Chapter 5

+Cap+ of a grayish-green color. It is 2 to 4 inches broad, dry and broken up into small warts, the margin straight, obtuse, even; flesh white. +Stem+ 2 inches long and ½ inch thick, solid, spongy inside, firm, white, sometimes marked with lines (rivulose.) +Gills+ free, whitish, narrowed toward the stem, somewhat crowded, sometimes equal and forked, with a few shorter ones between. It is easily distinguished by the dull green pileus, being without a cuticle, and scaly in the form of patches. It is found in woods in July and September. We have not seen a specimen of R. virescens, so have used Stevenson’s description. Edible, taste mild.

+RUSSULA FURCATA = a fork.+ +The Forked Russula.+

+Cap+ from 3 to 5 inches broad, of an olive green color, sometimes greenish umber, covered with a silky bloom, fleshy, gibbous, then plano-depressed and funnel-shaped, cuticle here and there separable; margin at first inflexed, then spreading. Flesh firm, thick, white. +Stem+ 2 to 3 inches long, solid, firm, stout, white. +Gills+ adnato-decurrent, thick, distant, broad, narrowed at both ends, often forked, white. Our specimen was 5 inches broad, and the margin slightly striate, and when the cuticle was removed it was purplish underneath. It was found in August, in woods. Poisonous, taste bitter.

MUSHROOMS WITH WHITE COLORED CAP.

+AMANITA VIROSA = poison.+ +The Poisonous Amanita.+

+Cap+ shining white, from 2½ to 4 inches broad, fleshy, at first conical and acute, afterward bell-shaped and expanded, viscous in wet weather, shining when dry, margin even, sometimes unequal, spreading and inflexed, flesh white. +Stem+ 4 to 6 inches long, wholly stuffed, almost solid, split up into lengthwise fibrils, cylindrical from a bulbous base, surface torn into scales, springing from a loose, thick, wide volva which bursts open at apex. +Ring+ large, loose, silky, splitting into pieces. +Gills+ free, thin, a little broader toward margin, crowded, not decurrent, though the stem is sometimes striate. This is a poisonous species, but striking in appearance from the shining white of the whole fungus. Found in the woods in August.

+AMANITA PHALLOIDES = appearance, phallus-like.+ +The Death Cup.+

This species is considered the most deadly of all the poisonous mushrooms, and yet it is one of the most beautiful. We place it in the section of white-colored mushrooms, though the cap is sometimes tinged with light yellow and delicate green. +Cap+ 2 to 4 inches broad, ovate, campanulate, then spreading, obtuse, with a cuticle, sticky in moist weather, rarely sprinkled with one or two fragments of the volva, the margin regular, even. +Stem+ 3 to 5 inches long, ½ inch thick, solid, bulbous and tapering upward, smooth, white. +Ring+ superior, reflexed, slightly striate, swollen, white. Volva more or less buried in the ground, bursting open in a torn manner at the apex, with a loose border. +Gills+ free, ventricose, 4 lines broad, shining white. This species, as well as A. virosa, has a fetid odor when kept. We found it oftener than any other species of Amanita.

+AMANITA NITIDA = to shine.+ +The Shining Amanita.+

+Cap+ whitish, 3 to 4 inches broad, somewhat compact, at first hemispherical, covered with angular, adhering warts, which become a dark color (fuscous.) It is dry, shining, the margin even; flesh white. +Stem+ 3 inches long, 1 inch thick, solid, firm, with a bulb-shaped base, scaly, white. +Ring+ superior, thin, torn, slightly striate, covered with soft weak hairs beneath, which at length disappear. +Gills+ free, crowded, wide, nearly ½ inch broad, ventricose, shining white. This was also found in August. There is nothing more beautiful than these white poisonous Amanitas.

