and has a much wider range. Both the cap and stem are covered with a
viscid substance or gluten which makes it unpleasant to handle. The cap
varies in color from yellow to golden or tawny-yellow and when the
gluten on it has dried it is very smooth and shining. The flesh is white
or whitish. The young gills have a peculiar bluish-white or dingy-white
color which might be called grayish or clay color, but when mature they
assume the color of the spores. They are sometimes minutely uneven on
the edge.
The stem is straight, solid, cylindrical and usually paler than the cap.
When the gluten on it dries it cracks transversely, giving to the stem a
peculiar scaly appearance.
The cap is 1½-3 in. broad, and the stem 2–4 in. long, and ¼-½ in. thick.
The plant grows in thin woods, copses and partly cleared lands and may
be found from August to September.
It is well to peel the caps before cooking, since the gluten causes dirt
and rubbish to adhere tenaciously to them. _Peck_, 48th Rep. N.Y. State
Bot.
In 41st Rep. N.Y. State Mus. Nat. Hist., p. 71, Professor Peck describes
a closely allied species, C. muscigenus, n. sp., “separated by its more
highly-colored pileus, striate margin and even, not diffracted-squamose
stem.”
Prof. L.B. Mendel gives the following analysis: “Young specimens
gathered in New Haven early in November, 1897, gave:
Water 91.13%
Total solids 8.87
Total nitrogen of dry 3.63”
substance
Edible. _Cooke._
In appearance the Smeared cortinarius does not appeal to be eaten.
Neither does an eel. But peeled both are inviting. Raw, the caps of this
fungus have a strong woody smell and taste. This is somewhat subdued by
cooking.
I have found the plant in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and North
Carolina, often among the leaves in mixed woods, but it prefers a goodly
supply of light and the freedom of open places. It is often gregarious,
sometimes tufted.
=C. io´des= B. and C. =Pileus= 1½-2 in., convex, at length plane,
viscid, firm, violet-purple. =Flesh= white, thick. =Veil= fugacious,
spider-web. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 1½ in. thick, solid, thickened below.
=Gills= violet, at length cinnamon, ventricose, adnate, sub-emarginate,
irregular, sometimes forked. _B. and C._
This is a small but beautiful species, the pileus, lamellæ and stem
being of a bright-violet or purplish-violet hue. The spores are
subelliptical, generally uninucleate, 10×6µ. _Peck_, 32d Rep. N.Y. State
Bot.
The pileus in this species is sometimes spotted with white. The bulbous
white stem is adorned with lilac-colored fibrils. _Peck_, 35th Rep. N.Y.
State Bot.
Sparingly found among roots at Mt. Gretna, Pa., September, 1897–1898.
The caps are fairly good.
INOLO´MA. (_Gr_—fiber; _Gr_—a fringe.)
* _Gills violaceous then cinnamon._
=C. viola´ceus= Fr. (Plate LXXXII, fig. 2, page 306.) One of our most
plentiful and beautiful autumnal fungi. As the American plant differs
somewhat from the European, Professor Peck’s description is given.
=Pileus= convex, becoming nearly plane, dry, adorned with numerous
persistent hairy tufts or scales, dark violet. =Lamellæ= rather thick,
distant, rounded or deeply notched at the inner extremity, colored like
the pileus in the young plant, brownish-cinnamon in the mature plant.
=Stem= solid, fibrillose, bulbous, colored like the pileus. =Spores=
subelliptical, 12.5µ long.
The Violet cortinarius is a very beautiful mushroom and one easy of
recognition. At first the whole plant is uniformly colored, but with age
the gills assume a dingy ochraceous or brownish-cinnamon hue. The cap is
generally well formed and regular and is beautifully adorned with little
hairy scales or tufts. These are rarely shown in figures of the European
plant, but they are quite noticeable in the American plant and should
not be overlooked. The flesh is more or less tinged with violet.
The gills when young are colored like the cap. They are rather broad,
notched at the inner extremity and narrowed toward the margin of the
cap. When mature they become dusted with the spores whose color they
take.
The stem also is colored like the cap. It is swollen into a bulb at the
base and sometimes a faint ochraceous band may be seen near the top.
This is due to the falling spores which lodge on the webby filaments of
the veil remaining attached to the stem.
