thin, convex nearly plane or depressed, often with a small umbo or
papilla, _minutely squamulose_, ash-colored, grayish-brown or
smoky-brown, sometimes tinged with pink, the margin even or slightly and
distinctly striate. =Gills= narrow, close, adnate or decurrent, whitish
or yellowish. =Stem= ½-1½ in. long, 1–3 lines thick, equal, glabrous or
obsoletely pubescent, stuffed, rarely hollow, whitish or colored like
the pileus. =Milk= white, taste acrid and unpleasant, sometimes
bitterish, odor _aromatic_. _Peck_, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Smell agreeable, of melilot, as that of L. camphoratus.
=Spores= spheroid, echinulate, 6–8µ _K._; subglobose, size variable,
6–10µ _Massee_.
The American plant, so far as observed, does not have the red hues
ascribed to the European.
Haddonfield, N.J., _T.J. Collins_; Scranton, Pa., _Dr. J.M. Phillips_;
Chester county, Pa., September, 1887, on ground in woods, _McIlvaine_.
This small Lactarius was found on several occasions. Its odor is
attractive, but its taste is not. Cooked it is of high flavor, but will
not be liked by many.
=L. aqui´fluus= Pk.—watery. =Pileus= fragile, fleshy, convex or
expanded, at length centrally depressed, dry, smooth, or sometimes
appearing as if clothed with a minute appressed tomentum, reddish
tan-colored, the decurved margin often flexuous. =Gills= rather narrow,
close, whitish, becoming dull reddish yellow. =Stem= more or less
elongated, equal or slightly tapering upward, colored like the pileus,
smooth, hollow, the cavity irregular as if eroded. =Spores= subglobose,
rough, 7.6µ. =Flesh= colored like the pileus. =Milk= sparse, watery.
=Plant= 3–8 in. high. =Pileus= 3–6 in. broad. =Stem= 5–10 lines thick.
Swamps and wet mossy places in woods. Sandlake and North Elba. August
and September.
The relationship of this plant is with L. serifluus, to which it was
formerly referred, but from which I am now satisfied it is distinct. The
hollow stem is a constant character in our plant, and affords a ready
mark of distinction. The plant, though large, is very fragile, and
breaks easily. The taste is mild or but slightly acrid. Sometimes there
is an obscure zonation on the pileus, which, in large specimens, is apt
to be irregular and much worm-eaten. The milk looks like little drops of
water when first issuing from a wound, but it becomes a little less
clear on exposure to the atmosphere. The decided but agreeable odor of
the dried specimens persists a long time. _Peck_, 28th Rep.
This plant is sometimes cespitose. The pileus when dry is tawny-gray and
scaly or cracked scaly. The margin may be even or coarsely
sulcate-striate. The flesh is grayish or reddish-gray. The color of the
lamellæ varies from creamy-white to tawny-yellow. The stem often has a
conspicuous white myceloid tomentum at its base. I have never found this
plant with a white or milky juice, and therefore I am disposed to regard
it not as a variety of L. helvus, but as a distinct species. Its mild
taste and agreeable odor suggested a trial of its edible qualities. It
is harmless, but the lack of flavor induces me to omit it from the list
of edible species. _Peck_, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Var. _brevis´simus_ Pk. Pileus 1–1.5 in. broad, grayish-buff. Gills
crowded, adnate, yellowish or cream-color. Stem very short, 6–8 lines
long.
Black mucky soil in roads in woods. Township 24, Franklin county.
September.
Plant fragrant; sometimes cespitose. _Peck_, 51st Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Angora, West Philadelphia, in moist oak woods. August, 1897,
Philadelphia Myc. Center.
Flesh rather hard when cooked, and insipid. Good as an absorbent or in
emergency.
=L. lignyo´tus= Fr.—_lignum_, wood. =Pileus= 1–4 in. broad, broadly
convex plane or slightly depressed, dry, with or without a small umbo,
generally rugose-wrinkled, _dark-brown, appearing subpulverulent or as
if suffused with a dingy pruinosity_, the margin sometimes crenately
lobed and distinctly plicate. =Gills= moderately close or subdistant,
adnate, white or yellowish, _slowly changing to pinkish-red or salmon
color where wounded_. =Stem= 1–3 in. long, 2–6 lines thick, equal or
abruptly narrowed at the apex, even, glabrous, stuffed, colored like the
pileus, sometimes plicate at the top. =Milk= white, taste mild or
tardily and slightly acrid.
