White; acrid. =Pileus= 1–1½ in. across, rather fleshy at the disk,
margin thin; convex then depressed, but not funnel-shaped, even, dry,
opaque. =Gills= slightly decurrent, narrow, crowded, thin. =Stem= about
1½ in. long, 2 lines thick, equal, even, solid. Among grass, moss, etc.
Resembling C. dealbata in form, but smaller, opaque, dingy-white, taste
somewhat acrid. Stem solid, but not cartilaginous, about 2 in. long,
equal, ascending or flexuous, excentric, at first floccosely mealy,
always opaque, white. Pileus slightly fleshy, convex then plane, not
depressed, obtuse, ½-1 in. broad, unequal, dry, pruinosely hoary; flesh
white, compact, but thin. Gills adnato-decurrent, thin, crowded, plane.
_Fries._
It loses its acridity in cooking and is quite equal to C. dealbata.
=C. trunci´cola= Pk.—_truncus_, trunk of a tree. =Pileus= thin, firm,
expanded or slightly depressed in the center, smooth, dry, white.
=Gills= narrow, thin, crowded, adnate-decurrent. =Stem= equal, stuffed,
smooth, often excentric and curved, whitish.
=Plant= 1 in. high. =Pileus= 1 in. broad. =Stem= 1 line thick.
Trunks of frondose trees, especially maples. _Croghan._ September.
_Peck_, 26th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=Spores= 5×3.5µ _Morgan_.
Found on maple trees in West Philadelphia, Pa. Edible. Good quality.
[Illustration:
Grouped by F.D. Briscoe—Studies by C. McIlvaine. PLATE
XXVII_a_.
]
FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE.
1. CLITOCYBE MULTICEPS, 95 2. CLITOCYBE MULTICEPS, 95
VAR.
II.—DIFFOR´MES.
=C. decas´tes= Fr. _Gr._—a decade; a number of ten. From the stems being
often joined in bundles of about ten. Densely cespitose. =Pileus= 5–12
in. across, soon almost plane, disk gibbous or obtuse; margin at first
shortly incurved, then expanded, very much waved and often lobed, even,
glabrous, dingy-brown or livid when moist, pale clay-color when dry.
=Flesh= exceedingly thin except at the disk, whitish. =Stem= 4–7 in.
long, ½-1½ in. thick, usually slightly thinner upward, rather soft,
entirely fibrous, solid, white, usually curved and ascending, coalescent
into a solid mass at the base. =Gills= adnato-decurrent, or often more
or less adnexed, up to ½ in. broad, rather narrowed towards the margin,
often wavy. =Spores= globose, smooth, 4µ diameter.
On the ground and on sawdust.
Albion, Orleans county, N.Y., _Dr. Cushing_. October, 1898.
On ground in grassy places (Woodland Cemetery, May 22, 1897).
_McIlvaine._
Particularly welcome to toadstool lovers are the early comers. The
present species is among the first. It is rich in quantity, substance
and flavor.
=C. mul´ticeps= Pk.—_multus_, many; _caput_, a head. (Plate XXVII_a_, p.
94.) =Pileus= fleshy, thin except on the disk, firm, convex, slightly
moist in wet weather, whitish, grayish or yellowish-gray. =Flesh= white,
taste mild. =Gills= close, adnate and slightly decurrent, whitish.
=Stems= densely cespitose, equal or slightly thickened at the base,
solid or stuffed, firm, elastic, slightly pruinose at the apex, whitish.
=Spores= globose, 5–8µ.
=Pileus= 1–3 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 3–6 lines thick.
Open places, grassy ground, etc. Albany and Sandlake. June and October.
This species forms dense tufts, often composed of many individuals. In
this respect it is related to such species as C. tumulosa, C. aggregata
and C. illudens. From the crowding together of many individuals the
pileus is often irregular. Sometimes the disk is brownish and
occasionally slightly silky. The gills are sometimes slightly sinuate,
thus indicating a relationship to the species of Tricholoma. The taste,
though mild, is somewhat oily and unpleasant. The plants appear in wet,
rainy weather, either early in the season or in autumn. Specimens have
been sent to me from Massachusetts by R.K. Macadam and Professor Farlow,
and from Pennsylvania by Dr. W. Herbst. _Peck_, 43d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
West Virginia, New Jersey, Mt. Gretna, Pa. In May, and in autumn months.