=Cap= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 3–5 in. long, about ½ in. thick. _Peck_,
48th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Minerva, Essex county. A form of this species occurs here, having the
pileus merely downy or punctate-hairy under a lens, no squamules being
distinguishable by the naked eye. July. _Peck_, 50th Rep. N.Y. State
Bot.
=Spores= 12–14×10µ _Cooke_.
The spider web veil is exquisitely displayed in this species. This, with
its strongly bulbous base and violet tinge throughout, easily mark it.
Though usually solitary great numbers of it are found in its
settlements. The mixed woods of central New Jersey abound with it in
July, August and September. Throughout Pennsylvania and West Virginia it
is common, and is reported from several other states. In Redman’s woods,
near Haddonfield, N.J., a densely clustered form of singular beauty
occurs. A dozen individuals of various forms and sizes with swollen
stems form a compact mass, rich in color, and cutting crisp and juicy as
an apple. They are far better than other Cortinarii I have eaten. I have
not seen it elsewhere.
C. violaceus is everywhere eaten, and is in my opinion the best of its
genus. The American plant is not inodorous, but has a decided mushroom
smell and taste.
(Plate LXXXIV.)
[Illustration:
CORTINARIUS ALBO-VIOLACEUS.
One-half natural size.
]
=C. albo-viola´ceus= Pers. =Pileus= fleshy, rather thin, convex, then
expanded, sometimes broadly subumbonate, smooth, silky, whitish, tinged
with lilac or pale violet. =Lamellæ= generally serrulate,
whitish-violet, then cinnamon-color. =Stem= equal or a little tapering
upward, solid, silky, white, stained with violet, especially at the top,
slightly bulbous, the bulb gradually tapering into the stipe.
Height, 3–4 in.; breadth of pileus, 2–3 in.; stipe, 3–6 lines thick.
Ground in thin woods, more frequently under poplars. Center. October.
The stem is sometimes subannulate, and being violet above and white
below the obscure ring, it appears as if sheathed with a silky-white
covering. Inodorous. Sometimes the stem gradually tapers from the base
to the top, so that it can scarcely be called bulbous. _Peck_, 23d Rep.
N.Y. State Bot.
=Spores= 12×5–6µ _Cooke_; 6–9×4–5µ _K._; pruniform, 10µ _Q._
An allied species C. (Inoloma) lilacinus, _Peck_, with the stem and
bulbous part much broader than the cap, is not as common, but of far
better flavor.
Common in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, in mixed woods.
September to frost. _McIlvaine._
A mushroom flavor develops in cooking. The consistency of the flesh is
good. It is of medium grade.
=C. lilaci´nus= Pk. =Pileus= firm, hemispherical, then convex, minutely
silky, lilac-color. =Lamellæ= close, lilac, then cinnamon. =Stem= stout,
bulbous, silky-fibrillose, solid, whitish, tinged with lilac. =Spores=
nucleate, 10×6µ.
=Plant= 4–5 in. high. =Pileus= 3 in. broad. =Stem= 4–6 lines thick. Low
mossy ground in woods. Croghan. September. This is a rare but beautiful
plant, allied to C. alboviolaceus, from which it may be distinguished by
its stouter habit, deeper color and bulbous stem. In the young plant the
bulb is much broader than the undeveloped pileus that surmounts it.
_Peck_, 26th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Massachusetts, _Frost_; Minnesota, Nova Scotia.
I have found a few specimens in several places: West Virginia, Redman’s
woods, Haddonfield, N.J., in which place it is more plentiful than in
any locality I have noted. Near lake at Eagle’s Mere, Pa., August, and
at Springton, Pa. Excellent.
(Plate LXXXV.)
[Illustration:
CORTINARIUS ASPER.
About two-thirds natural size.
]
=C. as´per= Pk.—rough. =Pileus= fleshy, firm, hemispherical, then
convex, rough with minute, erect, brown scales, ochraceous. =Gills=
close, rounded behind and slightly emarginate, dull violaceous, then
pale cinnamon. =Stem= equal, bulbous, solid, fibrillose-scaly, colored
like the pileus but smooth and violaceous at the top, the bulb white
with an abundant mycelium. =Spores= broadly elliptical, with a pellucid
nucleus, 8µ long.
=Plant= 3–4 in. high. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 3–5 lines thick.
