CREPIDOTUS Fr.

Figure 153.—Tubaria pellucida. Dull reddish brown (natural size).

Thepileusis conic, then bell-shaped, often expanded and with a slight umbo; the color is dull, reddish brown, and it has a watery appearance. The plant is sometimes enveloped with a loose and delicate universal or outer veil, which remains on the margin of the cap in the form of silky squamules as shown in the figure. The margin of the pileus is faintly striate. Thegillsare only slightly decurrent. Figure153is from plants (No. 2360 C. U. herbarium) collected along a street in Ithaca.

The stem is at first solid, becoming hollow, tapering above, and the apex is mealy.

InCrepidotusthe pileus is lateral, or eccentric, and thus more or less shelving, or it is resupinate, that is, lying flat or nearly so on the wood. The species are usually of small size, thin, soft and fleshy. The spores are reddish brown (ferruginous). The genus corresponds toPleurotusamong the white-spored agarics, or toClaudopusamong the rosy-spored ones. Peck describes eleven species in the 39th Report, N. Y. State Mus., p. 69 et seq., 1886.

Crepidotus versutusPk.—This littleCrepidotushas a pure white pileus which is covered with a soft, whitish down. The plants grow usually on the underside of rotten wood or bark, and then the upper side of the cap lies against the wood, and is said to be resupinate. Sometimes where they grow toward the side of the log the cap has a tendency to be shelving. In the resupinate forms the cap is attached usually near one side, and then is produced more at the opposite side, so that it is more or less lateral or eccentric. As the plant becomes mature the edge is free from the wood for some distance, only being attached over a small area. The cap is somewhat reniform, thin, and from 6–12 cm. in diameter. Thegillsradiate from the point where the cap is attached to the substratum, are not crowded, rounded behind, that is, at the lateral part of the cap where they converge. They are whitish, then ferruginous from the spores. Thesporesare sub-elliptical, sometimes inequilateral, and measure from 8–12 × 4–6 µ.

Figure 154.—Crepidotus versutus. Cap white, downy; gills whitish, then rusty (twice natural size) Copyright.

Crepidotus herbarumPk., is a closely related species, separated on account of the smaller spores. Both species grow either on herbs or decaying wood. As suggested by Peck they are both closely related toC. chimonophilusBerk., which has "oblong elliptical" spores. The shape of the spores does not seem to differ from the specimens which I have taken to beC. versutus.

Crepidotus applanatusFr., is a larger species, shelving and often imbricated.Crepidotus fulvotomentosusPk., is a pretty species with a tomentose cap and tawny scales, usually occurring singly. It is closely related toC. calolepisFr.

Figure154is from plants ofCrepidotus versutusPk., (No. 2732 C. U. herbarium) collected on rotting wood at Freeville, N. Y., eight miles from Ithaca. The plants are represented twice natural size.

The genusCortinariusis chiefly distinguished from the other genera of the ochre-spored agarics by the presence of a spider-web-like (arachnoid) veil which is separate from the cuticle of the pileus, that is, superficial. The gills are powdered by the spores, that is, the spores fall away with difficulty and thus give the gills a pulverulent appearance. The plants are fleshy and decay easily. It is necessary to have plants in the young as well as the old state to properly get at the characters, and the character of the veil is only seen in young or half developed specimens. The species are to be distinguished from other ochre-spored agarics with a cobwebby veil by the fact that the veil inCortinariusis superficial and the gills powdery. The number of species is very large, and they are difficult to determine. They mostly occur in northern countries and in the autumn or late summer; some species, however, occur during early summer. Peck, 23d Report, N. Y. State Mus., p. 105–112, describes 21 species.

Cortinarius (Inoloma) violaceus(L.) Fr.Edible.—This species is known by the violet or dark violet color which pervades all parts of the plant. The plants are 8–10 cm. high, the pileus 7–15 cm. broad, and the stem is bulbous, 6–8 mm. in thickness. The veil is single. It occurs in woods and open places during late summer and in the autumn. The flesh of the plant is also violet, and this color is imparted to the liquid when the plant is cooked. The flavor is said to be something like that ofAgaricus campestris.