Very variable in size, color, shape of gills, texture and taste.
_McIlvaine._
The early spring clusters are remarkable for their tenderness and
excellence. Clusters of hundreds of individuals grew abundantly at Mt.
Gretna in May, 1899. When the fungus was young the gills were sometimes
adnate, almost free, often decurrent. The varying color of oysters is
well seen in C. multiceps.
Edible. They should be well cooked. The addition of a little lemon juice
or sherry conceals a slight raw taste sometimes present.
[Illustration:
Photographed by Dr. J.R. Weist—Painted by C. McIlvaine.
PLATE XXIX_a_.
]
PAGE.
CLITOCYBE ILLUDENS 96
=C. illu´dens= Schw.—mocking, deceiving. (Plate XXIX_a_, p. 96.)
=Pileus= fleshy, convex or expanded, smooth, generally with a small
umbo. =Gills= not crowded, unequally decurrent, some of them branched,
narrowed toward each end, the edge, in dry specimens, discolored. =Stem=
firm, solid, long, smooth, tapering at the base.
=Height= 5–8 in., breadth of pileus 4–6 in. =Stem= 6–8 lines thick.
=Spores= 4–5µ _Peck_.
Grows in clumps or large masses about stumps or decaying trees from
August to October. Its bright, deep yellow is attractive from a
distance. As many as fifty plants may form a cluster. Cap from 2–6 in.,
fleshy, convex or expanded, often with a raised center directly over the
stem; flesh juicy and yellow; gills yellow, widely separated, running
down stem unequally; stem long, firm, solid, smooth, tapering toward
base. When cooked the taste is rather saponaceous. Strong stomachs can
retain a meal of them, but the fungus generally sickens the eater. Many
testings show it to contain a minor poison. It is not deadly, but should
not be eaten. Bull. No. 2, Phila. Myc. Center.
New York, _Peck_, Rep. 23–49. Well known in southern states. Indiana,
_H.I. Miller_.
The mysterious property of phosphorescence is possessed by this fungus.
As heat is known to develop in masses of the fungus it is of interest to
know whether it is from the phosphorescence or a ferment. Its radiance
by night surpasses its splendor by day. Mr. H.I. Miller, of Terre Haute,
Ind., first drew the writer’s attention to this quality. A large box of
specimens sent by him retained their luminous quality after three days
of travel to such an extent that the print of a newspaper could be read
when held close to the mass.
Mr. Miller writes: “There is something about this fungus which generates
heat. When I bring in a basketful of it, for the pleasure its
phosphorescence affords my friends, I find that after having been in the
basket for two or three hours, and while piled one bunch upon top of
another, that to insert one’s hand among the different clusters is like
putting it close to a hot stove.”
This fungus is so inviting in quantity and beauty that one turns from it
with a regret that lingers. Eaten in quantity it acts upon some persons
as an emetic. I have several times eaten of it without other than
pleasurable sensations, but persons partaking of the same cooking have
been sickened.
=C. fumo´sa= Pers.—_fumus_, smoke. =Pileus= 1–3 in. across, fleshy,
margin thin; convex, often gibbous when young, regular or wavy, even,
pellicle not separable, glabrous, sooty-brown, soon livid or gray when
dry. =Gills= adnate in regular forms, but often decurrent when the
pileus is irregular, crowded, distinct, grayish-white from the first.
=Stem= 2–3 in. long, 3–6 lines thick, almost equal, often twisted or
curved, glabrous, dingy-white, apex mealy, solid, fibrous. =Spores=
subglobose, 5–6µ diam.
In woods. Autumn.
Gregarious, somewhat cespitose, tough, rather cartilaginous. Pileus
truly obtuse, never streaked, often regular. Smell none. _Fries._
Var. _po´lius_. Densely and connately cespitose. =Pileus= convex, then
plane, obtuse, smooth, gray. =Stem= flexuous, smooth. =Gills= crowded,
whitish. Edible. _Cooke_, 1891.