Ground in cleared places. Greig. September.
A fine species. The flesh of the stem is violaceous. _Peck_, 24th Rep.
N.Y. State Bot.
This plant sometimes grows in tufts or clusters and bears a very close
resemblance to Armillaria mellea, both in color and in the character of
the scales of the pileus. _Peck_, 27th Rep.
In thin woods and clearings, West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania.
The whole fungus is edible when young, and ranks high in Cortinarii.
When full grown the stem is hard. Cut in thin, transverse slices it
cooks tender, but does not equal the cap. Like most of the Cortinarii it
is found in the autumn until frost kills it.
** _Gills pinkish-brown then cinnamon._
(Plate LXXXVI.)
[Illustration: CORTINARIUS SQUAMULOSUS.]
=C. squamulo´sus= Pk. (Plate LXXXII, fig. 1, p. 306). =Pileus= thick,
fleshy, convex, densely fibrillose-squamulose, cinnamon-brown, the
scales darker. =Lamellæ= not crowded, deeply emarginate, pale
pinkish-brown, then cinnamon-colored. =Stipe= thick, solid, shreddy,
subsquamulose, concolorous, swollen at the base into a very large
tapering or subventricose bulb.
Height 4–6 in., breadth of pileus 2–4 in., stipe 6–9 lines thick at the
top, 12–18 lines at the bottom.
Borders of swamps in woods. Sandlake. August.
Related to C. pholideus and C. arenatus, but distinct by the deep
emargination of the lamellæ. It gives out a strong odor while drying.
The color of the flesh is pinkish-white. _Peck_, 23d Rep. N.Y.
This species was discovered in 1869, and had not since been observed by
the writer until the past season. It is manifestly a species of rare
occurrence. _Peck_, 28th Rep.
Massachusetts, _Frost_; Wisconsin, Minnesota. Ranges from New England to
Kentucky unchanged. _Morgan._
Specimens from E.B. Sterling, Trenton, N.J., September, 1897. Asylum
grounds. Several found at Mt. Gretna, August and September, 1897.
Solitary in oak woods, gravelly soil. _McIlvaine._ Sent to Professor
Peck and identified. Specimens were much darker than Professor Peck’s
plates.
C. squamulosus is not attractive in appearance. The caps, only, are
edible. Their consistency is very pleasant and flavor fairly good.
(Plate LXXXVI_a_.)
[Illustration: CORTINARIUS AUTUMNALIS.]
=C. autumna´lis= Pk. =Pileus= fleshy, convex or expanded, dull
rusty-yellow, variegated or streaked with innate rust-colored fibrils.
=Gills= rather broad, with a wide shallow emargination. =Stem= equal,
solid, firm, bulbous, a little paler than the pileus.
=Height= 3–4 in., breadth of pileus 2–4 in. =Stem= 6 lines thick.
Pine woods. Bethlehem. November. The plant is sometimes cespitose. The
flesh is white. _Peck_, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Mt. Gretna, Pa., 1899. _McIlvaine._
Quality fair. Caps meaty.
=C. ochra´ceus= Pk. (Plate LXXXII, fig. 3, p. 306.) =Pileus= fleshy,
convex, at length broadly subumbonate or gibbous, smooth, even or
obscurely wrinkled, pale ochraceous. =Stem= solid, fibrillose,
ochraceous at the top, white below, gradually enlarged into a thick
bulbous base.
=Height= 2–4 in., breadth of pileus 2–3 in. =Stem= 4–6 lines thick at
the top, 12–18 lines at the base.
Under balsam trees in open places. Catskill mountains. October.
The stem appears as if sheathed. In some specimens the stem is short and
rapidly tapers from the base to the top. _Peck_, 23d Rep. N.Y. State
Bot.
Many of the species were found by the writer in mixed woods among leaves
at Mt. Gretna, Pa., September, 1898. Specimens were identified by
Professor Peck.
The gills are bright yellow when young. Cap smooth, innately fibrillose,
not viscid. =Spores= light brown.
Tasteless; smell faint. Good consistency. A fair flavor develops in
cooking.
*** _Gills yellow._
(Plate LXXXVI_b_.)
[Illustration:
CORTINARIUS ANNULATUS.
Natural size.
