in an old stable of an abandoned lumber camp. The plants were large, the
pileus in some being more than an inch broad, the stems were 3–6 in.
long and the color was rust-colored as in G. ovalis, to which the plants
might be referred but for the large spores. Essex county. July. I have
labeled the specimens variety _obscurior_. _Peck_, 50th Rep.
Haddonfield, N.J.; Chester county; West Philadelphia, Pa.; West
Virginia. In rich pastures, on lawns, dung in woods. Common. June to
October. _McIlvaine._
Very variable in size and in color when wet and dry. The color of gills
and spores readily distinguishes it in its habitats. From spring to
frost it can usually be gathered in quantity. It is small, tender,
shrivels in cooking, but makes a savory, excellent dish.
Var. obscurior found cespitose on very old manure at a ruined stable,
Mt. Gretna, Pa., August. _McIlvaine._
=G. fla´va= Pk.—_flavus_, yellow. =Pileus= membranous, ovate or bell
shaped, moist or subhygrophanous, obtuse, plicate striate on the margin,
yellow. =Lamellæ= thin, narrow, crowded, adnate, at first whitish, then
yellowish-cinnamon. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering upward, hollow,
slightly striate at the top, sprinkled with white mealy particles, white
or yellowish. =Spores= ovate or subelliptical, brownish-rust-color,
13×8µ.
=Pileus= 6–12 lines broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 1–1.5 lines thick.
Damp vegetable mold in woods. Tompkins county. July.
This species is well marked by the pale-yellow color of the pileus and
its plicate striations which are very distinct even in the dried
specimens. They extend half way to the disk or more. When dry the pileus
is seen to be sprinkled with shining atoms as in some other species of
the same genus. Occasionally the yellow cuticle cracks into squamules or
small scales. _Peck_, 46th Rep.
Trenton, N.J., _Sterling_; Haddonfield, N.J.; Pennsylvania. Among chips
in woods and on woods ground. _McIlvaine._
This species is frequent, and when plentiful well worth gathering. It
has a more woody flavor than other Galera, but is tasty.
=G. vittæfor´mis= Fr.—_vitta_, a chaplet; _forma_, form. =Pileus= ½-1
in. broad, _date-brown_ when moist, membranaceous, conical then
hemispherical, obtuse, _even at the disk_, striate toward the margin,
smooth. =Stem= 1½-3 in. long, ½-1 line thick, tubular, equal, _somewhat
straight_, but not tense and straight, smooth or sometimes pubescent,
slightly striate under a lens, _opaque, rust-color_. =Veil= scarcely
conspicuous. =Gills= adnate, broader at the middle, in the form of a
segment when larger, somewhat ascending, somewhat distant, at first
_watery-cinnamon_, at length rust-color. _Fries._
=Spores= elliptical, 12×6µ _Massee_.
Haddonfield, N.J.; Mt. Gretna, Pa. On pastures, lawns, etc. June to
September. _McIlvaine._
Not previously reported.
Though small it makes up in quantity when found. The stems are not as
tender as the caps. Quality good.
[Illustration]
=BOLBITIUS= Fr.
_Gr_—cow’s dung.
=Pileus= membranaceous. =Gills= adnexed or free, membranaceous, soft,
salmon-color or rusty, dissolving (not dripping as in Coprinus),
powdered with the rusty spores. =Stem= central; universal veil absent,
partial veil often obsolete.
Very delicate and fragile, remarkable among the Ochrosporæ for the gills
dissolving into mucus, and in this respect analogous with Coprinus among
the Melanosporæ, and Hiatula amongst the Leucosporæ. Growing on dung or
amongst grass where dung abounds.
A small but very natural genus, with the vegetative portion like
Coprinus and the fructification resembling Cortinarius, hence occupying
an intermediate position between these two genera. _Fries._
=B. Bol´toni= Fr.—after Bolton. =Pileus= rather fleshy, viscid, at first
even, then with the membranaceous margin sulcate, disk darker,
subdepressed. =Stem= attenuated, yellowish, at first floccose from the
remains of the fugacious veil. =Gills= subadnate, yellow then
livid-brown. _Fries._
Haddonfield, N.J., cespitose among manure on sawdust.
