Part 27

=C. mi´cropus= Pk.—short-stemmed. =Pileus= thin, fragile, convex or centrally depressed, _umbilicate, silky_, gray, usually with one or two narrow zones on the margin, odor farinaceous. =Gills= narrow, close, adnate or slightly decurrent, gray, becoming flesh-colored. =Stem= _short_, solid, slightly thickened at the top, pruinose, gray with a white mycelium at the base. =Spores= angular or irregular, 10×6µ.

=Pileus= 6–12 lines broad. =Stem= 8–10 lines long, 1 line thick.

Thin woods. Essex and Rensselaer counties. August.

This species is closely allied to the preceding one, but may be separated from it by its short stem and silky umbilicate subzonate pileus. Both species are rare and have been observed only in wet, rainy weather. _Peck_, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Scattered markedly umbilicate. Mt. Gretna, Pa., woods. August, September. _McIlvaine._

Edible, pleasant.

2. _Pileus hygrophanous._

=C. subvi´lis= Pk.—small value. =Pileus= thin, centrally depressed or umbilicate, with the margin decurved, hygrophanous, _dark-brown_ and striatulate on the margin when moist, grayish-brown and silky shining when dry, taste farinaceous. =Gills= _subdistant_, adnate or slightly decurrent, whitish when young, then flesh-colored. =Stem= slender, brittle, rather long, _stuffed or hollow_, glabrous, colored like the pileus or a little paler. =Spores= angular, 7.5–10µ.

=Pileus= 8–15 lines broad. =Stem= 1.5–3 in. long, 1–2 lines thick.

Damp soil in thin woods. Albany county. October.

The species is allied to C. vilis, from which it is separated by its silky-shining pileus, subdistant gills and farinaceous taste. _Peck_, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

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

Edible, pleasant.

=C. Wood´ianus= Pk. =Pileus= thin, convex or nearly plane, umbilicate or centrally depressed, hygrophanous, striatulate on the margin when moist, _whitish or yellowish-white_ and shining when dry, the margin often wavy or flexuous. =Gills= close, adnate or slightly decurrent, whitish, then flesh-colored. =Stem= equal, flexuous, shining, _solid_, colored like the pileus. =Spores= subglobose, angular, 6–7.5µ.

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

Ground and decayed prostrate trunks in woods. Lewis county. September.

This species is perhaps too closely allied to the preceding, but it may easily be separated by its paler color, closer gills and solid stem, though this is sometimes hollow from the erosion of insects. _Peck_, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

=C. Un´derwoodii= Pk.—in honor of L.M. Underwood. =Pileus= rather thin but fleshy, nearly plane or slightly depressed in the center, even, whitish. =Gills= narrow, close, slightly decurrent, pale flesh-colored. =Stem= rather short, equal or slightly tapering upward, solid, whitish. =Spores= subglobose, 4–5µ long.

=Pileus= 6–18 lines broad. =Stem= about 1 in. long and 2 lines thick.

Syracuse and Jamesville. September and October. _L.M. Underwood._ _Peck_, 49th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

SPORES ROSY-RED.

=C. erythro´sporus= Pk. _Gr_—red-spored. =Pileus= thin, hemispherical or strongly convex, glabrous or merely pruinose, pinkish-gray. =Flesh= whitish tinged with pink, taste farinaceous. =Gills= narrow, crowded, arcuate, _deeply decurrent_, colored like the pileus. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering upward, hollow, slightly pruinose at the top, _colored like the pileus_. =Spores= elliptical, 5×3–4µ.

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

Decayed wood and among fallen leaves in woods. Albany and Ulster counties. September and October.

The species is easily recognized by its peculiar uniform color, its narrow, crowded and generally very decurrent gills and by its bright rosy-red spores. Sometimes individuals occur in which the gills are less decurrent. _Peck_, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Mt. Gretna, Pa., among fallen leaves. Sparsely gregarious. September to November. _McIlvaine._

Edible, good.

