Part 65

ILLUSTRATIONS TO SUPPLEMENT

PLATE PAGE

I. Agaricus abruptus Pk. 722

II. Lepiota clypeolaria Pk. 713

III. Clitocybe patuloides Pk. 714

IV. Lactarius subpurpureus 716 Pk.

V. Cantharellus cinnabarinus 719 Pk.

VI. Cortinarius corrugatus 720 Pk.

INDEX TO SUPPLEMENT

PAGE abietina (Russula), 712 abruptus (Agaricus), 722 Adirondackensis (Clitocybe), 715 chrysenteron albocarneus (Boletus), 723 cinnabarinus (Cantharellus), 719 clypeolaria (Lepiota), 712 corrugatus (Cortinarius), 720 distans (Lactarius), 717 Frostiana pallidipes (Amanita), 711 granulatus albidipes (Boletus), 722 haemorrhoidarius (Agaricus), 721 var. fumosus, 722 lauræ (Hygrophorus), 716 maculosa (Clitocybe), 715 Morgani (Lepiota), 711 mushrooms, Raising at home, 724 naucinoides (Lepiota), 713 patuloides (Clitocybe), 714 Publications, 709 rugulosa (Russula), 717 subpurpureus (Lactarius), 716

SUPPLEMENT

[Sidenote: Amanita.]

=Amanita Frostiana pallidipes= n. var. (See A. Frostiana, page 16.) In his report of the New York State Botanist for 1899, Prof. Charles H. Peck describes a new variety of Amanita Frostiana as follows:

The typical form of this species, which is common in our cool northern woods, has the pileus and annulus, and usually the stem also, of a yellow color, that of the pileus sometimes verging to orange. But in warmer and more open or bushy places forms occur in which the whole plant is whitish, but in other respects has the characters of the species. Sometimes the pileus is pale-yellow and the stem and annulus white. The warts are soft and flocculent, are sometimes numerous and persistent, and again are few or wanting. The form with yellow stem and annulus and yellow or orange pileus may be considered the typical form of the species, but forms having the stem and annulus pale or white may be designated as variety pallidipes. _Peck,_ 53d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Undoubtedly POISONOUS. _McIlvaine._

[Sidenote: Lepiota.]

=Lepiota Morgani= Pk. (See page 37.) The majority of mycophagists are immune to the poison of this species. Yet many cases of severe, but not fatal poisoning by it came within the writer’s knowledge during the season of 1900–1901.

A valuable report is contained in a letter from George B. Clementson, attorney, Lancaster, Wis.:

“* * * Lepiota Morgani has grown in this locality this season in unusual abundance. While I was absent last week, my father picked a number, mistaking them for L. procera, and my mother, in preparing them for the table, ate a small piece of the cap of one—a piece, she assures me, no larger than a hickory nut. About two hours afterward and shortly after dinner (at which the mushrooms were not served, and at which nothing indigestible was eaten) she experienced a peculiar numbness and nausea, with constriction of the throat. Vomiting set in within half an hour and was excessive, lasting several hours and giving no relief. She was very greatly weakened and thought herself dying, being so reduced at one time that she was unable to see. Purging set in not long after the vomiting. The constriction of the throat did not disappear until after the vomiting stopped.

“Whisky and nitroglycerine (by the stomach) were given to keep up the heart’s action.

“It seems probable that the poison itself did not directly affect the heart, but that the alarming weakness was due to the vomiting and purging. That is my mother’s own opinion. After being in bed for a day she was able to get around, but suffered considerable pain in the abdomen for forty-eight hours.

“I presume that owing to the fact that my mother is not very strong and has a weak stomach, she was more violently affected than many might be. But a poison that in any person can produce such symptoms, when taken in so small a quantity, ought to be labeled decidedly dangerous.

“There can be no question that the specimens were L. Morgani, as I examined some that were left of those picked, and also gathered others from the same patch where these were obtained.

“As everything relating to mushroom poisoning should be of interest to the mycologist and mycophagist, I take the liberty of reporting this case.”

