bruised
4. Pileus whitish B. æstivalis
4. Pileus not whitish 5
5. Stem glabrous B. affinis
5. Stem pubescent B. impolitus
6. Pileus becoming white-spotted where bruised B. leprosus
6. Pileus not becoming spotted 7
7. Pileus glabrous B. edulis
7. Pileus not glabrous 8
8. Stem reticulated, whitish or pallid B. variipes
8. Stem even, brownish-red B. decorus
_Peck_, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. sep´arans= Pk. (Plate CXVIII, fig. 1, p. 436.) =Pileus= convex,
thick, glabrous, subshining, often pitted, pitted or corrugated,
brownish-red or dull-lilac, sometimes fading to yellowish on the margin.
=Flesh= white, unchangeable. =Tubes= at first nearly plane, adnate,
white and stuffed, then convex, depressed around the stem,
ochraceous-yellow or brownish-yellow and sometimes separating from the
stem by the expansion of the pileus. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering
upward, reticulated either wholly or in the upper part only, colored
like the pileus or a little paler, sometimes slightly furfuraceous.
=Spores= subfusiform, brownish-ochraceous, 12–15×5–6µ.
=Pileus= 3–6 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 6–12 lines thick.
Thin grassy woods. New York, _Peck_. _Peck_, Boleti of the U.S.
West Virginia. September, 1881. New Jersey and Pennsylvania. October,
1887, _McIlvaine_. Indiana, October, 1898. _Dr. J.R. Weist_, _H.I.
Miller_.
One of the handsomest of Boleti. It varies greatly in size and color,
but traces of purple or lilac are always detectable. The reticulations
upon the stem are often obscure, especially in young specimens.
It is pleasant when raw, and quite equal to any Boletus when cooked.
(Plate CXIX.)
[Illustration:
1, BOLETUS EDULIS, VAR. CLAVIPES.
2, 3, BOLETUS EDULIS.
]
=B. edu´lis= Bull.—_edulis_, edible. (Plate CXVIII, fig. 5, p. 436.)
=Pileus= convex or nearly plane, _glabrous_, moist, at first compact,
then soft, variable in color, grayish-red, brownish-red or tawny-brown,
often paler on the margin. =Flesh= white or yellowish, reddish beneath
the cuticle. =Tubes= convex, nearly free, long, minute, round, _white,
then yellow and greenish_. =Stem= short or long, straight or flexuous,
subequal or bulbous, stout, more or less reticulate, especially above,
whitish, pallid or brownish. =Spores= oblong-fusiform, 12–15×4–5µ.
Var. _cla´vipes_. Plate CXIX. =Stem= tapering upward from an enlarged
base, everywhere reticulated.
=Pileus= 4–6 in. broad. =Stem= 2–6 in. long, 6–18 lines thick.
Woods and open places. Not rare. _Peck_, Boleti of the U.S.
Indiana, _H.I. Miller_, _Dr. J.R. Weist_; New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West
Virginia, _McIlvaine_.
Some species of fungi appear to have that prize of Fairyland—the Wishing
Cap—and by its power be able to take on any form they please. Boletus
edulis is one of them. Its variableness is puzzling. It is eaten
everywhere where found and is a favorite. Carefully sliced, dried and
kept where safe from mold it may be prepared for the table at any
season.
=B. edulis= Bull.—Var. _clavipes_ Pk. (Plate CXIX, fig. 1, p. 445.)
=Pileus= fleshy, convex, glabrous, grayish-red, bay-red or
chestnut-color. =Flesh= white, unchangeable. =Tubes= at first concave or
nearly plane, white and stuffed, then convex, slightly depressed around
the stem, ochraceous yellow. =Stem= mostly obclavate (inversely
club-shaped) and reticulate to the base. =Spores= oblong-fusiform,
12–15×4–5µ.