Of small substance but good consistency and flavor.
(Plate LXXX.)
[Illustration:
BOLBITIUS FRAGILIS.
Two-thirds natural size.
]
=B. fra´gilis= Fr. =Pileus= 2 in. broad, _light yellow_, then becoming
pale, somewhat membranaceous, almost pellucid, conical then expanded,
somewhat umbonate, smooth, viscous, _striate round the margin_ (which is
often crenulated). =Stem= 3 in. long, 1 line or little more thick,
fistulose, attenuated upward, _naked, smooth_ (and without a manifest
veil), yellow. =Gills= attenuato-adnexed, almost free, ventricose,
_yellow then pale cinnamon_. =Spores= rust-colored. _Fries._
Thinner than B. Boltoni, etc., very fragile, rapidly withering.
On dung. Common. June to October. _Stevenson._
=Spores= subspheroid-ellipsoid, elliptical, 7×3–5µ _Massee_.
West Virginia; Pennsylvania. June to frost. On rich grass and dung.
Pileus usually not over 1.5 in. across. Often in plenty. Its substance
does not cook away as with C. micaceus. It amply repays gathering, being
highly flavored.
(Plate LXXX_a_.)
[Illustration:
BOLBITIUS NOBILIS.
About two-thirds natural size.
]
=B. no´bilis= Pk.—noble. =Pileus= thin, fleshy on the disk, ovate then
bell-shaped, smooth, plicate-striate, pale-yellow, the disk tinged with
red, the margin at length recurved and splitting. =Gills= subdistant,
tapering outwardly, attached, the alternate ones more narrow,
pale-yellow with a darker edge. =Stem= long, equal, smooth, striate at
the top, hollow, white.
=Plant= cespitose, 3–5 in. high. =Pileus= 1 in. broad. =Stem= 1 line
thick. Ground in woods. Greig. September.
A fine large species, but probably rare. _Peck_, 24th Rep. N.Y. State
Bot.
I have not seen this species. Figure after Professor Peck.
=CREPIDO´TUS= Fr.
_Gr_—a slipper.
(Plate LXXXI.)
[Illustration:
CREPIDOTUS MOLLIS.
Natural size.
]
=Veil= wanting or not manifest. =Pileus= eccentric, lateral or
resupinate. =Spores= rust-color.
The Crepidoti correspond in shape and habit to the smaller Pleuroti and
the Claudopodes, but they are distinguished from both by the rust-color
of their spores. These are globose in several species, in others they
are elliptical. In some there is a depression on one side which gives
them a naviculoid character and causes the spore to appear slightly
curved when viewed in a certain position. In consequence of the
similarity of several of our species, the character of the spores is of
much importance in their identification, and it is unfortunate that
European mycologists have so generally neglected to give the spore
characters in their descriptions of these fungi. In most of the species
the pileus is at first resupinate, but it generally becomes reflexed as
it enlarges. It is generally sessile or attached by a mass of white
fibrils or tomentum. For this reason it is usually somewhat tomentose or
villose about the point of attachment, even in species that are
otherwise glabrous. In several species the pileus is moist or
hygrophanous and then the thin margin is commonly striatulate. This
character is attributed to but one of the dozen or more European
species. Their mode of growth is usually gregarious or somewhat loosely
imbricated, in consequence of which the pileus, which in most species is
white or yellowish, is often stained by the spores, and then it has a
rusty, stained or squalid appearance. The species occur especially on
old stumps, prostrate trunks and soft much decayed wood in damp, shaded
places. _Peck_, 39th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=C. ful´vo-tomento´sus= Pk.—tawny-tomentose. =Pileus= ¾-2 in. broad,
scattered or gregarious, suborbicular, kidney-shaped or dimidiate,
sessile or attached by a short, white-villose tubercle or rudimentary
stem, hygrophanous, watery-brown and sometimes striatulate on the margin
when moist, whitish, yellowish or pale ochraceous when dry, _adorned
with small, tawny, hairy or tomentose scales_. =Lamellæ= broad,
subventricose, moderately close, rounded behind, radiating from a
lateral or eccentric white villose spot, whitish becoming
brownish-ferruginous. =Spores= _elliptical_ often uninucleate,
8–10×5–6µ.