Cortinarius (Myxacium) collinitus(Pers.) Fr.Edible.—This is known as the smeared cortinarius because of the abundant glutinous substance with which the plant is smeared during moist or wet weather. It grows in woods. The plants are 7–10 cm. high, the cap 5–8 cm. in diameter, and the stem is 8–12 mm. in thickness. It is usually known by the smooth, even, tawny cap, the great abundance of slimy substance covering the entire plant when moist, and when dry the cracking of the gluten on the stem into annular patches.

Thepileusis convex to expanded, smooth, even, glutinous whenwet, shining when dry, tawny. Thegillsare adnate with a peculiar bluish gray tinge when young, and clay color to cinnamon when old. Thesporesare nearly elliptical, and 12–15 × 6–7 µ. Thestemis cylindrical, even, and with patches of the cracked gluten when dry.

Cortinarius (Dermocybe) cinnamomeus(L.) Fr.Edible.—The cinnamon cortinarius is so called because of the cinnamon color of the entire plant, especially of the cap and stem. It grows in the woods during summer and autumn. It is a very pretty plant, and varies from 5–8 cm. high, the cap from 2–10 cm. broad, and the stem 4–6 mm. in thickness.

Thepileusis conic, or convex, and nearly expanded, sometimes nearly plane, and again with a prominent blunt or conic umbo. Sometimes the pileus is abruptly bent downward near the margin as shown in the plants in Fig.155, giving the appearance of a "hip-roof." The surface is smooth, silky, with innate fibrils. Sometimes there are cinnabar stains on parts of the pileus, and often there are concentric rows of scales near the margin. The flesh is light yellowish and with stains of cinnabar. Thegillsare adnate, slightly sinuate, and decurrent by a tooth, easily separating from the stem, rather crowded, slightly ventricose. The color of the gills varies greatly; sometimes they are the same color as the pileus, sometimes reddish brown, sometimes blood red color, etc. This latter form is a very pretty plant, and is var.semi-sanguineusFr.

Figure 155.—Cortinarius cinnamomeus var. semi-sanguineus. Cap and stem cinnamon, gills blood red color (natural size). Copyright.

Figure155is from plants (No. 2883 C. U. herbarium) collectedat Ithaca. The species is widely distributed in this country as well as in Europe.

Plate 50, Figure 156.—Cortinarius ochroleucus. Entire plant pale ochre color, gills later ochre yellow (natural size). Copyright.

Cortinarius (Dermocybe) ochroleucus(Schaeff.) Fr.—This is a very beautiful plant because of the soft, silky appearance of the surface of pileus and stem, and the delicate yellowish white color. It occurs in woods, on the ground among decaying leaves. The plants are 4–12 cm. high, the cap 4–7 cm. broad, and the stem above is 6–10 mm. in thickness, and below from 2–3 cm. in thickness.

Plate 51, Figure 157.—Cortinarius ochroleucus. Colors same as in Figure 156, this represents older plants.

Thepileusis convex to nearly expanded, and sometimes a little depressed, usually, however, remaining convex at the top. It is dry, on the center finely tomentose to minutely squamulose, sometimes the scales splitting up into concentric rows around the cap. The cap is fleshy at the center, and thin at the margin, the color is from cream buff to buff, darker on the center. Thegillsare sinuate or adnate, slightly broader in the middle (ventricose) in age, pale at first, then becoming ochre yellow, and darker when the plant dries. Thesporesare tawny in mass, oval, elliptical, minutely tuberculate when mature, 6–9 × 4–6 µ. Thestemis clavate, pale cream buff in color, solid, becoming irregularly fistulose in age, bulbous or somewhat ventricose below, the bulb often large and abrupt, 1.5–3 cm. in diameter. Theveilis prominent and attached to the upper part of the stem, the abundant threads attached over an area 1 cm. in extent and forming a beautiful cortina of the same color as the pileus and stem, but becoming tawny when the spores fall on it. The stem varies considerably in length and shape, being rarely ventricose, and then only at the base; the bulbous forms predominate and the bulb is often very large.

Figures 156, 157 are from plants (No. 3674 C. U. herbarium) collected at Blowing Rock, N. C., during September, 1899.