Var. _tenu´ipes_. =Pileus= about 1 in. broad. =Stem= slender, 2–3 in.
long and about 2 lines thick.
Wet or mossy ground in woods and swamps. Adirondack mountains and
Sandlake. July and August. Not rare in hilly and mountainous districts.
_Peck_, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=Spores= globose, yellowish, 9–11.3µ _Peck_; pale ochraceous,
subglobose, minutely echinulate, 9–10µ diameter _Massee_.
West Virginia mountains, 1881–1885; Eagle’s Mere; Mt. Gretna, Pa.
Solitary and gregarious, moist woods and wooded places. July to
September. _McIlvaine._
In my long experience with the plant I have not seen any change of
color, save that, like the white milk of other species, it darkens
slightly to a cream color. I have found it distinctly umbilicate and
quite umbonate in the same patch.
L. lignyotus is one of the best of Lactarii and quite equal to L.
volemus.
=L. corru´gis= Pk.—having wrinkles or folds. =Pileus= 3–5 in. broad,
firm, convex, then nearly plane or centrally depressed, _rugose
reticulated_, covered with a _velvety pruinosity or pubescence, dark
reddish-brown or chestnut-color_, fading with age to tawny-brown.
=Gills= close, dark cream-color or subcinnamon, _becoming paler_ when
old, sordid or brownish where bruised or wounded. =Stem= 3–5 in. long,
6–12 lines thick, equal, solid, glabrous or merely pruinose, paler than
but similar in color to the pileus. =Spores= subglobose, 10–13µ. =Milk=
copious, white, taste mild.
Thin woods. Sandlake, Gansevoort and Brewerton, N.Y. August and
September.
This curious Lactarius is related to L. volemus, from which it may be
separated by its darker colors and its corrugated pileus. The flexuous
reticulated rugæ present an appearance similar to that of the hymenium
of a Merulius. The pileus is everywhere pruinose-pubescent and the gills
bear numerous spine-like or acicular cystidia or spicules, 4–5µ long.
These are so numerous on and near the edges of the gills that they give
them a pubescent appearance. _Peck_, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
I found many at Mt. Gretna, Pa., up to 6½ in. in diameter. Flesh not so
firm as L. volemus. Stem equal, rugulose, flattened in old specimens.
Milk very slightly acrid.
Better in taste and quality than L. volemus.
=L. lute´olus= Pk.—yellowish. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad, fleshy, rather
thin, convex or nearly plane, commonly umbilicately depressed in the
center and somewhat rugulose, pruinose or subglabrous, buff-color.
=Flesh= white, taste mild. =Milk= copious, flowing easily, white or
whitish. =Gills= close, nearly plane, adnate or slightly rounded behind,
whitish, becoming brownish where wounded. =Stem= 1–1.5 in. long, 3–5
lines thick, short, equal or tapering downward, solid, but somewhat
spongy within, colored like the pileus. =Spores= globose, 7.6µ broad.
Dry woods. East Milton, Mass. August. _H. Webster._
This species is related to Lactarius volemus and L. hygrophoroides, but
its smaller size and short stem will distinguish it from the former and
its close gills from the latter. Its paler buff-color will separate it
from both. Some specimens have a narrow encircling furrow or depressed
zone near the margin and a slightly darker shade of color on the margin.
The milk constitutes a remarkable feature of the species. According to
the notes of the collector it is exceedingly copious, rather sticky,
serous in character with white particles in suspension. It flows from
many points as soon as the plant is disturbed and it stains the gills.
It is impossible to collect an unstained specimen, so free is the flow
of the milk. He, Mr. Webster, says: “I have never succeeded in picking a
specimen so quietly as to prevent an instant and copious flow of its
milk.” Torrey Bull., Vol. 23, No. 10, 1896.
