THE RUSTY-SPORED AGARICS.
The spores are of various shades of ochre yellow, rusty, rusty-brown,
brown, yellowish-brown. The hymenophore is never free from the stem in
the rusty-spored series, nor is there a volva.
_Pholiota. Fr._
Pholiota, a scale. The members of this genus have rusty spores. These
may be sepia-brown, bright yellowish-brown or light red. There is no
volva, but there is a ring which is sometimes persistent, friable, and
fugacious. In this respect it corresponds with the Armillaria among the
white spored agarics. The pileus is fleshy. The gills are attached to
the stem and sometimes notched with a decurrent tooth, tawny or rusty in
color on account of the falling of the spores. Many species grow on
wood, logs, stumps, and branches of trees, although others grow on the
ground.
_Pholiota precox. Pers._
THE EARLY PHOLIOTA. EDIBLE.
[Illustration: Figure 209.--Pholiota precox. Two-thirds natural size.
Caps whitish, often tinged with yellow.]
_Precox, early._ Pileus is fleshy, soft, convex, then expanded, at
length smooth, even, margin at first incurved; moist but not sticky,
whitish, often with slight tinge of yellow or tan-color; when the plant
is fully matured it is often upturned and fluted.
The gills are attached to the stem and slightly decurrent by a tooth,
moderately broad, crowded, unequal, creamy white, then rusty-brown.
Spores brownish, 8-13x6-7u.
The stem is stuffed, then hollow, often striate above the ring, rather
slender, sometimes mealy, skin peeling readily, whitish. The spores are
rusty-brown and elliptical. The caps are from one to two inches broad,
and the stem is from two to three inches long. The veil is stretched
like a drumhead from the stem to the margin of the cap. It varies in
manner of breaking; sometimes it separates from the margin of the cap
and forms a ring around the stem; again, but little remains on the stem
and much on the rim of the cap.
It appears every year on the Chillicothe high school lawn. The gills are
creamy-white when the cap first opens, but they soon turn to a
rusty-brown. It comes in May. I have never found it after June. I am
always delighted to find it for it is always appetizing at that season.
Look for them on lawns and pastures and in grain fields.
_Pholiota dura. Bolt._
THE HARD PHOLIOTA. EDIBLE.
[Illustration: Figure 210.--Pholiota dura. One-half natural size. Caps
tawny tan-color.]
Dura, hard; so called because the surface of the cap becomes quite hard
and cracked. The pileus is from three to four inches or more broad, very
compact, convex, then plane, cuticle often very much cracked, margin
even, tawny, tan-color, sometimes quite brown.
The gills are firmly attached to the stem, somewhat decurrent with a
tooth, ventricose, livid, then a brown rusty color. Spores elliptical,
8-9x5-6u.
The stem is stuffed, hard, externally fibrous, thickened toward the
apex, sometimes ventricose, often irregularly shaped.
On June 6th, 1904, I found Mr. Dillman's garden on Hickory street,
Chillicothe, white with this plant. Some were very large and beautiful
and I had an excellent opportunity to observe the irregularity in the
form of the stem. Some years previous I found a garden in Sidney, Ohio,
equally filled. In the fall of 1905 I was asked to drive out about seven
miles from Chillicothe to see a wheat-field, the last of October, that
was white with mushrooms. I found them to be of this species.
Only the young plants should be used, as the older ones are a bit tough.
_Pholiota adiposa. Fr._
THE FAT OR PINEAPPLE PHOLIOTA. EDIBLE.
[Illustration: Figure 211.--Pholiota adiposa. Two-thirds natural size.
Caps saffron-yellow.]
Adiposa is from _adeps_, fat. The pileus is showy, deep-yellow, compact,
convex, obtuse, slightly umbonate, quite viscid when moist, shining when
dry; cuticle plain or broken into scales which are dark-brown, the
margin incurved; the flesh is saffron-yellow, thick at the center and
thinning out toward the margin.
The gills are firmly attached to the stem, sometimes slightly notched,
close, yellow, then rust-color with age. Spores elliptical, 7x3u.
The stem is equal, stuffed, tough, thickening at the base, brown below
and yellow above, quite scaly.
The beautiful appearance of the tufts or clusters in which the Pineapple
Pholiotas grow will attract the attention of an ordinarily unobservant
beholder. The scales on the cap seem to contract and rise from the
surface and sometimes disappear with age. The caps of mushrooms should
not ordinarily be peeled before cooking, but it is better to peel this
one.
The ring is slight and the specimens represented here were found on a
stump in Miss Effie Mace's yard, on Paint Street, Chillicothe.
_Pholiota Caperata. Pers._
THE WRINKLED PHOLIOTA. EDIBLE.
Caperata means wrinkled.
[Illustration: Plate XXXI. Figure 212.--Pholiota caperata.]
The pileus is three to four inches broad, fleshy, varying from a clay to
a yellowish color, at first somewhat egg-shaped, then expanded, obtuse,
wrinkled at the sides, the entire cap and especially at the center is
covered with a white superficial flocci.
The gills are adnate or attached to the stem, rather crowded, this,
somewhat toothed on their edges, clay-cinnamon color. Spores elliptical,
12x4.5u.
The stem is four to five inches long, solid, stout, round, somewhat
bulbous at the base, white, scaly above the ring, which is often very
slight, often only a trace, as will be seen on the left hand plant in
Figure 212.
The spores are dark ferruginous when caught on white paper, but paler on
dark paper.
The white superficial flocci will mark the plant. It has a wide
distribution throughout the states. I found it in a number of places in
Ohio and it is quite plentiful about Chillicothe. It is a favorite in
Germany and it is called by the common people "Zigeuner," a Gypsy.
It is found in September and October.
_Pholiota unicolor. Fl. Dan._
[Illustration: Figure 213.--Pholiota unicolor. Natural size.]
Unicolor means of one color.
The pileus is campanulate to convex, subumbonate, hygrophanous, bay,
then ochre, nearly even, never fully expanded.
The gills are subtriangular, adnate, seceding, broad,
ochraceous-cinnamon. Spores 9-10x5u.
The stem is stuffed, then hollow, colored as the pileus, nearly smooth,
ring thin but entire.
They are a late grower and found on well-decayed logs. They are quite
common in our woods. Found in November. The plants in Figure 213 were
found on the 24th of November, in Haynes' Hollow.
_Pholiota mutablis. Schaff._
THE CHANGEABLE PHOLIOTA. EDIBLE.
Mutablis means changeable, variable. The pileus two to three inches
broad, fleshy; deep cinnamon when moist, paler when dry; margin rather
thin, transparent; convex, then expanded, sometimes obtusely umbonate,
and sometimes slightly depressed; even, quite smooth, flesh whitish and
taste mild.
The gills are broad, adnate, slightly decurrent, close, pale umber, then
cinnamon-color.
The stem is two to three inches long, slender, stuffed, becoming hollow,
smooth above or minutely pulverulent, and pale, below slightly scaly up
to the ring, and darker at the base, ring membranaceous, externally
scaly. The spores are ellipsoid, 9-11x5-6u.
I find this specimen growing in a caespitose manner on decayed wood. It
is quite common here late in the season. I found some very large
specimens on Thanksgiving day, 1905, in Gallia County, Ohio. It is one
of the latest edible plants.
_Pholiota heteroclita. Fr._
BULBOUS-STEMMED PHOLIOTA.
[Illustration: Figure 214.--Pholiota heteroclita. Natural size. Caps
whitish or yellowish.]
Heteroclitus means leaning to one side, out of the center.
The pileus is three to six inches broad, compact, convex, expanded, very
obtuse, rather eccentric, marked with scattered, innate, adpressed
scales, whitish or yellowish, sometimes smooth when dry, viscid if
moist.
The gills are very broad, at first pallid, then ferruginous, rounded,
adnexed.
The stem is three to four inches long, solid, hard, bulbous at the base,
fibrillose, white or whitish; veil apical, ring fugacious,
appendiculate. The spores are subelliptical, 8-10x5-6u.
This species has a strong and pungent odor very much like horse-radish.
It grows on wood and its favorite hosts are the poplar and the birch. It
is found at almost any time in the fall. The specimens in the Figure 214
were found in Michigan and photographed by Dr. Fischer, of Detroit.
