Chapter 10

THE ROSY-SPORED AGARICS.

The spores are rosy, pink, salmon colored, flesh colored, or reddish. For analytical keys to the genera see Chapter XXIV.

PLUTEUS Fr.

In the genus _Pluteus_ the volva and annulus are both wanting, the gills are usually free from the stem, and the stem is easily broken out from the substance of the cap, reminding one in some cases of a ball and socket joint. The substance of the cap is thus said to be not continuous with that of the stem. The spores seen in mass are flesh colored as in other genera of this subdivision of the agarics.

=Pluteus cervinus= Schaeff. =Edible.=--This is one of the very common species of the higher fungi, and is also very widely distributed. It varies considerably in size and appearance. It is 7--15 cm. high, the cap 5--10 cm. broad, and the stem 6--12 mm. in thickness. It occurs on the ground from underground roots or rotten wood, or grows on decaying stumps, logs, etc., from spring until late autumn. Sometimes it is found growing in sawdust.

The =pileus= is fleshy, bell-shaped, then convex, and becoming expanded, the surface usually smooth, but showing radiating fibrils, grayish brown, or sometimes sooty, sometimes more or less scaly. The =gills= are not crowded, broad, free from the stem, white, then becoming flesh color with the maturity of the spores. One very characteristic feature of the plant is the presence of =cystidia= in the hymenium on the gills. These are stout, colorless, elliptical, thick-walled, and terminate in two or three blunt, short prongs.

The =stem= is nearly equal, solid, the color much the same as that of the pileus, but often paler above, smooth or sometimes scaly.

In some forms the plant is entirely white, except the gills. In addition to the white forms occurring in the woods, I have found them in an old abandoned cement mine growing on wood props.

=Pluteus tomentosulus= Pk.--This plant was described by Peck in the 32d Report, N. Y. State Mus., page 28, 1879. It grows on decaying wood in the woods during July and August. The plants are 5--12 cm. high, the cap 3--7 cm. broad, and the stem 4--8 mm. in thickness. The description given by Peck is as follows: "Pileus thin, convex or expanded, subumbonate, dry, minutely squamulose-tomentose, white, sometimes pinkish on the margin; lamellæ rather broad, rounded behind, free, crowded, white then flesh colored; stem equal, solid, striate, slightly pubescent or subtomentose, white; spores subglobose, 7 µ in diameter, generally containing a large single nucleus." From the plant collected at Ithaca the following notes were made. The =pileus= and stem are entirely white, the gills flesh color. The pileus is expanded, umbonate, thin except at the umbo, minutely floccose squamulose, no pinkish tinge noted; the flesh is white, but on the umbo changing to flesh color where wounded. The =gills= are free, with a clear white space between stem and rounded edges, crowded, narrow (about 3--4 mm. broad) edge finely fimbriate, probably formed by numerous bottle-shaped cystidia on the edge, and which extend up a little distance on the side of the gills, but are not distributed in numbers over the surface of the gills; =cystidia= thin walled, hyaline. The =spores= are flesh colored, subglobose, 5--7 µ. =Stem= cylindrical, even, twisted somewhat, white, striate and minutely squamulose like the pileus, but with coarser scales, especially toward the base, solid, flesh white.

The species received its name from the tomentose, striate character of the stem. The plants (No. 3219, C. U. herbarium) illustrated in Fig. 136 were collected in Enfield Gorge, vicinity of Ithaca, July 28, 1899.

VOLVARIA Fr.

This genus takes its name from the volva, which means a wrapper, and which, as we know from our studies of _Amanita_, entirely envelops the plant at a young stage. The genus is characterized then by the rosy or reddish spores, the presence of a volva, and the annulus is wanting. The stem is easily separable from the pileus at its junction, in this respect being similar to _Amanita_, _Amanitopsis_, _Lepiota_ and others. The gills are usually, also, free from the stem. The species grow on rotting wood, on leaf mould and on richly manured ground, etc. They are of a very soft texture and usually soon decay.