Angora, West Philadelphia, August, 1897. In oak woods. August,
September. _McIlvaine._
Quite frequent there. My attention was directed to it by the “narrow
encircling furrow or depressed zone near the margin.”
It is of like quality to L. volemus.
=L. Gerar´dii= Pk. =Pileus= 1.5–4 in. broad, broadly convex plane or
slightly depressed, dry, generally rugose-wrinkled, with or without a
small umbo or papilla, _dingy-brown_, the thin spreading margin
sometimes flexuous lobed or irregular. =Gills= _distant_, adnate or
decurrent, _white or whitish_, the interspaces generally uneven. =Stem=
1–2 in. long, 3–6 lines thick, subequal, stuffed or hollow, colored like
the pileus. =Spores= globose, _white_, 9–11.3µ. =Milk= white,
_unchangeable_, taste _mild_.
Woods and open places. Poughkeepsie, _W.R. Gerard_. Greenbush, Sandlake
and Croghan, N.Y. July to September.
This Lactarius closely resembles the Sooty lactarius in color, but
differs from it in its more distant gills, white spores and constantly
mild taste. Wounds of the flesh and gills do not become pinkish-red as
in that plant. From L. hygrophoroides its darker color, hollow stem and
more globose rougher spores separate it. _Peck_, 38th Rep. N.Y. State
Bot.
In the color of the pileus and stem this species is like the larger
forms of L. fuliginosus. _Peck_, 26th Rep.
Edible. Boston Myc. Club Bull.
*** GLABRA´TI. _Pileus smooth._
=L. vole´mus= Fr.—_volema pira_, a kind of large pear. (Plate XLI, fig.
4, p. 160) =Pileus= 2–5 in. broad, firm, convex, nearly plane or
centrally depressed, rarely funnel-shaped, sometimes with a small umbo,
generally even, _glabrous_, dry, _golden-tawny or brownish-orange_,
sometimes darker in the center, often becoming rimose-areolate. =Gills=
_close_, adnate or subdecurrent, white or yellowish, becoming sordid or
brownish where bruised or wounded. =Stem= 1–4 in. long, 4–10 lines
thick, subequal, variable in length, firm, solid, glabrous or merely
pruinose, colored like the pileus, sometimes a little paler. =Milk=
_copious_, white, taste mild, flat.
Var. _subrugo´sus_. =Pileus= rugose-reticulated on the margin. _Peck_,
38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=Spores= globose, white, 9–11.3µ _Peck_; 5–6µ diameter _Massee_.
Very delicious raw and celebrated from early times. _Fries._
Common over the United States, well known everywhere and distinguished
for its edible qualities. It is crisp and unless carefully cooked is
hard and granular. It should have long, slow cooking, though it may be
roasted or fried.
(Plate XLII.)
[Illustration: LACTARIUS HYGROPHOROIDES.]
=L. hygrophoroi´des= B. and C.—resembling Hygrophorus. =Pileus= 1–4 in.
broad, firm, convex or nearly plane, umbilicate or slightly depressed,
rarely funnel-shaped, glabrous or sometimes with a minute velvety
pubescence or tomentum, dry, sometimes rugose-wrinkled and often
becoming cracked in areas, _yellowish-tawny or brownish-orange_. =Gills=
_distant_, adnate or subdecurrent, white or cream-color, the interspaces
uneven or venose. =Stem= .5–1 in. long, 4–8 lines thick, short, equal or
tapering downward, _solid_, glabrous or merely pruinose, colored like
the pileus. =Spores= subglobose or broadly elliptical, _nearly smooth_,
9–11.3µ. =Milk= white, taste mild.
Grassy ground and borders of woods. Albany, Greenbush and Sandlake. July
and August.
This plant has almost exactly the color of L. volemus, but differs from
it in its distant gills, short stem, less copious milk and less globose
spores. Its flesh is white, with a thickness about equal to the breadth
of the gills. It is probably edible, but has not yet been tested. The
typical L. hygrophoroides is described as having the pileus
yellowish-red and pulverulent, and the gills luteous. It is also
represented as a small plant; but our specimens, while not fully
agreeing with this description, approach so closely to it in some of
their forms that they doubtless belong to the same species. We have
therefore extended the description so that it may include our plant. In
wet weather the pileus sometimes becomes funnel-form by the elevation of
the margin. _Peck_, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Mt. Gretna, Pa., 1897, grassy grounds and borders of woods. Mixed, moist
woods and grassy borders. July to September. _McIlvaine._
=Pileus= up to 4 in. across. =Stem= 1–2½ in., tapering, equal or
tapering downward. When growing in woods the stem is longer than when
growing on borders.