_Pholiota aurevella. Batsch._
GOLDEN PHOLIOTA.
Aurevella is from _auri-vellus_, a golden fleece.
The pileus is two to three inches in diameter, bell-shaped, convex,
gibbous, tawny-yellow, with darker scales, rather viscid.
The gills are crowded, notched behind, fixed, very broad, plane, pallid
olive, at length ferruginous.
The stem is stuffed, nearly equal, hard, various in length, curved, with
rusty adpressed squamules, ring rather distant. On trunks of trees in
the fall, generally solitary. Not very common.
_Pholiota curvipes. Fr._
Curvipes, with a curved foot or stem. Pileus is rather fleshy, convex,
then expanded, torn into adpressed floccose scales.
The gills are adnate, broad, white, then yellowish, at length tawny.
The stem is somewhat hollow, thin, incurved (from which it derives its
name), fibrillose, yellow, as well as is the floccose ring. Spores
6-7x3-4. _Cooke._
I found several specimens of this species at different times on one well
rotted beech log on Ralston's Run, but was unable to find it on any
other log in any woods near Chillicothe. I had trouble to place it till
Prof. Atkinson helped me out. I found it from August to November.
_Pholiota spectabilis. Fr._
THE SHOWY PHOLIOTA.
Spectabilis, of notable appearance, worth seeing. The pileus is compact,
convex, then plane, dry, torn into silky scales disappearing toward the
margin, golden orange color, flesh yellow.
The gills are adnexed, rounded near the stem, slightly decurrent,
crowded, narrow, yellow, then ferruginous.
The stem is solid, three to four inches high, quite thick, tough,
spongy, thickened toward the base, even, bulbous, somewhat rooting. Ring
inferior. I found the specimens in October and November. It may grow
earlier. Found on decayed oak stumps.
_Pholiota marginata. Batsch._
THE MARGINATE PHOLIOTA. EDIBLE.
[Illustration: Figure 215.--Pholiota marginata. Two-thirds natural size.
Caps honey-colored and tan-colored.]
Marginata means edged, margined; so called from the peripheral striae of
the pileus.
The pileus is rather fleshy, convex, then plane, smooth, moist, watery,
striate on the margin, honey-colored when moist, tan-colored when dry.
The gills are firmly attached to the stem, crowded, unequal; when
mature, of a dark reddish-brown from the shedding of the spores. Spores
7-8x4u.
The stem is cylindrical, smooth, hollow, of the same color as the
pileus, covered with a frost-like bloom above the ring, which is distant
from the apex of the stem and frequently disappears entirely.
It is quite common, being found on nearly every rotten log in our woods.
It comes early and lasts till late in the fall. The caps are excellent
when well prepared.
_Pholiota aegerita. Fr._
AEgerita is the Greek name for the black poplar; so called because it
grows on decayed poplar logs. The pileus is fleshy, convex, then plane,
more or less checked or rivulose, wrinkled, tawny, edge of the cap
rather pale.
The gills are adnate, with a decurrent tooth, rather close, pallid, then
growing darker.
The stem is stuffed, equal, silky-white, ring superior, fibrillose,
tumid. Spores 10x5u.
Found in October and November, in the woods wherever there are decayed
poplar logs.
_Pholiota squarrosoides. Pk._
LIKE THE SCALY PHOLIOTA. EDIBLE.
[Illustration: Figure 216.--Pholiota squarrosoides. Two-thirds natural
size. Caps yellow or yellowish.]
Squarrosoides means like Squarrosa. The pileus is quite firm, convex,
viscid, especially when moist; at first densely covered with erect
papillose or subspinose tawny scales, which soon separate from each
other, revealing the whitish or yellowish color of the cap and its
viscid character.
The gills are close, emarginate, at first whitish, then pallid or dull
cinnamon color.
The stem is equal, firm, stuffed, rough, with thick squarrose scales,
white above the thick floccose annulus, pallid or tawny below. The
spores are minute, elliptical, .0002 inch long, .00015 inch broad.
They grow in tufts on dead trunks and old stumps, especially of the
sugar maple. They closely resemble P. squarrosa. Found late in the fall.
Its favorite haunt is the inside of a stump or within the protection of
a log.
_Pholiota squarrosa. Mull._
THE SCALY PHOLIOTA. EDIBLE.
[Illustration: _Photo by C. G. Lloyd._
Plate XXXII. Figure 217.--Pholiota squarrosa.]
Squarrosa means scaly. The pileus is three to four inches broad, fleshy,
bell-shaped, convex, then expanded; obtusely umbonate, tawny-yellow,
clothed with rich brown scales; flesh yellow near the surface.
The gills are attached to the stem, with a decurrent tooth, at first
yellowish, then of a pale olive, changing to rusty-brown in color,
crowded, and narrow. The spores are elliptical, 8x4u.
The stem is three to six inches high, saffron yellow, stuffed, clothed
with small fibers, scaly like the pileus, attenuated at the base from
the manner of its growth. The ring is close to the apex, downy, rich
brown, inclining to orange in color.
This is quite a common and showy mushroom. It is found on rotten wood,
on or near stumps, growing out from a root underground, and is often
found at the foot of trees. Only the caps of the young specimens should
be eaten. It is found from August to late frost.
_Inocybe. Fr._
Inocybe is from two Greek words meaning fiber and head; so called from
the fibrillose veil, concrete with the cuticle of the pileus, often free
at the margin, in the form of a cortina. The gills are somewhat sinuate,
though they are sometimes adnate, and in two species are decurrent;
changing color but not powdered with cinnamon. Spores are often rough
but in other specimens are even, more or less brownish rust-color.
_Stevenson._
_Inocybe scaber. Mull._
ROUGH INOCYBE. NOT EDIBLE.
Scaber means rough. The pileus is fleshy, conical, convex, obtusely
gibbous, sprinkled with fibrous adpressed scales; margin entire,
grayish-brown.
The gills are rounded near the stem, quite crowded, pale dingy-brown.
The stem is solid, whitish or paler than the pileus, clothed with small
fibers, equal, veiled. The spores are elliptical, smooth, 11x5u.
It is found on the ground in damp woods. Not good.
_Inocybe lacera. Fr._
THE TORN INOCYBE.
Lacera means torn. The pileus is somewhat fleshy, convex, then expanded,
obtuse, umbonate, clothed with fibrous scales.
The gills are free, broad, ventricose, white, tinged with red,
light-gray. Spores are obliquely elliptical, smooth, 12x6u.
The stem is slender, short, stuffed, clothed with small fibers, naked
above, reddish within.
Found on the ground where the soil is clayish or poor. Not good.
_Inocybe subochracea Burtii. Peck._
[Illustration: Figure 218.--Inocybe subochracea Burtii. Natural size.]
This is a very interesting species. It is thus described by Dr. Peck:
"Veil conspicuous, webby fibrillose, margin of the pileus more
fibrillose; stem longer and more conspicuously fibrillose. The well
developed veil, and the longer stem, are the distinguishing characters
of this variety."
The plants are found in mossy patches on the north hillsides about
Chillicothe. The pale ochraceous yellow and the very fibrillose caps and
stem will attract the attention of the collector at once. The caps are
one to two and a half inches broad and the stem is two to three inches
long.
_Inocybe subochracea. Peck._
Pileus thin, conical or convex, sometimes expanded, generally umbonate,
fibrillose squamulose, pale ochraceous-yellow.
The gills are rather broad, attached, emarginate, whitish, becoming
brownish-yellow.
The stem is equal, whitish, slightly fibrillose, solid. _Peck._
This is a small plant from one to two inches high whose cap is scarcely
over an inch broad. It grows in open groves where the soil is sandy. It
is found on Cemetery Hill from June to October.
_Inocybe geophylla, var. violacea. Pat._
[Illustration: Figure 219.--Inocybe geophylla, var. violacea.]
This is a small plant and has all the characteristics of Inocybe
geophylla excepting color of cap and gills.
The pileus is an inch to an inch and a half broad, hemispherical at
first, then expanded, umbonate, even, silky-fibrillose, lilac, growing
paler in age.
The gills are adnexed, lilac at first, then colored by the spores.
Spores 10x5.
The stem equal, firm, hollow, slightly violaceous.
This plant grows in September in mixed woods among the dead leaves. Its
bright violet color will arrest the attention at once.