Var. polius found growing in large quantities in Boston navy yard in
stone barn. Determined by Professor Peck. A fair edible. _R.K. Macadam._
This woods-growing Clitocybe has been many times found by me in a
hot-house in Haddonfield, N.J. Professor Peck confirmed my
identification. Either its spores or mycelium had evidently been carried
thither in the wood-earth used by florists. The hot-house crops appeared
in March, and continued until June.
Several of the plants showed an effort to comply with some condition
unusual to them, by producing gills upon the upper side of the pileus.
Those below were venose and crisped.
This wild species had thus been brought into cultivation. The cultivated
plants were much more tender than the wild. Both are excellent.
=C. connex´a= Pk.—_connexus_, joined. From its relation to Tricholoma.
=Pileus= thin, convex or expanded, subumbonate, clothed with a minute
appressed silkiness, white, the margin sometimes faintly tinged with
blue. =Gills= crowded, narrow, white inclining to yellowish. =Stem=
equal or tapering downward, solid, whitish.
=Plant= 2–3 in. high. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 2 lines thick.
Ground in woods. Croghan. September.
The gills sometimes terminate rather abruptly and are not strongly
decurrent, hence it might easily be mistaken for a Tricholoma. The
margin of the pileus is sometimes marked with slight ridges as in Ag.
laterarius. The odor is weak but aromatic and agreeable. _Peck_, 26th
Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Found in plenty in oak woods near Philadelphia, and in West Virginia; a
few specimens in southern New Jersey. Autumn.
Edible, and quite equal to most of the Clitocybes.
=C. tumulo´sa= Kalchbr.—_tumulus_, a mound. Cespitose. =Pileus= 1–2 in.
across, disk fleshy, margin thin; conico-convex then expanded, obtusely
umbonate or obtuse, even, glabrous, brownish-umber, becoming pale,
margin drooping. =Gills= more or less decurrent or slightly emarginate,
crowded narrow, white, then grayish. =Stem= 3–5 in. long, unequal,
usually thicker below, minutely downy, pallid, solid.
On the ground in woods. Spring and autumnal months. Readily
distinguished by the densely clustered habit, and the umber pileus. The
gills are very variable, sometimes distinctly decurrent, at others
rounded behind, and almost resembling a Tricholoma. =Spores= subglobose,
5–6µ. _Massee._
California, _H. and M._; New York, _Peck_, Rep. 42.
Sent to me by Mrs. Mary Fuller, Washington, D.C. The specimens eaten
were of good consistency and flavor.
III.—INFUNDIBULFOR´MES.
* _Pileus colored or becoming pale, etc., surface innately flocculose or
silky; not moist._
=C. gigante´a= Sow.—_giganteus_, of gigantic size. =Pileus= 6–10 in.
across. =Flesh= rather thin in proportion to the size of the fungus,
white, or tinged with tan, glabrous when moist, slightly flocculose when
dry; margin involute then spreading, glabrous, rather coarsely grooved.
=Gills= slightly decurrent, broad, very much crowded, branched and
connected by veins, whitish then pale tan-color, not separating
spontaneously from the hymenophore. =Stem= 1–2 in. long and nearly the
same in thickness, equal, pallid, solid. =Spores= white, 5×3µ.
In woods, etc.
A very distinct species, very showy, large, subcespitose, entirely
whitish tan-color; without close affinities. Stem solid, compact, and
firm inside and outside, 2½ in. long, ½ in. thick, equal, even,
glabrous. Pileus depressed from the first, then broadly, _i. e._,
plano-infundibuliform, thin but equally fleshy, soft, not flaccid, but
easily splitting from the margin toward the center (almost papery and
involute when old), upward of a foot broad, often excentric and
generally sinuately lobed, moist and adpressedly downy when growing,
slightly flocculose and cracked into scales when dry; margin at first
very thin, involute, pubescent, soon spreading, glabrous, at length
revolute, coarsely furrowed or radiately wrinkled. Gills slightly
decurrent, closely crowded, almost 3 lines broad (2–3 times as broad as
thickness of flesh of pileus), connected by veins, thin, fragile,
straight, but sometimes varying to crisped and anastomosing, whitish
then yellowish or tinged with rufous, smell weak. _Fries._
This species was placed in Clitocybe in Syst. Myc. and Epicrisis, but in
Hym. Europ. Fries removed it to Paxillus in which he is followed by
Stevenson. Cooke and Massee continue it in Clitocybe. Dr. Somers found
one measuring over 15 inches in diameter. _R.K.M._
North Carolina, _Schweinitz_. Edible, _Curtis_; Wisconsin, _Bundy_;
California, _H. and M._; Nova Scotia, _Dr. Somers_.