Its edible qualities are excellent.
=L. mitis´simus= Fr.—_mitis_, mild. =Pileus= 1–3 in. broad,
_golden-tawny_, zoneless, fleshy, thin, somewhat rigid, convex,
_papillate_, depressed, papilla vanishing, even, smooth, somewhat
slippery when moist. =Flesh= pallid. =Stem= elongated, 1–3 in. long, ⅓-½
in. thick, stuffed, then hollow, even, smooth, of the same color as the
pileus. =Gills= adnato-decurrent, somewhat arcuate, then tense and
straight, 1–1½ lines and more broad, thin, crowded, a little paler than
the pileus, most frequently stained with minute red spots. =Milk= white,
_mild_, plentiful.
Thin; very much allied to L. subdulcis, but distinguished by the _taste_
being _mild, then somewhat bitterish_, and especially by the _bright,
golden-tawny, resplendent_ color of the pileus and stem. _Fries._
In mixed and pine woods. August to November. _Stevenson._
=Spores= 6–8×5–6µ _Massee_; 10µ _Cooke_; spheroid, echinulate, 6–7µ
_C.B.P._
California, _H. and M._
Edible. _Cooke._ Eaten on the continent.
(Plate XLIII.)
[Illustration: LACTARIUS SUBDULCIS.]
=L. subdul´cis= Fr.—_sub_; _dulcis_, sweet. =Pileus= .5–2 in. broad,
thin, convex, then plane or slightly funnel-shaped, with or without a
small umbo or papilla, glabrous, even, zoneless, moist or dry,
tawny-red, cinnamon-red or brownish-red, the margin sometimes wavy or
flexuous. =Gills= rather narrow, thin, close, whitish, sometimes tinged
with red. =Stem= 1–2.5 in. long, 1–3 lines thick, equal or slightly
tapering upward, slender, glabrous, sometimes villous at the base,
stuffed or hollow, paler than or colored like the pileus. =Spores=
7.6–9µ. =Milk= white, taste mild or tardily and slightly acrid,
sometimes woody or bitterish and unpleasant. =Flesh= whitish, pinkish or
reddish gray, odor _none_.
Fields, copses, woods, swamps and wet places. July to October. Very
common.
This species grows in almost every variety of soil and locality. It may
be found in showery weather on dry, rocky soil, on bare ground or among
mosses or fallen leaves. In drier weather it is still plentiful in
swamps and wet, shaded places, and in sphagnous marshes. It sometimes
grows on decaying wood. It is also as variable as it is common. Gillet
has described the following varieties:
Var. _cinnamo´meus_. =Pileus= cinnamon-red, sub-shining. =Stem= stuffed,
then hollow; taste mild, becoming slightly acrid or bitter.
Var. _ru´fus_. =Pileus= dull chestnut-red; becoming more concave. =Stem=
spongy; taste mild.
Var. _ba´dius_. =Pileus= bay-red, shining as if varnished, with an
obtuse disk and an inflexed, elegantly crenulate margin. =Stem= very
glabrous, hollow.
The first and second varieties have occurred within our limits. The
first also has the stem elastic and furnished with a whitish or grayish
tomentum or strigose villosity at the base, when growing among moss in
swamps. A form occurred in Sandlake, in which some of the specimens were
proliferous. The umbo had developed into a minute pileus. With us the
prevailing color of the pileus is yellowish-red or cinnamon-red.