=C. conis´sans= Pk.—dusted. =Pileus= thin, convex, glabrous, pale alutaceous, often _dusted by the copious spores_. =Gills= close, _adnate_, reddish-brown. =Stem= slender, brittle, hollow, cespitose, _white_. =Spores= narrowly elliptical, 7.5×4µ.

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

Base of an apple tree. Catskill mountains. September.

Remarkable for the bright rosy-red spores which are sometimes so thickly dusted over the lower pilei of a tuft as to conceal their real color. The species is very rare. _Peck_, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

SPORES VERY PALE FLESH-COLORED, MERELY TINTED.

=C. cæspito´sus= Pk.—tufted. =Pileus= at first convex, firm, nearly regular, shining, white, then nearly plane, fragile, often irregular or eccentric, glabrous but with a slight silky luster, _even_, whitish. =Flesh= white, _taste_ mild. =Gills= narrow, thin, crowded, often forked, adnate or slightly decurrent, whitish, becoming dingy or brownish-pink. =Stems= _cespitose_, solid, silky-fibrillose, slightly mealy at the top, white. =Spores= 5×4µ.

=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–3 in. long, 2–4 lines thick.

Thin woods and pastures. Ulster county. September.

This is a large, fine species, very distinct by its cespitose habit, white color and very pale sordid-tinted spores. But for the color of these the plant might easily be taken for a species of Clitocybe. The tufts sometimes form long rows. _Peck_, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Mt. Gretna, Pa. October. _McIlvaine._

Tender, not much flavor.

=C. Noveboracen´sis= Pk.—New York Clitopilus. =Pileus= thin, convex, then expanded or slightly depressed, dingy white, _cracked in areas or concentrically rivulose_, sometimes obscurely zonate, odor farinaceous, _taste bitter_. =Gills= narrow, close, deeply decurrent, some of them forked, white, becoming dingy, tinged with yellow or flesh-color. =Stem= equal, solid, colored like the pileus, the mycelium white, often forming white branching root-like fibers. =Spores= globose, 4–5µ broad.

Var. _brevis_. Margin of the pileus, in the moist plant, pure white. =Gills= adnate or slightly decurrent. =Stem= short.

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

Woods and pastures. Adirondack mountains, Albany and Rensselaer counties. August to October.

The plant is gregarious or cespitose. Sometimes, especially in the variety, it grows in lines or arcs of circles. The margin is often undulated, and in the variety it is, when fresh and moist, clothed with a film of interwoven webby white fibrils which give it a peculiar appearance, and if the spore characters are neglected it might be mistaken for Clitocybe phyllophila. The disk is often tinged with reddish-yellow or rusty hues when moist, and its rivulose character is then more distinct. A farinaceous odor is generally present, especially in the broken or bruised plant, but its taste is bitter and unpleasant. Sometimes bruises of the fresh plant manifest a tendency to assume a smoky-brown or blackish color. The base of the stem is sometimes clothed with a white mycelioid tomentum. _Peck_, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

=C. Sey´mourianus= Pk.—=Pileus= fleshy, thin, broadly convex or slightly depressed, even, _pruinose, whitish with a dark lilac tinge_, sometimes lobed and eccentric. =Gills= narrow, crowded, decurrent, some of them forked at the base, whitish with a pale flesh-colored tint. =Stem= equal, silky-fibrillose, _hollow_. =Spores= minute, globose or nearly so, 3.5–4µ long.

=Pileus= 1–2.5 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–2.5 in. long, 3–4 lines thick.

Woods. Lewis county. September. _Peck_, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

=LEPTO´NIA= Fr.

_Gr_—slender.

(Plate LXVI.)

