Part 11

The Fragrant tricholoma has a distinct farinaceous odor and flavor. In other respects it closely resembles the Earth-colored tricholoma of which it is considered a mere variety. The typical European plant is said to be without odor or nearly so and has not been classed among the edible species by European writers. But our variety, though not high-flavored, is fairly good and entirely harmless. Its cap varies considerably in color but is some shade of gray or brown. Its center is without any prominence or very bluntly prominent, and its surface is commonly very obscurely marked with innate fibrils or in small plants may have very small flocculose tufts or scales. The flesh is whitish as also are the gills, though these sometimes assume a more decided grayish hue. They are rather broad and loose and sometimes uneven on the edge or even split transversely. They are usually deeply excavated next the stem and attached to it by a narrow part. The stem is whitish or slightly shaded with the color of the cap. It often has a few longitudinal fibrils, but never any collar. It may be either solid, stuffed or spongy within, or in large specimens, hollow.

The plants grow gregariously or sometimes in tufts on the ground under or near trees or in thin woods, especially of pine, or in mixed woods. The caps vary from 1–4 in. broad, and the stems from 1–3 in. long and from 2–6 lines thick. The plants occur in autumn. In Europe there is a variety of this species which also has a farinaceous odor, but it differs from our plant in having reddish edges to the gills. It is called variety orirubens. _Peck_, 49th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Var. fragrans is plentiful and gregarious among New Jersey pines, October to frost. Other varieties are often found. Specimens found by me at Mt. Gretna, Pa., and sent to Professor Peck who identified them as var. fragrans Pk., were decidedly umbonate. Gills were easily separable from cap.

Var. fragrans is a favorite. It is pleasant to many, even raw. Plentiful salting while cooking develops a high and exquisite flavor.

=T. fumes´cens= Pk.—smoky. =Pileus= convex or expanded, dry, clothed with a very minute appressed tomentum, whitish. =Gills= narrow, crowded, rounded behind, whitish or pale cream color, _changing to smoky-blue or blackish_ where bruised. =Stem= short, cylindrical, whitish. =Spores= oblong-elliptical, 5–6.5µ.

=Pileus= 1 in. broad. =Stem= 1–1.5 in. high, 2–3 lines thick.

Woods. Columbia county. October. Rare.

The species is remarkable for the smoky or blackish hue assumed by the gills when bruised and also in drying. It is apparently related to T. immundum Berk., but in that species the whole plant becomes blackish when bruised, and the gills are marked with transverse lines and tinged with pink. _Peck_, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Mt. Gretna, Pa. September to November, 1898. _McIlvaine._

The size of cap sometimes attains to 3 in and stem to ½ in. in thickness. Taste at first farinaceous then sweetish. The caps are of excellent quality and flavor.

(Plate XXIII.)

=T. imbrica´tum= Fr.—covered with tiles. =Pileus= fleshy, compact, convex or nearly plane, obtuse, dry, innately scaly, fibrillose toward the margin, brown or reddish-brown, the margin thin, at first slightly _inflexed and pubescent then naked_. =Flesh= firm, thick, white. =Gills= slightly emarginate, almost adnate, rather close, white when young, becoming reddish or spotted. =Stem= _solid_, firm, nearly equal, fibrillose, white and mealy or pulverulent at the top, elsewhere colored like the pileus. =Spores= 6.5 × 4–5µ.

=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 4–10 lines thick. Under or near coniferous trees. Greene and Essex counties. September and October.

This is an edible species. It has a farinaceous odor and taste when fresh. _Peck_, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Closely resembles T. transmutans in size, color and taste. It is, however, easily separated by its dry cap and solid stem. _Peck._

Plentiful in pine woods of New Jersey, and among hemlocks in West Virginia. Mt. Gretna, Pa., under pines. October and November, 1898. _McIlvaine._

Specimens found at Mt. Gretna had caps dark umber when young, and margin incurved to stem. Gills yellowish. Stem up to 4 in. long, stout, solid, swollen at base, and having a short pointed ending, firm, fibrillose, white. Flavor farinaceous.

Flesh of good texture and taste.

