individual specimens occur, which prove almost as acrid as the _Ag.
emeticus_ itself; my own experience of it in England is, that whether
young or old, it is always acrid when raw.[170] I have never tried
it dressed, which might possibly extract its noxious qualities, as
Vittadini reports to have been the case with a caustic variety which
he subjected to this test; but since even then, on his own showing,
it proved indigestible, I would advise no one to try this species,
especially when there are so many others, the good qualities of which are
known.
It is easy to distinguish _A. alutaceus_ from any of the foregoing
species; to do this it is only necessary to look at the gills, which, in
place of being, as in these, white, watery white, or cream-coloured, are
of a rich buff; _pileus_ about three inches broad, pink or livid olive,
smooth on the surface, and viscid in wet weather; the margin at first
even, but in age striate; the _gills_ broad, equal, slightly forked,
ventricose, free, connected by veins; the _sporules_ rich buff; the
_stem_ one and a half inches long, blunt, surface longitudinally wrinkled
or grooved, solid without, spongy within, varying from white to buff.
_Agaricus emeticus_, Schœffer.
Reports concerning the qualities of this fungus differ widely, some
asserting it to be a most deleterious species, of which the mischief was
not to be removed by cooking, whilst others, on the authority of dogs
whom they persuaded to eat some, pronounced it innoxious. In this state
of uncertainty Vittadini, for the sake of science, and peradventure of
adventure also, determined to test its effects upon himself; he had
previously given at different times large doses, of from six to twelve
ounces, to dogs, both in the crude state and also cooked; but without
result. “Still,” says he,[171] “thinking that though dogs might eat
_Ag. emeticus_ with impunity, it might yet prove injurious to man, I
took five specimens of fair dimensions, and having fried, I ate them
with the usual condiments; but though pains were taken to have them
delicately prepared (_oltimamente cucinati_), they still retained their
acrid bitter taste, and were most distasteful to the palate.” The reader
will be glad to learn, that the only inconvenience suffered by this
bold self-experimentalist was a slight sense of præcordial uneasiness
accompanied with flatulence,—effects attributable entirely, as he
believed, to the rich mode in which his dish was prepared: though, more
timid apparently for others’ safety than his own, he particularly adds,
“though I have clearly established to my own satisfaction, the complete
innocuousness of the _A. emeticus_; still, as there are, or are said to
be, other _Russulæ_ of highly deleterious properties and closely allied,
the mistaking which for it might be paid for by the loss of life, the
safer rule is to abstain from all such as have acrid juices.”
The botanical characters of _Ag. emeticus_ are as follow:—
Pileus more or less rosy, flesh compact, margin striate, epidermis
adherent; _gills_ very brittle, arched in front, attenuated towards
the stalk, connected below by transverse plaits, generally simple, a
few forked, the imperfect gills rounded off behind; the _stalk_, which
is compact, of equal dimensions, and white, is generally more or less
stained with red spots of the same hue as the pileus; in the growing
fungus, where the epidermis has been removed and the flesh eaten by
insects, this soon acquires a tint as lively as that of the skin itself;
generally I have remarked that the erosions of insects and slugs do _not_
produce any change of colour, even in the species notorious under other
circumstances for manifesting such a change; thus the flesh of the _Ag.
rubescens_, which turns red when it is divided, may be frequently seen
half eaten through, exhibiting a white flesh; and the same is the case
with the _Boletus luridus_, the flesh of which, though eroded, remains
white till it is broken through.
_Ag. sanguineus_, Bull.
This fungus, of which the general facies and most of the botanical
characters, as well as the taste and other qualities, are similar to
those of the last-mentioned Agaric, differs from it in having its gills
for the most part forked, many smaller ones being interposed between
those that are entire, also in _not_ having its margin striate, as the
_Ag. emeticus_ when moderately expanded always has. The smell of this
fungus, which is only developed in drying, is, according to Vittadini,
“most agreeable,” resembling that of fresh meal; to me its odour is
unpleasant and like that of sour paste.
_Ag. acris minor._
_Pileus_ one or two inches across, sticky, of a light muddy-pink, the
_epidermis_ peeling off easily and entire from the flesh, margin not
striate, flesh soft, white, and cellular; _gills_ adnate, white, forked,
brittle, slightly ventricose; the margin subdenticulate; the _stalk_ of
spermaceti-whiteness and appearance, solid within, brittle, the internal
texture looser than the external; the surface minutely rugulose, 1¼-1½
inch, by 2-4 lines thick, intensely acrid. In meadows, throughout the
summer; abundant.
AGARICUS OSTREATUS, _Jacq._
PLATE X.