Large quantities of Clitocybe gigantea grow in the West Virginia
mountains, and in woods around Philadelphia. July to November.
Its substance is coarse, but of good flavor. It should be chopped fine.
=C. max´ima= Gärtn and Meyer. (Fl. Wett.)—greatest. (Plate XXIV, fig. 5,
page 82.) =Pileus= as much as 1 foot broad, becoming pale-tan or
whitish, _fleshy_, compact at the disk, otherwise thin, _somewhat
flaccid_ (not capable of being split), broadly funnel-shaped, gibbous
_with a central umbo_, always very dry, the surface _becoming
silky-even_ or squamulose; margin involute, pubescent, always _even_.
=Flesh= white, at length soft. =Stem= as much as 4 in. long, 1 in.
thick, solid, compact, but internally spongy, _elastic_, attenuated
upward, fibrillosestriate, whitish. =Gills= _deeply decurrent_, pointed
at both ends, somewhat crowded, soft, simple, _whitish_, not changeable.
The pileus is always very dry because the surface absorbs moisture. Odor
weak, pleasant, almost that of A. infundibuliformis. On account of its
gigantic stature and color, it has often been interchanged with A.
gigantea Sow.; it is in no wise, however, allied to that species, but is
so closely allied to A. infundibuliformis that it might be taken for a
very luxuriant form of it. _Stevenson._
=Spores= 6×4µ _Massee_; 5×3µ, _W.G.S._
New England, _Frost_; California, _H. and M._
Common in the West Virginia mountains, mixed woods in New Jersey and
Pennsylvania. June to November. _McIlvaine._
It is coarse, dry, hard, but chopped fine and cooked in various ways,
either by itself or with meats, it is a good food.
=C. infundibulifor´mis= Schaeff.—_infundibulum_, a funnel; _forma_,
form. (Plate XXIV, fig. 11, p. 82.) The Funnel-form clitocybe, Clitocybe
infundibuliformis, is a neat and pretty species easily recognized by the
funnel shape of its mature cap and by its pale red color. When very
young the cap is slightly convex and often adorned with a slight umbo in
its center. As it matures the margin becomes elevated so that the cap
assumes a shape somewhat resembling that of a wine glass. The margin is
sometimes wavy. The flesh is thin and white. The gills are close, thin,
white or whitish and decurrent. The stem is smooth, colored like or a
little paler than the cap and mostly tapering from the base upward.
The cap is 2–3 in. broad, the stem 1½-3 in. long and ¼-½ in. thick.
The funnel-shaped mushroom grows in woods or copses in summer and
autumn, especially in wet seasons. It is somewhat variable in color, but
is usually a pale-red, tinged with buff, and sometimes becoming more
pale with age. It delights to grow among fallen leaves, and often there
is an abundant white cottony mycelium at the base of the stem. When it
grows in clusters the caps are apt to be irregular because of mutual
pressure. “Mushrooms and Their Use.” _Peck._
=Spores= 5–6×3–4µ _B._
Very common and in plenty after rains, when large patches of it may be
found. I have usually found the light pinkish-buff color to abound, and
the stem thinner than described by Prof. Peck. Size of cap from 1–3 in.
It is a good, reliable food species. The stem should be removed, and the
caps well cooked.
** _Pileus colored or pallid, smooth, moist in wet weather._
=C. subzonal´is= Pk.—_sub_, under; _zonalis_, pertaining to a zone.