The club-stemmed Boletus is so closely related to the edible Boletus and
so closely connected by the intermediate forms that it seems to be only
a variety of it, but one worthy of illustration. It differs in the more
uniform color of the cap, in having the tubes less depressed around the
stem and less tinted with green when mature, and in having the stem more
club-shape and commonly reticulated to the base. The lower reticulations
are usually coarser but less permanent than the upper. The cap is more
highly colored when young and is apt to become paler with age, but the
margin does not become paler than the central part, as it so often does
in the edible Boletus. Individuals sometimes occur in which the stem is
nearly cylindric and reticulated only on the upper part. These connect
so closely with the edible Boletus that we have considered this to be a
mere variety of it. In size and in edible qualities it is very similar
to that species. _Peck_, 51st Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Same in quality as B. edulis.
=B. vari´ipes= Pk.—variable stem. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane,
thick, soft, dry, _scaly, pointed scaly or minutely tomentose_, grayish
or pale grayish-brown, sometimes tinged with yellow or ochraceous.
=Flesh= white, unchangeable. =Tubes= convex or nearly plane, slightly
depressed around the stem, at first white, then greenish-yellow, their
mouths small, subrotund, _ochraceous_, stuffed when young. =Stem= firm,
reticulated, whitish or pallid. =Spores= oblong-fusiform,
ochraceous-brown tinged with green, 12–15×5µ. _Peck_, Boleti of the U.S.
Mt. Gretna, Pa. August, 1898. Stem slightly reticulated at top,
indistinctly striate below. Smell and taste strong, like B. felleus, but
sweetish, not bitter. When tubes are removed and cap fried it is
excellent.
Var. _al´bipes_. =Stem= whitish, wholly reticulated, the reticulations
coarser near the base. _Peck_, Boleti of the U.S.
Mt. Gretna, Pa. August, 1898. Taste slightly acrid, smell slight.
Excellent.
Var. _pallid´ipes_. =Stem= pallid, slightly furfuraceous, even or
obscurely reticulated toward the base, distinctly reticulated above.
_Peck_, Boleti of the U.S.
Satiny, shining. Taste slightly acrid, smell slight. Excellent.
Var. _tenu´ipes_. =Stem= slender, elongated. _Peck_, Boleti of the U.S.
Mt. Gretna, Pa. August, 1898, on decaying chestnut stump and on ground.
Excellent. _McIlvaine._
This species, with its varieties, grows in mixed woods, the density of
which has much to do with its general appearance. Individuals growing
where the sun plays upon them, show the reticulations plainer than those
maturing in the shade. The tubes should be removed before cooking. The
caps are best fried.
=B. exi´mius= Pk.—select. =Pileus= at first very compact, subglobose or
hemispherical, subpruinose, _purplish-brown or chocolate color_,
sometimes with a faint tinge of lilac, becoming convex, soft, smoky-red
or pale-chestnut. =Flesh= grayish or reddish-white. =Tubes= at first
concave or nearly plane, stuffed, colored nearly like the pileus,
becoming paler with age and depressed around the stem, their mouths
minute, rotund. =Stem= stout, generally short, equal or tapering upward,
abruptly narrowed at the base, _minutely branny_, colored like or a
little paler than the pileus, purplish-gray within. =Spores=
subferruginous, 12.5–15×5–6µ.
=Pileus= 3–10 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 6–12 lines thick.
Woods and their borders. New England, _Frost_; New York, _Peck_. _Peck_,
Boleti of the U.S.
In mixed woods and in new clearings near Bartram’s Garden, Philadelphia,
Pa. _McIlvaine._
A patch of it is treasure trove.
=B. lepro´sus= Pk.—leprous. Pileus very convex, glabrous, soft like kid,
cinereous-yellowish-drab or pale-brown, _slowly changing to whitish
where bruised_, the cuticle separable. =Flesh= _white, changing to
yellowish_. =Tubes= yellow or brownish-yellow, _changing to greenish
where_ wounded, plane, depressed around the stem, short, small, stuffed
when young. =Stem= solid, enlarged at the top, _lemon-yellow_. =Spores=
oblong-fusiform, 12.5–15×5µ.
=Pileus= 4–6 in. broad. =Stem= 2 in. long, 1 in. thick.
Mixed woods. North Carolina, _C.J. Curtis_.
This plant is remarkable for the whitish or leprous spots which the
pileus assumes, even from being handled, and for the change in the color
of the flesh and tubes. The stem is very thick at the top but tapers
downward. _Peck_, Boleti of the U.S.