Subgenus PLEUROPUS, Persoon. Subdivision CONCHARIA, _Fries_.
“L’Ag. ostreato viene giustamente per la sua bontà ed innocenza
amesso tra i funghi commestibili, de’ quali è pure permessa la
vendita sulle pubbliche piazze.”—_Vitt._
_Bot. Char._ Cæispitose.[172] _Pileus_ fleshy, smooth, blackish, then
cinereous, at length paler; epidermis strongly adherent, flesh fibrous,
moderately firm; _gills_ anastomosing behind, not glandular, white;
_stem_ sublateral or wanting. On dead trees.[173] Season, spring and
autumn.
As there are some singular differences presented by this fungus in regard
to development, odour, taste, and the colour of the spores, which seem
almost sufficient to entitle it to be divided into two distinct species,
I shall first describe the more ordinary form, as given by Mr. Berkeley,
and then mention the variations from it.
“Imbricated, large; _pileus_ subdimidiate, very thick and fleshy; flesh
white, dusky towards the surface; one inch deep, the border at first
fibrillose; margin involute, as the pileus expands the white fibrillæ
vanish, and the colour changes to bistre; margin paler and rimulose, the
whole surface shining and satiny when dry, soft and clammy when moist;
_gills_ broad, here and there forked,”[174] standing out sharp and erect
like the fine flutings of a column, winding down the stalk to different
lengths, and those that reach the bottom forming there a beautiful
raised meshwork highly characteristic of this species, “_dirty_ (pure?)
white, the edge serrated, umber; _taste_ and _smell_ like that of _Ag.
personatus_, which it resembles somewhat in colour;” “_spores_ white like
those of the _Polyporus suaveolens_.”[175] The points of difference in
those which departed from the ordinary type were as follows:[176]—first,
in specimens growing close together and all equally exposed to the light,
the colour of all at the same period of growth was not the same, being a
delicate waxy-white in some of the specimens, in others, a light-brown.
Secondly, whereas this fungus is generally “invested during infancy
with a _white lanugo or down_,”[177] I observed the young Agarics,
which presented themselves at first as small semitransparent eminences
rising irregularly from a common stalk, and not unlike in appearance
the blisters on a chalcedony, to be thickly coated with a light-blue
varnish in place of it; the dry _débris_ of which varnish continued to
adhere to the surface of the pileus for some time afterwards. Thirdly,
the complexion of the spores, commonly described as _white_, was in these
specimens pale-rose. Fourthly, they exhaled the strong and peculiar
odour of Tarragon; and, finally, in place of being the delicate fungus
at table which in July I had always found it, these specimens afforded
a distasteful food. The _Ag. ostreatus_ resists cold in a remarkable
manner; the circumstance of its being found in winter has procured for
it the trivial name of Gelon. _Ag. ostreatus_ is found on the barks of
many sorts of trees, and wherever it has once been it is apt to recur
frequently afterwards. It may be dressed in any of the more usual ways;
but as the flesh is rather over-solid and tenacious, it is all the better
for being cooked leisurely over a slow fire.
AGARICUS RUBESCENS, _Persoon_.
PLATE XI. FIGS. 3, 4, AND 5.
Subgenus 1. AMANITA.
“Non altrimenti del Cesareo delicato e sano.”—_Vitt._
_Bot. Char._ _Pileus_ covered with warts of different sizes; margins
even, convex, flesh turns obscurely red when cut or bruised, slightly
moist and shining; _gills_ attenuated behind; _stem_ at first stuffed, in
age becoming hollow, bulbous, sometimes scaly; _ring_ wide, marked with
striæ; _spores_ nearly elliptical; _smell_ strong; _taste_ not unpleasant.
This is a very delicate fungus, which grows in sufficient abundance to
render it of importance in a culinary point of view. It makes excellent
ketchup. Cordier reports it as one of the most delicate mushrooms of the
Lorraine; and Roques speaks equally well of it. It generally grows in
woods, particularly of oak and chestnut, both in summer and autumn. No
fungus is more preyed upon than this by mice, snails, and insects.
MORCHELLA ESCULENTA, _Dill._
PLATE XII. FIGS. 6 AND 7.
Tribe 3. MITRATI.
_Morell._
“Sommamente ricercata,”—_Vitt._
Every one knows the Morell, that expensive luxury which the rich are
content to procure at great cost from our Italian warehouses, and
the poor are fain to do without. It is less generally known that
this fungus, though by no means so common with us as some others, (a
circumstance partly attributable to the prevailing ignorance as to
when and where to look for it, or even of its being indigenous to
England,[178]) occurs not unfrequently in our orchards and woods, towards
the beginning of summer. Roques reports favourably of some specimens sent
to him by the Duke of Athol; and others, from different parts of the
country, occasionally find their way into Covent Garden market. The genus
_Morchella_ comprises very few species, and they are all good to eat.