=Pileus= thin, centrally depressed or subinfundibuliform, marked with
two or three obscure zones, with a slight appressed silkiness, pale
yellow. =Gills= close, narrow, equally decurrent, some of them forked,
pallid or yellowish. =Stem= equal, slightly fibrillose, stuffed, pale
yellow.
=Plant= 2 in. high. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 lines thick.
Ground in woods. _Croghan._ September. _Peck_, 26th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Found in oak woods, Angora, West Philadelphia, growing singly. Specimens
few. Edible; pleasant.
=C. gil´va= Pers.—_gilvus_, pale brownish-yellow. =Pileus= 2–4 in.
broad, _pale yellowish, fleshy, compact, convex then depressed_, very
obtuse, even, smooth, _dampish when fresh_, polished and _shining_ when
dry, here and there spotted as with drops, the margin remaining long
involute. =Flesh= compact, not laxly floccose, but at length fragile,
_somewhat of the same color as the pileus_. =Stem= 1–2 in. and more
long, ½ in. and more thick, _solid, fleshy_, stout, not elastic,
somewhat equal, smooth, paler than the pileus, villous at the base.
=Gills= decurrent, thin, _very much crowded_, often _branched_, arcuate,
narrow, _pallid then ochraceous_.
Odor not remarkable. The stem has been noticed at length also hollow,
perhaps eroded by larvæ. It corresponds with the Paxilli. The primary
form, which is very different from all the rest, is curt, obese, robust,
scarcely ever infundibuliform. _Stevenson._
=Spores= 4–5×5µ _K._; 4–5µ _Massee_.
North Carolina, _Schweinitz_, _Curtis_; Pennsylvania, _Schweinitz_; New
York, _Peck_, R. 51, under pines. July to September.
Mt. Gretna, Pa. July, 1898, ground, mixed woods. _McIlvaine._
=Pileus= 1–2½ in. across, depressed, almost infundibuliform, smooth.
=Color= varied lemon to bright orange. =Flesh= lemon color throughout.
=Gills= varying in color, usually same color as pileus. =Stem= all of
one color, same as pileus, stuffed, sometimes short, and pointed,
sometimes thickened at base. Taste and smell pleasant. Edible; good.
=C. subinvolu´ta= Batsch.—turned under at the margin. =Pileus= brick
color, convex, depressed, smooth, margin closely involute. =Flesh=
pallid. =Stem= paler, stout, straight, somewhat equal, veined on the
lower part with oblique coalescing slightly elevated wrinkles, tomentose
and inclining to flesh color above toward the gills, base obtuse.
=Gills= decurrent, rather broad, of the same color as the pileus.
The stem is rough on the surface and destitute of luster. It resembles
Paxillus involutus in size and habit, in the crenate and involute margin
of the pileus, and in the stem being obsoletely veined at the base and
tomentose toward the gills. _Stevenson._
New England, _Frost_; New York, _Peck_, Rep. 22.
Edible, _Cooke_.
=C. geo´tropa= Bull. _Gr._—the earth; _Gr._—to turn. From the turned
down margin. =Pileus= 2–5 in. across. =Flesh= thick, white convex, then
plane and finally more or less depressed, obtusely umbonate, the
prominence remaining after the pileus becomes depressed, very smooth,
even, margin thin, incurved, downy, pale pinkish-tan or buff. =Gills=
decurrent, crowded, narrow, simple, white, then colored like the pileus.
=Stem= 3–5 in. long, 1 in. or more thick at the base, slightly
attenuated upward, compact, fibrillose, colored like the pileus or
paler, solid. =Spores= elliptical, 6–7×4–5µ. _Massee._
In woods and on their borders. Often in rings or troops.
Differs from C. maxima in being firmer, glabrous, and color much more
variable; from C. gilva in the thinner pileus, less crowded gills, and
white flesh.
=Spores= 5–7µ _W.G.S._
In England and on the continent it is considered excellent and superior
to most edible fungi.
Found in West Virginia, 1881; Haddonfield, N J., 1891. Spring and
autumn. _McIlvaine._
Edible, coarse, dry. In stews and mixed to form croquettes or patties,
it is a desirable species, owing to its plentifulness.