(Plate CXX.)
[Illustration: BOLETUS AFFINIS.]
=B. affi´nis= Pk.—related. =Pileus= convex above or nearly plane,
subglabrous, reddish-brown or chestnut color fading to tawny or
dingy-ochraceous with age. =Flesh= white. =Tubes= plane or convex,
adnate or slightly depressed around the stem, at first white and
stuffed, then glaucous-yellow or subochraceous, changing to
rusty-ochraceous where wounded. =Stem= subequal, even, glabrous, colored
like or paler than the pileus. =Spores= rusty-ochraceous, 9–12×4–5µ.
The Related boletus belongs to the tribe of Boleti known as Edules
because of their especially esculent character, but it differs from the
general character of the tribe in having its tubes not at all or but
slightly shortened around the stem and in its stem not being thickened
or bulbous at the base. The species is quite variable in the color of
the cap, which is generally darker in young plants, paler in old ones.
It may be brown, reddish-brown or blackish-brown when young, but is more
or less tinged with tawny or ochraceous when old. It is smooth and even
or minutely tomentose and sometimes slightly rugose. In wet weather the
margin of the cap sometimes curves upward, giving a very convex surface
to the tubes. Sometimes the wounded flesh slowly assumes a yellowish
hue. The peculiar rusty-ochraceous hue of the spores is also seen
sometimes in the tubes of old specimens. As in many species, the flesh
of old plants is more soft than that of young ones. The stem is quite
variable and is often narrowed downward. It is sometimes very obscurely
reticulated at the top.
The cap is generally 2–4 in. broad, the stem 1.5–3 in. long, 4–8 lines
thick. The plants are found in thin woods or in bushy places in July and
August.
Var. _maculo´sus_ Pk. differs from the type simply in having a few
yellowish spots scattered over the cap.
While not as high flavored as some Boleti this is, nevertheless, a
fairly good and perfectly safe one. _Peck_, 49th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Very open timber in Woodlands Cemetery, Philadelphia. August, 1898.
_McIlvaine._
A solitary species which does not appear to be plentiful. The whole
fungus is edible, but the stems and tubes are of different texture from
the caps and do not cook well with them.
=B. æstiva´lis= Fr.—pertaining to summer. =Pileus= convex or nearly
plane, even, _glabrous, whitish_, granulose in dry weather. =Flesh=
yellow below, white above. =Tubes= nearly free, the mouths minute,
equal, yellow. =Stem= very thick, bulbous, even, glabrous, pale yellow,
reddish within at the base. =Spores= elongated-oval, greenish-brown,
rather dark, 11×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 4–6 in. broad. =Stem= 4–5 in. long.
Woods and woodland pastures. Minnesota, _Johnson_; California, _H. and
M._
A large species, recorded as edible and said to be pleasant and delicate
in flavor. I have seen no specimens of this. _Peck_, Boleti of the
United States.
West Virginia mountains, 1882, Haddonfield, N.J., 1894, _McIlvaine_, on
grassy margin of woods.
The flesh is sweet, nutty. Remove stems and tubes when old.
=B. impoli´tus= Fr.—unpolished. =Pileus= convex, dilated, _flocculose_,
at length grained in lines, unpolished, _tawny-brown_. =Flesh= white or
whitish, unchangeable, yellowish under the cuticle. =Tubes= free, their
mouths minute, yellow. =Stem= stout, subbulbous, even, _pubescent,
pale-yellow_, sometimes with a reddish zone near the top. =Spores= oval
or fusiform, pale greenish-brown, 7.5–10×5µ.
=Pileus= 4–6 in. broad. =Stem= 2 in. long.
Oak woods. California, _Harkness and Moore_.
This species is recorded as edible and said to be among the most
delicious. It is evidently rare in this country. According to Quelet the
spores are ellipsoid, papillate, 15–18µ long. _Peck_, Boleti of the U.S.
Near Bartram’s Garden, West Philadelphia, Pa., 1885. Thin mixed woods.