The genusBolbitiuscontains a few species with yellowish or yellowish brown spores. The plants are very fragile, more or less mucilaginous when moist, usually with yellowish colors, and, what is the most characteristic feature beside the yellowish color of the spores, the gills are very soft, and at maturity tend to dissolve into a mucilaginous consistency, though they do not deliquesce, or only rarely dissolve so far as to form drops. The surface of the gills at maturity becomes covered with the spores so that they appear powdery, as in the genusCortinarius, which they also resemble in the color of the spores. In the mucilaginous condition of the gills the genus approachesCoprinus. It is believed to occupy an intermediateposition betweenCoprinusandCortinarius. The species usually grow on dung or in manured ground, and in this respect resemble many of the species ofCoprinus. Some of the species are, however, not always confined to such a substratum, but grow on decaying leaves, etc.

Figure 158.—Bolbitius variicolor. Cap viscid, various shades of yellow, or smoky olive; gills yellowish, then rusty (natural size).

Bolbitius variicolorAtkinson.—This plant was found abundantly during May and June, 1898, in a freshly manured grassplatbetween the side-walk and the pavement along Buffalo street, Ithaca, N. Y. The season was rainy, and the plants appeared each day during quite a long period, sometimes large numbers of them covering a small area, but they were not clustered nor cespitose. They vary in height from 4–10 cm., the pileus from 2–4 cm. broad, and the stem is 3–8 mm. in thickness. The colors vary from smoky to fuliginous, olive and yellow, and the spores are ferruginous.

Thepileusis from ovate to conic when young, the margin not at all incurved, but lies straight against the stem, somewhat unequal.In expanding the cap becomes convex, then expanded, and finally many of the plants with the margin elevated and with a broad umbo, and finely striate for one-half to two-thirds the way from the margin to the center. When young the pileus has a very viscid cuticle, which easily peels from the surface, showing the yellow flesh. The cuticle is smoky olive to fuliginous, darker when young, becoming paler as the pileus expands, but always darker on the umbo. Sometimes the fibres on the surface of the cap are drawn into strands which anastomose into coarse reticulations, giving the appearance of elevated veins which have a general radiate direction from the center of the cap. As the pileus expands the yellow color of the flesh shows through the cuticle more and more, especially when young, but becoming light olive to fuliginous in age. In dry weather the surface of the pileus sometimes cracks into patches as the pileus expands. Thegillsare rounded next the stem, adnate to adnexed, becoming free, first yellow, then ferruginous. The basidia are abruptly club-shaped, rather distant and separated regularly by rounded cells, four spored. Thesporesare ferruginous, elliptical, 10–15 × 6–8 µ, smooth. Thestemis cylindrical to terete, tapering above, sulphur and ochre yellow, becoming paler and even with a light brown tinge in age. The stem is hollow, and covered with numerous small yellow floccose scales which point upward and are formed by the tearing away of the edges of the gills, which are loosely united with the surface of the stem in the young stage. The edges of the gills are thus sometimes finely fimbriate.

At maturity the gills become more or less mucilaginous, depending on the weather. Plants placed in a moist chamber change to a mucilaginous mass. When the plants dry the pileus is from a drab to hair brown or sepia color (Ridgeway's colors). Figure158is from plants (No. 2355 C. U. herbarium).

In the genusPaxillusthe gills are usually easily separated from the pileus, though there are some species accredited to the genus that do not seem to possess this character in a marked degree. The spores are ochre or ochre brown. Often the gills are forked near the stem or anastomose, or they are connected by veins which themselves anastomose in a reticulate fashion so that the meshes resemble the pores of certain species of the familyPolyporaceæ. The pileus may be viscid or dry in certain species, but the plant lacks a viscid universal veil. The genus is closely related toGomphidius, where the gills are often forked and easily separate from the pileus, butGomphidiuspossesses a viscid or glutinous universal veil. Peck in the Bull. N. Y. State Mus. Nat. Hist. 2: 29–33, describes five species.

Paxillus involutus(Batsch.) Fr.Edible.—This plant is quite common in some places and is widely distributed. It occurs on the ground in grassy places, in the open, or in woods, and on decaying logs or stumps. The stem is central, or nearly so, when growing on the ground, or eccentric when growing on wood, especially if growing from the side of a log or stump. The plants are 5–7 cm. high, the cap 3–7 cm. broad, and the stem 1–2 cm. in thickness. The plant occurs from August to October.