=Volvaria bombycina= (Pers.) Fr. =Edible.=--The silky volvaria is so called because of the beautiful silky texture of the surface of the cap. It is not very common, but is world wide in its distribution, and occurs on decayed wood of logs, stumps, etc., during late summer and in autumn. It is usually of a beautiful white color, large, the volva large and thick, reminding one of a bag, and the stem is ascending when the plant grows on the side of the trunk, or erect when it grows on the upper side of a log or stump. The plant is from 8--16 cm. high, the cap 6--20 cm. broad, and the stem 1--1.5 cm. thickness.

The =pileus= is globose, then bell-shaped, and finally convex and somewhat umbonate, white, according to some becoming somewhat reddish. The entire surface is silky, and numerous hairs stand out in the form of soft down, when older the surface becoming more or less scaly, or rarely becoming smooth at the apex. The flesh is white. The =gills= are crowded, very broad along the middle, flesh colored, the edge sometimes ragged. The =spores= are rosy in mass, oval to broadly elliptical, 6--9 × 5--6 µ, smooth. The =stem= tapers from the base to the apex, is solid, smooth. The =volva= is large and bag-like. The plant is considered edible by some. Figure 137 is from a plant (No. 3096, C. U. herbarium) collected on a log of Acer rubrum in Cascadilla woods, Ithaca, on August 10th, 1898.

=Volvaria speciosa= Fr.--This plant seems to be rare, but it has a wide distribution in Europe and the United States. It occurs on richly manured ground, on dung, etc. The plants are 10--20 cm. high, the cap 6--12 cm. broad, and the stem 1--2 cm. in thickness. The entire plant is white or whitish, sometimes grayish, especially at the center, where it is also sometimes darker and of a smoky color.

The =pileus= is globose when young, then bell-shaped, and finally more or less expanded, and umbonate, smooth, very viscid, so that earth, leaves, etc., cling to it. The flesh is white and very soft. The =gills= are free, flesh colored to reddish or fulvous, from the deeply colored spores. The =spores= are broadly elliptical, or oval, 12--18 × 8--10 µ. The =stem= is nearly cylindrical, or tapering evenly from the base, when young more or less hairy, becoming smooth. The =volva= is large, edge free, but fitting very close, flabby and irregularly torn.

The species is reported from California by McClatchie, and from Wisconsin by Bundy.

Specimens were received in June, 1898, from Dr. Post of Lansing, Mich., which were collected there in a potato patch. It was abundant during May and June. Plants which were sent in a fresh condition were badly decayed by the time they reached Ithaca, and the odor was very disagreeable. It is remarkable that the odor was that of rotting potatoes! In this connection might be mentioned Dr. Peck's observation (Bull. Torr. Bot. Club 26: p. 67, 1899) that _Agaricus maritimus_ Pk., which grows near the seashore, possessed "a taste and odor suggestive of the sea."

McClatchie reports that it is common in cultivated soil, especially grain fields and along roads, and that it is "a fine edible agaric and our most abundant one in California."

CLITOPILUS Fr.

In the rosy-spored agarics belonging to this genus the gills are decurrent, that is, extend for some distance down on the stem. The stem is fleshy. The gills are white at first and become pink or salmon color as the plants mature, and the spores take on their characteristic color. The plants should thus not be confused with any of the species of _Agaricus_ to which the common mushroom belongs, since in those species the gills become dark brown or blackish when mature. The genus corresponds with _Clitocybe_ among the white-spored ones.

=Clitopilus prunulus= Scop. =Edible.=--This species grows on the ground in the woods from mid-summer to autumn. It is not very common, but sometimes appears in considerable quantities at one place. During the autumn of 1898 quite a large number of specimens were found in a woods near Ithaca, growing on the ground around an old stump. The plants are 3--8 cm. high, the cap 5--10 cm. broad, and stem 1--2 cm. in thickness.

The =pileus= is fleshy, firm, convex and becoming nearly plane, and sometimes as the plants become old the center may be slightly depressed. It is whitish in color, or dark gray, or with a leaden tint, dry, sometimes with a distinct bloom on the surface, and the margin is often wavy. The cap is sometimes produced more on one side than on the other. The =gills= are not close, at first whitish, then salmon colored as the spores mature, and they are decurrent as is characteristic of the genus. The =spores= are elliptical or nearly so, and measure 10--12 µ long.

