Eaten in Italy. Inodorous, edible and agreeable. _Cordier._ More than
fair. I have often eaten it. _R.K. Macadam._
[Illustration]
=PAXIL´LUS= Fr.
_Paxillus_, a small stake.
=Hymenophore= continuous with the stem, decurrent. =Gills=
membranaceous, somewhat branched, frequently anastomosing behind,
_distinct from the hymenophore and easily separable from it_. =Spores=
dingy-white or ferruginous.
_Fleshy putrescent fungi, margin of pileus at first involute, then
continually and gradually unfolding and expanding._ _Fries._
=Pileus= symmetrical or eccentric. =Stem= central, eccentric or wanting.
Edge of gills entire, sharp.
The marked features of this genus are the strongly involute margin, the
soft, tough, decurrent gills, separating readily from the flesh, and the
color of the spores.
The members of this genus possess some of the characters of Boletus. The
gills separate easily from the hymenophore as do the tubes of the
latter, and their anastomosing tendency is in P. porosus so marked that
the hymenium consists of large angular tubes. The gills of P. solidus B.
and C. form pores at the base, and its spores are elongated, both
features indicating an affinity with Boletus.
ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.
LEPISTA (a pan). Page 327.
Pileus entire, central. Spores dingy-white, in P. panæolus somewhat
rust-color. On the ground.
TAPINIA (to depress). Page —--.
Pileus generally eccentric or resupinate. Spores rust-color. On the
ground or on stumps.
So far as known the species of this genus are harmless. Many of them are
large, fleshy and inviting in appearance, but their flesh is usually dry
and coarse, and, though absorbent, is hard to cook tender. P.
atrotomentosus, which seems to be rare, is an exception. The flesh of
this species being firm in texture and readily made into a first-class
dish.
LEPIS´TA.
=P. lepis´ta= Fr.—_lepista_, a pan. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad, flat or
depressed, dirty-white, smooth, sometimes minutely cracked near the
margin which is thin, involute and often undulate. =Stem= very variable
in length, 1–4 in., ½-¾ in. thick, dingy white or cream, solid, white
inside, equal, with a cartilaginous cuticle passing between the gills
and the flesh of the pileus, base blunt, villous, white. =Gills= very
decurrent, crowded, 2–3 lines broad, slightly branched but not at the
base, dingy-white becoming darker.
=Spores= reddish, becoming dingy brown. Broadly pyriforme 6×8µ _Massee_.
Pennsylvania. September, 1894. _McIlvaine._ Albion, N.Y., _Dr. Cushing_,
1898.
On ground in woods and margins of woods.
=Flesh= white. =Gills= narrow, crowded, brittle, decurrent, dingy-white
or pale-buff, easily separating from cap. =Stem= solid, elastic, at
length hollow, often short, an inch long, tapering downward, frequently
up to four inches in length and equal, base villose.
Resembling Lactarius piperatus and some forms of Clitocybe. It is
separated from the former by the absence of milk and from the latter by
its involute margin. The Clitocybe resembling it are all edible.
=Smell= strong, like old oily nuts. Edible but coarse.
=P. li´vidus= Cke. =Pileus= 1–2 in. across, convex, at length slightly
depressed at the disk, margin slightly arched and incurved, dingy-white,
or livid ochraceous, opaque. =Gills= decurrent, arcuate, almost crowded,
1½ line broad, white. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, ½ in. thick at the apex,
attenuated downward, white, fibrillose, stuffed then hollow, usually
rather flexuous. =Flesh= nearly white. =Spores= globose, 3–3.5µ
diameter, nearly white.
In woods. Usually in small clusters. Closely allied to Paxillus
revolutus, but distinguished by the absence of any tinge of violet on
the pileus or stem, and by the persistently white gills. _Massee._
Received from Katherine A. Hall, Danville, N.Y. October, 1898.
Raw it tastes like a drug-store smell. Edible, pleasant.
TAPI´NIA.
(Plate XC.)
[Illustration:
PAXILLUS INVOLUTUS.
One-half natural size.