Sometimes the color is almost the same as that of L. volemus and L.
hygrophoroides, and again it is a tan-color or a bay-red, as in L.
camphoratus, from which such specimens are scarcely separable, except by
their lack of odor. In young plants the pileus usually has a moist
appearance, which is sometimes retained in maturity. Cordier pronounces
the species edible, and says that he has tested it several times without
inconvenience. _Peck_, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=Spores= 10µ _Cooke_; 7µ _W.G.S._
West Virginia mountains, 1881–1885; Pennsylvania, New Jersey, everywhere
on moist ground. July to October. _McIlvaine._
Edible. _Curtis._
The description of Fries as enlarged and modified by Professor Peck,
together with that of the varieties placed to the credit of the species
by Gillet, are given above in full. The species with its ascribed
varieties is common and well known. Var. _ba´dius_ occurs in West
Virginia and Pennsylvania. They are all edible and vary but little in
quality. L. subdulcis requires long cooking.
=L. muta´bilis= Pk.—changeable. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad, thin, convex or
nearly plane, zonate when moist, reddish-brown, the disk and zones
darker, zoneless when dry, flesh colored like the pileus. =Milk= sparse,
white, taste mild. =Gills= narrow, close, adnate, whitish, with a
yellowish or cream-colored tint when old. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 3–5 lines
thick, equal or tapering upward, stuffed or spongy within, glabrous,
colored like the pileus. =Spores= subglobose, rough, 7.6µ broad.
Low, damp places. Selkirk and Yaphank, N.Y. June and September.
The species is allied to L. subdulcis, from which the larger size and
zonate pileus separate it. The zones disappear in the dry plant, and
this change in the marking of the pileus suggests the specific name.
They appear to be formed by concentric series of more or less confluent
spots and are suggestive of such species as L. deliciosus and L.
subpurpureus. _Peck_, 43d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
West Virginia, Pennsylvania. Solitary but frequent. In moist woods and
margins of woods. June to October. _McIlvaine._
I have been familiar with and eaten this plant since 1882, but thought
it might be a variety of L. deliciosus, with light-colored milk.
L. mutabilis is an excellent species, equal to any Lactarius.
=L. camphora´tus= Fr.—_camphor._ =Pileus= 1–2 in. across,
_brown_-brick-red, _somewhat zoned, sometimes zoneless_, fleshy, thin,
depressed, dry, smooth. =Stem= short, 1–2 in., stuffed, somewhat
undulated, of the same color as the pileus. =Gills= adnate, crowded,
_yellowish-brick-color_. =Milk= mild, white, odor agreeable, spicy.
_Fries._
_Strong smelling._ So like L. subdulcis that it can be distinguished
safely only by its odor of melilot when dried. _Stevenson._
=Pileus= .5–1.5 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 2–3 lines. _Peck_, 38th
Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=Spores= spherical, echinulate, 6–7µ _Q._; subglobose, 8–9µ _Massee_;
7.6–9µ _Peck_.
Taste and smell not of camphor, but of melilot.
North Carolina, _Curtis_; South Carolina, _Ravenel_; Wisconsin, _Bundy_;
New York, _Peck_, Rep. 23, Mon. 38th Rep.
West Virginia, Pennsylvania, July to October, in moist places. Mixed
woods, etc. _McIlvaine._
Edible. _Gillet._
Its mild taste distinguishes it at once from L. rufus.
It has high but pleasant flavor. If the flavor is too evident to suit
some tastes, it is well to mix milder species with it.
[Illustration: Grouped by F.D. Briscoe—Studies by C. McIlvaine.
PLATE XLIV.]
FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE.
1. RUSSULA CYANOXANTHA, 198 5. RUSSULA ROSEIPES, 209
2. RUSSULA EMETICA, 201 6. RUSSULA VIRESCENS, 194
3. RUSSULA FLAVIDA, 197 7. RUSSULA PUELLARIS, 208
4. RUSSULA SORDIDA, 190
RUS´SULA Pers.
Reddish.
(Plate XLV.)
[Illustration: RUSSULA.]
=Pileus= regular, rigid, usually becoming more or less depressed.
=Flesh= of the pileus descending into the gills forming a cellular
trama. =Veil= and consequently the ring absent. Stem smooth, stout,
rigid, brittle, spongy within. =Gills= rigid, fragile, edge thin and
acute. =Spores= rounded, often echinulate, white or yellowish. On the
ground.