+LEPIOTA NAUCINOIDES = a nut shell.+ +The Smooth Lepiota.+

+Cap+ a clear white, with sometimes a brownish tint on the disc, 2 to 4 inches broad, smooth. +Stem+ 1 to 3 inches long, ¼ to ⅓ inch thick, growing thicker toward the base, as if it had a bulb, white, hollow, but stuffed with a cottony pith. +Gills+ white, when old they assume a pinkish-brownish hue. +Ring+ has a thick, external edge, but its inner edge is so thin that it often breaks from the stem and becomes movable. It is found in the fields, by roadsides, or in the woods, from August to November. We have not seen a specimen of this mushroom, which is said to be nearly equal to the common mushroom in edible qualities. It is considered to resemble it also in appearance, but Professor Peck says the different color of the gills when the plants are both young will distinguish them, and the thin collar and stuffed stem of L. naucinoides is also different from thick-edged ring and hollow stem of A. campestris. (Psalliota.)

+LACTARIUS PIPERATUS = peppery.+ +The Peppery Lactarius.+

+Cap+ white, 4 to 9 inches broad, fleshy, rigid, depressed in centre when young, reflexed margin, at first involute, when full grown the surface becomes funnel-shaped and regular, even, smooth, without zones; flesh white. +Stem+ 1 to 2 inches long, 1 to 2 inches thick, solid, obese, equal or obconical, slightly covered with powder (pruinose), white. +Gills+ decurrent, crowded, narrow, scarcely broader than one line, obtuse at edge, regularly dividing by pairs from below upward (dichotomous), curved like a bow (arcuate), then all extended upward in a straight line, white, with occasional yellow spots. The milk white, unchangeable, plentiful, and acrid. This is common in woods. The cap in one of our specimens turned yellow when old, and was slightly striate at the margin; it was dry and thick and had no odor. The flesh had a whitish-brownish tinge where the cuticle was peeled off. Found it _only_ in August.

+LACTARIUS VELLEREUS = fleece.+ +The Fleecy Lactarius.+

+Cap+ white, 5 to 7 inches broad, fleshy, compact, convex, saucer-shaped, the margin for a long time sloping downward, with short, downy hairs (pubescent), dry, zoneless. +Stem+ 2 to 3 inches long, 1 to 1½ inch thick, stout, solid, equal, covered with innate, thin pubescence. +Gills+ arcuate, adnato-decurrent, rather thick, acute at the edge, somewhat distant, rather broad, connected by branches, pallid, watery, white. Milk scanty, white, very bitter. It is not said to be edible. The cap tends to become a pallid, reddish tan. This description is partially taken from Stevenson. The specimen we found had the margin revolute, it was 2½ inches broad, and the stem 2 inches long. The flesh was white and the cap was turning a brownish color. The stem slightly tapered toward the base. The milk was scanty and peppery. Found in the beginning of August in the woods. It resembles L. piperatus.

+BOLETUS ALBUS = white.+ +The White Boletus.+

+Cap+ white, from 1½ to 3 inches broad, convex, viscid when moist, flesh white or yellowish, tubes small, nearly round (subrotund), adnate, whitish, becoming ochraceous. +Stem+ 1½ to 3 inches long, 3 to 5 lines thick, equal, white, sometimes tinged with pink near the base. We found only one specimen of the white Boletus in August. It grew in the woods. The flesh became yellow and the stem was 1¼ inch long, and it slightly tapered toward the base.

+PLEUROTUS ULMARIUS = elm.+ +The Elm Pleurotus.+

The word pleurotus is taken from two Greek words, meaning a side and an ear. It is given on account of the stem growing in a lateral or eccentric manner. The Elm Pleurotus, so called from growing on elm trees, is considered edible. Our specimen had the _cap_ whitish, but stained in the centre with a rusty yellowish color, 3 to 5 inches broad, thick, firm, smooth, convex, then plane. The skin was cracked in a tessellated manner. Flesh was firm and white. +Stem+ white, 2 to 4 inches long, 1½ to ¾ inch thick, firm, smooth, a little hairy at the base, and attached eccentrically to the cap. +Gills+ white with a yellow hue, broad, rounded near the stem, slightly adnexed and not crowded. It was found in October, and is not common.