Decaying wood of poplar, maple, etc. Common. June to October.
A pretty species, corresponding in some respects to the European C.
calolepis, but much larger and with tawny, instead of reddish scales.
The cuticle is separable and is tenacious, though it has a hyaline
gelatinous appearance. The pileus is subpersistent, and specimens dried
in their place of growth are not rare. _Peck_, 39th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Haddonfield, N.J.; Angora, West Philadelphia. On decaying hickory.
_McIlvaine._
Substance fair. Taste strong but pleasant.
[Illustration: Grouped by F.D. Briscoe—Studies by C. McIlvaine.
PLATE LXXXII.]
FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE.
1. CORTINARIUS 318 4. CORTINARIUS TURMALIS, 309
SQUAMULOSUS,
2. CORTINARIUS VIOLACEUS, 314 5. CORTINARIUS 323
ARMILLATUS,
3. CORTINARIUS OCHRACEUS, 319
=CORTINA´RIUS= Fr.
_Cortina_, a veil or curtain.
=Veil= resembling the consistency of a cob-web, superficial, distinct
from the cuticle of the pileus. =Flesh= of pileus and stem continuous.
=Gills= persistent, dry, changing color, powdered with the spores.
=Trama= fibrillose. =Spores= globose or oblong, somewhat ochraceous on
white paper. _Fries._
This genus is not easily confounded with any other, the cob-webby veil
stretched from stem to pileus in the young plant not being found in
other fungi. This must be looked for only in youth, as from its tender
character it soon breaks and often appears only as a very indistinct
collar on the stem, colored from catching the falling spores. The colors
are generally pronounced and often extremely bright, there being very
few prettier toadstools than those inclined to the blue or purple
shades, which are not uncommon in the immature form. The color of the
spores is also a marked feature, being rusty or brownish-ochraceous,
turning the gills to the same color at maturity. On account of this
change it is generally necessary to have specimens at both stages of
growth to accurately determine the species. The gills are thin, attached
to the stem in various manners, rarely slightly decurrent.
Cortinarius is distinguished from Flammula by growing on the ground and
by the bright ferruginous color of its spores.
Cortinarius is a sturdy, hardy genus preferring northern latitudes and
autumnal months, though several of its species grow as far south as
Alabama, and one, a new species described by Professor Peck, is found on
the Helderberg mountains in May. The genus contains many species, most
of which produce in great numbers, yet being woods-growing, and coming
as they do when leaves are falling, they are often missed because of
their similarity to their surroundings.
Heretofore, less than a dozen species have been reported as eaten. This
number is now doubled. While several species are bitter and others
equally unpleasant, not one has been accused of harm. It is highly
probable that other varieties than those herein given will prove equally
acceptable as food. I have tested all I have found in sufficient
quantity to warrant passing judgment upon them.
The genus does not contain as many species of superior excellence as
other fleshy genera of like numbers. The flesh is frequently dry and of
a strong woody or musky flavor, which it does not lose in cooking. The
stems are seldom cookable. All can be fried in butter, but cut in small
pieces and well stewed, or stewed and served in patties, or made into
croquettes are certain ways of keeping them in palate memory.
ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.
PHLEGMACIUM (_Gr_—shiny or clammy moisture). Page 308.
Pileus viscid. Stem firm, dry. Veil partial, cobweb-like.
_A._ CLIDUCHII (_Gr_—holding the keys—the typical subdivision). Page
308.
Partial veil as a ring on the upper part of the stem which is equal or
slightly expanded above. Not distinctly bulbous.
* Gills pallid then clay-colored.
** Gills purplish then clay-colored.
_B._ SCAURI (_Gr_—club-footed). Page 310.
Bulbous. Bulb depressed or top-shaped, with a distinct margin caused by
the pressure of the pileus before expansion. Veil generally ascending
from the margin of the bulb. Gills somewhat sinuate.
* Gills whitish then cinnamon.