The Lepiota Morgani appears to be spreading. In 1901 I found large specimens of it outside a stable in Lebanon, Pa. Its appearance and luxuriance are so much in its favor, that the toadstool lover will be tempted to try it. Experiments in eating it should be conducted with the greatest caution.

(Plate II.)

=Lepiota clypeolaria= (Bull.) Fr. Shield Lepiota. (Plate II.) =Pileus= thin, soft, convex or subcampanulate, becoming nearly plane, obtuse or umbonate, squamose, whitish or yellowish, the center or umbo smooth, yellowish or brownish, the margin often appendiculate with fragments of the veil. =Flesh= white. =Lamellæ= thin, close, free, white. =Stem= slender, equal or slightly tapering upward, hollow, fragile, pallid, adorned with soft, loose, white or yellowish floccose scales or filaments. =Spores= oblong or subfusiform, 12–20µ long, 6–8µ broad.

The cap of the shield lepiota is at first somewhat ovate or bell-shaped, but with advancing age it becomes convex above or nearly flat. It is white or whitish, but spotted with numerous small scales of a yellowish or brownish-yellow color. These scales are the result of the breaking up of the thin cuticle that covers the very young plant, and they have the same color as it. A small space in the center is brown or yellowish-brown, or darker than the rest of the cap, because the cuticle covering it remains unbroken and retains its color. The center in some specimens is more prominent than in others, giving what is called an umbonate cap. The margin of the cap is sometimes shaggy, specially in young plants, by the adhering fragments of the whitish veil.

The gills are thin, closely placed side by side and rounded at the end next the stem, but they are not attached to the stem. They are white. The stem is rather long and slender, fragile and adorned with loose, soft fibrils or flocculent, cottony tufts, which give it a somewhat shaggy appearance, but it becomes smoother as the plant grows older.

The cap is usually from 1–2.5 inches broad, and the stem from 1.5–3 inches long and 1.5–3 lines thick. The plants grow in woods, specially in hilly and mountainous regions, and are generally solitary or few in a place, but in favorable seasons they are of frequent occurrence and may be found from July to October. Though small and thin, the caps are well flavored and make a desirable dish. _L. metulaespora_ B. and Br. scarcely differs from this species, except in the striate margin of its cap. _Peck_, 54th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

=Lepiota naucinoides= Pk. (See page 45.) This valuable food species is spreading and rapidly increasing in many of the states. Prof. Charles H. Peck, in 54th Annual Report of the New York State Museum, says of it: “It has shown considerable variability in some of its characters. Usually its pileus is very white and smooth, clean and attractive, but specimens have been found this year having the pileus dingy or smoky brown, others have been seen in which the cuticle of the pileus was cracked in such a way as to form minute squamules, and in one or two instances plants were observed having the surface of the pileus adorned with minute granules, a character attributed to _L. naucina_ Fr. In such cases the importance of recognizing the spore characters is shown. By disregarding this character our plant has sometimes been referred to _L. naucina_ and sometimes to _Agaricus cretaceus_ Fr., both of which it closely resembles, and with which it appears to be confused by European mycologists, some referring it to one species and some to the other.”

The species named are equally excellent.

(Plate III.)

=Clitocybe patuloides= Pk. (Plate III.) =Pileus= fleshy, firm, rather thick, convex, becoming nearly plane or somewhat centrally depressed, glabrous, even and white when young, with the margin incurved, becoming pale ochraceous with age and often squamose or rimosely areolate. =Flesh= white, taste mild, odor like that of mushrooms. =Lamellæ= thin, close, slightly or strongly decurrent, forked or anastomosing at the base, white. =Stem= usually short, equal or slightly tapering upward, solid, white. =Spores= broadly elliptic, 6–8µ long, 5µ broad.

=Pileus= 1–4 inches broad. =Stem= 1–3 inches long, 4–12 lines thick.