+PLEUROTUS SAPIDUS = agreeable to taste.+ +The Palatable Pleurotus.+

This species generally grows in clusters with the stem united at the base. Our specimen grew on a maple tree. The plants protruded from a large crack in the trunk of a tree, about four feet above the ground, and grew one above the other. They had not attained their full growth. During former seasons they had been seen of a large size. +Pileus+ is from 2 to 5 inches broad, grayish-white, smooth. +Caps+ often overlap one another. Flesh is white. Gills broad, whitish, decurrent, and often slightly connected by oblique branches. +Stem+ is generally short and lateral. It grew in October. Professor Peck says that in edible qualities it resembles the oyster mushroom, P. ostreatus.

MUSHROOMS WITH THE CAP BROWN AND VARIOUS SHADES OF BROWN.

+CORTINARIUS CINNAMOMEUS = cinnamon.+ +The Cinnamon-colored Cortinarius.+

+Cap+ a golden brown or bright cinnamon color, 1½ to 4 inches broad, umbonate, silky, shining, squamulose, with yellowish fibrils, and then smooth. +Stem+ 2 inches long, stuffed and then hollow, thin, equal, tapering toward the base, yellowish color, as also are the flesh and the veil. +Gills+ adnate, broad, crowded, shining reddish-brown color. Our specimen had beautiful reddish-colored gills, Var. semisanguineus (Peck). It grows in woods from August to November.

+COLLYBIA ACERVATA = a heap.+ +The Tufted Collybia.+

The name of the species is derived from a Latin word meaning a heap, so called from the habit of growth. (Stevenson.) +Cap+ tan brown color, 2 to 3 inches broad, flesh color when moist, whitish when dry, convex, then flattened, obtuse or gibbous, margin at first involute, then flattened and slightly striate. +Stem+++ 2 to 4 inches long, 1 to 2 lines thick, very hollow (fistulose), rigid, fragile, slightly tapering upward, rarely compressed, very smooth, except the base, even, color brown or reddish-brown. +Gills+ are at first adnexed, soon free, crowded, linear, narrow, plane, flesh color and then whitish. It grows in tufts (cæspitose). The stems are sometimes white, tomentose at the base. Stevenson says the cap is flesh color, but our specimen was of a pale or tan brown color, less than 2 inches broad; when moist it was much paler. Found in mixed woods in September.

+PSATHYRELLA DISSEMINATA = scattered.+ +The Widely-spread Psathyrella.+

+Cap+ a light-colored yellowish-brown, changing into an ash color; the disc with a yellowish shade; of an oval shape, then bell-shaped, and marked with lines, almost sulcate. The margin does not extend beyond the gills. It is a small mushroom, measuring from 2 or 3 lines across the cap to 1 inch. +Stem+ about 1 inch long or more, fragile, hollow, sometimes curved and bending, smooth and light-colored. +Gills+ adnate, rather broad, slightly narrowed at both ends, at first whitish and then turning a brownish color. The plants vary greatly in height and size, are sometimes cæspitose and at other times scattered. The disc in some specimens was slightly raised in the middle, almost umbonate. It was found about stumps and on the ground, at the end of May, in mixed woods. It soon withers, but does not melt into fluid.

+HYPHOLOMA CAPNOIDES = smoke.+ +The Gray-gilled Mushroom.+

+Cap+ is reddish-brown, 1 to 3 inches broad, fleshy, convex, then flattened, obtuse, dry, smooth. The margin in our specimen was slightly revolute. Flesh white. +Stem+ 2 to 3 inches long, 2 to 4 lines thick, growing together at the base (connate), hollow, equal, often curved, becoming silky, even, whitish at apex, and here and there striate. +Gills+ gray color, adnate, easily separating, rather broad, waxy. The name is given on account of the smoke-colored gills. It is not common, and is generally found on or about stumps in the autumn.