Rosy-spored. =Stem= _cartilaginous_, tubular (the tube stuffed or hollow), polished, somewhat shining. =Pileus= _thin_, umbilicate or with a darker disk, cuticle fibrillose or separating into darker scales, _margin at first incurved_. =Gills= at first adnexed or adnate but readily separating. _Fries._

The Leptoniæ are related to the Clitopili as the Collybiæ are to the Clitocybæ. The species are small, elegant, brightly colored, inodorous (except A. incanus), and abound _in rainy weather_. Gregarious or growing in troops; on the ground, commonly on dry mossy pastures, but also in marshy places. _Stevenson._

Six American species reported. I have not seen any.

=NOLA´NEA= Fr.

_Nola_, a little bell.

(Plate LXVII.)

Rosy-spored. =Stem= _tubed_, the tube more rarely stuffed with a pith, _cartilaginous_. =Pileus= somewhat membranaceous, _bell-shaped_, somewhat papillate, striate and sometimes even, sometimes also clothed with flocci, _margin straight and at the first pressed to the stem_, and not involute. =Gills= free or adfixed, and not decurrent. _Fries_.

Nolanea agrees with Leptonia and Eccilia among the pink-spored species. It corresponds with Mycena, Galera and Psathyra. Several Entolomata are nearly allied. The species are thin and slender, commonly inodorous and fragile, though some of them are tough. Growing on the ground in summer and autumn. _Stevenson._

Seven American species reported. None seen by writer. _Peck_, Rep. 24, 26, 35, 39, 50.

=ECCI´LIA= Fr.

_Gr_—I hollow out.

(Plate LXVIII.)

=Stem= _cartilaginous_, tubular (the tube hollow or stuffed), expanded upward into the _pileus_, which is somewhat membranaceous and at the first turned inward at the margin. =Gills= attenuated behind, truly decurrent, becoming more so when the pileus is depressed, and not separating as those of Nolanea.

Corresponding in structure with Omphalia of the white-spored and Tubaria of the brown-spored series. Allied to Clitopilus in the decurrent gills, but separated by the cartilaginous, smooth stem.

(Plate LXIX.)

=E. car´neo-gri´sea= B. and Br.—_caro_, flesh; _griseus_, gray. =Pileus= about 1 in. broad, gray flesh-color, umbilicate, striate, delicately dotted, margin slightly glittering with dark particles. =Stem= about 1½ in. long, slender, fibrous-hollow upward, wavy, of the same color as the pileus, shining, smooth, white-downy at the base. =Gills= adnato-decurrent, somewhat undulated, distant, rosy, the irregular margin darker. _Stevenson._

=Spores= irregularly oblong, rough, 7×5µ _Massee_.

Nova Scotia, _Dr. Somers_.

New Jersey, _E.B. Sterling_, August, 1897; Eagle’s Mere, Pa., common under pines, _McIlvaine_.

This neat little species is sweet and pleasant raw, and when cooked makes an agreeable dish. European authorities give the taste as unpleasant, but there is nothing of the sort about the American representative.

=CLAU´DOPUS= Smith.

_Claudus_—lame; _pous_—a foot.

(Plate LXX.)

=Pileus= eccentric, lateral or resupinate. =Spores= pinkish.

The species of this genus were formerly distributed among the Pleuroti and Crepidoti, which they resemble in all respects except the color of the spores. The genus at first was made to include species with lilac-colored as well as pink spores, but Professor Fries limited it to species with pink spores. In this sense we have taken it. The spores in some species are even, in others rough or angulated. The stem is either entirely wanting or is very short and inconspicuous, a character indicated by the generic name. The pileus often rests upon its back and is attached by a point when young, but it becomes turned backward with age. The species are few and infrequent. All inhabit decaying wood.