Figure 138 is from plants collected near Ithaca, in the autumn of 1898. This species is considered to be one of the excellent mushrooms for food. When fresh it has a mealy odor and taste, as do several of the species of this genus. It is known as the prune mushroom.

=Clitopilus orcella= Bull. =Edible.=--This plant is sometimes spoken of as the sweet-bread mushroom. It is much like the prune mushroom just described, in odor and taste, and sometimes resembles it in form and other characters. It is white in color, and the plants are usually considerably smaller, and the pileus is, according to my observations, sometimes more irregular, lobed and wavy on the margin. The flesh is also softer, and the cap is said to be slightly viscid in wet weather. The plant grows in the woods and sometimes in open fields.

ENTOLOMA Fr.

The volva and annulus are absent in this genus, the spores are rosy, the gills adnate to sinuate or adnexed, easily separating from the stem in some species. The stem is fleshy or fibrous, sometimes waxy, and the pileus is fleshy with the margin incurved, especially when young. The spores are prominently angular. The genus corresponds with _Tricholoma_ of the white-spored agarics, and also with _Hebeloma_ and _Inocybe_ of the ochre-spored ones. _Entoloma repandum_ Bull., is an _Inocybe_ [_I. repandum_ (Bull.) Bres.] and has angular spores resembling those of an _Entoloma_, but the spores are not rosy.

=Entoloma jubatum= Fr.--Growing on the ground in woods. The plants are 5--10 cm. high, the cap 3--6 cm. broad, and the stem 3--6 mm. in thickness.

The =pileus= is conic in some plants, to convex and umbonate, thin, minutely scaly with blackish hairy scales, dull heliotrope purple, darker on the umbo. The =gills= are vinaceous rufus to deep flesh color, strongly sinuate, and irregularly notched along the edge. The =spores= are irregularly oval to short oblong, coarsely angular, with an oil drop, 5--7 angled, 7--11 × 6--7 µ. The =stem= is of the same color as the pileus, sometimes deeply rooting, hollow. Figure 139 is from plants (No. 4000, C. U. herbarium) collected at Blowing Rock, N. C., during September, 1899.

=Entoloma grayanum= Pk.--This plant grows on the ground in woods. It is from 6--8 cm. high, the cap is 3--6 cm. broad, and the stem 4--6 mm. in thickness.

The =pileus= is convex to expanded, sometimes broadly umbonate, drab in color, the surface wrinkled or rugose, and watery in appearance. The flesh is thin and the margin incurved. The =gills= are first drab in color, but lighter than the pileus, becoming pinkish in age. The =spores= on paper are very light salmon color. They are globose or rounded in outline, 5--7 angled, with an oil globule, 8--10 µ in diameter. The =stem= is the same color as the pileus, but lighter, striate, hollow, somewhat twisted, and enlarged below. Figure 140 is from plants (No. 3998, C. U. herbarium) collected at Blowing Rock, N. C., during September, 1899.

=Entoloma strictius= Pk.--The plants grow in grassy places, pastures, etc. They are clustered, sometimes two or three joined at the base of the stem. They are 7--10 cm. high, the caps 2--4 cm. broad, and the stems 3--6 mm. in thickness.

The =pileus= is convex, the disk expanded, and the margin incurved and more or less wavy or repand on the extreme edge. It is umbonate at the center with usually a slight depression around the umbo, smooth, watery (hygrophanous) in appearance, not viscid, of an umber color, shining, faintly and closely striate on the margin. In drying the surface of the pileus loses some of its dark umber color and presents a silvery sheen. The flesh is fibrous and umber color also. The =gills= are grayish white, then tinged with flesh color, slightly sinuate, the longer ones somewhat broader in the middle (ventricose), rather distant, and quite thick as seen in cross section, the center of the gill (trama) presenting parallel threads. The sub-hymenium is very thin and composed of small cells; the =basidia= are clavate, 25--30 × 9--10 µ, and four-spored. The =spores= are dull rose color on paper, subgloblose, 5--8 µ in diameter, angular with 5--6 angles as seen from one side. The =stem= is the same color as the pileus, but considerably lighter. It is hollow with white fibers within, fibrous striate on the surface, twisted, brittle, and somewhat cartilaginous, partly snapping, but holding by fibers in places, cylindrical, even, ascending, with delicate white fibers covering the lower end.