_McIlvaine._
That this species is edible and delicious is vouched for by many. I can
add my own pleasurable experience.
=B. deco´rus= Frost.—decorous. =Pileus= convex, rather firm, tomentose,
brownish tinged with red, the margin often darker colored. =Flesh=
white, unchangeable. =Tubes= becoming free, yellow, _changing to green
where wounded_. =Stem= bulbous, minutely branny, _brownish-red_, the
bulb sometimes white and attenuated at the base. =Spores= 13×5µ.
Rich woods. New England, _Frost_. _Peck_, Boleti of the U.S.
Leominster, Mass., _C.F. Nixon_, August, 1897; Woodland Cemetery,
Philadelphia, Pa., August, 1897, _McIlvaine_.
=Cap= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 2–2½ in. high, but variable in size. Its
edible qualities are excellent.
=B. lima´tulus= Frost—polished. =Pileus= nearly flat, thin, glabrous,
_viscid when moist_, somewhat polished and shining when dry, rich
yellowish-brown. =Flesh= _reddish in the pileus_, darker in the stem.
=Tubes= depressed around the stem, greenish-yellow, their mouths
yellowish-brown. =Stem= small, subbulbous, colored like the pileus.
=Spores= 12–15×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 1–2.5 in. broad.
Woods. New England, _Frost_.
By the differently-colored tube mouths, this species approaches those of
the next following tribe, but it is placed here because these are not
red or reddish. _Peck_, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. au´ripes= Pk.—yellow-stem. =Pileus= convex, subglabrous,
yellowish-brown, sometimes cracking in areas when old. =Flesh= yellow,
fading to whitish with age. =Tubes= nearly plane, their mouths small,
subrotund, at first stuffed, yellow. =Stem= nearly equal, solid, even or
slightly reticulated at the top, bright yellow, a little paler within.
=Spores= ochraceous-brown tinged with green, 12×5µ.
=Pileus= 3–6 in. broad. =Stem= 3–5 in. long, 8–12 lines thick.
Under mountain laurel, _Kalmia latifolia_. Port Jefferson. July.
The whole plant, except the upper surface of the pileus, is of a
beautiful yellow color. The stem is sometimes more highly colored than
the tubes. The species is referable to the tribe Edules. _Peck_, 50th
Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Mt. Gretna, Pa. August, September, 1898. _McIlvaine._
In mixed woods in which _Kalmia latifolia_ is plentiful. The specimens
found were in its vicinity. The caps are excellent.
=B. leptoceph´alus= Pk. _Gr_—thin; _Gr_—head. =Pileus= thin, broadly
convex or nearly plane, dry, minutely cracked, especially near the
margin, light tawny-brown, sometimes tinged with reddish-brown. =Flesh=
yellowish-white, taste at first mild, then slightly acrid. =Tubes=
subventricose, depressed about the stem, nearly free, dingy
olive-yellow, the mouths small, subrotund. =Stem= nearly equal, enlarged
at the top, solid, glabrous or slightly pruinose-mealy, reticulated
above, colored like the pileus, white within, with a white mycelium at
the base. =Spores= greenish-olivaceous, fusiform, 12.5–17.5µ long, 5–6µ
broad.
=Pileus= 10–12.5 cm. broad. =Stem= 10–12.5 cm. long, 1.2–1.6 cm. thick.
Dry, open woods. July. _Earle._
The reticulation of the upper part of the stem appears to be formed by
the decurrent walls of the tubes. The species belongs to the tribe
Edules. _Peck_, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 25.
Edible.
=B. fra´grans= Vitt.—fragrant. Fasciculate or solitary. =Pileus= 1–4 in.
across, convex, dark-brown or umber-brown, often wavy, slightly
tomentose, margin incurved. =Flesh= very thick, yellowish, sometimes
unchangeable, at others changing to green or blue, and finally becoming
reddish when broken. =Tubes= shortened around the stem and almost free,
½ in. or more long, openings small, roundish, yellow then greenish.
=Stem= at first stout, ovate, usually tapering at the base, then
lengthening and becoming thinner upward, even, variegated with yellow
and red, solid. =Spores= pale-olive, elongato-fusiform, 10–12×4µ.
