Part 46
Several specimens of different ages proved good eating. Like P. sulphureus it must be well cooked.
=P. hetero´clitus= Fr. _Gr_—one of two; _Gr_, to lean. In many cespitose layers, coriaceous. =Pilei= 2½ in. broad, _orange, sessile, expanded on all sides from a radical tubercle_, lobed, villous, zoneless. Pores irregularly shaped and elongated, golden-yellow. _Fries._
On the ground under oak. Rare.
The flat pilei extend horizontally from the tubercle. Irregular, eccentric. _Stevenson._
Minnesota, _Johnson_.
Haddonfield, N.J., Hopkin’s woods. June to July, 1890–1896. _McIlvaine._
Of all fungoid growth this is the most showy. Its clusters, often a foot and a half in diameter and spread like mammoth dahlias, are gorgeous in color and conspicuous in design. Resting upon the ground or reared against the base of tree or stump, they deceive by their likeness to gaudy bouquets, left by foreign picnickers. In quality it is the same as P. sulphureus. It does not, however, retain its edibility. As it ages it becomes offensive.
=P. por´ipes= Fr.—porous-stemmed. =Pileus= 1.5–3 in. broad, rather fleshy, sinuately repand, smooth, grayish-brown. =Stem= central or excentric, firm, smooth, 1.5–3 in. long, 4–6 lines thick, punctuated by the whitish decurrent pores.
On earth in hilly regions.
=Cap= 2 in. across, light drab, smooth, slightly furfuraceous toward center, broken into minute appressed squamules, zoned. =Flesh= fibrous, white-pliable. =Tubes= very shallow, round mouths with obtuse divisions, china-white, running down to base of stem. =Stem= eccentric, almost lateral, entirely surrounded by pores, connate at base, ½ in. thick.
=Smell= pleasant.
New York. Ground. August, _Peck_, Rep. 24; Mt. Gretna, Pa., August to November, _McIlvaine_. A large tufted species growing on the ground in woods, August to November, _McIlvaine_.
When raw tastes like the best chestnuts or filberts, but rather too dry cooked. _Curtis._
It must be chopped fine and slowly cooked.
=P. immi´tis= Pk.—wide, rude. =Pilei= cespitose-imbricated, broad, slightly convex or flattened, more or less rough or uneven, radiately-wrinkled, tuberculose or fibrous-bristled, zoneless, white, becoming tinged with yellow or alutaceous in drying. =Flesh= white, slightly fibrous, soft and moist when fresh, cheesy when dry, with a subacid odor. =Pores= minute, angular or even subflexuous, about equal in length to the thickness of the pileus, the dissepiments thin, white, often at length dentate or lacerate on the edge. =Spores= minute, white, elliptical, 3–4×18–20µ.
=Pilei= 2–4 in. broad, the flesh commonly 3–4 lines thick.
Decaying ash trunks. East Berne. August.
The species is apparently related to P. cæsareus, but the character of the pores is quite different in the two species. _Peck_, 35th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Mt. Gretna, Pa. On dead black oak. August to November, 1898.
Several clusters grew on dead black oaks. The pilei overlap and the wrinkled corrugated margins curve downward, giving them the semblance of shells. From a distance a group looks like Pleurotus ostreatus. The substance is juicy; while cooking it is at first bitter, but this disappears. It becomes tender and well flavored.
=P. alliga´tus= Fr.—_alligo_, to bind to. In many cespitose layers, fibrous-fleshy, rigid-fragile. =Pilei= tan-isabelline, imbricated, unequal, _zoneless, villous_. =Pores= minute, soft, white, readily becoming stopped up with flocci.
Often clavate when young. Commonly wrapping round stipules and grasses. _Fries._
=Spores= elliptical, pale, 6×7µ _Massee_.
Woodland Cemetery, Philadelphia. Among oak trees on grassy ground. July, August, September. _McIlvaine._
Tufts frequently weigh two pounds. When young the plant cooks well, is tender and of sweet, pleasant flavor. When old it has a sour unpleasant odor.
IV.—APUS.