_Inocybe dulcamara. A. & S._
[Illustration: Figure 220.--Inocybe dulcamara.]
Dulcamara means bitter-sweet. The pileus is an inch to an inch and a
half in diameter, rather fleshy, convex, umbonate, pilosely-scaly.
The gills are arcuate, ventricose, pallid olivaceous.
The stem is somewhat hollow, fibrillose and squamulose from the veil,
farinaceous at the apex. Spores 8-10x5u.
Found from July to September, in grassy places.
_Inocybe cincinnata. Fr._
[Illustration: Figure 221.--Inocybe cincinnata. Two-thirds natural size.
Caps scaly, dark or grayish-brown.]
Cincinnata means with curled hair. This is quite an interesting little
plant. It is found on Cemetery Hill, in Chillicothe, under the pine
trees and along the walks where there is but little grass. It is
gregarious and quite a hardy plant.
The pileus is fleshy, convex, then plane, quite squarrosely scaly,
somewhat dark or grayish-brown.
The gills are grayish-brown with a tinge of violet at times; adnexed,
rather close, ventricose.
The stem is solid, slender, scaly, somewhat lighter than the pileus. The
spores are 8-10x5u.
This plant seems to be a late grower. I did not find it till about the
15th of October and it continued till the last of November. I had found
two other species on the same hill earlier in the season. No Inocybes
are good to eat.
_Inocybe pyriodora. Pers._
Pyriodora, smelling like a pear. The pileus is one to two inches broad,
quite strongly umbonate, at first conical, expanded, covered with
fibrous adpressed scales, in old plants the margin turned up, smoky or
brown-ochre becoming pale.
The gills are notched at the stem, not crowded, dingy-white, becoming
nearly cinnamon-brown, somewhat ventricose.
The stem is two to three inches long, stuffed, firm, equal, pale, apex
pruinose, veil very fugacious. Flesh tinged with red.
Common in the woods in September and October. The plant is not edible.
_Inocybe rimosa. Bull._
THE CRACKED INOCYBE.
Rimosa, cracked. The pileus is one to two inches broad, shining, satiny,
adpressed fibrillose, brown-yellow, campanulate, then expanded,
longitudinally cracked.
The gills are free, somewhat ventricose, at first white, brownish-clay
color.
The stem is one to two inches high, distant from the pileus, solid,
firm, nearly smooth, bulbous, mealy white above. Spores smooth,
10-11x6u.
I. eutheles differs from this species in being umbonate; I. pyriodora in
its strong smell. Many plants will often be found in one place in open
woods or in cleared places. Their radiately cracked pilei, with the
inner substance showing yellow through the cracks, will help to
distinguish the species. Found from June to September.
_Hebeloma. Fr._
Hebeloma is from two Greek words meaning youth and fringed. Partial veil
fibrillose or absent. Pileus is smooth, continuous, somewhat viscid,
margin incurved. The gills are notched adnate, edge of different color,
whitish. The spores clay-color. All found on the ground.
_Hebeloma glutinosum. Linn._
Glutinosum, abounding in glue. The pileus is one to three inches broad,
light-yellow, the disk darker, fleshy, convex, then plane, covered with
a viscid gluten in wet weather; flesh is white, becoming yellow.
The gills are attached to the stem, notched, slightly decurrent,
crowded, pallid, light yellow, then clay-color. Spores elliptical,
10-12x5u.
The stem is stuffed, firm, somewhat bulbous, covered with white scales,
and mealy at the top. There is a partial veil in the form of a cortina.
Found among leaves in the woods. In wet weather the gluten is abundant.
While it is not poisonous it is not good.
_Hebeloma fastibile. Fr._
OCHREY HEBELOMA. POISONOUS.
Fastibilis means nauseous, disagreeable; so called from its pungent
taste and smell.
The pileus is one to three inches across, convex, plane, wavy, viscid,
smooth, pale yellowish-tan, margin involute and downy.
The gills are notched, rather distant, pallid, then cinnamon;
lachrymose.
The stem is two to four inches long, solid, subbulbous, white, fibrous
scaly, sometimes twisted, often becoming hollow, veil evident. The
spores are pip-shaped, 10x6u.
The odor is much the same as in H. crustuliniforme but it differs in
having a manifest veil and more distant gills. Found in woods from July
to October.
_Hebeloma crustuliniforme. Bull._
THE RING HEBELOMA. NOT EDIBLE.
Crustuliniforme means the form of a cake or bun.
The pileus is convex, then expanded, smooth, somewhat viscid, often
wavy, yellowish-red, quite variable in size.
The gills are notched, thin, narrow, whitish then brown, crowded, edge
crenulate, and with beads of moisture.
The stem is solid, or stuffed, firm, subbulbous, whitish, with minute
white recurved flecks.
It is found in woods or about old sawdust piles. The plants sometimes
grow in rings. September to November.
_Hebeloma pascuense. Pk._
[Illustration: Figure 222.--Hebeloma pascuense. Natural size. Caps
chestnut-color.]
Pascuense, pertaining to pastures; referring to its habitat.
The pileus is convex, becoming nearly plane, viscid when moist,
obscurely innately fibrillose; brownish-clay, often darker or rufescent
in the center, the margin in the young plant slightly whitened by the
thin webby veil; the margin of the cap more or less irregular, flesh
white, the taste mild, odor weak.
The gills are close, rounded behind, adnexed, whitish, becoming pale
ochraceous.
The stem is short, firm, equal, solid, fibrillose, slightly mealy at the
top, whitish or pallid.
The spores are pale ochraceous, subelliptical. I found the plants in
Figure 222 on Cemetery Hill late in November. It is a very low plant,
growing under the pine trees and keeping close to the walks. The
whitened margin of the young plant is a very good ear-mark by which to
know this species.
_Pluteolus. Fr._
Pluteolus means a small shed. It is the diminutive of _pluteus_, a shed
or penthouse, from its conical cap.
The pileus is rather fleshy, viscid, conical or campanulate, then
expanded; margin at first straight, adpressed to the stem. Stem somewhat
cartilaginous, distinct from the hymenophore. Gills free, rounded
behind.
_Pluteolus reticulatus. Pers._
Reticulatus means made like a net; from _rete_, a net, so called from
the net-like appearance of veins on the cap.
The pileus is slightly fleshy, campanulate, then expanded,
rugoso-reticulate, viscid, margin striate, pale violaceous.
The gills are free, ventricose, crowded, saffron-yellow, to ferruginous.
The stem is one to two inches long, hollow, fragile, fibrillose,
inclined to be mealy at the top, white.
I have found only a few plants of this species in our state. It seems to
be rare. The anastomosing veins on the cap and its pale violaceous color
will mark the species. I have always found it on decayed wood. Captain
McIlvaine speaks of finding it in quantities on the stems of fallen
weeds and says it was tender and of fine flavor. September.
_Galera. Fr._
Galera means a small cap. The pileus is more or less bell-shaped, margin
straight, at first depressed to the stem, hygrophanous, almost even,
atomate when dry, more or less membranaceous.
The gills are attached to the stem or with a decurrent tooth, as in
Mycena.
The stem is cartilaginous, hollow, confluent with, but different in
texture from the cap. The veil is often wanting, but when present is
fibrous and fugacious. The spores are ochraceous ferruginous.
_Galera hypnorum. Batsch._
THE MOSS-LOVING GALERA.
Hypnorum means of mosses; from _hypna_, moss.
The pileus is membranaceous, conic, campanulate, smooth, striate, watery
when moist, pale when dry, cinnamon.
The gills are attached to the stem, broad, rather distant,
cinnamon-colored, whitish on the edge.
The stem is slender, wavy, same color as the pileus, pruinose at the
apex. This plant is very like G. tenera, only much smaller, and of a
very different habitat. Found in mosses from June to October.
_Galera tenera. Schaeff._
THE SLENDER GALERA. EDIBLE.
[Illustration: _Photo by C. G. Lloyd._
Figure 223.--Galera tenera.]
Tenera is the feminine form of _tener_, slender, delicate.
The pileus is somewhat membranaceous, at first cone-shaped, partially
expanded, bell-shaped, hygrophanous, ochraceous when dry.
The gills are attached to the stem, crowded, rather broad, ascending,
cinnamon-brown, the edges whitish, sometimes slightly serrate.