SYNOPSIS OF THE SPECIES. Pileus yellow C. nidulans

Pileus white or whitish 1

1. Spores even C. variabilis

1. Spores angulated. C. depluens

Pileus gray or brown 2

2. Pileus striatulate when C. Greigensis moist

2. Pileus not striatulate C. byssisedus

_Peck_, 39th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

=C. ni´dulans= Pers.—_nidus_, a nest. =Pileus= 1–3 in. broad, stemless, attached by the pileus or rarely narrowed behind into a short stem-like base, caps often overlapping one another, suborbicular or kidney-shaped, _downy_, somewhat pointed-hairy or scaly-hairy toward the margin, _yellow or buff color_, the margin at first turned inward. =Lamellæ= rather broad, moderately close or subdistant, _orange-yellow_. =Spores= even, slightly curved, 6–8µ long, about half as broad, delicate pink.

Decaying wood. Sandlake. Catskill and Adirondack mountains. Autumn.

This fungus was placed by Fries among the Pleuroti, and in this he has been followed by most authors. But the spores have a delicate pink color closely resembling that of the young lamellæ of the common mushroom, Agaricus campestris. We have, therefore, placed it among the Claudopodes, where Fries himself has suggested it should be placed if removed at all from Pleurotus. Our plant has sometimes been referred to Panus dorsalis Bosc., but with the description of that species it does not well agree. The tawny-color, spoon-shaped pileus, pale floccose scales, short lateral stem and decurrent lamellæ ascribed to that species are not well shown by our plant. The substance of the pileus, though rather tenacious and persistent, can scarcely be called leathery. The flesh is white or pale yellow. The hairy down of the pileus is often matted in small tufts and intermingled with coarse hairs, especially toward the margin. This gives a scaly or pointed-hairy appearance. The color of the pileus is often paler toward the base than it is on the margin. _Peck_, 39th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Mt. Gretna, Pa., November, 1898, decaying stumps. _McIlvaine._

An autumnal species growing upon wood. Not common.

The light yellow tomentosity of the cap arranges itself into shapes as fascinating as crystals of snow.

Taste pleasant, mild. Texture more solid than P. ostreatus, consequently tougher. It is edible but not desirable. Must be chopped fine and cooked well.

FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE. 1. HEBELOMA GLUTINOSUM, 283 3. PHOLIOTA SQUARROSA, 273 2. PHOLIOTA CAPERATA, 270 4. PHOLIOTA SUBSQUARROSA, 275

_Hymenophore distinct from fleshy stem._

ACETABULARIA. BOLBITIUS.

_Hymenophore confluent and homogenous with fleshy stem._

CORTINARIUS. PHOLIOTA. INOCYBE. HEBELOMA. FLAMMULA. PAXILLUS. CREPIDOTUS.

_Hymenophore confluent with, but heterogeneous from cartilaginous stem._

NAUCORIA. GALERA. PLUTEOLUS. TUBARIA.

_Series III._ =OCHRO´SPORÆ= (Dermini). Spores brown.

Ochrosporæ, third in color series, ranges in spore color from dull ochraceous, through bright ocher, to rusty orange and ferruginous or iron-rust. The various shades will tax even a color expert.

There are no species in the series corresponding to Amanitæ. In Acetabularia there is a cup-like volva; in Pholiota there is a distinct interwoven ring on the stem; in Cortinarius the secondary veil is like a cobweb, and may form an imperfect zone around the stem, or hang as fibers from the margin of the cap; Pluteolus exactly resembles Pluteus.

There are many edible species of good quality in the series. None are known to be poisonous. The substance, as a rule, is tougher than in most of the preceding genera, and in many instances has a strong woody flavor. Several species are late growers, and are among the best of fungi. Notably in Pholiota.

=ACETABULA´RIA= Berk.

_Acetabulum_, a vinegar-cup. From the cup-like volva.

Universal veil distinct from the pileus; hymenophore distinct; gills free; spores pallid, tawny or brown.

Analogous to Volvaria and Chitonia.

No American species reported.

=PHOLIO´TA= Fr.

_Gr_—a scale.