In woods, under oaks, etc. =Pileus= bronze-brown, sometimes with purple
shades. Often grows in dense clusters, and in this particular differing
from any other British species. Very good for eating. _Massee._
Haddonfield, N.J. Oak woods. August to September, 1894. Mt. Gretna, Pa.,
1898. _McIlvaine._
Solitary. A handsome valuable species which appears to be rare in the
United States. Shade a beautiful bronze. Cap 3–4 in. across. A dozen or
more individuals were found and eaten. Excellent.
=B. frustulo´sus= Pk.—_frustulum_, a small bit. =Pileus= thick, convex
or nearly plane, subglabrous, cracked in areas, white or whitish.
=Flesh= whitish. =Tubes= equal to or a little longer than the thickness
of the flesh of the pileus, depressed about the stem, whitish, becoming
pale brown. =Stem= equal, solid, whitish, reticulated above. =Spores=
15–17×5–6µ.
=Pileus= 3–5 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 6–10 lines thick.
Open grounds and clay banks. Ocean Springs, Mississippi and Akron,
Alabama. May and June. _Underwood._
The deeply cracked surface of the pileus is the most notable feature of
this species. This sometimes is seen even in quite young plants. The
cracked areas are quite unequal in size. The deep chinks with sloping
sides cause them to appear like frusta of polygonal pyramids. In some
specimens the reticulations of the stem extend nearly or quite to its
base, and make the place of the species ambiguous between the Calopodes
and Edules. _Peck_, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, Vol. 24, No. 3.
Mt. Gretna, Pa., September, 1898, on soil over red conglomerate and on
road-sides. _McIlvaine._
The deep cracks in the cap readily distinguish this species. After rains
the caps are frequently slightly dished and widely cracked at margin.
The exposed flesh dries with a fine silky gloss. The caps are excellent.
The tubes and stem should be removed.
=B. cras´sipes= Pk.—thick-footed. (Plate CXVI, fig. 5, p. 420.) =Pileus=
convex or centrally depressed, firm, dry, velvety, brown tinged with
yellow, the wavy or lobed involute margin extending beyond the tubes.
=Flesh= lemon-yellow, unchangeable, taste sweet, odor like that of
yeast. =Tubes= rather short, depressed around the stem, almost free,
yellowish mottled with brown, the mouths minute, stuffed when young.
=Stem= stout, thick, sometimes swollen in the middle and sometimes
bulbous, beautifully reticulated but the reticulations sometimes
disappearing with age, orange-yellow tinged with brown. =Flesh= of a
brighter yellow than that of the pileus.
=Pileus= 5–10 cm. broad. =Stem= 6–8 cm. long, 2.5–3.5 cm. thick.
Oak woods. Mt. Gretna, Pa. August and September. _McIlvaine._
The thick, beautifully reticulated stem, the deep velvety brown color of
the pileus and the yellow color of the flesh serve to distinguish this
species. _Peck_, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 27, January, 1900.
It is one of the best edible mushrooms. I have also found it in New
Jersey.
LU´RIDI.
Stratum of tubes rounded toward the stem and free, their mouths at first
closed and red. =Pileus= compact, then soft, cushion-shaped, the flesh
juicy, changeable. =Stem= stout, at first short, bulbiform, then
elongated and subequal, subreticulated or dotted.
Growing especially in frondose woods. Very poisonous.
In this tribe the tubes and their mouths are differently colored, the
latter being red or some shade of red. By this character the species are
easily distinguished from those of other tribes.
Flesh distinctly changing color where wounded 1
Flesh not at all or scarcely changing color where 7
wounded
1. Flesh white or whitish 2
1. Flesh yellow or yellowish 5
2. Flesh changing to red or violet B. Satanus
2. Flesh changing to blue 3
3. Stem roughened B. alveolatus
3. Stem even 4
4. Stem hairy at the base B. subvelutipes
4. Stem not hairy at the base B. vermiculosus
5. Stem red B. luridus
5. Stem yellow or reddish only at the base 6
6. Pileus purplish-red B. purpureus
6. Pileus gray B. firmus
6. Pileus yellow or yellowish B. magnisporus
7. Pileus blood-red B. Frostii
7. Pileus reddish-tawny or brown B. Sullivantii
_Peck_, Boleti of the U.S.