III.—RIG´IDA. Pileus rigid, cuticle broken up into smooth scales, etc.

* _Gills white or pallid, not becoming spotted with red or gray. Not represented._

** _Gills becoming reddish or grayish, spotted, etc._

=T. sapona´ceum= Fr.—_sapo_, soap. Strong, smelling of an undefinable soap. =Cap= 2–4 in. across, involute at first, convex then flattened, dry, glabrous, moist in wet weather, never viscid, brownish, more or less spotted or having the skin cracked into scales, occasionally covered with dark fibrils. =Flesh= firm, whitish becoming reddish when wounded. =Gills= emarginate, with a hooked tooth (uncinate) thin, distant, pale white. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, about ½ in. thick, often unequal, base sometimes long and rooting, usually smooth, at times reticulated with black fibrils, or is scaly. Distasteful.

The species is variable in size and color. Stevenson remarks: “Scarcely any species has been more confounded with others.” It may always be safely distinguished by its odor, by its distant gills, by the smooth cuticle of the cap cracking into scales, and by the change of color to reddish when bruised.

West Virginia mountains. August to frost. 1881–85. New Jersey, Pennsylvania. _McIlvaine._

This fungus is not extremely unpleasant when eaten—like T. sulphureum, but no one will care to eat it. There is nothing in the flavor to recommend it or to inspire a cultivation of taste for it.

IV.—SERICEL´LA. Pileus slightly silky, soon smooth, etc.

* _Gills broad, rather thick, somewhat distant._

=T. sulphu´reum= Bull.—_sulphur_, brimstone. =Odor= strong, fetid or like gas tar. =Cap= 1–4 in. across, subglobose, then convex and plane, slightly umbonate, sometimes depressed, fleshy, margin at first involute. =Color= dingy or reddish sulphur-yellow, at first silky, becoming smooth or minutely tomentose. =Flesh= thick, yellow. =Gills= rather thick, narrowed behind, emarginate or acutely adnate, sometimes appearing arcuate from shape of cap. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 3–5 lines thick, equal or slightly bulbous, often curved, smooth striate, sulphur-yellow, stuffed, fibrous or hollow, yellow within, at times having yellow fibrous roots.

=Spores= 9–10×5µ _Massee_.

Very variable in size. Gregarious, common in mixed woods.

West Virginia, 1881. West Philadelphia, 1886. _McIlvaine._

When quite young T. sulphureum is showy and inviting. Its smell is discouraging, its taste forbidding. No amount of cooking removes its unpleasant flavor. I have tried to eat enough of it to test its qualities, but was satisfied after strenuous efforts to mark it INEDIBLE.

=T. chrysenteroi´des= Pk.—like gold. =Pileus= fleshy, convex or plane, not at all umbonate, firm, dry, glabrous or slightly silky, _pale-yellow or buff_, becoming dingy with age, the margin sometimes reflexed, _flesh pale-yellow, taste and odor farinaceous_. =Gills= rather close, emarginate, yellowish, becoming dingy or pallid with age, _marked with transverse veinlets along the upper edge_, the interspaces veined. =Stem= equal, firm, _solid_, bare, fibrous-striate, yellowish without and within. =Spores= elliptical, 8–10×5–6µ.

=Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 3–4 lines thick.

Woods. Lewis and Cattaraugus counties. September.

Nearly allied to T. chrysenterum, but separable by the gills, which are somewhat veiny and not free, by the entire absence of an umbo and by its farinaceous odor and taste. _Peck_, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Frequently found at Angora, and in Woodland Cemetery, West Philadelphia.

Edible. Fair flavor and good quality.

=T. o´picum= Fr.—uncouth. =Pileus= 1–1½ in. across. =Flesh= rather thin, becoming grayish; convex, then expanded, obtusely-umbonate, at length usually upturned and split, very dry, even at first, then minutely scaly, gray. =Gills= broadly emarginate, ventricose, rather thick, scarcely distant, hoary. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 2–3 lines thick, equal, fibrillose, becoming almost glabrous, pallid then grayish, stuffed. _Massee._

Among moss, in pine woods, etc.