** Gills blue then cinnamon.
*** Gills brownish-white then cinnamon.
MYXACIUM (_Gr_—mucus). Page 313.
Universal veil glutinous. Pileus and stem viscid. Stem slightly bulbous.
Gills adnate.
INOLOMA (_Gr_—a fibrous fringe). Page 314.
Pileus dry, not hygrophanous or viscid, covered at first with innate
silky scales or fibrils, becoming smooth. Veil simple. Pileus and stem
fleshy, rather bulbous.
* Gills violaceous, then cinnamon.
** Gills pinkish-brown, then cinnamon.
*** Gills yellow, then cinnamon.
DERMOCYBE. Page 320.
Pileus thin, equally fleshy, at first silky with a fine down, becoming
smooth when adult. Not hygrophanous, but flesh watery when moist or
colored. Stem equal or larger above, externally rigid, elastic or
brittle, internally stuffed or hollow. Veil single, thread-like.
TELAMONIA. Page 323.
Pileus moist, hygrophanous, at first smooth or sprinkled with the
whitish superficial evanescent fibrils of the veil. Flesh thin, or when
thick it becomes abruptly thin toward the margin, scissile. Stem ringed
below or coated from the universal veil, slightly veiled at the apex,
hence with almost a double veil.
HYGROCYBE. Page 325.
Pileus hygrophanous, smooth or covered with superficial white fibrils,
not viscid, moist when fresh, becoming discolored when dry. Flesh very
thin or scissile, rarely more compact at the center. Stem rather rigid,
bare. Veil thin, rarely collapsing and forming an irregular ring on the
stem.
PHLEGMA´CIUM. (_Gr_—clammy moisture.)
_A._ CLIDUCHII.
* _Gills pallid, then clay-colored._
=C. seba´ceus= Fr.—_sebum_, tallow. =Pileus= 2½-5 in. broad,
unicolorous, _pale_, of the color of tallow, equally fleshy, convex then
rather plane, commonly very repand, viscid, smooth, but at the first
_covered over with a whitish pruinose luster_. =Flesh= white. =Stem= 3–4
in. long, ½-1 in. thick, solid, stout, compact, never bulbous, often
twisted and compressed, slightly fibrillose, pale white. =Cortina=
delicate, fugacious, adhering only to the margin of the pileus. =Gills=
emarginate, _not crowded_, connected by veins, 4 lines broad, clay-color
or pallid-cinnamon, paler at the sides. _Fries._
The flesh of the pileus is not compact at the disk and abruptly thin at
the circumference, but equally attenuated toward the margin. The flesh
of the stem is white. The gills never turn bluish-gray. Taste mild.
_Stevenson._
=Spores= pip-shaped, 9×7µ _Cooke_.
A very common and prolific species in West Virginia, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, North Carolina. _McIlvaine._
Pushing from the earth in great clusters it raises the mat of leaves
above it into hut-like mounds through which it seldom bursts. Yet side
openings to its huts show its coziness, and reveal the ground thickly
dusted with its spores. Detecting these mounds is part of the woodcraft
of a toad-stool hunter.
Where clusters are not dense, or the fungus is solitary, the stem is
frequently swollen at the base, even bulbous.
Both caps and stems are edible, but the stems are not equal to the caps.
It is a valuable food species, because of its lateness and quantity. It
is not of best quality.
=C. tur´malis= Fr.—_turma_, a troop. (Plate LXXXII, fig. 4, p. 306.)
=Pileus= yellow-tan, most frequently darker at the disk, not changeable,
compact, convex then plane, very obtuse, even, smooth (sometimes
obsoletely piloso-virgate), when young veiled with pruinate but very
fugacious villous down, soon naked, viscid. =Flesh= white. =Stem=
sometimes 3 in., sometimes 6 in. long, 1 in. thick, solid, very hard,
rigid, _cylindrical_, here and there attenuated at the base, shining
white when dry, _when young sheathed with a white woolly veil_, naked
when full grown. Cortina entirely fibrillose, superior and persistent in
the form of a ring, at length ferruginous with the spores. =Gills=
variously adnexed, rounded or emarginate, even decurrent with a tooth,
crowded, _serrated_, white then clay-color. _Fries._
I find it edible and of great value, being plentiful in pine woods,
Maryland. I have collected a bushel in less than an hour in October.