All authors, up to this date, agree in stating that the species within
this series are poisonous. Experiments made by Smiedeberg and Koppe with
Boletus Satanus developed symptoms closely resembling poisoning by
Amanitæ. Kobert, who made analysis of B. luridus, shows that it contains
muscarine, which is one of the most deadly poisons. Such a mass of
evidence commands respect. It is urged upon finders of these species to
either leave them alone or test them in minute quantities until they
have established their ability to eat them without injury.
I have taken special pains to establish the edibility of B. Satanus and
B. luridus. For fifteen years I have eaten them in quantity when
opportunity afforded, in West Virginia, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. My
family, and my friends in widely separated localities, have partaken
freely of them many times and without discomfort. They are remarkably
fine eating. The same can be said of B. alveolatus, B. purpureus, B.
subvelutipes. I have not seen the other species of this tribe.
I have determined so many of the reputed poisonous species to be
edible, that unless positively authenticated, I do not accept repute
as truth, but carefully test suspicious species upon myself. When sure
there is no danger, I as carefully have them tested by my numerous
under-tasters—male and female.
=B. Sa´tanus= Lenz.—Satanic. =Pileus= convex, _glabrous_, somewhat
gluey, _brownish-yellow or whitish_. =Flesh= whitish, becoming _reddish
or violaceous_ where wounded. =Tubes= free, yellow, their mouths bright
red becoming orange-colored with age. =Stem= thick, ovate-ventricose,
marked above with red reticulations. =Spores= 12×5µ.
=Pileus= 3–8 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long.
Woods. Rare. North Carolina, _Curtis_; New York, _Peck_; California, _H.
and M._, _N.J. Ellis_.
Though mild to the taste, this Boletus is said to be very poisonous, a
character suggestive of the specific name. Fries describes the color of
the spores as earthy-yellow; Smith as rich brown. _Peck_, Boleti of the
U.S.
West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, _McIlvaine_.
Boletus Satanus is sometimes plentiful in spots. Where it luxuriates it
is a rich decoration to the ground, and earth upon upturned-roots upon
which it often grows. It does not live long after reaching maturity, but
decomposes into a putrescent mass.
Its reputation rivals that of the original possessor of its name. But
old proverb sayeth that even “The Devil is not as black as he is
painted.” See remarks heading Luridi.
=B. alveola´tus= B. and C. =Pileus= convex, glabrous, shining, bright
crimson or maroon-color, sometimes paler and varied with patches of
yellow. =Flesh= firm, white, changing to blue where wounded. =Tubes=
_adnate, subdecurrent_, yellow with maroon-colored mouths, the hymenial
surface _uneven with irregular alveolar depressions_. =Stem= very _rough
with the margins of rather coarse subreticular depressions_, the
reticulations bright-red above with yellow stains. =Spores=
yellowish-brown, 12.5–15×4–5µ.
=Pileus= 3–6 in. broad. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, 9 lines thick.
Damp woods. New England, _Frost_. _Peck_, Boleti of the U.S.
West Virginia mountains, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, in mixed woods and on
banks of streams. _McIlvaine._
B. alveolatus appears to be more generally distributed than B. Satanus.
It is not as clannish, though occasionally three or four are found
growing together. When growing from the banks of creeks, or between the
roots of beech and other trees in low places, it is often deformed in
cap and stem. The texture is firm, close and the taste is very pleasant.
It botanically takes its place in this suspected series. I consider it
one of the best Boleti. See remarks heading Luridi.
=B. lu´ridus= Schaeff.—lurid in color. =Pileus= convex, tomentose,
_brown-olivaceous_, then _somewhat viscose_, sooty. =Flesh= yellow,
changing to blue where wounded. =Tubes= free, yellow, becoming greenish,
their mouths round, vermilion, _becoming orange_. =Stem= stout,
vermilion, somewhat orange at the top, _reticulate or punctate_.
=Spores= greenish-gray, 15×9.
=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long.