=Pileus= more or less fleshy. =Gills= adnate, with or without a decurrent tooth, tawny or rust colored at maturity from the spores. =Flesh= of stem continuous with that of the pileus. =Ring= distinct, interwoven. =Spores= sepia-brown, bright yellowish-brown or light red.

Generally on wood, sometimes on the ground in damp moss, frequently densely cespitose. Some of the species are large and bright colored. Distinguished from all other genera of the brown-spored series by the possession of a distinct ring. In Cortinarius the veil and ring are web-like.

Stevenson notes in his description of the genus: “None are to be commended as edible.” My investigation shows that there are several delicious species, notably P. squarrosa and subsquarrosa. Their lateness and plentifulness make them valuable food fungi. I have nothing but praise for the entire genus.

ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.

_A._ HUMIGENI (_humus_, ground; _gigno_, to bear). Page 270.

On the ground, rarely cespitose.

* Eudermini. _Gr_—well; _dermini_, the brown-spored series.

Spores ferruginous.

** Phæoti. _Gr_—dusky.

Spores dusky rust-colored.

_B._ TRUNCIGENI (_truncus_, a trunk; _gigno_, to bear). Page 273.

On wood; subcespitose.

* Ægeritini. _P. ægerita_, the type of the section.

Pileus naked, not scaly, sometimes cracked. Gills pallid, then reddish or dusky. None known to be edible.

** Squamosi—_squama_, a scale.

Pileus scaly, not hygrophanous. Gills becoming discolored.

* Gills not becoming purely rust-colored.

** Gills yellow, then rust-color or tawny.

*** Hygrophani. _Gr_—moist; to appear.

Gills cinnamon, not at first yellow.

_C._ MUSCIGENI (_muscus_, moss; _gigno_, to bear).

Hygrophanous. Like Galera with a ring.

_A._ HUMIGENI. On ground.

* Eudermini. _Spores ferruginous._

=P. capera´ta= Pers.—_capero_, to wrinkle. (Plate LXXI, fig. 2, page 268.) =Pileus= 3–5 in. broad, more or less intensely yellow, fleshy, but thin in proportion to its size and robust stem, ovate then expanded, obtuse, viscid only when moist and not truly so, even at the disk, wrinkled in pits at the sides, _incrusted with white superficial flocci_. =Stem= 4–6 in. long, more than 1 in. thick, solid, stout, cylindrical with exception of the base which is often tuberous, shining white, _scaly above the ring, which is membranaceous, reflexo-pendulous, and broken into squamules at the apex_. =Gills= adnate, crowded, thin, somewhat serrated, _clay_-cinnamon.

When young the pileus is incrusted with the veil or with white mealy-floccose soft, hairy down, which is crowded on the even disk and scaly towards the thin pitted-furrowed margin; and as this separates the pileus is naked. Veil universal, floccoso-mealy, at the first cohering in the form of a volva but not continuous; in rainy weather remaining in the form of a volva at the base. =Spores= dark ferruginous on a white ground, paler on a black ground. There is a smaller form (A. macropus Pers.) in pine woods, pileus even and paler. =Stem= 3 in. long, and without a tuberous base. =Ring= oblique and often incomplete. _Stev._

=Spores= 10µ _B. and Br._; 12×4µ _W.P._; spheroid-ellipsoid, uniguttate, 11–12×8–9µ _K._; 12×4.5µ _Massee_.

Not previously reported.

This fungus occurs sparingly in rich woods near Boston. It is much esteemed in Germany, and eagerly sought by the common people, who call it familiarly the “Zigeuner” (Gypsy). Boston Myc. Club Bull. 1896.

I have found this species in but one place—on the south hill of the great Chester valley, Pa., where it grows plentifully in woods. The taste raw was slightly acrid, but when cooked this disappeared. Many ate of the species and enjoyed it.