]
=C. (Inoloma) annula´tus= Pk. =Pileus= broadly convex, dry,
villose-squamulose, yellow. =Flesh= yellowish. =Lamellæ= rather broad,
subdistant, adnexed, yellow. =Stem= solid, bulbous, somewhat peronate by
the yellow fibrillose annular-terminated veil. =Spores= broadly
elliptical or subglobose, 8µ long.
=Pileus= 1–3 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–3 in. long, 3–6 lines thick.
Thin woods. Whitehall. August.
The whole plant is yellow inclining to ochraceous. It has the odor of
radishes. The squamules of the pileus are pointed and erect on the disk,
and often darker-colored there. The species is allied to C. tophaceus
and C. callisteus, from which it is separated by its persistently
annulate stem and more yellow color. _Peck_, 43d Rep.
Specimens received from E.B. Sterling, Trenton, N.J., September 5, 1897.
Identified by Professor Peck. Mixed woods Kingsessing, near Bartram’s
Garden, Philadelphia, September, 1897.
Solitary among grass and leaves. The permanent marking of the veil is
conspicuous. Eight specimens were found and eaten. The caps cook tender,
and have a decided but not unpleasant flavor.
DERMO´CYBE. (_Gr_—skin; _Gr_—a head.)
=C. cinnabari´nus= Fr.—_cinnabaris_, dragon’s blood. =Pileus= 2–3 in.
broad, _scarlet-red_, truly fleshy, campanulate, then flattened, obtuse
or very obtusely umbonate, silky, then becoming smooth and shining, or
obsoletely scaly; the firm flesh paler. =Stem= 1½-2 in. long, 3–4 lines
and more thick, solid, equal, sometimes however bulbous, fibrillose or
striate, scarlet-red, reddish brick-color internally. Cortina
fibrillose, lax, cinnabar. =Gills= wholly adnate, somewhat decurrent, 3
lines broad, somewhat distant, connected by veins, unequal and darker at
the edge, dark blood-color when bruised.
Odor of radish. Readily distinguished from all others by its _splendid
scarlet color_, and from C. sanguineus by its short solid and firm stem,
its broad pileus and _somewhat distant gills_. Stem never becoming
yellow. _Fries._
=Spores= 7–8×4µ _Cooke_.
It is a variable species with us.
=Cap= 1½ in. across, convex, broadly umbonate, margin involute,
yellowish-brown, silky, innately fibrillose, shining, when young the cap
is round, margin involute. =Veil= white, fibrillose, fugacious, leaving
no trace on stem. =Flesh= thick in center, solid, close-grained, white,
tinged with brown. Tastes strongly as radishes. Skin partially
detachable.
Gills exceedingly beautiful in their deep claret-color, which is
permanent, decurrent.
=Stem= 3 in. long, shining, smooth, white near top, brownish below,
equal, fibrous, stuffed, skin removable.
On ground among pines, near station, Mt. Gretna, Pa. August to frost.
Solitary, gregarious and cespitose.
Taste and smell like radishes. The caps cook well and are of fair
flavor. Makes good patties and croquettes.
_C. cinnabarinus_, Var. 1. Mt. Gretna, Pa., August to frost. On decaying
chestnut stumps.
Cap 1 in. across, shining, convex, orange-brown, white on margin and
under minute appressed squamules, but few on margin; apparent remnant of
a veil on cap, as a viscid skin.
Gills rounded behind, slightly emarginate, like Tricholoma,
grayish-brown when young, becoming a brilliant scarlet, unequal.
Stem 2 in. high, over ¼ in. thick, white, covered with brownish-orange
appressed squamules, often with stained marking of veil or fragments of
veil as ring. Cespitose, connate.
Taste and smell strong like radishes. Flavor in dish is decided but
pleasant. Makes good patties and croquettes.
Specimens were identified by Professor Peck as C. cinnabarinus, as were
those of the preceding. The variations are so great that I give this
place as a variety.
=C. sanguin´eus= Fr.—_sanguis_, blood. =Pileus= 1–1½ in. broad,
_blood-color_, becoming slightly pale when dry, fleshy, thin, convex
then plane, obtuse, occasionally depressed, silky or squamulose. =Flesh=
reddish, paler. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 2–3 lines thick, stuffed then
hollow, equal (rather attenuated than thickened at the base), here and
there flexuous, with fibrils of the same color, almost darker than the
pileus. Cortina arachnoid, fugacious, red blood-color. =Gills= adnate,
crowded, 2–3 lines broad, quite entire, dark blood-color.
