thin, convex or expanded, brittle, minutely tomentose-scaly, becoming
smooth, hygrophanous, yellow with the disk reddish. =Lamellæ= rather
broad, attached, tapering toward the outer extremity, dark brown tinged
with red, the edge whitish-beaded. =Stem= equal, rather slender, hollow,
fibrillose, subconcolorous, white-mealy and slightly striate at the top.
=Spores= black.
=Height= about 2 in., breadth of pileus 1–1.5 in.
Roadsides. Albany Cemetery. September. The pileus sometimes cracks
transversely. _Peck_, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=Spores= 6×8µ _W.G.S._; elliptical, 10×5µ _Massee_.
Often used in catsup. Innocent and edible. _Cooke._
West Virginia. 1881–1885, Pennsylvania, West Philadelphia, Bartram’s
Creek, 1887, _McIlvaine_.
Var. _leioceph´alus_ B. and Br. (_Gr_—smooth; _Gr_—head, from its smooth
pileus). =Pileus= hygrophanous, rugged, smooth except at the margin,
where it is fibrillose, pallid as is the stem, whose apex is mealy.
Densely cespitose, much smaller than the common form, but apparently a
mere variety, though a striking one from its smooth but very rugged
disk. On old stumps. _Stevenson._
New York, _Peck_, 23d Rep.; West Virginia, West Philadelphia, Bartram’s
Creek, Haddonfield, N.J., September to November. _McIlvaine._
Quantities of var. leiocephalus grow in the West Virginia forests on
stumps and on the ground from decaying roots. 1½ in. is the limit of its
width. Its frequent and dense clusters, its tenderness and delicacy of
flavor make it a favorite.
=H. aggrega´tum= Pk.—_aggrego_, to grow together. Densely cespitose.
=Pileus= thin, convex or subcampanulate, grayish-white, obscurely
spotted with appressed brownish fibrils. =Lamellæ= subdistant, rounded
behind, nearly free, at first whitish, then brown or blackish-brown with
a whitish edge. =Stem= rather long, hollow, somewhat woolly or
fibrillose, white. =Spores= brown, elliptical, 8×4–5µ.
=Pileus= about 1 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 1.5–2 lines thick.
At the base of trees and stumps in woods. Alcove. September.
The cespitose habit and obscurely spotted grayish-white pileus are
marked features of this species. From H. silvestre the species may be
distinguished by its smaller size, adnexed or nearly free lamellæ which
have no rosy tint, and by its very cespitose mode of growth. _Peck_,
46th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Mt. Gretna, Pa., about trees and stumps. September to November,
1898–1899. _McIlvaine._ Not reported elsewhere.
The caps are oyster-color. Amateurs accustomed to the gayer colors of
the autumnal Hypholomas will not suspect this of belonging to the genus,
until the color of the spores is obtained.
The caps are fine.
=H. lachrymabun´dum= Fr.—_lachryma_, a tear. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad,
whitish when young, then dingy-brown, becoming pale around the margin,
truly fleshy but not compact, convex, obtuse, scaly with hairs, the
innate scales darker. =Flesh= white. =Stem= 2 in. long, 3–4 lines thick,
hollow, somewhat thickened at the base, scaly with fibrils, becoming
brownish-whitish. =Veil= separate, clothed with fibers, hanging from the
pileus, white. =Gills= adnate, crowded, 3 lines broad, whitish then
brownish-purple, edge whitish and distilling drops in wet weather.
=Spores= brownish-purple. From mutual pressure the caps are often
irregular. Very cespitose, firm. _Fries._
=Spores= brownish-purple, 9×4µ _Massee_.
On ground and on trunks. Truly cespitose. Smaller than H. velutinus, but
firmer, truly fleshy, not hygrophanous. Bushy pastures. Bethlehem.
October.
Our specimens do not agree in all respects with the published
description of the species. The pileus is sometimes wholly destitute of
scales and sometimes densely clothed with hairy, erect ones. The species
is manifestly variable. _Peck_, 30th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
“Like H. fascicularis in quality. Intensely irritant. It is bound with
the weight of its own guilt.” _Hay._
This is a good specimen of Hay’s comments. H. fascicularis is never
irritant, is good eating, is innocent.