Figure 159.—Paxillus involutus. Cap and stem gray, olive-brown, reddish brown or tawny (natural size). Copyright.

Thepileusis convex to expanded, and depressed in the center. In the young plant the margin is strongly inrolled, and as the pileus expands it unrolls in a very pretty manner. The young plant is covered with a grayish, downy substance, and when the inrolled margin of the cap comes in contact with the gills, as it does, it presses the gills against this down, and the unrolling margin is thus marked quite prominently, sometimes with furrows where the pressure of the gills was applied. The color of the pileus varies greatly. In the case of plants collected at Ithaca and in North Carolina mountains the young plant when fresh is often olive umber, becoming reddish or tawny when older, the margin with a lighter shade. As Dr. Peck states, "it often presents a strange admixture of gray, ochraceous, ferruginous, and brown hues." The flesh is yellowish and changesto reddish or brownish where bruised. Thegillsare decurrent, when young arcuate, then ascending, and are more or less reticulated on the stem. They are grayish, then greenish yellow changing to brown where bruised. Thesporesare oval, 7–9 × 4–5 µ. Thestemis short, even, and of the same color as the cap.

Plate 52, Figure 160.—Paxillus rhodoxanthus. Cap reddish brown, stem paler, gills yellow (natural size). Copyright.

At Ithaca, N. Y., the plant is sometimes abundant in late autumn in grassy places near or in groves. The Figure159is from plants (No. 2508 C. U. herbarium) growing in such a place in the suburbs of Ithaca. At Blowing Rock, N. C., the plant is often very abundant along the roadsides on the ground during August and September.

Paxillus rhodoxanthus(Schw.)—This species was first described by de Schweinitz asAgaricus rhodoxanthus, p. 83 No. 640, Synopsis fungorum Carolinæ superioris, in Schriften der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft 1: 19–131, 1822. It was described under his third section ofAgaricusunder the sub-genusGymnopus, in which are mainly species now distributed inClitocybeandHygrophorus. He remarks on the elegant appearance of the plant and the fact that it so nearly resemblesBoletus subtomentosusas to deceive one. The resemblance toBoletus subtomentosusas one looks upon the pileus when the plant is growing on the ground is certainly striking, because of the reddish yellow, ochraceous rufus or chestnut brown color of the cap together with the minute tomentum covering the surface. The suggestion is aided also by the color of the gills, which one is apt to get a glimpse of from above without being aware that the fruiting surface has gills instead of tubes. But as soon as the plant is picked and we look at the under surface, all suggestion of aBoletusvanishes, unless one looks carefully at the venation of the surface of the gills and the spaces between them. The plant grows on the ground in woods. At Blowing Rock, N. C., where it is not uncommon, I have always found it along the mountain roads on the banks. It is 5–10 cm. high, the cap from 3–8 cm. broad, and the stem 6–10 mm. in thickness.

Thepileusis convex, then expanded, plane or convex, and when mature more or less top-shaped because it is so thick at the middle. In age the surface of the cap often becomes cracked into small areas, showing the yellow flesh in the cracks. The flesh is yellowish and the surface is dry. Thegillsare not very distant, they are stout, chrome yellow to lemon yellow, and strongly decurrent. A few of them are forked toward the base, and the surface and the space between them are marked by anastomosing veins forming a reticulum suggestive of the hymenium of thePolyporaceæ. This character isnot evident without the use of a hand lens. The surface of the gills as well as the edges is provided with clavatecystidiawhich are filled with a yellow pigment, giving to the gills the bright yellow color so characteristic. These cystidia extend above the basidia, and the ends are rounded so that sometimes they appear capitate. The yellow color is not confined to the cystidia, for the sub-hymenium is also colored in a similar way. Thesporesare yellowish, oblong to elliptical or spindle-shaped, and measure 8–12 × 3–5 µ. Thestemis the same color as the pileus, but paler, and more yellow at the base. It is marked with numerous minute dots of a darker color than the ground color, formed of numerous small erect tufts of mycelium.