Closely allied to Lactarius but separated by the absence of milk. The
gills of some species exude watery drops in moist weather. Owing to the
similarity of form and the variable coloring many species are difficult
to determine; all the characters should be carefully noted, not omitting
that of the taste.
Russulæ are readily distinguished by the stout, short, brittle stem and
the fragility of the pileus and gills. They especially love open woods
and appear during the summer and fall months, some being found until
sharp frosts occur.
It has been claimed by mushroom growers, until within a few years, that
the spores of the mushroom have to pass through the digestive apparatus
of the horse before they will germinate. It has been conclusively
demonstrated that such a transmission is not a necessity. It was for a
long time my opinion—following the opinion of others—that such
assistance was necessary. In my many efforts to propagate valuable food
species of the wild toadstools I endeavored to find the method by which
the spores were disseminated, and through what digestive medium they
passed—either of insect or animal—before germination. Noticing that the
Russulæ were fed upon by a small black beetle, I planted in suitable
places, not the toadstools, but the beetles found upon them. The result
was that in several instances I grew the Russulæ. My experiments, while
interesting, are not conclusive, because I later found that the same
results could be obtained from the toadstool itself when planted under
its own natural life conditions. It is certain that beetles can not be
raised by planting Russulæ.
The beetles known as tumble-bugs—canthon lævis—deposit eggs in the
center of balls made of animal droppings; dig a hole in the ground and
drop them into it. These droppings frequently contain the spores of the
meadow mushroom. Thus planted with the proper surrounding of manure, and
at the proper depth, the spores germinate, spread mycelium, and a crop
of mushrooms is the result. The beetle becomes a horticulturist. No
wonder the Egyptians, thousands of years ago, made it—the
scarabeus—their sacred emblem, and that, today, the _fleur-de-lis_ of
France, so the Rosicrucians say, perpetuates its glorious worth and
calling.
Most Russulæ are sweet and nutty to the taste; some are as hot as the
fiercest of cayenne, but this they lose upon cooking. To this genus
authors have done especial injustice; there is not a single species
among them known to be poisonous, and, where they are not too strong of
cherry bark and other highly flavored substances, they are all edible;
most of them are favorites. Where they present no objectionable
appearance or taste, their caps make most palatable dishes when stewed,
baked, roasted or escalloped. The time of cooking should be determined
by the consistency of the variety; some will cook in five minutes,
others not under thirty. Salt, butter and pepper are the only
necessaries as seasoning.
ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.
I.—COMPACTÆ (_compingo_, to put together; compact). Page 187.
Pileus fleshy throughout, hence the margin is at first bent inward and
always without striæ, without a distinct gluey pellicle (in consequence
of which the color is not variable, but only changes with age and the
state of the atmosphere). Flesh compact, firm. Stem solid, fleshy. Gills
unequal.
II.—FURCATÆ (_furca_, a fork. With _forked_ gills). Page 191.
Pileus compact, firm, covered with a thin, closely adnate pellicle,
which at length disappears, margin abruptly thin, at first inflexed,
then spreading, _acute, even_. Stem at first compact, at length
spongy-soft within. Gills _somewhat forked_, with a few shorter ones
intermixed, commonly attenuated at both ends, thin and normally narrow.
III.—RIGIDÆ (_rigidus_, rigid). Page 194.
Pileus without a viscid pellicle, _absolutely dry, rigid, the cuticle
commonly breaking up into flocci or granules_. Flesh thick, compact,
firm, vanishing away short of the _margin which is straight_ (never
involute), soon spreading, and always _without striæ_. Stem solid, at
first hard, then softer and spongy. Gills, a few dimidiate, others
divided, rigid, _dilated in front and running out with a very broad,
rounded apex_, whence the margin of the pileus becomes obtuse and is not
inflexed. _Exceedingly handsome_, but rather rare.
IV.—HETEROPHYLLÆ (_R. heterophylla_, the typical species
of the section). Page 198.
Pileus fleshy, firm, with a thin margin which is at first inflexed, then
expanded and striate, covered with a thin adnate pellicle. The gills
consist of many shorter ones mixed with longer ones, along with others
which are forked. Stem solid, stout, spongy within.