Persoon remarks, that though the Morell rarely appears in a sandy soil,
preferring a calcareous or argillaceous ground, it frequently springs up
on sites where charcoal has been burnt or where cinders have been thrown.
_Morchella esculenta._
_Bot. Char._ _Pileus_ very various in shape and hue, the surface broken
up into little sinuses or cells, made by folds or plaits of the hymenium,
which are more or less salient, and constitute the so-called ribs. These
_ribs_ are very irregular, and anastomose with each other throughout;
the pileus hollow, opening into the irregular hollow stem. _Spores_
pale-yellow.
_Morchella semilibera._
_Bot. Char._ This may be known from the _M. esculenta_ by being, as its
name imports, half free, _i. e._ having the pileus for half its length
detached from the stalk. Spores are pale-yellow. Odour, at first feeble,
becomes stronger in drying. Occurring less frequently than the last, and
much less sapid. Neither of these funguses should be gathered after rain,
as they are then insipid and soon spoil.[179]
M. Roques says the Morell may be dressed in a variety of ways, both fresh
and dry, with butter or in oil, _au gras_ or _à la crême_. The following
receipts for cooking them are from Persoon.
1st. Having washed and cleansed them from the earth which is apt to
collect between the plaits, dry thoroughly in a napkin, and put them
into a saucepan with pepper, salt, and parsley, adding or not a piece of
ham; stew for an hour, pouring in occasionally a little broth to prevent
burning; when sufficiently done, bind with the yolks of two or three
eggs, and serve on buttered toast.
2nd. _Morelles à l’Italienne._—Having washed and dried, divide them
across, put them on the fire with some parsley, scallion, chervil,
burnet, tarragon, chives, a little salt, and two spoonfuls of fine oil.
Stew till the juice runs out; then thicken with a little flour; serve
with bread-crumbs and a squeeze of lemon.
3rd. _Stuffed Morells._—Choose the freshest and whitest Morells, open the
stalk at the bottom; wash and wipe them well, fill with veal stuffing,
anchovy, or any rich _farce_ you please, securing the ends, and dressing
between thin slices of bacon. Serve with a sauce like the last.[180]
HYDNUM REPANDUM, _Linn._
PLATE VIII. FIGS. 3 AND 4.
Subgenus MESOPUS, _Fries_.
“The general use made of this fungus throughout France, Italy,
and Germany leaves no doubt as to its good qualities.”—_Roques._
_Bot. Char._ _Pileus_ fleshy, tawny, red, smoothly tomentose, very
irregular in shape, from two to five inches across, lobed or undulated;
margin vaulted, acute, wavy; flesh white, turning yellow when cut, if
bruised becoming brown-red; _spines_ pale-yellow, unequal, thick-set,
apices canino-denticulate or conical, straight or slightly ungulate;
occasionally bifid; shorter and more obtuse towards the stalk, on
the upper part of which they are somewhat decurrent, leaving small
foraminules when detached; _stem_ at first white, then tawny; two inches
long, solid, of variable thickness (from half an inch to two inches) more
or less flattened, papillated above with the rudiments of spines which
have aborted; _spores_ round, white, _taste_ when raw at first pleasant,
but presently of a saline bitter, like Glauber salts, somewhat peppery,
and _smell_ like that of horse-radish.
This fungus occurs principally in woods, and especially in those of
pine and oak; sometimes solitary, but more frequently in company and
in rings. In Italy (where the spines have procured for it the name of
“Steccherino,” or Hedgehog), it is brought into the market and sold
promiscuously with the Chantarelle, to which in colour and in some other
respects it bears a resemblance. There is no fungus with which this
is likely to be confounded; once seen, it is recognized at a glance
afterwards, and may be gathered fearlessly.
According to Paulet, Persoon, and Vittadini, the _Hyd. repandum_ should
be cooked for a long time, and with plenty of sauce, otherwise, being
deficient in moisture, it is apt to become rather tough; when well stewed
it is an excellent dish, with a slight flavour of oysters; it makes also
a very good _purée_. Vittadini places it among the most delicate of the
funguses of Italy.
FISTULINA HEPATICA, _Fries_.
PLATE XII. FIGS. 1 AND 2.