The stem is straight, hollow, fragile, rather shining; three to four
inches long, equal or sometimes inclined to thicken downward, of nearly
the same color as the pileus. The spores are elliptical and a dark
rust-color, 12-13x7u.
You will frequently meet a variety whose cap and stem are quite
pubescent but whose other characteristics agree with G. tenera. Prof.
Peck calls it G. tenera var. pilosella.
Found in richly manured lawns and pastures. It is quite common. The
caps, only, are good.
_Galera lateritia. Fr._
THE BRICK-RED GALERA. EDIBLE.
Lateritia means made of brick, from _later_, a brick; so called because
the caps are brick-colored.
The pileus is somewhat membranaceous, cone-shaped, then bell-shaped,
obtuse, even, hygrophanous, rather pale yellow when wet, ochraceous when
dry.
The gills are almost free, adnexed to the top of the cone, linear, very
narrow, tawny or ferruginous.
The stem is three to four inches long, hollow, slightly tapering upward,
straight, fragile, white pruinose, whitish. Spores are elliptical,
11-12x5-6u.
This plant resembles G. ovalis, from which it can be distinguished by
its linear ascending gills and the absence of a veil.
Found on dung and in richly manured pastures, from July to frost.
_Galera Kellermani. Pk. sp. nov._
[Illustration: Figure 224.--Galera Kellermani. Showing young plants.]
[Illustration: Figure 225.--Galera Kellermani. Showing older plants.]
Kellermani is named in honor of Dr. W. A. Kellerman, Ohio State
University.
The pileus is very thin, subovate or subconic, soon becoming plane or
nearly so; striatulate nearly to the center when moist, more or less
wavy and persistently striate on the margin when dry, minutely granulose
or mealy when young, unpolished when mature, often with a few scattered
floccose squamules when young, and sometimes with a few slight fragments
of a veil adhering to the margin which appears as if finely notched by
the projecting ends of the gills; watery-brown when moist, grayish-brown
when dry, a little darker in the center; taste slight, odor faint, like
that of decaying wood.
The gills are thin, close, adnate, a delicate cinnamon-brown becoming
darker with age. The stem is two and a half to four cm. long, slender,
equal, or slightly tapering upward; finely striate, minutely scurvy or
mealy, at least when young; hollow, white. The spores are brownish
ferruginous with a faint pinkish tint in mass, elliptic, 8-12x6-7u.
_Peck._
Dr. Peck says the distinguishing features of this species are its
broadly expanded or plane grayish-brown pileus, with its granulose or
mealy surface, its persistently striate margin, and its very narrow
gills becoming brownish with age. I have seen the plant growing in the
culture beds in the greenhouse of the Ohio State University. It is a
beautiful plant. Plants of all ages are shown in Figures 224 and 225.
_Galera crispa. Longyear._
[Illustration: Figure 226.--Galera crispa. Natural size. Cap
ochraceous-brown.]
Crispa means crisped; the specific name is based on the peculiar
character of the gills which are always crisped as soon as the pileus is
expanded.
The pileus is 1.5 to 3.5 cm. broad, membranaceous, persistently
conico-campanulate, subacute, uneven and somewhat rivulose,
ochraceous-brown on disk, lighter toward the margin which becomes
crenulate and upturned in older specimens; slightly pruinose at first,
rugulose and a little paler when dry.
The gills are adnexed, not crowded, rather narrow, interspersed with
anastomosing veins; much crisped; at first nearly white, then becoming
ferruginous from the spores.
The stem is 7 to 10 cm. long, tapering from a somewhat bulbous base,
yellowish-white, pruinose at base, hollow, fragile. The spores are
8-10u broad, 12-16u long. _Longyear._
They are found in grass on lawns and in pastures, June and July.
Dr. Peck, to whom specimens were referred, suggested that they may be a
variety of G. lateritia, unless the peculiar character of the gills
proved to be constant. Prof. Longyear has found the plant frequently in
Michigan and it was found by him in the City Park, Denver, Col., in
July, 1905.
Its distinguishing characteristic is sufficiently constant to make the
recognition of the species a matter of ease. The plants in Figure 226
were photographed by Prof. B. O. Longyear.
_Galera ovalis. Fr._
THE OVAL GALERA.
The pileus is somewhat membranaceous, oval or bell-shaped, even, watery,
dusky-rust color, somewhat larger than G. tenera.
The gills are almost free, ventricose, very broad, rust-colored.
The stem is straight, equal, slightly striate, nearly of the same color
as the cap, about three inches long. Found in pastures where stock has
been. I have found it in the Dunn pasture, on the Columbus pike, Ross
County, O.
_Crepidotus. Fr._
_Crepidotus_ is from a Greek word meaning a slipper. The spores are dark
or yellowish-brown. There is no veil. The pileus is excentric, dimidiate
or resupinate. The flesh is soft. The stem is lateral or wanting, when
present it is continuous with the cap. They generally grow on wood.
_Crepidotus versutus. Pk._
[Illustration: Figure 227.--Crepidotus versutus. Natural size. Caps pure
white.]
This is a very modest little plant growing on the underside of rotten
logs or bark, thus, no doubt, escaping the attention of many. Sometimes
it may be found growing from the side of a log, in which case it grows
in a shelving form. When growing under the log the upper side of the
cap is against the wood and it is said to be resupinate.
The pileus is kidney-form, quite small, thin, pure white, covered with a
soft whitish down.
The gills are radiate from the point of attachment of the cap, not
crowded, whitish, then ferruginous from the spores.
_Crepidotus mollis. Schaeff._
SOFT CREPIDOTUS.
The pileus is between subgelatinous and fleshy; one to two inches broad;
sometimes solitary, sometimes imbricated; flaccid, even, smooth,
reniform, subsessile, pallid, then grayish.
The gills are decurrent from base, crowded, linear, whitish then watery
cinnamon. The spores are elliptical, ferruginous, 8-9x5-6u.
This species is widely distributed and quite common on decayed logs and
stumps, from July to October.
_Naucoria. Fr._
Naucoria, a nut shell. The pileus is some shade of yellow, convex,
inflexed, smooth, flocculent or scaly. The gills are attached to the
stem, sometimes nearly free, never decurrent. The stem is cartilaginous,
confluent with the cap but of a different texture, hollow or stuffed.
The veil is absent or sometimes small traces may be seen attached to the
rim of the pileus, in young plants in the form of flakes. The spores are
of various shades of brown, dull or bright. They grow on the ground on
lawns and rich pastures. Some on wood.
_Naucoria hamadryas. Fr._
THE NYMPH NAUCORIA. EDIBLE.
Hamadryas, one of the nymphs whose life depended upon the tree to which
she was attached.
The pileus is one to two inches broad, rather fleshy, convex, expanded,
gibbous, even, bay-ferruginous when young and moist, pale yellowish when
old.
The gills are attenuated, adnexed, almost free, rusty, slightly
ventricose, somewhat crowded.
The stem is hollow, equal, fragile, smooth, pallid, two to three inches
long. The spores are elliptical, rust-color, 13-14x7u.
This is quite a common species, often growing alone along pavements,
under shade trees, and in the woods. The caps only are good. Found from
June to November.
_Naucoria pediades. Fr._
THE TAN-COLORED NAUCORIA. EDIBLE.
[Illustration: _Photo by C. G. Lloyd._
Figure 228.--Naucoria pediades. Natural size.]
Pediades is from a Greek word meaning a plain or a field, referring to
its being found on lawns and pastures.
The pileus is somewhat fleshy, convex, then plane, obtuse or depressed,
dry, finally opaque, frequently inclined to be minutely rivulose.
The gills are attached to the stem but not adnate to it, broad,
subdistant, only a few entire brownish, then a dingy cinnamon.
The stem is pithy or stuffed, rather wavy and silky, yellowish, base
slightly bulbous. The spores are of a brownish-rust color, 10-12x4-5u.
If the small bulb at the base of the stem is examined, it will be found
to be formed chiefly of mycelium rolled together around the base. It is
found on lawns and richly manured pastures from May to November. Use
only the caps. This plant is usually known as semiorbicularis.
_Naucoria paludosella. Atkinson n. sp._
[Illustration: Plate XXXIII. Figure 229.--Naucoria paludosella.