Under pine needles forming mounds. _Taylor._
The localities and the habit of C. turmalis are very like that of C.
sebaceus. The leaf mat broods the clusters.
C. turmalis is on a par with C. sebaceus. Personally I prefer the
latter.
** _Gills purplish, then clay-colored._
=C. va´rius= (Schaeff.) Fr.—_varius_, changeable. =Pileus= 2 in. and
more broad, bright _ferruginous-tawny_, compact, hemispherico-flattened,
very obtuse, regular, slightly viscid, even, smooth, the thin margin at
first incurved, appendiculate with the cortina. =Flesh= firm, white.
=Stem= curt, 1½-2½ in. long, 1 in. and more thick, _bulbous_, absolutely
immarginate, compact, _shining white_, adpressedly flocculose, the
superior veil pendulous. =Gills= emarginate, thin, somewhat crowded,
_at first_ narrow, _violaceous-purplish_, then broader and
ochraceous-cinnamon, always quite entire.
Variable in stature, but the habit and colors are always unchangeable.
It varies with the stem taller and somewhat equal, the pileus
yellow-tawny, and the gills dark blue. _Fries._
In woods. Uncommon. September to November. _Stevenson._
Minnesota; Ohio.
Edible. _Cooke_, 1891.
_B._ SCAU´RI.
* _Gills whitish then cinnamon._
=C. intru´sus= Pk. =Pileus= fleshy, rather thin, convex, then expanded,
glabrous, somewhat viscid when moist, even or radiately wrinkled on the
margin, yellowish or buff, sometimes with a reddish tint. =Flesh= white.
=Lamellæ= thin, close, rounded behind, at first whitish or creamy-white,
then cinnamon, often uneven on the edge. =Stem= equal or slightly
tapering either upward or downward, stuffed or hollow, sometimes
beautifully striate at the top only or nearly to the base, minutely
floccose when young, soon glabrous, white. =Spores= broadly elliptical,
brownish-cinnamon, 6–8×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 1–2.5 in. broad. =Stem= 1–3 in. long, 3–6 lines thick.
Mushroom beds, manured soil in conservatories or in plant pots. Boston,
Mass. _R.K. Macadam._ Haddonfield, N.J. _C. McIlvaine._
This interesting species is closely allied to Cortinarius multiformis
and belongs to the Section Phlegmacium. It has a slight odor of radishes
and is pronounced edible by Mr. McIlvaine. Its habitat is peculiar, but
it possibly finds its way into conservatories and mushroom beds through
the introduction of manure or soil, or leaf mold from the woods. It
seems strange, however, that it has not yet been detected growing in the
woods or fields. Hebeloma fastibile is said sometimes to invade mushroom
beds, and our plant resembles it in so many particulars that it is with
some hesitation I separate it. The chief differences are in the stem and
spores. The former, in Hebeloma fastibile, is described as solid and
fibrous-squamose and the latter as 10×6 micromillimeters in size. The
brighter color of the smaller spores and the stuffed or hollow smooth
stem of our plant will separate it from this species. _Peck_, Bull. of
the Torrey Bot. Club, October, 1896.
Cortinarius intrusus was a happy find. Several pints of it were
collected by the author in February—usually a famine month for the
mycophagist. They grew on the ground, in beds among plants, and with
potted plants in a hot-house in Haddonfield, N.J. The crop continued
well into the spring. The species is delicate, savory, and a most
accommodating renegade from its kind. I have never found it elsewhere.
** _Gills blue, then cinnamon._
=C. cærules´cens= Fr. =Pileus= 2–3 in. across, equally fleshy, convex
then plane, obtuse, regular, even, almost glabrous, but often
fibrilloso-streaked; viscid, when dry shining or opaque, dingy yellow,
almost tan-colored, varying to yellowish-brown, etc. =Gills= slightly
rounded behind, adnexed, thin, closely crowded, 2 lines broad, at first
clear intense blue then becoming purplish, at length dingy cinnamon.