=P. chio´neus= Fr. _Gr_—snow. White =pileus= 1 in. and more broad, fleshy, _soft, becoming even, smooth_, zoneless, often extended behind, margin inflexed. =Pores= curt, very small, round, equal, quite entire. _Fries._
Always soft, fragile, hyaline-white when moist, shining white when dry. Odor acid. Without a cuticle. _Stevenson._
=Spores= white, oval, 21×3µ _W.G.S._
New York. Decaying wood of frondose trees. _Peck_, 33d Rep.
Angora, Philadelphia, Mt. Gretna, Pa. On standing and fallen timber. June to September. _McIlvaine._
This snow-white Polyporus is too conspicuous to be passed unseen. One does not expect to find snow-balls stuck against trees in August. At a distance it resembles one. When young and fresh it is good.
=P. betuli´nus= Fr.—_betula_, birch. =Pileus= fleshy, then corky, hoof-shaped, obtuse, zoneless, smooth, _the oblique vertex in the form of an umbo_, pellicle thin, separating. =Pores= late of being developed, curt, minute, unequal, at length separating. _Fries._
On living and dead birch. Common. May to December.
=Pileus= 3–6 in. broad. The pileus is at first pale, then acquiring a brownish tinge. The edge is always very obtuse. _Stevenson._
The lower surface or hymenium is frequently rough with numerous acicular projections, making the plant look like a Hydnum when viewed horizontally. _Peck_, 24th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Massachusetts, Kansas, New York. _Peck_, Rep. 24.
Wherever the birch grows this neat, white-fleshed Polyporus abounds.
When young it is eaten by deer. Dried it burns with a white flame, or holds fire as well as the best punk. It is a valuable fuel, already prepared for the stove. In the birch forests near Eagle’s Mere, Pa., tons of it can be seen protruding from tree and log.
When very young it is fair. Unpleasant when old.
V.—RESUPINATI.
=P. sinuo´sus= Fr.—full of folds. Broadly effused, adnate, dry, the evanescent mycelium somewhat rooting, white then yellowish. =Pores= large, surface flexuous, acute, lacerated. Odor of licorice.
New York. Decaying wood of maple. _Peck_, 40th Rep.
Mt. Gretna, Pa. _McIlvaine._
Of but little food value. Collected carefully and boiled, it yields a pleasantly flavored liquor.
=MERU´LIUS= Hall.
(Plate CXXVI, fig. 3, p. 478.)
Hymenophore resting on a loose mold-like mycelium, covered with the soft, waxy, continuous hymenium, having its surface variously plicate or wrinkled, the folds forming irregular pores, sometimes obsoletely toothed.
Generally on wood.
I have tasted, raw, every species I have found. They are all more or less woody in flavor, and I believe them to be edible. At the best Merulius would be an emergency genus. M. tremellosus is substantial, as is M. rubellus Pk.
=M. tremello´sus= Schrad.—_tremellosus_, trembling. Resupinate; margin becoming free and more or less reflexed, usually radiately-toothed, gelatinoso-cartilaginous; hymenium variously wrinkled and porous; whitish and subtranslucent looking, becoming tinged brown in the center. =Spores= cylindrical, curved, about 4×1µ.
On wood. From 1–3 in. across, remaining pale when growing in dark places. Margin sometimes tinged rose, radiating when well developed. _Massee._
=Spores= cylindrical, curved, hyaline, 4×1µ _K._
New York. Old logs, stumps, Catskill mountains. _Peck_, 22d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Mt. Gretna, Pa. Common, both rose-colored and translucent brown species, numerous on decaying wood. October to November, 1898–1899. _McIlvaine._
M. tremellosus is a common species and rather attractive looking. In substance it approaches Tremella and Peziza. The spore-bearing surface is superior (turned upward) and then sometimes turned in at the margin which frequently is bright rose color, sometimes yellowish-rose. It is rather tasteless—slightly woody in flavor, rather tough. An emergency species.
=M. rubel´lus= Pk.—_rubellus_, dim. of _ruber_, reddish. Generally cespitose, imbricated, sessile, dimidiate, soft, tenacious, tomentose, evenly red, pale when dry; margin mostly undulately inflexed; hymenium white or flesh-color; folds branching, forming anastomosing pores. =Spores= elliptical, hyaline, minute, 4–5×2.5–3µ.