Gregarious or cespitose. Woods, especially of pine. When growing in tufts the stem is often eccentric and the pileus irregular. The base of the stem is often white tomentose. Its agreeable odor and mild taste led to a trial of its edible qualities, but it developed a bitter taste in cooking. _Peck_, 54th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

=Clitocybe Adirondackensis= Pk. Adirondack Clitocybe. =Pileus= thin, convex or nearly plane and umbilicate, or centrally depressed and funnel-form, glabrous, moist, white or pale tan color. =Flesh= white. =Lamellæ= thin, narrow, close, very decurrent, white. =Stem= nearly equal, glabrous, stuffed or hollow, colored like the pileus. =Spores= subglobose or broadly elliptic, 4–5µ long, 3–4µ broad.

The Adirondack clitocybe is common in the northern forests of the state, but is not limited to them. Its cap is thin, and soon becomes nearly flat with a decurved margin and a central depression or umbilicus, or very concave by the elevation of the margin, and then it resembles a wineglass in shape. Its margin is sometimes wavy or irregular. In color it varies from white to a very pale red or tan color. White specimens sometimes have the center slightly darker than the rest.

The gills are very narrow, being scarcely broader than the thickness of the flesh of the cap. They are closely placed, white and decurrent.

The stem is nearly cylindric, smooth and stuffed or hollow. It is colored like the cap. Often there is a white tomentum or cottony substance at its base.

The cap varies in size and is 1–2 inches broad; the stem 1.5–3 inches long and 1–2 lines thick. It may be found from July to October. Its flavor is suggestive of that of the common mushroom. _Peck_, 54th Rep N.Y. State Bot.

=Clitocybe maculosa= Pk. Spotted Clitocybe. =Pileus= fleshy, convex, often centrally depressed, glabrous, centrally marked with numerous small round spots, yellowish-white, the young margin involute and minutely downy. =Flesh= white, taste mild. =Lamellæ= narrow, close, very decurrent, whitish or slightly yellowish, some of them forked. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering upward, glabrous or sparingly fibrillose, stuffed, sometimes becoming hollow, whitish. =Spores= subglobose or orbicular, 4–5µ broad.

The peculiar mark by which the spotted clitocybe may be distinguished consists in the small round definite spots in the central part of the cap. They have a slightly darker or watery or yellowish color and appear as if depressed below the rest of the surface. The cap is smooth and whitish or yellowish white and is generally depressed in the center and decurved on the margin. The margin is usually adorned with slight, short radiating ridges. The flesh is white and the taste mild.

The gills are closely placed side by side, narrow and prolonged downward on the stem. They have nearly the same color as the cap. The stem is nearly cylindric, smooth or adorned with a few silky fibrils, whitish and spongy within or sometimes hollow when old.

The cap is from 1–3 inches broad; the stem 2–3 inches long and 2–4 lines thick. This mushroom grows among fallen leaves in woods. It appears in August and September. I have found it in the Adirondack forests only. Its range is probably northward, and its rarity detracts from its importance as an edible species. _Peck_, 54th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

=Hygrophorus lauræ= Morg. =Pileus= fleshy, convex and umbonate, then expanded and depressed, more or less irregular, glutinous, white, clouded with a reddish or brownish tinge especially on the disk. =Stem= solid, more or less curved or crooked, tapering downward, yellowish-white; the apex scabrous with scaly points. =Lamellæ= unequally adnate-decurrent, distant, white. =Spores= pellucid, elliptic, apiculate, .0083×.0055µ.

Growing in rich soil among the leaves in hilly woods. Pileus 2–4 in. broad, stipe 2–4 in. long and ½ an inch thick. This is a much larger plant than _H. eburneus_, has a wash of red or brown upon the disk, and is covered with a thick gluten. It is more like _H. cossus_, but has no odor. Journal Cincinnati Soc. Nat. Hist. Vol. VI, 180, 1883.

Edible. _Prof. C.H. Peck._

(Plate IV.)

=Lactarius subpurpureus= Pk. Purplish Lactarius. (Plate IV. See page 172.) “When fresh, their taste is slightly acrid, but, when they are cooked, it is scarcely inferior to that of _L. deliciosus_.” _Peck_, 54th Rep. N. Y. State Bot.

I had not seen this species when the first edition of this work went to press, consequently could not report its edible qualities. The favorable testing by Professor Peck adds weight to the opinion I have frequently expressed, that acridity of species when raw is no evidence whatever that they are harmful. Acridity usually disappears in cooking.