There is irony in the comment of Dr. Cooke: “This doubtful species is
used by the smaller ketchup makers.”
I have not seen this species. When I do I shall eat it and expect to
live.
APPENDICULA´TI. Pileus hygrophanous, smooth.
=H. incer´tum= Pk. (Plate XCVII_a_.) =Pileus= fragile, convex or
subcampanulate, then expanded, hygrophanous, often radiately wrinkled,
whitish with the disk yellowish, the thin margin sometimes
purplish-tinted, often wavy, adorned by fragments of the white
flocculent fugacious veil. =Lamellæ= close, narrow, whitish then
rosy-brown, the edge often uneven. =Stem= equal, straight, hollow,
easily splitting, whitish with a frosty bloom or slightly scurfy at the
top. =Spores= elliptical, purplish-brown, 8×5µ.
=Plant= gregarious or subcespitose, 2–3 in. high. =Pileus= 1–2 in.
broad. =Stem= 1–2 lines thick.
Ground among bushes. Green Island and Sandlake. June and July.
The veil is sometimes so strongly developed as to form an imperfect
ring. The color is nearly white from the first. _Peck_, 29th Rep. N.Y.
State Bot.
As the name indicates, I was uncertain whether this was a form of H.
Candolleanum, to which it is very closely related, but as Fries says of
that “Gills at first violaceous,” and as our plant has them at first
white or whitish, I concluded to risk the uncertainty on a new species.
I have seen Central Park, New York, well covered with it in May. It is
also common in the vicinity of Boston. Of very agreeable flavor and
delicate substance. The profusion of its growth compensates for its
small size. _Macadam._
Indiana, _H.I. Miller_; Mt. Gretna, Pa., in great clusters between
railroad ties and beside track, _McIlvaine_.
Tender. One of the best.
[Illustration:
Photographed by Dr. J.R. Weist. PLATE XCVII_a_.
HYPHOLOMA INCERTUM.
]
=H. appendicula´tum= Bull.—a small appendage. From the veil adhering to
margin of pileus. (Plate XCVII, p. 352.) =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad,
date-brown then tawny, becoming pale yellowish when dry,
fleshy-membranaceous, thin, ovate then expanded, at length flattened,
obtuse, smooth, when dry slightly wrinkled, somewhat sprinkled with
atoms. =Stem= 3 in. long, 2–3 lines thick, fistulose, equal, smooth,
white, _pruinate at the apex_; veil fringing the margin of the pileus,
fugacious, white. =Gills= somewhat adnate, crowded, _dry, white_ then
flesh-colored, at length dingy-brown.
Densely cespitose, very fragile and hygrophanous. Much thinner and more
fragile than H. Candolleanus. It may be safely distinguished from
species which are nearest to it by the gills being whitish then
brownish-flesh color.
Var. _lana´tum_. A curious form, densely woolly when young, traces of
the woolly coat remaining at the apex when the pileus is fully expanded.
Sibbertoft. B. and Br., 1876. _Stevenson._
=Spores= ellipsoid, pellucid, 6–8×3–4µ _K._; 4×6µ _W.G.S._; elliptical,
5×2.5µ _Massee_.
Angora, West Philadelphia, October, November, December, 1897;
Haddonfield, N.J., Mt. Gretna, Pa., cespitose and gregarious in woods
about stumps. _McIlvaine._
“It is very common and edible.” _Farlow._
At Mt. Gretna, Pa., October, 1898, in great abundance. When found it was
gregarious in large patches and cespitose on stumps. My identification
was confirmed by Professor Peck.
It dries well, and retains flavor and esculent qualities. Cooked it is
among the best.
=H. Candol´leanum= Fr.—After De Candolle. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad,
date-brown then becoming white, the top somewhat yellowish, somewhat
fleshy, acorn-shaped then bell-shaped, soon convex and at length
flattened, obtuse and unequal, smooth, even. =Flesh= thin, white. =Stem=
3 in. long, 2–4 lines thick, fistulose, solid at the base, somewhat
thickened, fibrillose, white, striate at the apex; veil in the form of a
cortina, web-like, appendiculate (depending from the margin of the
pileus), white, at length becoming dingy-brown. =Gills= rounded-adnexed,
then separating, crowded, violaceous then brownish-cinnamon, the edge at
first whitish.