=Pileus= 2–3 in. long, 1.5 in. broad.
Somewhat related to M. tremellosus.
On trunks of beech in woods.
Ohio, _Morgan_; Indiana, _Dr. J.R. Weist_; Mt. Gretna, Pa., November. _McIlvaine._ Specimens identified by Professor Peck.
Tough, but edible.
FAMILY III.—=HYDNA´CEÆ.=
=Hymenium= inferior or amphigenous (not confined to one surface), from the first definitely protuberant, spread over persistent spines, bristles, teeth, tubercles or papilla. _Fries._
While the highest members of this family possess the general form of the mushroom, others, lacking a stem, recline on the back (resupinate); the lowest, without even the appearance of a distinct pileus, seem to be simply spread over the supporting body (effused). In the highest class the spines or other spore-bearing surface are inferior, _i. e._, below the pileus; in the others they are of course superior, _i. e._, above the pileus.
Of the eleven genera but two contain species of food value. Hydnum, characterized by its acute spines, embraces species which are eaten as delicacies, and Irpex, distinguished by its somewhat acute teeth growing from a ridgy hymenium, contains those which may furnish sustenance in time of need. In Caldesia, bearing spines, the texture is floccose not fleshy. Sistotrema has a pileus and a central stem, but instead of spines bears irregular flattened teeth. The remaining genera are separated by the tubercles, granules, folds, etc., which take the place of spines or teeth.
Several species of Hydnum are common to earth and wood, others are distinct in their habitats.
SYNOPSIS OF THE GENERA.
HYDNUM. Page 494.
Sporophore fleshy, with a central stem or entirely resupinate, texture compact, spines acute, distinct at the base.
CALDESIELLA.
Resupinate; texture floccose, spines acute; spores muriculate. (No edible species reported.)
SISTOTREMA.
Pileate; fleshy, central-stemmed, teeth flattened, irregular, inferior. (No edible species reported.)
IRPEX. Page 504.
Resupinate; teeth rather acute, springing from folds or ridges that often anastomose irregularly.
RADULUM.
Resupinate; tubercles coarse, deformed, subcylindrical, obtuse. (No edible species reported.)
PHLEBIA.
Resupinate; hymenium covered with folds or wrinkles, having the edge entire or corrugated. (No edible species reported.)
GRANDINIA.
Resupinate; hymenium with crowded, globose, persistent, hemispherical, minute granules, having their apices more or less excavated. (No edible species reported.)
POROTHELIUM.
Resupinate; hymenium with scattered wart-like granules, which become more or less elongated and excavated at the apices. (No edible species reported.)
ODONTIA.
Resupinate; hymenium densely covered with small granules that are divided at the apices in a penicillate manner. (No edible species reported.)
KNEIFFIA.
Resupinate; hymenium covered with very minute, barren, acute spinules. (No edible species reported.)
MUCRONELLA.
Spines slender, elongated, acute, not springing from a sporophore or subiculum. (No edible species reported.)
=HYD´NUM.=
_Gr_—name for some edible fungus.
Hymenium inferior, bearing awl-shaped =Spines=, distinct at the base. _Fries._
In this genus the spines proceed from an even surface, not folded or wrinkled, and are covered with the spore-bearing surface.
The forms are extremely variable, the type of the first section, H. repandum, being easily mistaken for one of the Agaricaceæ until examined, the stem being nearly central and upright, while in other forms it is lateral or absent. Some are dimidiate (as if part of the pileus had been removed and the plant attached by the remaining portion); the lower forms are resupinate.
ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.
MESOPUS (_Gr_—middle, a foot). Page 495.
Entire, simple, stem central. On the ground, mostly in pine woods.
PLEUROPUS (_Gr_—the side; a foot).
Stem lateral. None known to be edible.
MERISMA (_Gr_—to divide). Page 501.
Very much branched or of an irregular form without a distinct margin.
APUS (_Gr_—without; a foot). Page 503.
Stemless, dimidiate, margin distinct.
RESUPINATI (_resupino_, to throw on the back).