=Lactarius distans= Pk. Distant-gilled Lactarius. =Pileus= firm, broadly convex or nearly plane, umbilicate or slightly depressed in the center, with a minute velvety pruinosity, yellowish tawny or brownish orange. =Lamellæ= rather broad, distant, adnate or slightly decurrent, white or creamy yellow, the interspaces venose, milk white, mild. =Stem= short, equal or tapering downward, solid, pruinose, colored like the pileus. =Spores= subglobose. 9–11µ broad.

The distant-gilled Lactarius is similar to the orange Lactarius in color, but in other respects it is quite distinct. The short stem, widely separated gills and pruinose surface of the cap are distinctive features. The cap is broadly convex and often has a small central depression or umbilicus. In some cases it becomes nearly plane or even slightly funnel-shape by the spreading or elevation of the margin. The surface, specially in young and in well-developed specimens, has a soft pruinose or almost velvety appearance to the naked eye, and when viewed through a magnifying glass it is seen to be covered with minute persistent granules. The surface is sometimes wrinkled and frequently it cracks in such a way as to form small angular or irregular areas. The color is a peculiar one, varying somewhat in shade, but with tawny hues prevailing. It has been described as yellowish tawny and brownish orange. The flesh is white or whitish and has a mild taste.

The gills are wide apart, somewhat arched in specimens having a convex cap and slightly decurrent in those with fully expanded or centrally depressed caps. Their color is white or creamy yellow and in old and dried specimens they have a white pruinosity as if frosted by the spores. The milk is white and mild.

The stem is short, rarely more than an inch long, and is cylindric or tapering downward. It is solid and colored and clothed like the cap.

The cap is 1 to 4 in. broad; the stem is usually about 1 in. long, 4 to 8 lines thick. It is found in thin woods, bushy places and pastures from July to September. It is similar to the orange Lactarius, _L. volemus_, in its edible qualities. _Peck_, 52d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

=Russula rugulosa= n. sp. Rugulose Russula. =Pileus= rather thin, fragile, convex, becoming nearly plane or centrally depressed, viscid when moist, roughened or uneven with small tubercles and rugæ, even on the margin when young, becoming tuberculate striate with age, the viscid pellicle separable on the margin. =Flesh= white, reddish under the cuticle, taste tardily acrid. =Lamellæ= rather close, adnate or slightly rounded behind, white. =Stem= nearly equal, spongy within, white. =Spores= white, rough, subglobose, 8–10µ broad, shining in transmitted light.

The rugulose russula is closely related to the emetic russula, but differs from it in the uneven or rugulose surface of the cap, in the tardily acrid taste and in its closer adnate gills. Its cap is red, varying from pale-red to dark-red, viscid when moist, even on the margin when young, but somewhat tuberculate and striate when old. Its surface is roughened by minute tubercles or pimples, which sometimes appear to run together and form short ridges. These are sometimes absent from the center of the cap. The viscid cuticle easily peels from the margin of the cap, but not from the center. The flesh is white, except just under the cuticle, where it is reddish. It is soft and fragile, and its taste is slowly and much less sharply acrid than in the emetic russula. Its gills are closely placed, attached to the stem and persistently white. The stem is brittle, soft and spongy within, smooth and white. The cap is 2–4 inches broad, the stem 2–3 inches long, 4–8 lines thick.

It grows in woods among mosses and fallen leaves or on the bare ground, and appears in August and September. It is an inhabitant of the Adirondack forests. Its slightly acrid flavor is destroyed in cooking, and it affords a harmless, tender and agreeable food. _Peck_, 54th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

=Russula abietina= n. sp. Fir Tree Russula. =Pileus= thin, fragile, convex, becoming nearly plane or slightly depressed in the center, viscid when moist, the viscid pellicle separable, tuberculate striate on the margin. =Flesh= white, taste mild. =Lamellæ= subdistant, ventricose, narrowed toward the stem, rounded behind and nearly free, whitish, becoming pale yellow, the interspaces venose. =Stem= equal or tapering toward the top, stuffed or hollow, white. =Spores= bright yellowish ochraceous, subglobose, rough, 8–10µ broad.