Readily distinguished from neighboring species by the gills being at
first beautifully dark violaceous, never flesh-colored. Densely
cespitose, fragile, very hygrophanous. _Stevenson._
=Spores= elliptical, 8×4µ _Massee_.
Edible, often used in catsup. _Cooke._
A species variable in color with the weather. Its gills are
cream-colored at first, then purplish, then very dark. After rain the
fragile cap often turns up at the margin and splits.
It differs somewhat in texture from other Hypholomas, being more
delicate in texture and substance. It is excellent.
=H. suba´quilum= Banning.—_aquilus_, brownish, tawny. =Pileus= brown,
convex, smooth, hygrophanous, often shaded into ocher at margin, veil
delicate, silk-like, encircling and covering the marginal extremities of
the lamellæ but forming no ring on the stem. =Flesh= white, turning
umber when cut. =Lamellæ= adnexed or nearly free, close, forked, umber.
=Stem= cespitose, regular, hollow, silky, white, 2–3 in. long.
=Spores= brown, 4×5µ. _Banning_ MS.
Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, _Miss Banning_; decaying wood, Adirondack
mountains. August and September. New York. _Peck_, 45th Rep. N.Y. State
Bot.
H. subaquilum is closely allied to H. appendiculatum, but is
distinguished by its darker colored cap and gills.
Its edible qualities are the same. It is among the best.
[Illustration]
=PSILO´CYBE= Fr.
_Gr_—naked; head.
=Pileus= more or less fleshy, smooth, _margin at first incurved_.
=Gills= becoming brownish or purple. =Stem= somewhat cartilaginous,
rigid or tough, tubular, hollow or stuffed, often rooting. =Veil= absent
or rudimentary, never forming a membrane. =Spores= purple, purple-brown
or slate-color.
Generally growing on the ground, gregarious, sometimes cespitose.
Psilocybe is analogous in form to Collybia, Leptonia and Naucoria, which
are distinguished by their spore colors. Separated from Psathyra by the
incurved margin of the pileus.
But one species of Psilocybe is herein given as edible. Of it, alone,
the writer has had opportunity to eat meals. Several others of the
species have been found by him and tested in small quantity. They are
all of good texture, substance and flavor, though most are small. He is
of the opinion that increased testing will prove the entire genus
edible. Nothing can or should be prognosticated about a toadstool, but
the indications are all in favor of Psilocybe.
(Plate XCIX.)
[Illustration:
PSILOCYBE SPADICEA.
Two-thirds natural size.
]
=P. spadi´cea= Schaeff.—_spadiceus_, date-brown. =Pileus= thin,
submembranaceous, hemispherical, then convex or expanded, smooth,
hygrophanous, pale grayish-brown and striatulate when moist, white or
yellowish when dry. =Gills= narrow, close, attached, easily separating
from the stem, at first whitish, then brown, tinged with flesh-color.
=Stem= straight, equal, hollow, smooth, white.
=Height= 1–2 in., breadth of pileus 1–1.5 in. =Stem= 1–2 lines thick.
Grassy ground in yards and fields. Albany. June. Gregarious or
cespitose. The pileus is fragile, the spores are brown. _Peck_, 23d Rep.
N.Y. State Bot.
=Spores= brown, 9×4µ _Massee_; purplish brown, 7.6×5.1µ _Morgan_.
Haddonfield, N.J., October, November, December, 1896. In large patches
and where stumps had been taken from the ground. _McIlvaine._
Var. _hygro´philus_ Fr. _Gr_—moist; loving.
Pileus tawny, then clay-color. Stem 4–6 in. long, rather fusiform,
rooting. Gills emarginate with a deeply decurrent line; at length
umber-brown.
Var. _polyceph´alus_ Fr.—_polus_, many; _cephale_, head.
Densely crowded. Stem thinner, flexuous. Gills nearly free, at length
tawny-umber.
The plant is tender, cooks easily and is of fine flavor.
