, glabrous, viscid, _more or less zonate, yellowish_, the margin naked. =Gills= thin, close, adnate or decurrent, some of them forked at the base, whitish or pallid. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 4–6 lines thick, equal or slightly tapering downward, stuffed or hollow, whitish or yellowish, generally spotted. =Spores= 7.6–9µ. =Milk= white, taste acrid.