]
=P. involu´tus= (Batsch) Fr.—_involutus_, rolled inward. =Pileus= 2–5
in. broad, fleshy, compact, convexo-plane then depressed, smooth, viscid
when moist, shining when dry, yellowish or tawny-ochraceous, _strongly
involute_, _margin densely downy_, flesh pallid. =Stem= 2–4 in. high,
about ½ in. thick, solid, firm, paler than the pileus, central or
eccentric. =Gills= 2–3 lines broad, crowded, branched, anastomosing,
_forming pores behind_, whitish then yellowish or rusty, _spotting when
bruised_.
=Spores= rust-color, ellipsoid or oblong-ellipsoid 8–16×6µ _K._; 5×6µ
_W.G.S._ Elliptical, 8–10µ _Peck_.
It grows singly or in groups and likes damp mossy soil. Common in cool
hemlock or spruce woods in the Adirondack mountains; not rare in the
mixed woods of all our hilly districts. When growing on decayed stumps
the stem is sometimes eccentric. August, November. _C.H. Peck._
In open woods near Haddonfield, N.J., it grows to a large size and in
quantity. In Angora woods near Philadelphia a complete ring of it 20 ft.
in diameter was seen.
Considered edible throughout Europe and said to be highly esteemed in
Russia. The flesh of the American plant is dry and coarse, does not cook
tender and is rather tasteless.
=P. a´tro-tomento´sus= (Batsch.) Fr.—_ater_, black; _tomentum_, down.
=Pileus= 3–6 in. broad, rust-color or reddish-brown, compactly fleshy,
eccentric, convex then plane or depressed, margin thin, frequently
minutely rivulose, sometimes tomentose in the center. =Flesh= white.
=Stem= 3–6 in. high, ½-1 in. thick, stout, solid, elastic, eccentric or
lateral, unequal rooting, _covered with dense velvety down, very dark
brown_. =Gills= adnate, 3 lines broad, close, anastomosing at the base,
yellowish, interspaces venose.
=Spores= subhyaline 4–6×3–4µ _K._ Elliptical, pale-yellowish, 5×2.5–3µ
_Massee_. Elliptical 5–6×4µ _Peck_.
Found near Philadelphia, gregarious in old woods. September. In New
Jersey in pine woods on stumps and on the ground, probably growing from
roots. _McIlvaine._
Grows singly or cespitose, sometimes in large tufts, when the pileus is
frequently irregular from compression. In wet weather the pileus is
moist and sometimes obscurely mottled with dark spots. Occasionally it
has an unpleasant dirt-like odor. _Peck._
Cordier considers this species suspicious and Paulet inutile on account
of its bad taste.
The flesh differs from most Paxilli in being very fine grained and
cooked is of the consistency of a marshmallow. The taste is marked but
pleasant.
_Series IV._ =PORPHYRO´SPORÆ= (Pratelli). _Gr_—purple.
Spores typically black-purple or brownish-purple, more rarely dusky
brown. (It is to be observed that the spores vary in color according to
the color of the ground on which they are deposited.) There are sterile
forms with the gills persistently white (A. obturatus, A. udus). Those
species are more deceptive in which the gills continue for a long time
white, and even begin to decay before they are discolored by the spores;
these may be easily mistaken for Leucospori. _Fries._
Pratelli is the name given by the early authors to this series, based
upon the spore color; Porphyrosporæ is the name now used. The species
within the group are closely allied to those having black spores without
a tinge of purple or violet (Melanosporæ), but in none of the species do
the gills deliquesce as in Coprinus, neither are there resupinate or
lateral stemmed species.
There is a present tendency to do away with this series and include all
dark-spored species in the Melanosporæ. Professor Atkinson and Bertha
Stoneman, in their “Provisional Key to the Genera of Hymenomycetes,”
omit the series and give “Melanosporæ, Gill and Butz (Pratellæ and
Coprinariæ in broadest sense). Spores dark brown, purplish-brown or
black.”
[Illustration:
PORPHYROSPORAE.
_Hymenophore distinct from fleshy stem._
PILOSACE. AGARICUS. (PSALLIOTA.) CHITONIA.
_Hymenophore confluent and homogeneous with fleshy stem._
STROPHARIA. HYPHOLOMA.