=P. semilancea´ta= Fr.—_semi_, half; _lancea_, a spear. =Pileus= ½ in.
high, not broad, various in color, becoming yellow, green, dingy-brown,
somewhat membranaceous, _acutely conical_, almost _cuspidate_, never
expanded, but the margin when young at first bent inward, _covered with
a pellicle which is viscous and separable in wet weather_, slightly
striate chiefly round the margin. =Stem= as much as 3 in. long, scarcely
1 line thick, tubular and _containing a pith_, equal, more frequently
_flexuous_, smooth, _capable of being_ twisted round the finger, smooth,
_becoming pale; furnished with a veil when young_. =Gills= _ascending_
into the summit of the cone, adnexed, almost _linear_, crowded, becoming
purple-black. _Fries._
Gregarious, very tough. Pastures and roadsides, etc. Common. August to
November. _Stevenson._
=Spores= ellipsoid, 9–16×4–9µ _K._; 14×9µ _W.G.S._
New York, _Peck_, Rep. 23; Novia Scotia, _Somers_.
Var. _cærules´cens_ Cooke—becoming blue. Base of stem turning
indigo-blue.
Not common in America, but frequently found. According to M. C. Cooke—a
careful authority—P. semilanceata has a dangerous reputation. It is said
to have proved fatal to children when eaten raw. It is not deleterious
when cooked.
[Illustration]
=PSA´THYRA= Fr.
_Gr_—friable.
(Plate C.)
[Illustration:
PSATHYRA GYROFLEXA.
Natural size. (After Massee.)
Omitted from Index to Species.
]
=Veil= none or only universal, and floccoso-fibrillose. =Stem= somewhat
cartilaginous, fistulose with a tube, polished, _fragile_. =Pileus=
conical or bell-shaped, _membranaceous, the margin at the first straight
and adpressed to the stem_. =Gills= becoming purple or brownish.
_Slender, fragile, hygrophanous._
_Some of the last species of_ Hypholoma and Psilocybe _are very closely
allied to them_. The Coprinarii are readily distinguished by the gills
being white or ash-color, then black, _not dusky-brown nor becoming
purple_.
Psathyra corresponds with Mycena, Nolanea, Galera and Psathyrella. All
the species grow on the ground or on trunks. _Stevenson._
But four American species reported. Small and unimportant.
=DECONICA.=
=Stem= tough; margin of =Pileus= at first incurved. =Gills=
subtriangularly decurrent. Corresponds with Omphalia, Eccilia, Tubaria.
Few American species. Small and unimportant.
_Series V._ =MELANOS´PORÆ= (spores black). _Gr_—black; _Gr_—seed.
Various as are the spore colors in this series (in its broadest sense),
there is an entire absence of brown and purple shades in the black
spores of four of the genera belonging to this group or series. In
Gomphidius the spores are dingy-olivaceous. It is an outsider
affiliating with thoroughbreds because of more technical congeniality
than other genera afford. Like comets in the universe, it has no home.
The singular genus Montagnites (of which but one species has been found
in America, and that in Texas) has the relationship of spore-color.
Panæolus, Anellaria, Psathyrella, when young, have gills free from each
other; Coprinus, in early life, presents them pressed tightly together;
as the plants age and the spores ripen, the entire gill structure
becomes black and dissolves into an inky fluid, the color of which is
due to the spores.
The species are all of delicate body, and many of them add generously to
table luxuries.
=COPRI´NUS= Pers.
_Gr_—dung.
=Pileus= separate from the stem. =Gills= membranaceous, at first closely
pressed together, cohering, at length melting into a black fluid.
=Trama= obsolete. =Spores= oval, even, black.
The extreme closeness of the gills and their entire deliquescence into a
fluid, black from the spores, sharply define this genus and separate it
from all others. At first the form is oval or cylindrical; most are
furnished with a downy or scurfy veil often adhering to the pileus,
sometimes forming an adhering volva at the base of the stem. Nearly all
are ephemeral, many completely disappearing in a day.
Cystidia (sterile cells) of large size are frequent on the gills of many
species.
[Illustration:
MELANOSPORAE.
_Hymenophore distinct from fleshy stem._
COPRINUS.
_Hymenophore confluent and homogeneous with fleshy stem._
ANELLARIA. PANAEOLUS.