Showing mode of growth, clay-brown scales on the caps.]
Paludosella is a diminutive of _palus_, gen. paludis, a swamp or marsh.
Plants six to eight cm. high; pileus two and a half to three cm. broad;
stem three to four mm. thick.
Pileus viscid when moist, convex to expanded, in age somewhat depressed;
clay color, darker over center, often with appressed clay brown scales
with a darker color.
Gills raw umber to Mars brown (R), emarginate, adnate sometimes with a
decurrent tooth, easily becoming free.
Cystidia on sides of gills none, edge of gills with large, hyaline,
thin-walled cells, subventricose, sometimes nearly cylindrical,
abruptly narrowed at each end with a slight sinus around the middle.
Spores subovate to subelliptical, subinequilateral, smooth, 7-9x4-5u,
fuscous ferruginous, dull ochraceous under microscope.
Stem same color as pileus but paler, cartilaginous; floccose from loose
threads or, in some cases, abundant threads over the surface; becoming
hollow, base bulbous, the extreme base covered with whitish mycelium.
Veil rather thick, floccose, disappearing, leaving remnant on stem and
margin of pileus when fresh. _Atkinson._
Dr. Kellerman and I found this plant growing on living sphagnum, other
mosses and on rotten wood on Cranberry Island, in Buckeye Lake, Ohio.
Figure 229 will illustrate its mode of growth, and the older plant with
upturned cap will show the conspicuous clay-brown scales of the pileus.
The plants are found in September and October.
_Flammula. Fr._
Flammula means a small flame; so called because many of the species have
bright colors. The spores are ferruginous, sometimes light yellow. The
cap is fleshy and at first usually inrolled, bright colored; veil
filamentous, often wanting. The gills are decurrent or attached with a
tooth. The stem is fleshy, fibrous, and of the same character as the
cap.
The species of the Flammula are mostly found on wood. A few are found on
the ground.
_Flammula flavida. Schaeff._
THE YELLOW FLAMMULA.
Flavida means yellow.
The pileus is fleshy, convex, expanded, plane, equal smooth, moist,
margin at first inrolled.
The gills are firmly attached to the stem, yellow, turning slightly
ferruginous.
The stem is stuffed, somewhat hollow, fibrillose, yellow, ferruginous at
the base.
These plants are of a showy yellow, and are frequently found in our
woods on decayed logs. They are found in July and August.
_Flammula carbonaria. Fr._
THE VISCID FLAMMULA.
[Illustration: Figure 230.--Flammula carbonaria.]
Carbonaria is so called because it is found on charcoal or burned earth.
The pileus is quite fleshy, tawny-yellow, at first convex, then becoming
plane, even, thin, viscid, margin of the cap at first inrolled, flesh
yellow.
The gills are firmly attached to the stem, clay-colored or brown,
moderately close.
The stem is stuffed or nearly hollow, slender, rigid, squamulose,
pallid, quite short.
The spores are ferruginous-brown, elliptical, 7x3.5u.
I have found this species quite frequently where an old stump had been
burned out. It is gregarious. I have only found it from September to
November but the specimens in Figure 230 were sent to me in May, from
Boston. They were found in great abundance in Purgatory Swamp, where the
grass and vegetation had been burned away.
_Flammula fusus. Batsch._
Fusus means a spindle; so called from the spindle-shaped stem.
The pileus is compact, convex, then expanded, even, rather viscid,
reddish-tan, flesh yellowish.
The gills are somewhat decurrent, pallid yellow, becoming ferruginous.
The stem is stuffed, firm, colored like the pileus, fibrillose, striate,
attenuated and somewhat fusiform, rooting. The spores are broadly
elliptical, 10x4u.
Found on well-decayed logs or on ground made up largely of decayed wood.
Found from July to October.
_Flammula fillius. Fr._
The pileus is two to three inches broad, even, smooth, with rather
viscid cuticle, pale orange-red with the disc reddish.
The gills are attached to the stem, arcuate, rather crowded, white, then
pallid or tawny-yellow.
The stem is three to five inches long, hollow, smooth, pallid, reddish
within. The spores are elliptical, 10x5u.
Found on the ground in the woods from July to October.
_Flammula squalida. Pk._
[Illustration: Figure 231.--Flammula squalida.]
The pileus is one to one and a half inches broad, fleshy, convex, or
plane, firm, viscose, glabrous, dingy-yellowish or rufescent, flesh
whitish but in color similar to the pileus under the separate cuticle.
The gills are rather broad, adnate, pallid, becoming dark ferruginous.
The stem is one and a half to three inches long, one to two lines thick,
slender, generally flexuose, hollow fibrillose, pallid or brownish,
pale-yellow at the top when young; spores are brownish-ferruginous,
.0003 inch long, .00016 broad. _Peck._
It is found in bushy and swampy places. Dr. Peck says it is closely
related to F. spumosa. Its dingy appearance, slender habit, more uniform
and darker color of the pileus, and darker color of the lamellae. It
grows in groups. The plant in Figure 231 was found in Purgatory Swamp,
by Mrs. Blackford. Found in August and September.
_Paxillus. Fr._
Paxillus means a small stake or peg. The spores as well as the entire
plant are ferruginous. The pileus, with an involute margin, gradually
unfolds. It may be symmetrical or eccentric. The stem is continuous with
the hymenophore. The gills are tough, soft, persistent, decurrent,
branching, membranaceous, usually easily separating from the
hymenophore.
The distinctive features of this genus are the involute margin and the
soft, tough, and decurrent gills which are easily separable from the
hymenophore. Some grow on the ground, others grow on stumps and sawdust.
_Paxillus involutus. Fr._
[Illustration: _Photo by C. G. Lloyd._
Figure 232.--Paxillus involutus.]
Involutus means rolled inward. The pileus is two to four inches broad,
fleshy, compact, convex, plane, then depressed; viscid when moist, the
cap being covered with a fine downy substance, so that when the margin
of the cap unrolls the marks of the gills are quite prominent; yellowish
or tawny-ochraceous, spotting when bruised.
The gills are decurrent, branched; anastomosing behind, near the stem;
easily separating from the hymenophore.
The stem is paler than the pileus, fleshy, solid, firm, thickened
upward, brown spotted.
The flesh is yellowish, changing to reddish or brownish when bruised.
The spores are rust-colored and elliptical, 8-10u. It is found on the
ground and decayed stumps. When found on the side of a decayed stump or
a moss-covered log the stem is usually eccentric, but in other cases it
is generally central.
It will be found around swampy places in an open woods. I found quite
large specimens around a swamp in Mr. Shriver's woods near Chillicothe,
but they were too far gone to photograph. It is edible but coarse. It
appears from August to November. Some authors call it the Brown
Chantarelle.
_Paxillus atrotomentosus. Fr._
[Illustration: Figure 233.--Paxillus atrotomentosus.]
Atrotomentosus is from _ater_, black, and _tomentum_, woolly or downy.
The pileus is three to six inches 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, tinged with brown under the cuticle.
The gills are attached to the stem, slightly decurrent, crowded,
branched at the base, yellowish-tawny, interspaces venose.
The stem is two to three inches long, stout, solid, elastic, eccentric
or lateral, rooting, covered except at the apex with a dark-brown
velvety down. The spores are elliptical, 5-6x3-4u.
I found the specimen in Figure 233 at the foot of an old pine tree on
hillside at Sugar Grove, Ohio. I found the plant frequently at Salem,
Ohio. It grows where the pine tree is a native. It is not poisonous. I
do not regard it as very good. Found during August and September.
_Paxillus rhodoxanthus. Schw._
THE YELLOW PAXILLUS. EDIBLE.
[Illustration: Figure 234.--Paxillus rhodoxanthus. Two-thirds natural
size. Cap reddish-yellow or chestnut-brown. Gills yellow.]
Rhodoxanthus means a yellow rose. The pileus is one to two inches broad,
convex, then expanded, cushion-shaped, the epidermis of the cap often
cracked showing the yellow flesh, resembling very much Boletus
subtomentosus; reddish-yellow or chestnut-brown. The flesh is yellow and
the cap dry.
The gills are decurrent, somewhat distant, stout, chrome yellow,
occasionally forked at the base; anastomosing veins quite prominent, the
cystidia being very noticeable.