_Hymenophore confluent with, but heterogeneous from cartilaginous stem._
PSILOCYBE. PSATHYRA. DECONICA.
PLATE XCII.
CHART OF GENERA IN PURPLE-SPORED SERIES—PORPHYROSPORAE, PAGE 330.
]
(Plate XCIII.)
[Illustration:
CHITONIA RUBRICEPS.
Two-thirds natural size.
]
It is frequently difficult to determine by the spore-color of this
series even to which series a specimen belongs. Many of our best edibles
belong in this series. I know of none noxious.
=CHITON´IA= Fr.
Universal veil distinct from the pileus, at maturity forming a distinct
volva round the base of the ringless central stem. =Gills= free from the
stem. =Spores= brownish-purple.
Analogous in structure with Volvaria and Amanitopsis. An exotic genus
imported into this country.
No American species reported.
[Illustration: Grouped by F.D. Briscoe—Studies by C. McIlvaine.
PLATE XCI.]
FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE.
1. AGARICUS VARIABILIS, 346 4. AGARICUS CAMPESTER, 332
2. AGARICUS SILVICOLA, 343 5. AGARICUS CAMPESTER 332
(SECTION),
3. AGARICUS PLACOMYCES, 345
AGAR´ICUS.
_Agaricon_, a Greek name for fungi, said to be derived from the name of
a town, Agara.
=Pileus= fleshy, flesh of the stem different from that of the pileus,
furnished with a distinct ring. =Gills= at first enclosed by the veil,
free, rounded behind, at first white or whitish, in some species this
stage lasting but a short time, then pink or reddish, at length dark
purplish-brown from the spores. =Spores= brown, brownish or
reddish-purple.
On the ground, generally in pastures, meadows or manured ground, a few
species occur in woods.
Analogous with Lepiota of the white-spored series. Stropharia also bears
a ring and has similar colored spores, but is separated by the flesh of
stem and pileus being continuous and the gills being more or less
adnate.
Formerly in Agaricus as sub-genus Psalliota (_psallion_, _psalion_, in
poetry, a ring). When Psalliota was raised to generic rank it was given
the name of the great genus Agaricus as a mark of distinction on account
of its including the most widely known and useful mushroom of the
world—Agaricus campester. The name Psalliota is not in modern use.
Old Agaricus included many subgenera and consequently many more species.
Now it contains but few. All of them are highly flavored and of marked
excellence. Before the subgenera under Agaricus were promoted to full
generic standing it was customary to state the name of a species thus:
Agaricus (Psalliota) campester. Agaricus (Stropharia) semi-orbicularis.
This was lengthy and clumsy. In the older books this form prevails.
Often, however, the subgenus is omitted before the name, which compels
the student to look up the subgenus to which the species belongs. The
older books are therefore puzzling to modern students, who find there
simply the name Agaricus to guide them. The present genus of a known
species in old Agaricus can be easily found by looking in the index for
its specific name. The name of the genus follows it in parentheses.
All of the genus can be cooked in any desired way.
ANALYSIS OF SPECIES.
* Gills at first or very soon pink or rosy.
** Gills at first brownish or gray.
*** Gills at first white or whitish.
* _Gills at first or very soon pink or rosy._
=A. campes´ter= Linn.—_campus_, a field. (Plate XCI, fig. 4 (3 figs.)
fig. 5, section, p. 332). =Pileus= at first hemispherical or convex,
then expanded with decurved margin or nearly plane, smooth, silky
floccose or hairy squamulose, the margin extending beyond the lamellæ,
the flesh rather thick, firm, white. =Lamellæ= free, close, ventricose,
_at first delicate pink or flesh color_, then blackish-brown,
_subdeliquescent_. =Stem= equal or slightly thickened toward the base,
_stuffed_, white or whitish, nearly or quite smooth. =Ring= at or near
the middle, more or less lacerated, sometimes evanescent. =Spores=
elliptical, 6–8×4–5µ.