=P. togula´ris= Bull.—_togula_, a little cloak. From the ample ring. =Pileus= 1½ in. broad, _pallid ochraceous_, fleshy, soft, bell-shaped then expanded, obtuse, orbicular, _without striæ_, smooth. =Flesh= thin, soft, becoming yellow. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, 2 lines thick, tubed, rigid, equal, cylindrical, rough with stiff fibers, naked and becoming yellow at the apex, becoming dingy brown downward. =Ring= medial, more than 1 in. distant, entire, spreading-reflexed. =Gills= adnato-separating, ventricose, crowded, narrowed in front, becoming yellow, at length pale rust-color, never becoming dingy brown.

Protean, slender, very variable in stature, growing in troops. _b._ More slender, but densely gregarious, with the wholly pallid smooth stem thinner, often flexuous. This form is exactly A. mesodactylus Berk. _c._ Very small. Pileus 1 in. =Stem= 1 in. or a little more, scarcely 1 line thick, very flexuous, becoming rust-color. _Stevenson._

=Spores= elliptical, 8×3.5µ _Massee_.

New Jersey, on decayed chips mixed with dirt. May, 1898. _E.B. Sterling._

Not previously reported.

The specimens sent were tested and found to be of good quality.

** Phæ´oti. _Spores fuscous—ferruginous (dingy rust-color)._

=P. du´ra= Bolt.—_durus_, hard. =Pileus= 3 in. and more broad, tawny, tan-color, becoming dingy brown, fleshy, _somewhat compact_, convexo-plane, obtuse, smooth, _then cracked into patches_, margin even. =Stem= commonly curt, 2 in. long, about ½ in. thick, _stuffed_, even solid, hard, becoming silky-even, then longitudinally cracked when dry, thickened at the _apex, mealy_ and more than usually widened into the pileus, varying ventricose and irregularly-shaped. =Ring= _torn_. =Gills= _adnate_, striato-decurrent with a tooth, ventricose, ½ in. broad, _livid then dingy rust-color_.

The stem is abundantly furnished with fibrillose rootlets at the base. Although very closely allied to A. præcox, it is readily distinguished by its rust-color or brown-rust spores. _Stevenson._

=Spores= 9×5µ _W.G.S._; 8–9×5–6µ _Massee_.

Haddonfield, N.J. June to October. Florist’s garden, _McIlvaine_.

After rains P. dura appears, solitary, from spring to autumn. The cracked cap, in mature specimens, distinguishes it from other species found on its habitat. It varies in size from 1½ in. up to 4 in. across. The caps are excellent.

(Plate LXXII.)

=P. præ´cox= Pers.—_præcox_, early. =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad, convex or nearly plane, soft, nearly or quite glabrous, whitish, more or less tinged with yellow or tan-color. =Gills= close, adnexed, at first whitish, then brownish or rusty-brownish. =Stem= 1.5–3 in. long, 2–2.5 lines thick, rather slender, mealy or glabrous, stuffed or hollow, whitish. =Spores= elliptical, rusty-brown, 10–13×6–8µ.

The Early Pholiota is a small but variable species. From other similarly colored species that appear in grassy ground early in the season, the collar on the stem will generally distinguish it. Its cap is usually convex when young but nearly flat in the mature plant. It is rather pale in color but not a clear white, being tinted with yellow or pale tan-colored hues. The gills are whitish when the cap first opens, but they soon change to a rusty-brown hue in consequence of the ripening of the spores. They are excavated at the inner extremity and slightly attached to the stem. They are ventricose when the cap is fully expanded. The stem is rather slender, nearly or quite straight and soon smooth and hollow. It is pale or whitish, and usually furnished with a small collar. Sometimes the collar is slight and disappears with age and sometimes the fragments of the veil remain attached to the margin of the cap leaving nothing for a collar.

The plants usually grow in grassy ground, lawns and gardens, and appear from May to July.

Var. _minor_ Batt. is a small form having the cap only about 1 in. broad and the remnants of the veil adherent to the margin of the cap. It is represented by figures 6 to 12.