=Stem= about 2 in. long, ½ in. thick (bulb more than an inch), firm,
equally attenuated upward, at first fibrillose, bright violet, then
becoming pale and whitish, naked, bulb often disappearing with age; veil
fibrillose, fugacious. =Spores= elliptical, 9–10×5µ.
Amongst moss in woods, etc.
Neither the gills nor the flesh change color when broken, a point which
distinguishes the present from C. purpurascens. When young every part is
generally blue. Smell scarcely any. _Fries._
=Spores= 10–12×5µ _Cooke_.
Haddonfield; West Virginia; Mt. Gretna, Pa. In woods September to frost.
_McIlvaine._
The American species seldom entirely loses the bluish-purple color of
its cap. The beautiful color fades somewhat or becomes splotched with
yellow. Neither does the bulb ordinarily disappear with age. It is
common. Taste of cap is mild, somewhat woody. They require long, slow
stewing, and are better made into patties and croquettes.
=C. purpuras´cens= Fr.—gills becoming purple when bruised. =Pileus= 4–5
in. across, fleshy, disk compact, obtuse, wavy, variable, covered with a
dense layer of gluten, but opaque when dry, bay or reddish then
tawny-olivaceous, spotted; often depressed round the margin, which is at
first incurved then wavy, marked with a raised brown line. =Flesh=
entirely clear blue. =Gills= broadly emarginate, 3 lines and more broad,
crowded, bluish-tan, then cinnamon, violet-purple when bruised. =Stem=
about 3 in. long, ⅔ in. and more thick, solid, bulbous, everywhere
fibrillose, intensely pallid clear blue, very compact, juicy, becoming
purplish-blue when touched, bulb submarginate. =Spores= elliptical,
10–12×5–6µ _Fries_.
Var. _subpurpuras´cens_. Massachusetts. _Frost._
Plentiful in West Virginia mountains in mixed woods, 1882. On South
Valley Hill, near Downington, Pa., October, 1887. Haddonfield, N.J.,
1892. In woods. September to frost. _McIlvaine._
Both stems and caps are juicy when young and of agreeable flavor. It is
among the best edible species of Cortinarius.
*** _Gills brownish-white, then ferruginous._
=C. turbina´tus= Fr.—_turbo_, a top. =Pileus= _unicolorous_,
dingy-yellow or green, _becoming pale_, hygrophanous, opaque when dry,
fleshy, convex then flattened, obtuse, at length depressed, orbicular,
even, _smooth_, viscid. =Flesh= soft, _white_. =Stem= commonly curt, 2
in., but varying elongated, yellowish, springing from a
globoso-depressed distinctly marginate bulb, otherwise equal,
cylindrical, _stuffed then hollow_. =Gills= attenuato-adnate, thin,
crowded, broad, _quite entire_, at first pallid light-yellowish, at
length somewhat ferruginous.
The typical form is _regular_, distinct from its allies in the
_hygrophanous pileus, in the gills being isabelline-ferruginous and
quite entire, and in being without any dark-purple or purple color_.
Easily distinguished by its turbinate bulb. _Fries._
In woods. Uncommon. _Stevenson._
=Spores= rough, 14–16×7µ; rough, _Cooke_.
=Cap= 2–4 in. across. =Stem= commonly about 2 in. long, sometimes
longer. _Massee._
North Carolina, _Schweinitz_; Pennsylvania, _Schweinitz_; Massachusetts,
_Frost_; Minnesota; Nova Scotia.
Edible. _Cooke._
MYXA´CIUM. (_Gr_—mucus.)
(Plate LXXXIII.)
[Illustration:
CORTINARIUS COLLINITUS.
About natural size.
]
=C. collin´itus= Fr.—_collino_, to besmear. =Pileus= convex, obtuse,
glabrous, glutinous when moist, shining when dry. =Gills= rather broad,
dingy-white or grayish when young. =Stem= cylindrical, solid, viscid or
glutinous when moist, transversely cracking when dry, whitish or paler
than the pileus. =Spores= subelliptical, 13–15µ.