Wholly _dark blood-color_, the stem when compressed pouring forth bloody
juice. Odor of radish. Thinner than species nearest to it. The spores
are ochraceous on a white ground, somewhat ferruginous on a black
ground. _Fries._
=Spores= 6×4µ _W.G.S._
North Carolina, _Curtis_; Massachusetts, _Sprague_, _Farlow_, _Frost_;
Connecticut, _Wright_; New York, _Peck_, 23d Rep.
Edible. _Leuba._
(Plate LXXXVII.)
[Illustration:
CORTINARIUS CINNAMOMEUS.
Natural size.
]
=C. cinnamo´meus= Fr. =Pileus= 1–2½ in. across. =Flesh= thin,
convexo-campanulate, umbonate, somewhat cinnamon color, silky squamulose
with yellowish innate fibrils, becoming almost glabrous. =Gills= adnate,
broad, crowded, shining, yellowish, then tawny-yellow. =Stem= 2–4 in.
long, equal, yellow, as is also the flesh and the veil, hollow. =Spores=
7–8×4–5µ.
A very common species, especially in mossy places in pine woods,
occurring under many well defined forms, which can not be separated as
species. Essential points common to all. (1) Stem everywhere equal,
stuffed, then hollow, yellowish, fibrillose from the similarly colored
veil. (2) Pileus thin, flattened and obtusely umbonate, silky with
yellowish down, often glabrous when adult, and then bright cinnamon, but
the color is variable. (3) Flesh splitting, yellowish. (4) Gills adnate,
crowded, thin, broad, always shining. (5) Spores dark ochraceous, size
and color very variable; pileus from ½-3–4 in. across; color of pileus
changeable, depending on the more or less persistence of the down
(fundamental color and veil constant in this species and its allies);
gills varying through blood-red, reddish cinnamon, tawny saffron, golden
and yellow. _Fries._
=Pileus= thin, convex, obtuse or umbonate, dry, fibrillose at least when
young. =Flesh= yellowish. =Lamellæ= thin, close, adnate. =Stem= slender,
equal, stuffed or hollow. =Spores= elliptical, 8µ long. _Peck_, 48th
Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=Spores= 7–8×4µ _Cooke_.
The Germans are said to be very fond of this species, which is generally
stewed in butter and served with sauce for vegetables.
Catalogued by Dr. M.A. Curtis, North Carolina, as edible. Edible.
_Cooke._
Var. _semi-sanguin´eus_ received from E.B. Sterling, Trenton, N.J.,
August, 1897. Juicy and good.
The species is common over the United States and plentiful in its
numerous varieties from August to frost. It frequents mixed woods,
borders and open and mossy places. The pine woods of New Jersey yield it
in quantity, as do the hemlock forests of Eagle’s Mere, Pa., and oak
woods of West Virginia.
It has a smell and taste—mildly of radishes. Its flavor when cooked is
decided but pleasant.
TELAMO´NIA. (_Gr_—lint.)
(Plate LXXXVIII.)
[Illustration: CORTINARIUS ARMILLATUS.]
=C. armilla´tus= Fr.—_armilla_, a ring. (Plate LXXXII, fig. 5, p. 306.)
=Pileus= 3–5 in. broad, _red-brick color_, truly fleshy, but not very
compact, at first cylindrical, soon campanulate, at length flattened,
dry, at first smooth, soon innately fibrillose or squamulose, flesh
dingy pallid. =Stem= 3–6 in. long, ½ in. thick, solid, firm, remarkably
bulbous (bulb 1 in. thick, villous, whitish) and fibrillose at the base,
when old striate and reddish-pallid, internally dirty yellow. Exterior
veil woven, red, arranged _in 2–4 distant cinnabar zones encircling the
stem_; partial veil continuous with the upper zone, arachnoid,
reddish-white. =Gills= adnate, slightly rounded, distant, at first
pallid cinnamon, at length very broad (½ in.), dark ferruginous, almost
bay-brown.