“Fungus pauperibus esculentus.”—_Schœff._
This fungus, which, in the earlier stages of its development, frequently
resembles very closely a tongue in shape, structure, and general
appearance, presents later a dark, amorphous, grumous-looking mass,
bearing a still more striking likeness to liver. Thus, seen while young,
and just beginning to bud out from the oak,[181] its papillated surface,
regular shape, and clear fibrous flesh make it an object of interest to
many who, introduced to it at an advanced period of growth, can hardly
be brought to believe that the blackened misshapen mass, that looks
like liver, and that deeply stains the fingers with an unsightly red
fluid, can indeed be the same plant. It has, from the earliest-recorded
accounts, been designated by names pointing to these resemblances:
Cesalpinus calls it _Linguæ_; Wallemb, _Buglossus quercinus_; the
vulgar name in Italy is “Lingua quercina,” or “Lingua di castagna.” It
constitutes a genus by itself.
_Bot. Char._ _Pileus_ confluent with the stalk: at first studded on the
upper side with minute papillæ (the rudiments of tubes), which afterwards
disappear; flesh succulent, fibrous, like beetroot in appearance, with
a vinous smell and a slight acid taste; _tubes_ continuous with the
fibres of the receptacle, unequal, very short, small, cylindrical,
ochraceous-rufescent; at first with closed pores, but as they elongate
they become patent; colour at first a dry dusky white, afterwards a
yellowish-red; the whole surface more or less sticky, with a gelatinous
secretion exuding from it; _sporidia_ ochraceous-green, and matured
at different times from the unequal length of the tubes. This fungus
varies in size from that of a small kidney to an irregular mass of many
pounds’ weight, and of several feet in circumference. I recently picked
a specimen which measured nearly five feet round, and weighed upwards of
eight pounds; but this is nothing to one found by Mr. Graves, which, on
the authority of Mr. Berkeley, weighed nearly thirty pounds.
The _Fistulina hepatica_, which Schœffer calls the Poor Man’s fungus,
“fungus pauperibus esculentus,” deserves indeed the epithet if we look
to its abundance, which makes it an acquisition to the labouring class
wherever it is known; but that it is in any other sense fitted for the
poor, or to be eaten by those only who can purchase no other food, is
what I cannot subscribe to. No fungus yields a richer gravy, and though
rather tough, when grilled it is scarcely to be distinguished from
broiled meat. The best way to dress it if old, is to stew it down for
stock, and reject the flesh, but if young, it may be eaten in substance,
plain, or with minced meat; in all cases its succulency is such that
it furnishes its own sauce, which a friend of ours, well versed in the
science of the table, declares each time he eats it to be “undeniably
good.”
In England the _F. hepatica_ grows principally on old oak-trees, and may
be found throughout the summer in great abundance.
AGARICUS ORCELLA,[182] _Bull._
PLATE XI. FIGS. 1 AND 2.
Section MOUCERON, _Fries_.
“Senza dubbio uno de’ migliori funghi indigeni.”—_Vitt._
“Esculentus!”—_Ibid._
This is a very delicate mushroom; it grows either solitary or in company,
and sometimes in rings, succeeding occasionally a crop of _Ag. oreades_
and _Ag. prunulus_ which had recently occupied the same site. Its general
appearance, once recognized, is such as to render the mistaking it for
any other species afterwards unlikely, whilst the least attention to
its botanical characters makes it impossible to do so. Its irregular
lobed pileus with smooth undulated borders, its decurrent gills, and
short solid stem are so many particulars in which at first it might seem
to resemble in outline the _Canth. cib._, with which it has, however,
nothing else in common. It bears a nearer general resemblance to several
of the section _Lactifluus_ of Persoon, but the exudation, or not, of
milk would be conclusive in any doubtful case, to say nothing of its
peculiar smell of cucumber rind, or syringa leaf,[183] in which respect
it resembles no other fungus. The surface is as soft and smooth to the
touch as kid, except in wet weather, when it becomes more or less
sticky; the size, which does not admit of much variation, is from two to
three inches across; whilst young the borders are rolled inwards towards
the gills, the stalk is in the centre, and somewhat enlarged at the
base; but as the fungus grows the borders unroll themselves, one side
grows more rapidly than the other, the stalk becomes, in consequence,
eccentric, and this eccentricity is often rendered greater by a lateral
twist towards the base. The gills, which at first are white, assume later
a pale salmon hue; Berkeley adds that “they are more or less forked,
covered with very minute conical papillæ ending in four spiculæ;” those
that are entire taper away posteriorly and terminate on the stalk, but
the imperfect ones are rounded off midway; the spores are elliptic, and
of the colour of brown-holland.[184]
This mushroom is found occasionally, throughout the summer, but autumn is
the season to look for it, amidst the grass of woods and pastures, where
it abounds. It should be eaten the day it is gathered, either stewed,
broiled, or fried with egg and bread-crumbs, like cutlets. When dried, it
loses much of its volume and acquires “a very sweet smell,”—“un’ aroma
suavissimo” (_Vitt._).