Inodorous. Somewhat resembling T. saponaceum, but distinguished by the absence of smell.

Waretown, N.J. Under pines and open places in pine woods. August to September, 1889. _McIlvaine._

When wet the caps become darker and have a mottled appearance. They are tender, but rather tasteless. The species serves to make quantity when cooked with others of higher flavor.

=T. pipera´tum= Pk.—_piper_, pepper. =Pileus= rather thin, firm, dry, convex, obtuse or subumbonate, virgate with innate brownish fibrils, varying in color from grayish-brown to blackish-brown, sometimes with greenish or yellowish tints. =Flesh= white or whitish, taste acrid. =Gills= broad, close, rounded behind, adnexed, whitish or yellowish. =Stem= generally short, equal, solid, silky, slightly mealy or pruinose at the top, white or slightly tinged with yellow. =Spores= elliptic, 6–7µ long, 5µ broad. =Pileus= 4–7 cm. broad. =Stem= 5–7 cm. long, 6–12 mm. thick.

The central part of the pileus is sometimes a little darker than the rest. The peppery or acrid taste is very distinct and remains in the mouth many minutes. This and the innately fibrillose character of the pileus are distinguishing characters of the species. The plants appear from September to November. _Peck_, Torr. Bull., Vol. 26.

Mt. Gretna, Pa. October to November, 1898, on damp ground among moss. _McIlvaine._

=Cap= up to 3 in. across, bell-shaped, then convex, depressed in center and undulate, light-brown, darker toward center, dry, minutely fibrillose. =Flesh= thick, white, thin toward margin. =Gills= emarginate, unequal, not forked. =Stem= 1½-2 in. long, hard, equal or enlarging toward base, white, silky, striate.

Though peppery raw, this Tricholoma is of good substance and flavor when cooked.

_B._ PILEUS EVEN, SMOOTH, NOT DOWNY, SCALY, NOR VISCID, ETC.

V.—GUTTA´TA. Pileus marked with drop-like spots or rivulose.

* _Gills whitish._

=T. gambo´sum= Fr.—_gambosus_, swelling near the hoof. =Pileus= 3–4 in. and more broad, _becoming pale-tan_, fleshy, _hemispherico-convex, then flattened_, obtuse, undulated and bent backward, even, smooth, but _spotted as with drops_, at length widely cracked (not, however, torn into squamules), the _margin at the first involute and tomentose_. =Flesh= thick, soft, fragile, white. =Stem= 2 in. and more long, ½-1 in. thick, _solid_, fleshy-firm, almost _equal_, often curved-ascending at the base, _white_, _downy at the apex_. =Gills= rounded or emarginato-adnexed, with a somewhat decurrent tooth and when old sinuato-decurrent, _crowded_, ventricose, 2–3 lines broad, _whitish_. _Fries._

_Odor_ pleasant, _of new meal_. Often forming large rings or clusters. A whitish form must not be confounded with T. albellus.

=Spores= 13×11µ _W.G.S._; 13–14×8–9µ _Massee_; 13×10µ _Cooke_.

Angora, Philadelphia. Chester and Lebanon county, Pa. _McIlvaine._ Fair.

** _Gills becoming reddish or smoky-gray._

=T. tigri´num= Schaeff.—spotted like a tiger. =Pileus= 2 in. broad, pallid-brown, variegated with crowded and _darker dingy-brown spots_, compactly fleshy, convex then expanded, obtuse, repand. =Flesh= thick, firm, white, unchangeable, but thin at the involute margin. =Stem= 1 in. long and thick, very compact, solid, pruinate, white. =Gills= rounded behind, at length decurrent with a tooth, crowded, narrow, white, at length darker.

Solitary or cespitose. Very distinguished, obese, and without any marked smell of new meal. In fir woods and open grassy ground. Rare. June to July. _Stevenson._

Edible, _Cooke_, _Fries_.