+HYPHOLOMA PERPLEXUM = perplexing.+ +The Perplexing Hypholoma.+

+Cap+ brownish and turning to yellow, 1 to 3 inches broad and slightly umbonate, flesh whitish. +Stem+ nearly equal, 2 to 3 inches long, 2 to 4 lines thick, firm, hollow, slightly fibrillose, whitish or yellowish above, reddish-brown below. +Gills+ thin, close, slightly rounded at inner end, at first pale yellow, then tinged with green, finally purplish-brown. Taste mild. It grows in clusters. We found it both on and around old stumps, in the woods. It is sometimes solitary. (Edible.)

+COLLYBIA DRYOPHILA = oak-loving.+ +The Oak-loving Collybia.+

+Cap+ tan color, often varying in color, ½ inch broad, thin, convex, nearly plane, sometimes with margin elevated, irregular, smooth, flesh white. +Stem+ equal or thickened at base, 1 to 2 inches long, 1 to 2 lines broad, cartilaginous, smooth, hollow, yellowish, or reddish like the cap. +Gills+ narrow, crowded, adnexed or nearly free, whitish. This little mushroom we found in a thick woods late in September, growing among dead leaves. There were oak trees all around and a great many pines. The weather had been rainy, and it was pale-colored and looked water-soaked.

+TRICHOLOMA IMBRICATA = a tile.+ +The Imbricated Tricholoma.+

+Cap+ reddish-brown, 3 inches broad, thick, fleshy, broadly convex, and then flattened, obtuse, dry, continuous at disc, but torn into scales and fibrillose toward the margin; flesh firm, white. +Stem+ solid, stout, sometimes short, and conico-bulbous, 1½ to 2 inches long, and as much as 1 inch thick, sometimes longer and almost equal; white at apex. +Gills+ slightly emarginate, almost adnate, somewhat crowded, about 3 inches broad, wholly white when young, at length reddish. It grows either scattered or in groups. It is found in pine woods in September and November.

+BOLETUS ORNATIPES = ornate and foot.+ +The Ornate-stemmed Boletus.+

+Cap+ 2 to 5 inches broad, yellowish-brown, convex, dry, firm, glabrous or minutely tomentose, flesh yellow or pale yellow. +Tubes+ adnate, plane or concave, the mouths small or middle size, a clear yellow. +Stem+ 2 to 4 inches long, 4 to 6 lines broad, subequal, distinctly and beautifully reticulated, yellow without and within. In woods and open places.

+BOLETUS BREVIPES = short and foot.+ +The Short-stemmed Boletus.+

+Cap+ dark chestnut color, 1½ to 2½ inches broad, thick, convex, covered with a tough gluten, margin inflexed, flesh white or yellowish. +Tubes+ short, nearly plane, adnate, or slightly depressed around the stem, small, white and afterward dingy ochraceous. +Stem+ ½ to 1 inch long, 3 to 5 lines thick, whitish, very short, not dotted, or rarely with a few inconspicuous dots at the edge. This plant was found in October, and looked as if it rested upon the ground, the stem was so short; the cap was covered with gluten.

+LEPIOTA PROCERA = tall.+ +The Tall Lepiota.+

+Cap+ reddish-brown, 3 to 6 inches broad, fleshy; when young egg-shaped, and then campanulate, and flattening out with a broad, obtuse umbo. The cuticle breaks up into brownish scales, close near the centre, but sometimes wanting at the margin. The centre or umbo is darker colored; flesh dry, tough and white. +Stem+ ½ inch thick, and 5 to 10 inches long; it is straight or a little bent, swollen or bulbous at base, sometimes variegated with brownish scales; deeply sunk at apex into the cup of the pileus; hollow or stuffed. +Ring+ distinct from the stem, continuous with cuticle of pileus when young. It becomes free when the cap is expanded, and is then movable and persistent. +Gills+ far remote from the stem, with a broad plano-depressed cartilaginous collar, crowded, ventricose, broader in front, soft, whitish, sometimes becoming dusky at the edge. The gills vary in color. This mushroom is a handsome species and is quite common in woods and pastures. (Edible.)