The stem is firm, stout, of the same color as the cap, perhaps paler and
more yellow at the base. The spores are oblong, yellow, 8-12x3-5u.
This is one of the most troublesome plants whose genus we have to
settle. One of my mycological friends advised me to omit it from the
genus altogether. It has been placed in various genera, but I have
followed Prof. Atkinson and classed it under Paxillus. The plant is
widely distributed. I find it frequently about Chillicothe. It is
edible. Found in August, September and October. A full discussion of the
plant will be found in Prof. Atkinson's book.
_Cortinarius. Fr._
Cortinarius is from _cortina_, a curtain, alluding to a cobwebby veil
seen only in the comparatively young plants. Sometimes, parts of it will
seem more substantial, remaining for a time on the margin of the cap or
on the stem. The color of the pileus varies and its flesh and that of
the stem are continuous. The hymenophore and the gills are continuous.
The gills are attached to the stem, frequently notched, membranaceous,
persistent, changing color, dry, powdery, with rusty-yellow spores which
drop slowly. The veil and gills are the chief marks of distinction. The
former is gossamer-like and separate from the cuticle, and the latter
are always powdered. It is always essential to note the color of the
gills in the young plant, since color is variable and sometimes shows
only the slightest trace on the stem, colored from the falling spores.
Most authorities divide the genus into six tribes, from the appearance
of the pileus. They are as follows:
I. Phlegmacium, meaning a shiny or clammy moisture. The pileus has a
continuous pellicle, viscid when moist, stem dry, veil spider-webby.
II. Myxacium, meaning mucus, slime; so called from the glutinous veil.
The pileus is fleshy, glutinous, rather thin; the gills are attached to
the stem, slightly decurrent; the stem is viscid, polished when dry,
slightly bulbous.
III. Inoloma, meaning a fibrous fringe; from _is_, genitive _inos_, a
fibre; and _loma_, a fringe.
The pileus is fleshy, dry, not hygrophanous or viscid, silky with innate
scales; the gills may be violaceous, pinkish-brown, yellow at first,
then in all cases cinnamon-color from the spores; the stem is fleshy and
somewhat bulbous; veil simple.
IV. Dermocybe, meaning a skinhead; from _derma_, skin, and _cybe_, a
head.
The pileus thin and fleshy, entirely dry, at first clothed with silky
down, becoming smooth in mature plants. The gills are changeable in
color. The stem is equal or tapering downward, stuffed, sometimes
hollow, smooth.
V. Telamonia, meaning a bandage or lint. The pileus is moist, watery,
smooth or sprinkled with whitish superficial fibres, the remnants of the
web-like veil. The flesh is thin, somewhat thicker at the center. The
stem is ringed and frequently scaly from the universal veil, slightly
veiled at the apex, hence almost with a double veil. The plants are
usually quite large.
VI. Hydrocybe, meaning water-head or moist head. The pileus is moist,
not viscid, smooth or sprinkled with a whitish superficial fibril, flesh
changing color when dry, and rather thin. The stem is somewhat rigid and
bare. Veil thin, fibrillose, rarely forming a ring. Gills also thin.
TRIBE I. PHLEGMACIUM.
_Cortinarius purpurascens. Fr._
THE PURPLISH CORTINARIUS. EDIBLE.
Purpurascens means becoming purple or purplish; so named because the
blue gills become purple when bruised.
The pileus is four to five inches broad, bay-brown, viscid, compact,
wavy, spotted when old; often depressed at the margin, sometimes bending
back; the flesh blue.
The gills are broadly notched, crowded, bluish-tan, then cinnamon-color,
becoming purplish when bruised.
The stem is solid, bulbous, clothed with small fibres, blue, very
compact, juicy; becoming purplish when rubbed. The spores are
elliptical, 10-12x5-6u.
This is one of the delicious mushrooms to eat, the stem cooking tender
as readily as the caps. I found it in Tolerton's woods, Salem, Ohio, and
in Poke Hollow near Chillicothe. September to November.
_Cortinarius turmalis. Fr._
THE YELLOW-TAN CORTINARIUS. EDIBLE.
Turmalis means of or belonging to a troop or a squadron, turma; so
called because occurring in groups, and not solitary.
The pileus is two to four inches broad, viscid when wet,
ochraceous-yellow, smooth, discoid, flesh soft; veil extending from the
margin of the cap to the stem in delicate arachnoid threads, best seen
in young plants.
The gills are emarginate, decurrent, depending upon the age of the
plant; crowded, somewhat serrated, whitish at first, then
brownish-ochraceous-yellow. The remnants of the veil will usually show
above the middle of the stem as a zone of minute striae, darker than the
stem.
I found specimens on Cemetery Hill under pine trees. September to
November.
_Cortinarius olivaceo-stramineus. Kauff. n. Sp._
Olivaceo-stramineus means an olive straw-color.
Pileus 4-7 cm. broad, viscid from a glutinous cuticle, broadly convex,
slightly depressed in the center when expanded; margin incurved for some
time; pale-yellow with an olivaceous tinge, slightly rufous-tinged when
old; smooth or silky-fibrillose, disk sometimes covered with minute
squamules, shreds of the partial veil attached to the margin when
expanded. Flesh very thick, becoming abruptly thin toward the margin,
white, dingy-yellowish in age, soon soft and spongy. Gills rather
narrow, 7 mm. broad, sinuate-adnexed, whitish at first, then pale
cinnamon, crowded, edge serratulate and paler. Stem 6-8 cm. long, with
a slight bulb when young, from whose margin arises the dense partial
veil; white and very pruinate above the veil, which remains as dingy
fibrils stained by the spores; spongy and soft within, becoming somewhat
hollow. Veil white with an olive tinge. Spores, 10-12x5.5-6.5u,
granular within, almost smooth. Odor agreeable.
Kauffman says this resembles C. herpeticus, except that the gills when
young are never violet-tinged.
I found this plant in Poke Hollow, near Chillicothe. It was unknown to
me and I sent it to Dr. Kauffman of Michigan University to determine. I
found it under beech trees, during October and November.
_Cortinarius varius. Fr._
THE VARIABLE CORTINARIUS. EDIBLE.
_Varius--Variable_, so called because it varies in stature, its color
and habit are unchangeable. The pileus is about two inches broad;
compact, hemispherical, then expanded; regular, slightly viscid, thin
margin at first incurved, sometimes with fragments of the web-like veil
adhering.
The gills are notched, thin, crowded, quite entire, purplish, at length
clay-colored or cinnamon.
The stem is solid, short, covered with threads, whitish, bulbous, from
one and a half to two and a half inches long.
The plant is quite variable in size but constant in color. It is found
in woods. I found specimens at Salem, Ohio, and at Bowling Green, Ohio.
September to November.
_Cortinarius caerulescens. Fr._
THE AZURE-BLUE CORTINARIUS. EDIBLE.
Caerulescens, azure-blue. Pileus fleshy, convex, expanded, even, viscid,
azure-blue, flesh soft, not changing color when bruised.
The gills are attached to the stem, slightly rounded behind, crowded,
quite entire, at first of a pure dark blue, then rusty from the spores.
The stem is solid, attenuated upward, firm, bright violet, becoming
pale, whitish, bulb growing less with age, fibrillose from vein. Spores
elliptical. Neither the flesh nor the gills change color when bruised.
This fact distinguishes it from C. purpurascens. When young the entire
plant is more or less blue, or bluish-purple, and the color never
entirely leaves the plant. In age it becomes somewhat spotted with
yellow. The flesh is a little tough and needs to be stewed for some
time. Found in Whinnery's woods, Salem, Ohio. September to October.
TRIBE II. MYXACIUM.
_Cortinarius collinitus. Fr._
THE SMEARED CORTINARIUS. EDIBLE.
[Illustration: Figure 235.--Cortinarius collinitus. One-half natural
size. Caps purplish-brown, also showing veil.]
Collinitus means smeared. The pileus is at first hemispherical, convex,
then expanded, obtuse; smooth, even, glutinous, shining when dry;
purplish when young, later brownish; at first incurved.
The gills are attached to the stem, rather broad, dingy-white or
grayish-tan when young, then cinnamon.