Without stem or distinct pileus. None known to be edible.
MES´OPUS. _Gr_—middle; a foot.
(Entire, simple, stem central. On the ground, mostly in pine woods.)
=H. imbrica´tum= L.—_imbrex_, a tile. =Pileus= about 2–5 in. broad, _umber_, zoneless, fleshy, rather plane, somewhat umbilicate, _floccose_, tessulato-scaly. =Flesh= dingy whitish. =Stem= curt, 1–3 in. long, 1–2 in. thick, even. =Spines= 4–6 lines long, decurrent, ashy-white.
There are two forms; one with the pileus plane and with thick persistent scales, another with the pileus somewhat infundibuliform, and with thinner, at length separating scales. _Stevenson._
=Spores= pale yellow brown, rough, 6–7×5µ _Massee_; 6×5µ _W.G.S._
Fleshy. The numerous scales over lapping toward the center. The surface of the cap often cracks in a tesselated manner. Flesh dingy, buffish or reddish. =Spines= short, blunt, grayish-white and mostly of equal length.
In pine and mixed woods. Autumn.
Of delicate taste. _Cordier._ Edible. _Curtis._
Fine specimens grew at Mt. Gretna, Pa., from September to November. Until closely examined the cap may be mistaken for that of H. zonatum. The zones of the latter and the pervading rust-color will distinguish it. Both are edible, though H. zonatum is much tougher. H. imbricatum is slightly bitter, raw. It must be sliced thin and well cooked.
=H. læviga´tum= Swartz—_lævis_, smooth. =Pileus= 4–6 in. broad, _umber_, fleshy, _compact_, firm, regular, plane, _even, very smooth_, margin circinate (not repand). =Flesh= whitish, compact, but by no means fibrous, soft when fresh, pliant when dry. =Stem= short, thick, even, pallid-brown. =Spines= thin, pallid-brown.
Its size is that of H. imbricatum, but it occurs twice as large, with the pileus minutely rimuloso-rivulose, by no means scaly. The stem varies curt and unequal or longer and equal. Quite distinct from H. fragile. _Stevenson._
=Spores= 10–15µ long, _Massee_; globose, warted, pale lemon-yellow, 7µ _Q._
In pine woods. August to October.
Edible, _Curtis_; edible, _Leuba_. “Eaten in Alpine districts.” _Barla._
(Plate CXXXI.)
=H. scabro´sum= Fr.—_scabrosus_, rough. =Pileus= about 1½-4 in. broad, _brownish-yellow_, compactly fleshy, at first top-shaped, then plane above, very convex beneath, at first tomentose, then rough with flocci which are fasciculate in the form of minute crowded squamules, slightly repand at the margin. =Flesh= very thick, white, descending into the stem. =Stem= very curt, 1 in. long, and equally thick, round or compressed, dotted with the rudiments of spines decurrent upon it, ash-color, attenuated downward, roundish and blackish at the base. =Spines= 4 lines long, equal, awl-shaped, dingy-rust color, whitish at the apex, at first sight grayish-brown. _Fries._
=Spores= 4–5µ diameter. _Massee._
Hydnum scabrosum is frequently found in Pennsylvania, among pines and in mixed woods where pines grow. It occurs at Mt. Gretna, Pa., and on Springton Hills under hemlocks.
The caps are soft, fleshy, and equal to H. repandum in quality.
=H. squamo´sum= Schaeff.—_squama_, a scale. =Pileus= 1½-3 in. across, reddish-brown, fleshy, irregular, depressed, _smooth_, breaking up into _irregular scales_. =Flesh= whitish. =Stem= curt, attenuated downward, white. =Spines= grayish-brown, whitish at the apex. _Stevenson._
=Spores= subglobose, 5–6µ diameter. _Massee._
=Pileus= smooth and even when young. =Flesh= whitish. =Spores= grayish-brown. =Spines= whitish, giving the lower surface a much lighter appearance than the upper.
Under hemlock and spruce in West Virginia, 1884. _McIlvaine._
Caps are good when sliced thin and well cooked.