=T. albel´lum= Fr.—_albus_, white. =Pileus= about 3 in. broad, becoming pale-white, passing into gray when dry, fleshy, thick at the disk, thinner at the sides, _conical then convex_, gibbous when expanded, when in vigor moist on the surface, _spotted (mottled) as with scales_, the thin margin naked. =Flesh= soft, floccose, white, unchangeable. =Stem= curt, 1½-2 in. long, 1 in. thick at the base, reaching ½ in. toward the apex, _solid_, fleshy-compact, ovato-bulbous (conical to the middle, cylindrical above the middle), fibrillose-striate, white. =Gills= very much _attenuated behind, not_ emarginate, _becoming broad in front_, very crowded, quite entire, white. _Fries._

=Spores= elliptical, 6–7×4µ _Massee_; ovoid, 3µ _W.G.S._; ovoid, 3µ _Cooke_.

=Pileus= not becoming yellow. =Odor= weak when fresh, taste pleasant, almost that of cooked flesh. There are two forms: one larger, solitary, another smaller, connato-cespitose, quite as in A. albellus Sow. It is often confounded with smaller forms of A. gambosus. _Stevenson._

North Carolina, _Curtis_. Damp woods. Edible.

VI.—SPONGIO´SA. Pileus compact then spongy, smooth, moist.

* _Gills not discolored._

=T. vires´cens= Pk.—_viresco_, to grow green. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, sometimes centrally depressed, moist, bare, _dingy-green_, the margin sometimes wavy or lobed. =Gills= close, gradually narrowed toward the outer extremity, rounded or slightly emarginate at the inner, white. =Stem= subequal, _stuffed or hollow_, thick but brittle, whitish, sometimes tinged with green. =Spores= broadly elliptical, 5×4µ.

=Pileus= 3–5 in. broad. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, 6–12 lines thick.

Thin woods. Essex county. July.

The dull smoky-green hue of the pileus is the distinguishing feature of this species. _Peck_, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Quite common in West Virginia, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. July to October. _McIlvaine._

Edible. Tastes somewhat like many Russulæ, when cooked. Flavor good.

=T. fumidel´lum= Pk.—smoky. =Pileus= convex, then expanded, subumbonate, bare, moist, _dingy-white or clay-color clouded with brown_, the disk or umbo generally smoky-brown. =Gills= crowded, subventricose, whitish. =Stem= equal, bare, solid, whitish. =Spores= minute, subglobose, 4.5×4µ.

=Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–2.5 in. long, 2–3 lines thick.

Woods. Albany county and Catskill mountains. September and October.

The stem splits easily and the pileus becomes paler in drying. It sometimes becomes cracked in areas. _Peck_, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

On ground. Mt. Gretna. October and November. 1897. _McIlvaine._

The species was plentiful among the leaf mold, growing from the ground in mixed woods.

The caps are delicate in substance and flavor.

=T. leucoceph´alum= Fr. _Gr._—white; head. =Pileus= 1½-2 in. across, convex then plane, even, moist, smooth, but when young covered with a satiny down; water-soaked after rain. =Flesh= thin, tough, white. =Gills= rounded behind and almost free, white. =Stem= up to 2 in. long, ¼ in. thick, exterior hard, shining, fibrous; interior hollow but solid at base which is attenuated and rooting, twisted. =Smell= strong of new meal. Taste pleasant.

=Spores= 9–10×7–8µ.

Mt. Gretna, Pa. Grassy woods and borders. October to November, 1898. _McIlvaine._

Quite common. The caps are excellent.

=T. al´bum= Schaeff.—_albus_, white. =Pileus= fleshy, tough, convex, becoming plane or depressed, obtuse, very dry, even, _glabrous, white_, sometimes yellowish on the disk, rarely wholly yellowish, the margin at first involute. =Flesh= white, taste _acrid or bitter_. =Gills= emarginate, somewhat crowded, distinct, white. =Stem= solid, elastic, equal or tapering upward, externally fibrous, obsoletely frosted at the apex, white. =Spores= elliptical, 5–6µ, long.

=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 4–6 lines thick.

Woods. Common. August to October. This species is variable in color and in size, being sometimes robust, sometimes slender. It grows singly, in troops or in tufts. It has no decided odor, but a bitter unpleasant taste. _Peck_, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Cooked, tender and of fair flavor.