The stem is solid, cylindrical, viscid or glutinous when moist,
transversely cracking when dry, whitish or paler than the cap. The
spores are elliptical, 12x6u. I found this species in Tolerton's woods,
Salem, Ohio, St. John's woods, Bowling Green, Ohio, also on Ralston's
Run near Chillicothe, where the specimens in Figure 235 were found. Both
cap and stem are covered with a thick gluten. They grow, with us, in
woods among leaves. The young plant has a development peculiar to
itself. The cap varies greatly in color. The flesh is white or whitish.
The peculiar bluish-white gills of the young plant will attract
attention at once. It is found from September to November.
TRIBE III. INOLOMA.
_Cortinarius autumnalis. Pk._
THE FALL CORTINARIUS. EDIBLE.
[Illustration: Figure 236.--Cortinarius autumnalis. Two-thirds natural
size. Cap a dull rusty-yellow, also showing bulbous stem.]
Autumnalis pertaining to fall. The pileus is fleshy, convex or expanded,
dull rusty-yellow, variegated, or streaked with innate rust-colored
fibrils.
The gills are rather broad, with a wide, shallow emargination.
The stem is equal, solid, firm, bulbous, a little paler than the pileus.
The height is three to four inches, breadth of pileus two to four
inches. _Peck._
The plant was named by Dr. Peck because it was found late in the fall. I
found the plant on several occasions in September, 1905. It grew very
sparingly in a mixed woods on a north hillside.
_Cortinarius alboviolaceus. Pers._
THE LIGHT VIOLET CORTINARIUS. EDIBLE.
[Illustration: Figure 237.--Cortinarius alboviolaceus. The caps are
violet.]
Alboviolaceus means whitish-violet.
The pileus is two to three inches broad, fleshy, rather thin, convex,
then expanded, sometimes broadly subumbonate; smooth, silky, whitish,
tinged with lilac or pale violet.
The gills are generally serrulate, whitish-violet, then cinnamon-color.
The stem is three to four inches long, equal or tapering upward, solid,
silky, white, stained with violet, especially at the top, slightly
bulbous, the bulb gradually tapering into the stem. Spores, 12x5-6u.
_Peck's_ Report.
Sometimes the stem has a median ring-like zone, being violet above the
zone and white below. The spider-like veil shows very plainly in the
specimen on the left in Figure 237. In the plant on the right is shown
the tapering stem from the base to the apex. These plants were found in
Poke Hollow, September 21st. They are quite abundant there and elsewhere
about Chillicothe. They are very good but not equal in flavor to C.
violaceus. They are found in mixed woods. September to frost.
_Cortinarius lilacinus. Pk._
THE LILAC-COLORED CORTINARIUS. EDIBLE.
The pileus is two to three inches broad, firm, hemispherical, then
convex, minutely silky, lilac-color.
The gills are close, lilac, then cinnamon.
The stem is four to five inches long, stout, bulbous, silky-fibrillose,
solid, whitish, tinged with lilac. Spores nucleate, 10x6u. _Peck._
I have found this plant in but one place near Chillicothe. In Poke
Hollow on a north hillside I have found a number of rare specimens. All
were identified by Dr. Kauffman of Michigan University. All were found
under beech trees within a very small radius. September and October.
_Cortinarius bolaris. Fr._
THE COLLARED CORTINARIUS.
The pileus is fleshy, obsoletely umbonate, growing pale, variegated with
saffron-red, adpressed, innate, pilose scales.
The gills are subdecurrent, crowded, watery cinnamon.
The stem is two to three inches long, at first stuffed, then hollow,
nearly equal, squamose.
Found under beech trees. Only occasionally found here.
_Cortinarius violaceus. Fr._
THE VIOLET CORTINARIUS. EDIBLE.
[Illustration: Figure 238.--Cortinarius violaceus. Two-thirds natural
size. Caps dark violet. Stems bulbous. Gills violet.]
Violaceus, violet color. The pileus is convex, becoming nearly plane,
dry, adorned with numerous persistent hairy tufts or scales; dark
violet.
The gills are rather thick, distant, rounded, or deeply notched at the
inner extremity; colored like the pileus in the young plant,
brownish-cinnamon in the mature plant.
The stem is solid, clothed with small fibres; bulbous, colored like the
pileus. The spores are slightly elliptical.
The Violet Cortinarius is a very beautiful mushroom and one easy of
recognition. At first the whole plant is uniformly colored, but with age
the gills assume a dingy ochraceous or brownish-cinnamon hue. The cap is
generally well formed and regular, and is beautifully adorned with
little hairy scales or tufts. These are rarely shown in figures of the
European plant, but they are quite noticeable in the American plant,
and should not be overlooked. The flesh is more or less tinged with
violet. _Peck._ 50th Rep. N. Y. State Bot.
No one can fail to recognize this plant. The web-like veil in the young
plant, the bulbous stem, and the violet tinge throughout will readily
distinguish it. It grows in rich hilly country. It grows solitary, and
in open woods.
TRIBE IV. DERMOCYBE.
_Cortinarius cinnamoneus. Fr._
THE CINNAMON CORTINARIUS. EDIBLE.
[Illustration: Figure 239.--Cortinarius cinnamoneus. Two-thirds natural
size. Caps cinnamon-brown. Stems yellow.]
The pileus is thin, convex, nearly expanded, sometimes nearly plane,
sometimes slightly umbonate, sometimes the pileus is abruptly bent
downward; dry, fibrillose at least when young, often with concentric
rows of scales on the margin, cinnamon-brown, flesh yellowish.
The gills are thin, close, firmly attached to the stem, slightly
notched, decurrent with a tooth, becoming easily separated from the
stem, shining, yellowish, then tawny-yellow.
The stem is slender, equal, stuffed or hollow, thin, clothed with small
fibres, yellow, as is also the flesh. The spores are elliptical. This
plant is so called because of its color, the entire plant being of a
cinnamon-color. Sometimes there are cinnabar stains on the pileus. It
seems to grow best under pine trees, but I have found it in mixed woods.
My attention was called to it by the little Bohemian boys picking it
when they had been in this country but a few days and could not speak a
word of English. It is evidently like the European species. There is
also a Cortinarius that has blood-red gills. It is var. semi-sanguineus,
Fr. July to October.
The plants in Figure 239 were found on Cemetery Hill, Chillicothe, O.
_Cortinarius ochroleucus. Fr._
THE PALLID CORTINARIA.
[Illustration: Figure 240.--Cortinarius ochroleucus. Two-thirds natural
size, showing veil and bulbous form of stem.]
Ochroleucus, meaning yellowish and white, because of the color of the
cap. The pileus is an inch to two and a half inches broad, fleshy;
convex, sometimes somewhat depressed in the center, often remaining
convex; dry; on the center finely tomentose to minutely scaly, sometimes
the scales are arranged in concentric rows around the cap; quite fleshy
at the center, thinning out toward the margin; the color is a creamy to
a deep-buff, considerably darker at the center.
The gills are attached to the stem, clearly notched, somewhat
ventricose; in mature plants, somewhat crowded, not entire, many short
ones, pale first, then clay-colored ochre.
The stem is three inches long, solid, firm, often bulbous, tapering
upward, often becoming hollow, a creamy-buff.
The veil, quite beautiful and strongly persistent, forms a cortina of
the same color as the cap but becoming discolored by the falling of the
spores. In Figure 240 the cortina and the bulbous form of the stem will
be seen.
Found along Ralston's Run. In beech woods from September to November.
[Illustration: Figure 241.--Cortinarius ochroleucus. Two-thirds natural
size, showing the developed plant.]
TRIBE V. TELAMONIA.
_Cortinarius Morrisii. Pk._
[Illustration: Figure 242.--Cortinarius Morrisii.]
Morrisii is named in honor of George E. Morris, Ellis, Mass.
Pileus fleshy, except the thin and at length reflexed margin; convex,
irregular, hygrophanous, ochraceous or tawny-ochraceous; flesh thin,
colored like the pileus; odor weak, like that of radishes.
The gills are broad, subdistant, eroded or uneven on the edge; rounded
behind, adnexed, pale-yellow when young, becoming darker with age.
The stem is nearly equal, fibrillose, solid, whitish or pale-yellow and
silky at the top, colored like the pileus below and fibrillose;
irregularly striate and subreticulate, the double veil whitish or
yellowish-white and sometimes forming an imperfect annulus.