+BOLETUS EDULIS = edible.+ +The Edible Boletus.+

+Cap+ varies sometimes in color (our specimen was brown). It is often a tawny light brown, paler at the margin, 4 to 6 inches broad, flesh white or yellowish, tinged with red under the cuticle. +Tubes+ convex, nearly free, long, +minute+, round, white, then yellow and greenish. +Stem+ 2 to 6 inches long, 6 to 18 lines thick, straight or bending, subequal or bulbous, short, more or less reticulated, especially above, whitish, pale reddish or brown. Found in August. Our specimen was small, the stem only 1½ inch long. (Edible.)

+BOLETUS SCABER = rough.+ +The Scabrous-stemmed Boletus.+

+Cap+ varies in color, 1 to 5 inches broad, yellowish tan color, smooth, viscid when moist, at length rivulose. Tubes free, convex, white, then dingy color, mouths of tubes very small and round. +Stem+ 3 to 5 inches long, 3 to 8 lines thick, solid, tapering above, roughened with fibrous scales. We found two or three varieties of this Boletus, which seems to grow everywhere in great abundance, in summer and autumn, in woods and in open places. One variety was of a yellowish tan color, Var. alutaceus, in another the flesh changed slightly to pinkish when wounded, Var. mutabilis (Peck). (Edible.)

+BOLETUS CASTANEUS = chestnut.+ +The Chestnut Boletus.+

+Cap+ a chestnut color, brown or reddish brown, 1½ to 3 inches broad, convex, nearly plane or depressed, firm, even, dry, minutely velvety (tomentose), flesh white. +Tubes+ free, short, small, white, becoming yellow. +Stem+ 1 to 2½ inches long, 3 to 5 lines thick, equal or tapering upward, even, stuffed or hollow, colored like the cap. This is one of the prettiest of the Boleti. The bright chestnut color of the pileus forms a contrast with the white tubes, and makes it striking in appearance. We found it on several occasions, as it is common in woods. There are differences of opinion in regard to its being edible.

+BOLETUS CHRYSENTERON = golden.+ +The Golden Flesh Boletus.+

+Cap+ dark brown or reddish-brown, 1 to 3 inches broad, convex or plane, soft, covered with woolly scales, sometimes marked with lines, flesh yellow, red beneath the cuticle, often slowly changing to blue when wounded, mouths large, angular, unequal. +Stem+ 1 to 3 inches long, 3 to 6 lines thick, rigid, fibrous, striate, equal, reddish or pale yellow. This species is variable. We found one where the flesh was white, another where the tubes changed finally to green, and one that had an olive tint in the pileus.

+BOLETUS ILLUDENS = deceiving.+ +The Deceiving Boletus.+

+Cap+ yellow or olive brown, 3 inches broad, plane, dry, marked with areoles, that is, the surface is broken up into little areas or patches. Flesh thick, white, red under cuticle. +Tubes+ greenish-yellow, turning dark green, adnato-decurrent, that is, broadly attached to the stem and running down it, ⅛ inch long. +Stem+ 2½ inches long, stuffed with brownish fibres, reticulated near apex, paler color than cap, curved.

+BOLETUS PACHYPUS = thick.+ +The Thick-stemmed Boletus.+

+Cap+ tan color, 4 to 8 inches broad, convex, somewhat covered with long, soft hairs pressed closely to surface, subtomentose; flesh thick, whitish, changing slightly to blue. +Tubes+ rather long, depressed around the stem, mouths round, pale yellow, at length tinged with green. +Stem+ 2 to 4 inches long, thick, firm, reticulated, at first ovate, bulbous, then lengthened, equal, tinted pale yellow and red. The stem in the specimen was ¼ inch thick, swelling from apex downward, but it often measures 2 inches in thickness. This Boletus is considered poisonous.

+BOLETUS SUBTOMENTOSUS = almost velvety.+ +The Yellow-cracked Boletus.+

+Cap+ dark brown, 1 to 4 inches broad, convex or nearly plane, soft, dry, covered with soft, weak, appressed hairs, almost olivaceous, of the same color beneath the cuticle, often marked with cracks and divided into little patches; flesh white or pallid. +Tubes+ adnate, or depressed around the +stem+, yellow, mouths large, angular. +Stem+ 1 to 2½ inches long, 2 to 5 lines thick, stout, somewhat ribbed, or scurfy, with minute dots. The cap varies in color, it may be yellowish-brown. We found the dark brown species growing on decaying wood, in pine woods, during the month of September.