=C. splen´dens= Pers.—_splendens_, shining. Solitary. =Pileus= 2–3 in.
across, flesh rather thick, white, plane then depressed or
funnel-shaped, glabrous, shining, yellowish. =Gills= deeply decurrent,
narrow, crowded, simple, white. =Stem= about 1 in. long, 3 lines thick,
glabrous, colored like the pileus, solid, slightly thickened at the base
or equal. _Massee._
In woods, among pine leaves, etc.
Intermediate between C. gilva and C. flaccida. The typical form of C.
gilva differs in the compact pileus, often with drop-like markings, the
very much crowded, somewhat branched, pale ochraceous gills and flesh.
_Fries._
Sent to me from Trenton, N.J., by E.B. Sterling.
Edible; quality good, deficient in flavor.
=C. inver´sus= Scop.—_inverto_, inverted. =Pileus= 2–3 in. across.
=Flesh= thin, fragile; convex, soon funnel-shaped, margin involute,
glabrous, even, reddish or dull brownish-orange. =Gills= decurrent,
simple, pallid then reddish. =Stem= about 1½ in. long, 2 lines thick,
glabrous, rather rigid, paler than the pileus, stuffed, soon hollow.
=Spores= subglobose, 4µ diameter. _Massee._
Among leaves, etc.
Gregarious, subcespitose, forming very large tufts, especially late in
the autumn, deformed. Smell peculiar, slightly acid. Stem sometimes
stuffed, usually hollow, hence compressed, rather rigid and corticated
outside, not elastic, without a bulb, glabrous, whitish; the somewhat
rooting base with white down, and often growing together in tufts,
variously deformed, curved, ascending, etc. _Fries._
=Spores= subglobose, 4µ _Massee_; 3µ _W.G.S._
Closely resembles C. infundibuliformis, but differs from it in the color
of gills and flesh. The entire plant is dark in color. Solitary; in
troops; cespitose.
Found in mixed woods. Haddonfield, N.J. Summer and autumn.
That part of the plant which readily breaks away from the stem is tender
and of good flavor. The remainder is tough.
=C. flac´cida= Sow.—_flaccidus_, limp. =Pileus= 2–3 in. across, flaccid,
orbicular, umbilicate, umbo persistently absent, margin spreading,
arched, glabrous, even, rarely cracking into minute squamules,
tawny-rust colored, shining, not becoming pale. =Flesh= thin, pallid,
rather fragile when fresh, but quite flaccid when dry. =Gills= deeply
decurrent, arcuate, crowded, narrow, about 1 line broad, white, then
tinged yellowish. =Stem= imperfectly hollow, elastic, tough, 1–2 in.
long, 2–3 lines thick somewhat equal, polished, naked, reddish-rust
color, base thickened, downy. =Spores= subglobose, 4–5×3–4µ.
Among leaves, etc. Gregarious, stems often grown together at the base.
Sometimes solitary and regular. Summer and autumn. _Massee._
=Spores= subglobose, 4–5×3–4µ.
Found in 1886 in West Philadelphia—oak woods. Since in New Jersey, North
Carolina, and interior of Pennsylvania.
Edible. Well cooked it compares favorably with C. infundibuliformis and
others of like texture.
*** _Pileus shining white._
=C. cati´na= Fr.—_catinus_, a bowl. =Pileus= 2 in. broad, at first
_white, in no wise hygrophanous_, then passing into pale flesh-color
during rain, and into tan-color in dry weather, _fleshy_, moderately
thin, plane then funnel-shaped, always obtuse, even, _smooth_. =Flesh=
thin, _flaccid_, white. =Stem= 3 in. long, 1½ in. thick, _stuffed_,
internally spongy, _elastic_, tough, thickened and tomentose at the
base. =Gills= decurrent, _straight, descending_, not horizontal, broad,
not much _crowded_, persistently white. _Fries._
Ray Brook, Adirondack mountains. August. The pileus is at first white,
but in wet weather it becomes pallid or discolored with age. The plants
were found growing among pieces of bark of arbor vitæ lying on the
ground. _Peck_, 43d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Quite common in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey. Woods among
dead leaves. August until frost.
Edible. Excellent in flavor and quality.
_Series B._
IV.—CYATHIFOR´MES.