=Plant= 2–4 in. high. =Pileus= 1.5–4 in. or more broad. =Stem= 4–8 lines
thick. _Peck_, 36th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=Spores= spheroid-ellipsoid, 9×6µ _K._; 6×8µ _W.G.S._
The varieties of A. campester are numerous. All of them are edible and
vary but slightly in their excellence.
Var. _al´bus_ Berk.—_albus_, white. A very common wild form. =Cap= 2–4
in. across, smooth or slightly fibrillose. =Stem= 1½-3 in. long, ⅓-⅔ in.
thick, white or whitish. Spring to autumn, in rich grassy places.
Sometimes very large. It is cultivated.
Var. _gri´seus_ Pk.—_griseus_, gray. =Cap= grayish, silky, shining.
=Ring= vanishing. Reported from Virginia.
Var. _prati´cola_ Vitt.—_pratum_, a meadow; _colo_, to inhabit. Meadow
variety. =Cap= covered with reddish scales. =Flesh= pinkish. Parade
ground, Mt. Gretna, Pa.
Var. _umbri´nus_ Vitt.—_umber_, dark brown. =Cap= brown, smooth. =Stem=
short, minutely scaly.
“Var. _rufes´cens_ Berk.—_rufescens_, becoming red. =Pileus= reddish,
minutely scaly. =Gills= at first white. =Stem= elongated. =Flesh=
turning bright red when cut or bruised. This departs so decidedly from
the ordinary characters of the type, especially in the white color of
the young gills, that it seems to merit separation as a distinct
species.” _Peck_, 36th Rep.
Var. _villa´ticus_ Brond.—belonging to a villa. =Cap= scaly. =Stem=
scaly.
Var. _horten´sis_ Cke.—growing in gardens. =Cap= brownish or
yellowish-brown, covered with fibrils or minute hairs. This is a
cultivated species.
“Var. _Bu´channi_. =Cap= white, smooth, depressed in center, the margin
naked. =Stem= stout. =Ring= thin, lacerated. A rare variety, sometimes
occurring in mushroom beds.
“Var. _elonga´tus_—elongated. Long-stemmed variety. =Pileus= small,
smooth, convex, the margin adorned with the adherent remains of the
lacerated veil. =Stem= long, slender, slightly thickened toward the
base. =Ring= slight or evanescent. This is also a variety of mushroom
beds.
“Var. _vapora´rius_. Green-house variety (A. vaporarius Vitt.) =Pileus=
brownish, coated with long hairs or fibrils. =Stem= hairy-fibrillose,
becoming transversely scaly. Conservatories, cellars, etc. Not differing
greatly from Var. hortensis.” _Peck_, 36th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
The A. campester is known the world over as the common mushroom. It is
cosmopolitan, appearing in pastures and rich places from spring and
until long after severe frosts. It is the sweet morsel of gourmets.
Indirectly it has done more damage than the assembled viciousness of all
other toadstools. It is by mistaking the young button forms of the
deadly Amanita for the button forms of the common mushroom that most
cases of fatal toadstool poisoning are brought about. It is, also,
usually the persons who think they know the mushroom, and can not be
deceived, that get poisoned. If two rules are observed danger can be
avoided. (1) Never eat a fungus gathered in the woods believing it to be
the mushroom. The typical A. campester does not grow in the woods;
species of Agaricus somewhat resembling it do. (2) Look at the gills;
those of the mushroom are at first a light-pink which rapidly, as the
plant matures, darken to a dark-brown, purplish-brown, or
purplish-black. This is due to the ripening of the spores. Those of the
Amanita are constantly white.
Pages could be written upon the mushroom and its culture, and recipes
for the cooking of it would fill a volume. One important thing is
omitted from them all—it is culinary heresy to peel a mushroom. Much of
the flavor lies in the skin, as it does in that of apples, apricots,
peaches, grapes, cherries and other fruits. The mushroom should be wiped
with a coarse flannel or towel until the skin is clean. See chapter on
cooking, etc.
Lafayette B. Mendel, in American Journal of Physiology, March, 1898,
gives the following analysis of A. campester:
Two varieties of the common mushroom were collected in New Haven.