Figure 141 is from plants (No. 2461, C. U. herbarium) collected near Ithaca, October, 1898.

LEPTONIA Fr.

In _Leptonia_ the stem is cartilaginous, hollow or stuffed, smooth and somewhat shining. The pileus is thin, umbilicate or with the center darker, the surface hairy or scaly, and the margin at first incurved. The gills are adnate or adnexed at first, and easily separating from the stem in age. Many of the species are bright colored.

=Leptonia asprella= Fr.--This species occurs on the ground in woods or in open grassy places. The plants are 3--5 cm. high, the cap 2--4 cm. broad, and the stem 2--3 mm. in thickness.

The =pileus= is convex, then more or less expanded, umbilicate, rarely umbonate, hair brown (mouse colored), with dark scales on the center and minute scales over the surface, striate.

The =gills= are sinuate to adnexed. The =spores= are strongly 5--6 angled, 10--12 × 8--10 µ. The =stem= is smooth, even, usually the same color as the cap, but sometimes it is reddish brown, green, or blue. Figure 142 is from plants (No. 3996, C. U. herbarium) collected at Blowing Rock, N. C., during September, 1899.

=Leptonia incana= Fr., is a more common species, and is characterized by an odor of mice.

ECCILIA Fr.

The genus _Eccilia_ corresponds with _Omphalia_ of the white-spored agarics. The stem is cartilaginous, hollow or stuffed. The pileus is thin and somewhat membranaceous, plane or depressed at the center, and the margin at first incurved. The gills are more or less decurrent.

=Eccilia polita= Pers.--This plant occurs on the ground in woods. It is 6--10 cm. high, the cap 2--4 cm. broad, and the stem is 3--4 mm. in thickness.

The =pileus= is convex and umbilicate, somewhat membranaceous, smooth, watery in appearance, finely striate on the margin, hair brown to olive in color. The =gills= are decurrent. In the specimens illustrated in Fig. 143 the gills are very irregular and many of them appear sinuate. The =spores= are strongly 4--5 angled, some of them square, 10--12 µ in diameter, with a prominent mucro at one angle. The =stem= is cartilaginous, becoming hollow, lighter in color than the pileus, and somewhat enlarged below. Figure 143 is from plants (No. 3999, C. U. herbarium) collected at Blowing Rock, N. C., during September, 1899.

CLAUDOPUS W. Smith.

In the genus _Claudopus_, recognized by some, the pileus is eccentric or lateral, that is, the stem is attached near the side of the cap, or the cap is sessile and attached by one side to the wood on which the plant is growing; or the plants are resupinate, that is, they may be spread over the surface of the wood.

The genus is perhaps not well separated from some of the species of _Pleurotus_ with lilac spores like _P. sapidus_. In fact, a number of the species were formerly placed in _Pleurotus_, while others were placed in _Crepidotus_ among the ochre-spored agarics. Several species are reported from America. Peck in 39th Report N. Y. State Mus., p. 67, _et seq._, 1886, describes five species.

=Claudopus nidulans= (Pers.) Pk.--This is one of the very pretty agarics growing on dead branches and trunks during the autumn, and is widely distributed. It has, however, been placed in the genus _Pleurotus_, as _P. nidulans_. But because of the pink color of the spores in mass, Peck places it in the genus _Claudopus_, where Fries suggested it should go if removed from _Pleurotus_. It seems to be identical with _Panus dorsalis Bosc_. It is usually sessile and attached to the side of dead branches, logs, etc., in a shelving manner, or sometimes it is resupinate.

The =pileus= is sessile, or sometimes narrowed at the base into a short stem, the caps often numerous and crowded together in an overlapping or imbricate manner. It is nearly orbicular, or reniform, and 1--5 cm. broad. The margin is at first involute. The surface is coarsely hairy or tomentose, or scaly toward the margin, of a rich yellow or buff color. It is soft, but rather tough in consistency. The =gills= are broad, orange yellow. The =spores=, pink in mass, are smooth, elongated, somewhat curved, 6--8 µ long.

Figure 144 is from plants (No. 2660, C. U. herbarium) collected in woods near Ithaca.