=H. subsquamo´sum= Batsch. =Pileus= fleshy, somewhat convex, subumbilicate, brownish-rust color, superficial scales soon dropping off; spotted with brown. =Stem= stout, unequal, smooth. =Spines= whitish, becoming brown, apex remaining whitish. North Carolina, _Curtis_; Alabama, _Peters_; Massachusetts, _Sprague_. Edible. _Curtis._ Edible. _Cordier._
(Plate CXXXII.)
=H. repan´dum= L.—_repandus_, bent backward (of the cap, upward). =Pileus= 2–6 in. broad, _pallid_, etc., fleshy, fragile, _somewhat repand_, rather smooth. =Stem= 2–5 in. long, ½-1½ in. thick, irregularly shaped, _pallid_. =Spines= 4 lines long, unequal, of the same color. _Stevenson._
=Spores= pointed, 5–8µ _Massee_.
=Pileus= sometimes depressed, often turned upward at margin, often waved, sometimes tomentose. Color variable—light-buff, brown, pinkish, reddish. =Flesh= whitish, compact, fragile. =Spines= conical, up to ¼ in. in length, whitish but rich creamy shades, mostly pointed, but sometimes appearing to be hollow. =Stem= central or eccentric, sometimes covered with white down, thick, uneven, usually crooked, solid, fleshy, light in color.
July to November.
Edible. _Curtis._
Common to most countries, and, although given as a ground-growing species, it is rather indiscriminate in its habitats. Woods, fields, leaf-covered or bare places, much decayed wood and stumps are its living places. Dr. Cooke thinks it irreproachable. Popularly it goes by the name of the Hedgehog mushroom.
H. repandum varies greatly in shape, color and texture. In the open it is usually symmetrical and tough; when clustered it is irregular, often fanciful and quite brittle—tender.
When sliced thin an hour’s slow cooking is sufficient. All writers commend it, and properly.
=H. rufes´cens= Pers.—_rufus_, red. =Pileus= 2–3 in. across, thin, fragile, usually regular, pubescent, reddish. =Spines= 1–3 lines long, regular. =Stem= 1–3 in. long, commonly thin, nearly equal, reddish.
The whole plant is reddish. In all other respects it resembles H. repandum. Usually more regular.
Commonly found in woods. New York, _Peck_; North Carolina, _Curtis_, _Schweinitz_.
Edible, _Curtis_. Edible, _Leuba_.
Fries considered H. rufescens a variety of H. repandum, and the writer agrees with him. It is given distinct place here because Massee and Stevenson—books in the hands of many students of fungi—give it importance.
It is quite as good as H. repandum.
=H. ferrugi´neum= Fr. =Pileus= 1–4 in. across, corky, soft, convex, then plane or depressed, irregularly pitted, ferruginous, at first with whitish tomentum. =Flesh= ferruginous. =Spines= thin, acute, about 2 lines long, rusty-brown. =Stem= firm, 2–3 in. long, unequal, rusty-brown. =Spores= subglobose, 4µ diameter.
In fir woods. Often gregarious; soft when young, corky and dry at maturity. _Massee._
Mt. Gretna, Pa. November to December, 1898. Among pine leaves.
Taste mild, mealy. Tough, but when young it cooks tender.
=H. zona´tum= Batsch. Ferruginous. =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad, _equally coriaceous_, thin, expanded, somewhat infundibuliform, _zoned, becoming smooth, radiately-wrinkled_, the paler margin sterile beneath. =Stem= ½-¾ in. long, 2–3 lines thick, slender, somewhat equal, floccose, base tuberous. =Spines= 1–1½ lines long, slender, pallid, then rust-color. _Stevenson._
=Spores= rough, globose, pale watery brown, 4µ diameter _Massee_.
New York, _Peck_, 24th Rep. Mt. Gretna, Pa. Abundant among hemlocks; West Virginia. _McIlvaine._
Coriaceous. Edible. It will not cook tender, but yields a pleasant flavor to a gravy made of its juices.