** _Gills becoming discolored._

=T. persona´tum= Fr.—wearing a mask (from its many varieties of colors). (Plate XVIII, p. 60.) =Pileus= compact, becoming soft, thick, convex or plane, obtuse, regular, moist, bare, variable in color, generally pallid or ashy tinged with violet or lilac, the margin at first _involute and frosted with fine hairs_. =Flesh= whitish. =Gills= broad, crowded, rounded behind, free, _violaceous becoming sordid-whitish or dingy-brown_. =Stem= generally thick, subbulbous, solid, fibrillose or frosted with fine hairs, whitish or colored like the pileus. =Spores= dingy white, subelliptical, 8–9×4–5µ. On white paper the spores have a slight salmon tint, but they are regular in shape, not angular as in Entoloma.

=Pileus= 2–5 in. broad. =Stem= 1–3 in. long, 6–12 lines thick. _Peck_, 44th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Woods and open places, and growing from old, matted stable straw. Common over the United States.

When T. personatum becomes known to the collector, either in the field or on the table, it is sure to become a favorite. It is fleshy, rotund, stocky, moist and smooth, with a tendency in its cap to be wavy-rimmed and jauntily cocked in wet weather. It grows singly or in troops, occasionally in tufts of from five to six individuals. A patch of it is valuable and worth husbanding with covering of fine straw. Cortinarius violaceus resembles it somewhat in color and shape, but it shows a spidery veil, and has brown spores. It is edible.

The common name of T. personatum in England is Blewits, which translated into understandable English is believed to be “blue-hats.” It is everywhere eaten, being of substantial substance, good flavor and cookable in any way. It is especially fine in patties, stews and croquettes.

=T. nu´dum= Bull.—naked. =Pileus= about 3 in. broad, becoming purple-violaceous then changing color, reddish, fleshy, comparatively _thin_, convexo-plane then _depressed_, obtuse, even, smooth, with a pellicle which is moist and manifest in rainy weather; margin inflexed, thin, naked. =Flesh= thin, pliant, colored. =Stem= about 3 in. long, ½ in. thick, _stuffed, elastic_, equal, _almost naked_, mealy at the apex, _violaceous then becoming pale_. =Gills= rounded then decurrent (on account of the depressed pileus), crowded, narrow, of the same color as the pileus or deeper _violaceous_, but soon changing color, at _length reddish_ without the least tinge of violet. _Stevenson._

=Spores= 7×3.5µ _Massee_; 6–8×4µ _B._; 6×3µ _W.G.S._ On ground among leaves. Esculent, very good and delicate. _Cordier._ Edible. _Roze._ Edible, all American authorities.

VII.—HYGROPH´ANA. Pileus thin, water-soaked, etc.

* _Gills whitish, not spotted._

=T. grammopo´dium= Bull. _Gr._—a line; _Gr._—a foot. =Pileus= 3–6 in. broad, _pallid-livid_ or brownish-red when moist, whitish when dry, fleshy, very thin toward the margin, _campanulate then convex_, and at length flattened, obtusely umbonate, even, smooth, pellicle moist in rainy weather, not viscous, separating, flesh-colored when moist, white when dry, soft, fragile. =Stem= _tall_, about 3–4 in. long, ½ in. and more thick, _solid_, elastic, equal with exception of the _thickened base_, cylindrical, firm, smooth, _evidently longitudinally sulcate, whitish_. =Gills= arcuato-adnate or broadly horizontally emarginate, acute at both ends, _very crowded, quite entire_, very many shorter, somewhat branched behind, white.

Odor moldy. Striking in appearance; the chief of this group. There is a variety wholly white. In pastures and grassy woods. _Stevenson._

=Spores= 5–6µ _Massee_.

Distinguished by the grooved stem and crowded gills, which are adnate when the pileus is expanded. Often growing in rings.

North Carolina, _Curtis_. Not reported elsewhere. Esculent. _Cooke._ Much eaten in Europe.