The fir tree russula is closely related to the youthful russula, _R. puellaris_ Fr., from which it is separated by the viscid cap, the gills rather widely separated from each other and nearly free, the stem never yellowish nor becoming yellow where wounded, and the spores having an ochraceous hue. They are much brighter and more highly colored in the mass than the mature gills. The cap varies much in color, but the center is generally darker than the rest. It may be dull purple or greenish purple with a brownish or blackish center, or sometimes with an olive green center, or it may be olive green or smoky green with a brownish center. Olive green and purplish hues of various shades are variously combined, but sometimes the margin is grayish and the center olive green. The flesh is white and its taste mild. The gills are white when young, or barely tinged with yellow, but they become pale yellow with age. They are neither crowded nor widely attached to the stem, and are connected with each other by cross veins, which can be seen at the bottom of the interspaces. The stems are rather slender, soft or spongy, sometimes becoming hollow and occasionally tapering upward. They are very constantly and persistently white. The =cap= is 1–2.5 inches broad, the =stem= 1–2.5 inches long, 3–5 lines thick. This russula grows under or near pine, spruce or balsam fir trees. It occurs from July to October. It is tender and palatable. The stems also are tender and may be cooked with the caps. _Peck_, 54th Rep. N. V. State Bot.

(Plate V.)

=Cantharellus cinnabarinus= Schw. Cinnabar Chantarelle. (Plate V.) =Pileus= firm, convex or slightly depressed in the center, often irregular with a wavy or lobed margin, glabrous, cinnabar red. =Flesh= white. =Lamellæ= narrow, distant, branched, decurrent, red. =Stem= equal or tapering downward, glabrous, solid or stuffed, red. =Spores= elliptic, 8–10µ long, 4–5µ broad.

The cinnabar Chantarelle is readily recognized by its color. It is externally red in all its parts, the interior only being white. It is a small species but often quite irregular in shape. Small specimens are more likely to be regular than large ones. Sometimes the cap is more fully developed on one side than on the other. This makes the stem eccentric or in some cases almost lateral. The color is quite constant, but in some instances it is paler and approaches a pinkish hue. It is apt to fade or even disappear in dried specimens. The gills are blunt on the edge as in other species of this genus. They are forked or branched, narrow and decurrent.

The stem is small, smooth and usually rather short. It is generally solid, but in the original description it is characterized as stuffed. The cap is 8 to 18 lines broad; the stem 6 to 12 lines long and 1 to 3 broad. It grows gregariously in thin woods and open places and may be found from July to September. It sometimes occurs in great abundance, which adds to its importance as an edible species. The fresh plant has a tardily and slightly acrid flavor, but this disappears in cooking. In Epicrisis, Fries referred this species to the genus Hygrophorus, and in Sylloge also it is placed in that genus, but it is a true Cantharellus and belongs in the genus in which Schweinitz placed it. _Peck_, 52d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

=Cortinarius corrugatus= Pk. Corrugated Cortinarius. (Plate VI.) =Pileus= fleshy, broadly campanulate or very convex, viscid when moist, coarsely corrugated, bright-yellow, reddish-yellow, tawny or ochraceous. =Flesh= white. =Lamellæ= close, pallid when young, becoming tawny with age. =Stem= rather long, equal, hollow, bulbous, pallid or yellowish, the bulb viscid and usually colored like the pileus. =Spores= broadly elliptical, rough, 11–16µ long, 8–10µ broad.

The corrugated Cortinarius is a well-marked and easily-recognized species, quite distinct from its allies. Although the color of the pileus is variable, its viscid, corrugated surface and the viscid bulb of the stem afford distinctive and easily-recognized characters. Sometimes the corrugations or wrinkles anastomose with each other in such a way as to give a reticulated appearance. The color varies from yellow to reddish-tawny or reddish-ochraceous. The margin in young plants is incurved.

(Plate VI.)

There is a variety in which the cap is adorned with darker-colored spots or scales. This bears the name, variety _subsquamosus_. In all other respects it is like the species.