Fifteen specimens of one variety weighed 1½ ounce, an average weight of
43 grains each. The analysis gave:
_a._ _b._
Water 87.88% 92.20%
Total solids 12.12 7.80
Total nitrogen in dry 4.42 4.92
substance
Ash in dry substance 11.66 17.18
=A. comp´tulus= Fr.—_comptus_, gaily adorned. =Pileus= 1–1½ in. broad,
_yellowish-white_, slightly fleshy, convex then plane, obtuse,
_adpressedly fibrilloso-silky_, becoming even. =Flesh= thin, soft, of
the same color as the pileus. =Stem= 2 in. long, 2–3 lines thick,
_hollow_, stuffed with floccules when young, _somewhat attenuated_,
even, smooth, white, becoming somewhat light yellow. =Ring= medial,
torn, _fugacious_, of the same color. =Gills= rounded-free behind,
crowded, soft, broader in front, _flesh-color_ then _rose_, not
dingy-flesh-color except when old.
Closely allied to A. campestris, but constantly distinct in its more
beautifully colored gills. _Fries._
Cultivated ground. Menands. August. _Peck_, Rep. 41.
Closely allied to A. campestris, from which it may be separated by its
smaller size, the yellowish hue of the dry plant and by the smaller
spores. _Peck_, 41st Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Mt. Gretna, Pa. Parade ground, with A. campester; Haddonfield, N.J.
August to frost. _McIlvaine._
A. comptulus appears frequently in the latitude of Philadelphia. It is a
neat species, but not substantial in flesh. Here it usually grows close
to the ground. The ring is very evanescent.
Its edible qualities are those of A. campester.
=A. silvat´icus= Schaeff.—belonging to woods. =Pileus= thin, at first
convex or bell-shaped, then expanded, _gibbous or subumbonate_,
fibrillose or variegated with a few thin tawny brownish or reddish-brown
_spot-like adpressed scales_, whitish, brownish or smoky-gray, the disk
sometimes tinged with red or reddish-brown, the flesh white or faintly
reddish. =Lamellæ= thin, close, free, narrowed toward each end, reddish,
then blackish-brown. =Stem= rather long, _equal or slightly tapering
upward_, hollow, whitish. =Spores= elliptical, 5–6.5×4–5µ.
=Plant= 3–5 in. high. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 4–6 lines thick.
Woods. Summer and autumn. Not common. _Peck_, 36th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Massachusetts, _Farlow_; Minnesota, _Johnson_; California—edible, _H.
and M._
West Virginia, 1881–1885, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. August to frost. In
pine and mixed woods. _McIlvaine._
Edible, _Curtis_. Edible, _Peck_.
In taste and smell A. silvaticus resembles A. silvicola, but is
stronger. It is a frequent but not common species in the localities
where I have found it. Quantities of it have not occurred, but myself
and friends have eaten it for years, knowing no distinction in effect
between it and allied species. Its strong taste requires that it be well
cooked. It does not lose its high flavor, which may be objectionable to
some. I prefer using its juices as a flavoring.
=A. diminuti´vus= Pk.—diminutive. =Pileus= thin, fragile, at first
convex, then plane or centrally depressed, sometimes slightly umbonate,
whitish or yellowish, faintly spotted with small thin silky appressed
brownish scales, the disk brownish or reddish-brown. =Lamellæ= close,
thin, free, ventricose, brownish-pink becoming brown, blackish-brown or
black. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering upward, stuffed or hollow,
smooth, pallid. =Annulus= thin, persistent, white. =Spores= elliptical
5×4µ.
=Plant= 1.5–2 in. high. =Pileus= 1–1.5 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 lines
thick.
Woods. Croghan and Sandlake, N.Y. August. Autumn.
This is a small but symmetrical and beautiful Agaric. It is perhaps too
closely related to the preceding species (A. silvaticus), of which it
may possibly prove to be a mere variety or dwarf form. Its pileus is
quite thin and fragile. Usually the darker or reddish hue of the disk
gradually loses itself in the paler color of the margin, but sometimes
the whole surface is tinged with red. _Peck_, 36th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Chester county; West Philadelphia, Pa., September; Mt. Gretna, Eagle’s
Mere, Pa., August. _McIlvaine._
I have found A. diminutivus so intimately associated with A. silvaticus
that its being a dwarf form of the latter seemed more than probable. Its
edible qualities are the same.