=H. albo´nigrum= Pk. =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, broadly obconical, tough but soft and densely tomentose on the upper surface, buff-brown or smoky brown, often wholly covered with a whitish downy tomentum, sometimes on the margin only, substance within soft tomentose and buff-brown in the upper stratum, the lower half hard and black. =Spines= short, at first white, then whitish or grayish. =Stem= short, often irregular, compressed or growing together, blackish when moist, buff-brown when dry, covered with a thick dense tomentum, which is frequently more abundant toward the base, hard and black within. =Spores= white, globose, 4–5µ.
=Pileus= 1–3 in. broad, sometimes 2 or 3 confluent. =Stem= 1–2 in. long.
Ground in mixed woods. Gansevoort. August. _Peck_, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Specimens from pine woods New Jersey, _T.J. Collins_, September, 1897. 1½ in. across. Frequent at Mt. Gretna, Pa.
Edible. Good flavor, but tough.
=H. velle´reum= Pk. This species appears to be very much like the preceding one (H. albonigrum Pk.) from which it is separated by its smaller size and the paler brownish or rusty-brown substance of its pileus and stem. _Peck_, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
At Mt. Gretna, Pa., the species grows with H. albonigrum. In quality it is the same.
(Plate CXXXIII.)
=H. al´bidum= Pk. =Pileus= fleshy, thin, broadly convex or nearly plane, subpruinose, white. =Flesh= white. =Spines= short, white. =Stem= short, solid, central or eccentric, white. =Spores= subglobose, 4–5µ broad.
The whitish Hydnum is uniformly colored in all parts. It grows in groups or in clusters. In the latter case the caps are sometimes irregular because of the crowded mode of growth and the stems are occasionally eccentric. It is a small species not liable to be mistaken for any other except possibly for very small pale forms of the spreading Hydnum. But wholly white examples of this species have never been seen by me.
The =caps= are 1–2 in. broad and the =stems= are generally about 1 in. long and 3–5 lines thick.
The plants grow in thin woods or in open bushy places and appear in June and July. It is not a common species, and though well flavored it is not of very great importance as an edible mushroom, because of its scarcity and small size. _Peck_, 51st Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Port Jefferson. July. This fungus has been tested and found to be edible. _Peck_, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Mt. Gretna, Pa., 1897. Specimens identified by Professor Peck. _McIlvaine._
The caps are edible and superior to H. repandum.
=H. fen´nicum= Karst. =Cap= fleshy, fragile, unequal, at first scaly, at length breaking up, reddish-brick color becoming darker, margin undulately lobed, 2–4 in. broad. =Flesh= white. =Stem= sufficiently stout, unequal below, attenuated, flexuous or curved, smooth, of the same color as the cap, base acute, light white tomentum outside, inside light pale-blue or dark-gray (wood-ash), 1–3 in. long, .4–1 in. thick. =Teeth= decurrent, equal, pointed, from white dusky, about 4 mm. long. =Spores= ellipso-spheroidical or sub-spheroidical, rough, dusky, 4–6µ long, 3–5µ broad.
Found in gravelly or sandy soil in woods.
Found at Angora near Philadelphia. Top cracked. Identified by Professor Peck.
Occurs frequently at Mt. Gretna, Pa., ground in mixed woods. August to September. The taste and smell are at first inviting, but the extreme bitter which develops destroys all desire to eat it.
=H. spongio´sipes= Pk. =Pileus= convex, soft, spongy-tomentose, but tough in texture, rusty-brown, the lower stratum more firm and fibrous. but concolorous. =Spines= slender, 1–2 lines long, rusty-brown, becoming darker with age. =Stem= hard and corky within, externally spongy-tomentose, colored like the pileus, the central substance often transversely zoned especially near the top. =Spores= subglobose, nodulose, purplish-brown, 4–6µ broad.
=Pileus= 1.5–4 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–3 in. long, 4–8 lines thick.
Woods. Rensselaer and Saratoga counties. August.
This plant was formerly referred to Hydnum ferrugineum Fr. _Peck_, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Found in pine woods, near Haddonfield, N.J., by T.J. Collins, September, 1897. =Cap= and =stem= dark brown. =Spines= darker. =Stem= swelling toward base, which then tapers in a long rooting way. =Cap= umbilicate. Specimens identified by Professor Peck.
Edible but tough and uninviting. Yields a good fungoid flavor to the water in which it is boiled.