HELVELLA CRISPA, _Fries_.
HELVELLA LACUNOSA, _Afz._
Tribe MITRATI, _Fries_.
“Può essere con vantaggio raccolta ed agli stessi usi delle
spugniole destinata.”—_Vitt._
All _Helvellæ_ are esculent, have an agreeable odour, and bear a general
resemblance in flavour to the _Morell_. The _Helvella crispa_, or pallid
Helvella of Scopoli and Fries, is, it seems, “not uncommon,”[185] and the
_Helvella lacunosa_, or cinereous Helvella of Afzel (on each of whose
heads respectively Sowerby and Schœffer place an _inappropriate_ mitre),
are both indigenous. They are thus succinctly but excellently described
by Mr. Berkeley.
_Helvella crispa_, Fries.
_Bot. Char._ _Pileus_ whitish, flesh-coloured or yellowish, deflexed,
lobed, free, crisped, pallid; _stem_ fistulose, costato-lacunose, 3-5
inches high, snowy-white, deeply lacunose and ribbed, the _ribs_ hollow.
_Helvella lacunosa_, Afzel.
_Bot. Char._ _Pileus_ inflated, lobed, cinereous,[186] lobes deflexed,
adnate, stem fistulose, costato-lacunose; _stem_ white or dusky.
This _Helvella_ is not so common as the last, neither is it so sapid.
They both grow in woods and on the stumps of old trees. Bendiscioli
places them, for flavour, before the _Morell_, but this is not the
general opinion entertained of them.
_Helvella esculenta_, Pers.
PLATE XII. FIGS. 3, 4, AND 5.
_Bot. Char._ _Pileus_ inflated, irregular, undulated, gyroso-rugose, of
a rich dark-brown colour, margin united with the stem; _stem_ white or
dusky. In plantations of fir and chestnut adjoining Weybridge Heath, in
Surrey. It has not yet been found elsewhere in Britain.
VERPA DIGITALIFORMIS, _Persoon_.
PEZIZA ACETABULUM, _Linn._
Tribe CUPULATI.
These funguses are very similar in their properties to the _Helvellæ_;
that is, are not to be despised when one cannot get better, nor to be
eaten when one can. “The _Verpa_,” says Vittadini, “though sold in the
market, is only to be recommended when no other esculent fungus offers,
which is sometimes the case in spring.” The _Peziza acetabulum_ is
utterly insipid, and depends entirely for flavour upon the sauce in
which it is served. As they are rare in England, I shall merely give the
botanical character of each.
_Verpa digitaliformis_, Persoon.
_Pileus_ campanulate, three-quarters of an inch high, more or less
closely pressed to the stem, but always free, wrinkled, but not
reticulated, under side slightly pubescent, _sporidia_ yellowish,
elliptic, _stem_ three inches high, half an inch thick, equal or slightly
attenuated downwards, loosely stuffed, by no means hollow, transversely
squamulose.[187] Season, spring.
_Peziza acetabulum_, Linn. Series _Aleuria_, Section _Helvella_, Fries.
_Bot. Char._ Deeply cup-shaped, two inches broad, one and a half deep,
externally floccose, light-umber, darker within, mouth puckered,
tough; _stem_ half to one inch high, smooth, deeply but irregularly
costato-lacunose, ribs solid “branching at the top and forming
reticulations on the outside of the cup, so as to present the appearance
of a cluster of pillars supporting a font or roof, with fret-work between
them” (_Berkeley_). Season, spring.
POLYPORUS FRONDOSUS, _Schrank_.
PLATE IV. FIG. 1.
There are many species of _Polyporus_ eaten on the Continent; among the
more common kinds to be mentioned are _P. frondosus_ and _P. tuberaster_,
Persoon, _P. corylinus_, Mauri, _P. subsquamosus_, Pers., _P. giganteus_,
ibid., _P. fomentarius_, ibid., which last is the Amadou, or German
tinder fungus. Two of these are local; the _P. tuberaster_, which occurs
principally in the kingdom of Naples, and the _P. corylinus_ or that of
the cob-nut tree, which (though it might perhaps be cultivated elsewhere)
is at present restricted to Rome; both these are excellent for food.
As to the _Polyporus squamosus_, which is as common in England as
abroad, in substance it cannot be masticated, and its expressed juice
is exceedingly disagreeable; I should not think the _P. fomentarius_,
to judge from its texture, promised much better; nor _P. giganteus_, of
which the flesh is sometimes so tough as to creak under the knife.