=T. bre´vipes= Bull.—_brevis_, short; _pes_, a foot. =Pileus= about 2 in. broad, _umber then becoming pale_, fleshy, _soft, convex then becoming plane_, even, smooth, moist (opaque when dry); flesh of the pileus _becoming brownish_ when moist, becoming white when dry. =Stem= _solid_, very _rigid_, at length fibrous, _pruinate at the apex, externally and internally fuscous_; otherwise very variable, sometimes _very short_, 2–3 lines only long and thick, attenuated downward; commonly 1 in., sometimes bulbous, sometimes equal, more slender. =Gills= emarginato-free, _crowded_, ventricose, disappearing short of the margin, quite entire, becoming fuscous then whitish. Solitary. _Inodorous._ The pileus is often stained with soil. _Stevenson._

=Spores= elliptical, 7.5×5µ _Peck_; 7–4µ _Massee_.

Esculent and very delicate. _Paulet._ Esculent. _Cooke._

=T. hu´mile= Pers.—low, small. (Plate XVIII, fig. 6, p. 60.) Very variable in form and color. =Cap= 2–3 in. across, convex then expanded, wavy, flattened, sometimes umbonate, sometimes depressed, glabrous, occasionally powdered with thin white dust, fragments of veil, sometimes viscid. =Color= changes with moisture, blackish, grayish, and having somewhat the appearance of an oyster. =Gills= rounded-adnexed, with a slight tooth, arcuately decurrent, crowded, 2–3 lines broad, whitish. =Flesh= soft, whitish or grayish. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, up to ½ in. thick, equal (misshapen by pressure when tufted), light gray, _covered with fine down_, stuffed, becoming hollow, soft, fragile. Gregarious, usually tufted.

=Spores= 7–8×5–6µ _K._

Open woods, in gardens, among cinders, grass, etc., September to frost.

Woodland Cemetery, Philadelphia, 1897. _McIlvaine._

Its tufted habit and fair size, fleshy cap of good flavor, make it a desirable species. It cooks readily and the caps are of fine flavor.

=T. pæ´didum= Fr.—_pædidus_, nasty. =Pileus= about 1-½ in. across. =Flesh= very thin, tough, becoming whitish; bell-shaped then convex, at length expanded, umbonate, at length depressed round the conical, prominent umbo, moist, virgate or streaked with innate fibrils radiating from the center, otherwise almost even, smoky-mouse color, opaque, margin naked. =Gills= adnexed with a slight decurrent tooth, slightly sinuate, crowded, narrow, white then gray. =Stem= about 1 in. long and 2 lines thick, base slightly bulbous, tough, slightly striate, naked, dingy-gray. =Spores= elliptic-fusiform, 10–11×5–6µ.

In gardens, on dung-hills, etc. Small, tough, color dingy, without a trace of violet tinge. _Massee._

Edible. Cooks tender, and is of good flavor, notwithstanding its name, which in no way applies.

=T. subpulverulen´tum= Pers.—slightly dusty. =Pileus= 1–2½ in. across, convex then plane or depressed in center, even, innately pruinose, hoary, white, whitish, grayish, margin extending as a slight rim incurved beyond gills. =Flesh= white, thick, firm, hygrophanous. =Gills= rounded without a tooth, close, narrow, white. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 3–5 lines thick, equal, solid, somewhat striate, whitish.

=Spores= 5×3µ _Massee_; 4×3µ _W.G.S._

Biological grounds, University of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia. May to November, 1898. _McIlvaine._

A species one is glad to find. It has a healthy substantial presence full of promise. It is a solitary grower among grass on lawns and pastures, but its individuals are neighborly. Caps and stems are excellent.

Grouped by F.D. Briscoe—Studies by C. McIlvaine. PLATE XXIV.

FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE.

1–2–3. CLITOCYBE 108 8. CLITOCYBE AMETHYSTINA, 107 OCHROPURPUREA,

4. CLITOCYBE 108 9. CLITOCYBE ODORA, 90 OCHROPURPUREA (SECTION),

5. CLITOCYBE MAXIMA, 99 10. CLITOCYBE LACCATA, 107

6. CLITOCYBE MAXIMA 99 11. CLITOCYBE 100 (SECTION), INFUNDIBULIFORMIS,

7. CLITOCYBE NEBULARIS, 85