+BOLETUS PIPERATUS = peppery.+ +The Peppery Boletus.+

+Cap+ reddish-brown or ochraceous, 1 to 3 inches broad, convex or nearly plane, smooth, slightly viscid when moist, flesh white or yellowish, taste acrid, peppery. +Tubes+ long, large, unequal, plane or convex, adnate or nearly decurrent, reddish, ferruginous. +Stem+ 1½ to 3 inches long, 2 to 4 lines thick, slender, almost equal, tawny yellow; at the base a bright yellow. The cap in our specimen was marked with cracks and patches, and the margin obtuse. The stem was rather curved, and the same color as the cap. Flesh yellow. Tubes a dark-reddish, decided color, which makes it a striking-looking mushroom. Taste peppery.

+BOLETUS SORDIDUS = dingy.+ +The Dingy-colored Boletus.+

+Cap+ a dingy, dark brown, about 2 inches broad, flesh white, tinged with red. +Tubes+ long, nearly free, ⅜ inch long, white, turning a dark bluish-green. +Stem+ tapering toward apex, 2½ inches long, curved, solid, ½ inch thick, brownish, marked with darker streaks. The mouths of tubes were angular, and the stem striate in our specimen. Found in the woods in August.

+BOLETUS SUBLUTEUS = almost, and yellow.+ +The Small Yellow Boletus.+

+Cap+ brownish yellow, 1½ to 3 inches broad, convex or nearly plane, viscid or glutinous when moist, often obscurely streaked (virgate). Flesh whitish or dull yellowish. +Tubes+ plane or convex, adnate, small, nearly round, yellow, becoming ochraceous. +Stem+ 1½ to 2½ inches long, 2 to 4 lines thick, equal, slender, pale or yellowish, dotted above and below the ring with reddish, brownish, moist, or sticky dots (glandules). +Ring+ almost soft, glutinous, at first concealing the tubes, then collapsing and forming a narrow whitish or brownish band around the stem. Our Boletus had a brownish ring. The cap was covered with a sticky, skin-like layer, called the pellicle or cuticle, both terms having the same meaning.

+BOLETUS AFFINIS = related.+ +The Related Boletus.+

+Cap+ reddish-brown, fading to yellow, 2 to 4 inches broad, convex above and almost plane, nearly smooth, flesh white. +Tubes+ plane or convex, adnate or slightly compressed around the stem, at first white and stuffed, then yellowish, turning to rusty ochraceous when wounded. +Stem+ 1½ to 3 inches long, 4 to 8 lines thick, nearly equal, even, smooth, paler than the cap. Our specimen had a few yellowish spots on the cap, and is called Var. maculosus. (Edible.)

+PAXILLUS LEPTOPUS = thin and a foot.+ +The Thin-stemmed Paxillus.+

This is the only specimen of the genus Paxillus that we have found. There is another species, P. involutus, which Professor Peck says is edible. Stevenson says that P. leptopus is a remarkable species, that it is distinguished from P. involutus by having the gills simple at the base, not united by interlacing or transverse veins (anastomosing). +Cap+ was a light brownish-yellow; it varies from 1½ to 3 inches in breadth, eccentric or lateral, depressed in the middle, dry, covered with dense down, soon torn into scales, which are a dingy yellow. Flesh yellow. +Stem+ short, scarcely 1 inch, tapering downward, yellow inside. +Gills+ decurrent, tense and straight, crowded, narrow, yellowish, then darker in color. It was growing on the ground in September.

MUSHROOMS WITH PURPLE OR VIOLET-COLORED CAP.

+CORTINARIUS ALBO-VIOLACEOUS = white and violet.+ +The Violet-colored Cortinarius.+