Spores dingy
olivaceous
GOMPHIDIUS.
_Hymenophore confluent with, but heterogeneous from cartilaginous stem._
PSATHYRELLA. MONTAGNITES.
PLATE CI.
CHART OF GENERA IN BLACK-SPORED SERIES—MELANOSPORAE, PAGE 368.
]
The majority grow on richly manured ground or dung, some on rotten wood
and other materials. Bolbitius, the only ally, has the same ephemeral
existence, and grows in similar situations, but the gills only soften
(not melting) and the spores are somewhat rust-colored.
The blackening of the gills is not a process of decay, but is due to the
growth of the spores, and the plant is still (before deliquescence)
perfectly edible although not so inviting in appearance as before.
Species of Coprinus are very common and are easily recognized by the
deliquescent gills which, when mature, stain the fingers black.
In “Once upon a Time,” when country people made their own writing inks,
the convenient Coprinus gave its juices for this purpose. A little
corrosive sublimate added to the boiled and strained fluid prevented it
from molding.
With few exceptions the species are small. They are tender, of real
mushroom flavor and highly enjoyable. They make a thin, well flavored
catsup, but are better used to give flavor to their less favored
brethren.
They stew in from two to fifteen minutes, depending upon the solidity of
the species.
ANALYSIS OF THE TRIBES.
_A._ PELLICULOSI (_pellicula_, a thin skin). Page 370.
Gills covered above with a fleshy or membranaceous skin, hence the
pileus does not split along the lines of the gills, but becomes
lacerated with the edges turned upward.
* Comati—_coma_, hair. Furnished with a ring formed from the free margin
of the volva. The skin of the pileus torn into innate scales.
** Atramentarii—_atramentum_, ink. Ring imperfect. Volva absent. Pileus
dotted with minute innate scales.
*** Picacei—_pica_, a magpie. Universal veil downy, at first continuous
then broken up into superficial scales forming patches on the pileus.
**** Tomentosi—_tomentum_, down. Pileus at first covered with a loose
hairy down, becoming torn into distinct scales, at length disappearing.
Ring absent.
***** Micacei—_mico_, to glitter. Pileus at first covered with minute
glistening scales, soon disappearing. Ring none.
****** Glabrati. Pileus smooth. Veil absent.
_B._ VELIFORMES (_velum_, a veil; _forma_, form). Page 380.
Pileus very thin without a skin, at length opening into furrows along
the backs of the gills and becoming folded in furrows. Stem thin,
hollow. Gills wasting away into thin lines.
* Cyclodei. _Gr_—a circle; appearance. Stem with a ring or volva.
** Lanatuli—_lanatus_, woolly. Pileus covered with superficial woolly
floccules, at length disappearing. Ringless.
*** Furfurelli—_furfureus_, branny. Pileus mealy or scurfy. Gills
generally attached to a collar at the apex of the stem. Ringless.
**** Hemerobii. _Gr_.—living a day. Pileus always smooth.
None known to be edible.
[Illustration:
Photographed by Dr. J.R. Weist. PLATE CIII.
COPRINUS COMATUS.
]
_A._ PELLICULO´SI. Cap becoming torn, edge turning upward, etc.
* Comati. _Furnished with a ring, etc._
=C. coma´tus= Fr.—_coma_, hair. (Plate CIII.) =Pileus= 2–7 in. high,
white, fleshy, at first oblong, becoming bell-shaped, seldom expanded,
when in mature deliquescing state, splitting at the margin along the
line of the gills, the cuticle, except upon the apex, separating into
shaggy, often concentric scales, at times yellowish, at others tinged
with purplish-black. =Gills= free from the stem, crowded and at first
cohering, broad, white then tinged with pink or salmon color, then
purple to black and dissolving into ink. =Stem= up to 10 in. long, up to
⅝ in. thick, attenuated upward, most part concealed within the cap,
hollow, but with spider-web threads within, smooth or fibrillose, white
or lilac-white, easily pulling out of cap, brittle. =Ring= thin, torn,
sometimes entire and movable.
On rich soil, lawns, gardens, roads, dumps, especially where ashes have
been placed. Solitary or in large dense clusters. August until after
frost, but it is occasionally found during the spring months.