The spores are tawny-ochraceous, subglobose or broadly elliptic,
nucleate, 8-10u long, 6-7u broad. _Peck._
Pileus 3-10 cm. broad; stem 7-10 cm. long, 1-2 cm. thick.
They require moist and shady places and the presence of hemlock trees.
They are found from August to October. The plants in Figure 242 were
found near Boston by Mrs. E. B. Blackford.
_Cortinarius armillatus. Fr._
THE RED-ZONED CORTINARIUS. EDIBLE.
[Illustration: Figure 243.--Cortinarius armillatus. Two-thirds natural
size, showing the rings on the stem.]
Armillatus means ringed; so called because the stem is banded with one
or more rings, or red bands. The pileus is two to four inches broad,
fleshy, not compact, bell-shaped, then expanded, soon innately
fibrillose and torn into scales, smooth when young, reddish-brick-color,
margin thin, flesh dingy-pallid.
The gills are very broad, distant, adnate, slightly rounded, pallid,
then dark-cinnamon.
The stem is fairly long, solid, bulbous, whitish, with two or three red
zones, somewhat fibrillose. The spores 10x6u.
This is a very large and beautiful Cortinarius and it has such a number
of striking ear marks that it can be easily recognized. The thin and
generally uneven margin of the pileus and the one to four red bands
around the stem, the upper one being the brightest, will distinguish
this species from all others. It is found in the woods in September and
October. In quite young specimens the collector will notice two well
defined arachnoid veils, the lower one being much more dense. Prof.
Fries speaks of them as follows: "Exterior veil woven, red, arranged in
2-4 distant cinnabar zones encircling the stem; partial veil continuous
with the upper zone, arachnoid, reddish-white." The specimens in Figure
243 were collected in Michigan and photographed by Dr. Fischer of
Detroit. A number of this species form a prize for the table.
_Cortinarius Atkinsonianus. Kauff._
[Illustration: Figure 244.--Cortinarius Atkinsonianus. Caps waxy-yellow,
bulbous stem, spider-like veil.]
Atkinsonianus is named in honor of Prof. Geo. F. Atkinson.
The pileus is 8 cm. broad, expanded, _wax-yellow_ or _gallstone-yellow_
to _clay-colored and tawny_ (Ridg.), colors very striking and sometimes
several present at once; viscid, smooth, even, somewhat shining when
dry. Flesh thick, except at margin, bluish-white like the stem, or
paler, scarcely or not at all changing when bruised.
The gills are comparatively narrow, 6-8 mm., width uniform except near
outer end, adnate, becoming slightly sinuate, _purplish_ to yellow, then
cinnamon.
The stem is _violaceus-blue_, 8 cm. long, 12-15 mm. thick, equal or
slightly tapering upward, bulbous by a rather thick, marginate bulb 3
cm. thick, hung with fibrillose threads of the universal veil, which is
a beautiful pale-yellow and clothes the bulb even at maturity;
violaceous-blue within, solid. Spores 13-15ux7-8.5u, _very
tubercular_. _Kauff._
The specimens in Figure 244 were found in Poke Hollow near Chillicothe.
I have found them on several occasions. They are edible and of very good
flavor. Found from September to frost. The specimens illustrate the
spider-like veil that gives rise to the genus.
_Cortinarius umidicola. Kauff._
[Illustration: Figure 245.--Cortinarius umidicola. One-half natural
size. Caps pinkish-buff.]
Umidicola means dwelling in moist places. Pileus as much as 16 cm. broad
(generally 6-7 cm. when expanded), hemispherical, then convex and
expanded, with the margin for a long time markedly incurved; young cap
heliotrope-purplish with umber on disk, or somewhat fawn-colored, fading
very quickly to pinkish-buff, in which condition it is usually found;
margin when young with narrow strips of silky fibrils from the
universal veil; pileus when old covered with innate, whitish, silky
fibrils, hygrophanous; surface punctuate, even when young. Flesh of stem
and pileus lavender when young but soon fading to a sordid white, thick
on disk, abruptly thin towards margin, soon cavernous from grubs. The
gills are very broad, as much as 2 cm.; at first lavender, soon very
pale-tan to cinnamon; rather distant, thick, emarginate with a tooth; at
first plane, then ventricose; edge slightly serratulate, concolorous.
Stem as much as 13 cm. long (usually 8 to 10 cm.), 1-2 cm. thick,
usually thickened below and tapering slightly upwards, mostly thicker
also at apex, rarely attenuate at the base, sometimes curved, always
stout, solid, lavender above the woven, sordid white, universal veil,
which at first covers the lower part as a sheath, but soon breaks up so
as to leave a band-like annulus half way or lower down on the stem. The
annulus is soon rubbed off, leaving a bare stem. Cortina
violaceous-white. Spores 7-9x5-6, almost smooth. _Kauffman._
The specimens in Figure 245 were gathered at Detroit, Michigan, and
photographed by Dr. Fischer. They grow in groups in damp places,
preferring hemlock trees.
_Cortinarius croceocolor. Kauff. sp. nov._
SAFFRON-COLORED CORTINARIUS. (TELAMONIA.)
Croceocolor means saffron-colored.
Pileus 3-7 cm. broad, convex then expanded, saffron-yellow, with dense,
dark-brown, erect squamules on disk; whole surface has a velvety
appearance and feel, scarcely hygrophanous, even; flesh of pileus
yellowish-white, rather thin except on disk, slightly hygrophanous,
scissile.
Gills cadmium-yellow (Ridg.), moderately distant, rather thick,
emarginate, rather broad, 8-9 mm., width uniform except in front where
they taper quickly to a point.
Stem 4-8 cm. long, tapering upwards from a thickened base, _i.e._,
clavate-bulbous, 9-15 mm. thick below, peronate three-fourths of its
length by the crome-yellow to saffron veil, paler above the veil, solid,
saffron-colored within, hygrophanous, soon dingy; attached to strands of
yellowish mycelium. Spores subspheroid to short elliptical,
6.5-8x5.5-6.5u, echinulate when mature.
Found under beech trees in Poke Hollow near Chillicothe. Found in
October.
_Cortinarius evernius. Fr._
[Illustration: Figure 246.--Cortinarius evernius.]
Evernius comes from a Greek word meaning sprouting well, flourishing.
The pileus is one to three inches broad, rather thin, between
membranaceous and fleshy, at first conical, becoming bell-shaped, and
finally expanded, very slightly umbonate, everywhere covered with silky,
adpressed veil, usually purplish-bay when smooth, brick-red when dry,
then pale ochraceous when old, at length cracked and torn into fibrils,
very fragile, flesh thin and colored like the pileus.
The gills are attached to the stem, quite broad, ventricose, somewhat
distant, purplish-violet, becoming pale, finally cinnamon.
The stem is three to five inches long, equal or attenuated downwards,
often slightly striate, soft, violaceous, scaly from the remains of the
white veil. The spores are elliptical, granular, 10x7u.
They grow in damp pine woods. The specimens in the photograph were
gathered in Purgatory Swamp near Boston, and sent to me by Mrs.
Blackford. They are found in August and September.
TRIBE VI. HYDROCYBE.
_Cortinarius castaneus. Bull._
THE CHESTNUT-COLORED CORTINARIUS. EDIBLE.
[Illustration: Figure 247.--Cortinarius castaneus. Two-thirds natural
size.]
Castaneus, a chestnut. The pileus one inch or more broad, at first quite
small and globose, with a delicate fibrillose veil, which makes the
margin appear silvery; dark-bay or dirty-violet, often with a tawny
tint; soon expanded, broadly umbonate, pileus often cracked on the
margin and slightly upturned.
The gills are fixed, rather broad, somewhat crowded, violet-tinged, then
cinnamon-brown, ventricose. Spores, 8x5u.
The stem is one to three inches high, inclined to be cartilaginous,
stuffed, then hollow, even, lilac-tinged at the top, white or whitish
below the veil, the whole stem beautifully fibrillose, veil white.
This plant is very abundant on Cemetery Hill, growing under pine trees.
The caps are small, but they grow in such profusion that it would not be
difficult to secure enough for a meal. They compare very favorably with
the Fairy Ring mushroom in flavor. They have little or no odor. Found in
October and November.