Odor of radish. A very striking species. From the pileus not being
hygrophanous, _at the first smooth_ and at length torn into fibrils or
squamulose, it might easily be taken for a species of Inoloma. The
cortina itself is paler than the zones. It differs from all others in
these zones. The rings are usually somewhat oblique. _Fries._
Professor Peck in the 23d Rep. N.Y. State Cab. Nat. Hist., describes the
American species as follows:
“=Pileus= fleshy, thick, convex or subcampanulate, then expanded,
minutely squamulose, yellowish-red. =Lamellæ= not close, broad, slightly
emarginate, whitish-ochraceous, then cinnamon. =Stipe= stout, solid,
fibrillose, whitish, girt with one to four red bands, bulbous.
“Height 4–6 in., breadth of pileus 2–4 in., stipe 4–8 in. thick.
“Woods. North Elba. August.
“A large and noble species. The margin of the pileus is thin and
sometimes uneven; the upper band on the stem is usually the brightest
and most regular. The pileus is not distinctly hygrophanous.”
=Spores= 10×6µ _Cooke_.
Edible. _Cooke._
September 8, 1897, Mr. E.B. Sterling, Trenton, N.J., sent me several
specimens new to me and remarkable in having two well-defined veils, the
lower and thicker one of which left a dark zone upon the stem, the
upper, fibrillose, was more persistent, but left a fainter impression.
These veils are not mentioned in Professor Peck’s description of the
American species, but are prominently noted in that of Fries, as above.
In a very young specimen both veils were present. Cap light brown,
minutely squamulose, with a few small red spots; margin thin, involute,
flesh thick, yellowish, firm; gills distant, rounded behind, slightly
emarginate, alternate ones short, light brown inclined to cinereous on
edge.
Spores brown. Small young specimens did not show bulbous stem as
distinct as larger and older ones.
I afterward found several specimens at Mt. Gretna, Pa., September and
October, 1897.
The flesh is excellent, closely resembling Pholiota subsquarrosa. The
species seems to be rare. If found in quantity it will prove one of our
very best edibles.
=C. dis´tans= Pk. =Pileus= thin except the disk, convex, squamulose,
bay-brown when moist, tawny when dry. =Lamellæ= broad, distant, thick,
dark cinnamon-color. =Stipe= subequal, often a little tapering upward,
solid, slightly fibrillose-scaly, concolorous.
Height 2–3 in., breadth of pileus 1–2 in., stipe 4–6 in. thick.
Grassy ground in pine woods. Greenbush. June.
The flesh is dull-yellowish. The pileus, when drying, has for a time a
brown-marginal zone. _Peck_, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
New Jersey pines. Eagle’s Mere, Pa., coniferous woods. August. Mt.
Gretna, Pa., pines. August, September. _McIlvaine._
Like most of the hygrophanous Cortinarii, the taste is more or less that
of rotten wood. The flavor is flat and undesirable.
=C. furfurel´lus= Pk. =Pileus= thin, convex, furfuraceous with minute
squamules, hygrophanous, watery-tawny when moist, pale ochraceous when
dry. =Lamellæ= broad, thick, distant, adnate or slightly emarginate,
tawny-yellow, then cinnamon. =Stem= equal, peronate, colored like the
pileus, with a slight annulus near the top. =Spores= subelliptical,
minutely rough, 8–10×6µ.
=Plant= 1–2 in. high. =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 lines thick.
Moist ground in open places. Gansevoort. August. _Peck_, 32d Rep. N.Y.
State Bot.
Haddonfield, N.J., Mt. Gretna, Pa. _McIlvaine._
Strong woody flavor—like rotten wood. Not poisonous, but not desirable.
HYGROCYBE.
=C. casta´neus= Bull.—chestnut. =Pileus= fleshy, thin, campanulate or
convex, then expanded, dark chestnut-color when moist, paler when dry.
=Lamellæ= rather broad, violet-tinged, then cinnamon. =Stipe=
fibrillose, stuffed or hollow, lilac tinged at the top, white below.
Height 2–3 in., breadth of pileus 1–2 in., stipe 3–4 lines thick.
Ground under spruce or balsam trees. Catskill mountains. October.
Edible. _Peck_, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=Spores= 8×5µ.
It is certainly a wholesome, esculent species, but a great number would
be required to make a good dish. _M.C. Cooke._