=A. Rod´mani= Pk. =Pileus= rather thick, firm, at first convex, then
nearly or quite plane, with decurved margin, smooth or rarely slightly
cracked into scales on the disk, white or whitish, becoming yellowish or
subochraceous on the disk, the flesh white, unchangeable. =Lamellæ=
close, _narrow_, rounded behind, free, reaching nearly or quite to the
stem, _at first whitish then pink or reddish-pink_, finally
blackish-brown. =Stem= short, subequal, solid, whitish, smooth below the
ring, often scurfy or slightly mealy-squamulose above; ring variable,
thick or thin, entire or lacerated, at or below the middle of the stem.
=Spores= broadly elliptical or subglobose, generally uninucleate,
5–6×4–5µ.
=Plant= 2–3 in. high. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 6–10 lines thick.
Grassy ground and paved gutters. Astoria, L.I. _Rev. W. Rodman_.
Washington Park, Albany. May to July.
This species is intermediate between A. campestris and A. arvensis, from
both of which it may be distinguished by its narrow gills, solid stem
and smaller, almost globose, spores. In size, shape of the pileus and
general appearance it most resembles A. campestris, but in the whitish
primary color of the gills and in the yellowish tints which the pileus
often assumes, it approaches nearer to A. arvensis. * * * _Peck_, 36th
Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
I can now add my own testimony to that of Mr. Rodman as to its
edibility. Its flesh is firm but crisp, not tough, and its flavor,
though not equal to that of the common mushroom, is nevertheless
agreeable, and its use as food is perfectly safe. _Peck_, Rep. 49.
This species has grown freely for several years at Hull and Cohasset,
Mass. It is usually found about June 1st, and is not seen again until
early autumn. It is the handsomest mushroom I have seen, and its edible
qualities are on a par with its appearance. _Macadam._
=A. hæmorrhoida´rius= Shulzer. _Gr_—discharging blood. =Pileus= 4 in.
across, reddish-brown, fleshy, ovate then expanded, _covered with broad
adpressed scales_, margin at first bent inward. =Flesh= when broken
immediately blood-red. =Stem= 4 in. high, 1 in. thick, soon hollow,
fibrillose, the solid base somewhat bulbous. =Ring= superior, large.
=Gills= free, approximate, crowded, rosy-flesh-color, at length
purple-umber.
Very striking, 3–4 in. high. The pileus and the white stem become
spotted blood-red when touched. The stem when young is adpressedly
squamulose below, when full grown mealy, becoming smooth. _Fries._
=Spores= purple-brown, 7–8×5µ Massee; brown, elliptical, 5–6×4µ _Peck_.
A rare or overlooked plant in United States, first recorded by Professor
Peck, who found it but once, growing under a hemlock tree. Rep. 45.
Nebraska, _Clements_; West Virginia; Eagle’s Mere and Mt. Gretna, Pa. In
hemlock and mixed woods. Autumn. _McIlvaine._
=Cap= 2–4 in. across. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, up to ¾ in. thick.
Every part of the plant turns red and has a congested appearance when
bruised. The flesh is white but immediately becomes red when broken.
It is a frequent but not common species, growing singly, or in small
clusters.
In flavor and substance it is equal to any mushroom.
=A. mari´timus= Pk. =Pileus= very fleshy, firm, at first subglobose,
then broadly convex or nearly plane, glabrous, sometimes slightly
squamose with appressed spot-like scales, white becoming dingy or
grayish-brown when old. =Flesh= whitish, quickly reddening when cut,
taste agreeable, odor distinct, suggestive of the odors of the seashore.
=Lamellæ= narrow, close, free, pinkish becoming purplish-brown with age,
the edge white. =Stem= short, stout, firm, solid, equal, sometimes
bulbous, white, the annulus delicate, slight and easily obliterated.
=Spores= broadly elliptic, purplish-brown, 7–8µ long, 5–6µ broad.
=Pileus= 2–8 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, .6 in. thick.