Spores elliptical, black, 13–18µ long _Peck_. Almost black, elliptical,
13–18×7–8µ _Massee_; 11–13×6–8µ _K._; 15×8µ _W.G.S._ Var. _brev´iceps_
Pk. =Pileus= before expansion subovate, shorter and broader than in the
typical form, 1.5–2.5 in. high. Dumping ground. Albany. November. _H.
Neiman._ _Peck_, 49th Rep.
Coprinus comatus is common to the United States. In its perfection it is
a stately and beautiful plant. I have seen it with the oblong cap eight
inches long, but its usual height is from 2–4 in. It occurs after hard
rain and often in the most unexpected places. It is a rather domestic
species, usually in troops, but often in clusters of from five to fifty
individuals. I have seen it lift firmly sodded ground about railroad
stations, and again, bulging the surface of gardens like mole-hills.
There are toadstools of higher flavor, but not one of greater delicacy.
In this C. comatus is not excelled from its earliest stage until fully
ripened. It is everywhere commended.
Lafayette B. Mendel, in American Journal of Physiology, gives the
following analysis:
The specimens were freshly gathered and had not yet turned “inky.” They
varied very widely in size, thirty-six mushrooms weighing 1485 grams, of
which 980 grams belonged to the caps (pileus) and 505 grams to the
stems. The average weight of a fresh specimen was thus:
Pileus 27 grams
Stem 14
—
Total weight 41
A specimen which had attained the average growth weighed:
Pileus 43 grams
Stem 25
—
Total weight 68
An analysis yielded the following results:
Water 92.19 per cent.
Total solids 7.81
The dry substance contained:
Total nitrogen 5.79 per cent.
Extractive nitrogen 3.87
Protein nitrogen 1.92
Ether extract 3.3
Crude fiber 7.3
Ash 12.5
Material soluble in 85 56.3
per cent. alcohol
=C. soboli´ferus= Fr. =Pileus= 1½-2½ in. across, subcylindrical, then
oval bell-shaped, lower half of pileus usually undulate but not furrowed
or striate, disk obtuse, usually depressed, distinctly scaly, dingy
white, toward the apex tinged with pale brown, scales darker. =Flesh=
very thin. =Gills= free, tapering toward each end, ¼ in. or more broad,
crowded, pale then blackish. =Stem= 5–8 in. long, ¾ in. thick at the
base, slightly attenuated upward, silky-white, stuffed; toward the base
there is a depressed zone caused by the edge of the pileus when young.
=Ring= fugacious. =Spores= elliptical, 15×7µ.
Amongst grass near to trunks, buried wood, etc. A very large and
beautiful species, distinguished from Coprinus atramentarius, its
nearest ally, by the larger size of every part, the costate (ribbed) or
waved lower portion of the pileus, the truncate, depressed disk, with
distinct squamules, the whitish color of the pileus, and the imperfectly
hollow or stuffed stem.
=Spores= elliptical, 15×7µ _Massee_.
Almshouse grounds, Philadelphia. On maple roots in grass-grown places,
May, 1897–1898. _McIlvaine._ Not previously noted in United States.
C. soboliferus is a substantial food-giving species, very heavy for its
size. It grows singly and in clusters and will immediately attract
attention, wherever found. It is of fine flavor and substance. Cook at
once.
=C. ova´tus= (Schaeff.) Fr.—_ovum_, an egg. =Pileus= white, somewhat
membranaceous, _at the first egg-shaped and densely imbricated with
thick spreading concentric scales_, covered with an even hood at the
apex, then expanded, striate. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, solid at the base,
rooting, otherwise hollow, with spider-web threads within, attenuated
upward, downy, shining white. =Ring= not very conspicuous and soon
vanishing. =Gills= free, remote, slightly ventricose, at the first
somewhat naked and remaining long shining white, _at length
umber-blackish_, never becoming purple.
Smaller, thinner, less handsome than C. comatus. For the most part
solitary. _Fries._
=Spores= 11–12×7–8µ _Massee_.
On rich ground, dumps, etc. Same habitat as C. comatus.
West Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New Jersey. _McIlvaine._