Figure160is from plants (No. 3977 C. U. herbarium) collected at Blowing Rock, N. C., during September, 1899. As stated above, the plant was first described by de Schweinitz asAgaricus rhodoxanthusin 1822. In 1834 (Synop. fung. Am. Bor. p. 151, 1834) he listed it under the genusGomphusFries (Syst. Mycolog. 319, 1821). Since Fries changedGomphustoGomphidius(Epicrisis, 319, 1836–1838) the species has usually been writtenGomphidius rhodoxanthusSchweinitz. The species lacks one very important characteristic of the genusGomphidius, namely, the slimy veil which envelops the entire plant. Its relationship seems rather to be with the genusPaxillus, though the gills do not readily separate from the pileus, one of the characters ascribed to this genus, and possessed by certain species ofGomphidiusin even a better degree. (In Paxillus involutus the gills do not separate so readily as they do in certain species ofGomphidius.) Berkeley (Decades N. A. Fungi, 116) has described a plant from Ohio under the namePaxillus flavidus. It has been suggested by some (see Peck, 29th Report, p. 36; Lloyd, Mycolog. Notes, where he writes it asFlammula rhodoxanthus!) thatPaxillus flavidusBerk., is identical withAgaricus rhodoxanthusSchw.

Paxillus rhodoxanthusseems also to be very near if not identical withClitocybe pelletieriLev. (Gillet, Hymenomycetes1: 170), and Schroeter (Cohn's Krypt, Flora Schlesien,3, 1: 516, 1889) transfers this species toPaxillusasPaxillus pelletieri. He is followed by Hennings, who under the same section of the genus, listsP. flavidusBerk., from N. A. The figure ofClitocybe pelletieriin Gillet Hymenomycetes, etc., resembles our plant very closely, and Saccardo (Syll. Fung.5: 192) says that it has the aspect ofBoletus subtomentosus,a remark similar to the one made by de Schweinitz in the original description ofAgaricus rhodoxanthus.Flammula paradoxaKalch. (Fung. Hung. Tab. XVII, Fig. 1) seems to be the same plant, aswell asF. tammiiFr., with which Patouillard (Tab. Anal. N. 354) placesF. paradoxaandClitocybe pelletieri.

Paxillus atro=tomentosus(Batsch) Fr.—This plant is not very common. It is often of quite large size, 6–15 cm. high, and the cap 5–10 cm. broad, the stem very short or sometimes long, from 1–2.5 cm. in thickness. The plant is quite easily recognized by the stout and black hairy stem, and the dark brown or blackish, irregular and sometimes lateral cap, with the margin incurved. It grows on wood, logs, stumps, etc., during late summer and autumn.

Figure 161.—Paxillus atro-tomentosus, form hirsutus. Cap and stem brownish or blackish (natural size, small specimens, they are often larger). Copyright.

Thepileusis convex, expanded, sometimes somewhat depressed, lateral, irregular, or sometimes with the stem nearly in the center, brownish or blackish, dry, sometimes with a brownish or blackish tomentum on the surface. The margin is inrolled and later incurved. The flesh is white, and the plant is tough. Thegillsare adnate, often decurrent on the stem, and easily separable from the pileus, forked at the base and sometimes reticulate, forming pores.Sporesyellowish, oval, 4–6 × 3–4 µ. Stevenson says that the gills do not form pores like those of P. involutus, but Fig.161(No. 3362 C. U. herbarium) from plants collected at Ithaca, shows them well. There is,as it seems, some variation in this respect. Thestemis solid, tough and elastic, curved or straight, covered with a dense black tomentum, sometimes with violet shades. On drying the plant becomes quite hard, and the gills blackish olive.

Paxillus panuoidesFr.—This species was collected during August, 1900, on a side-walk and on a log at Ithaca. The specimens collected were sessile and thepileuslateral, somewhat broadened at the free end, or petaloid. The entire plant is pale or dull yellow, the surface of the pileus fibrous and somewhat uneven but not scaly. The plants are 2–12 cm. long by 1–8 cm. broad, often many crowded together in an imbricated manner. Thegillsare pale yellow, and thesporesare of the same color when caught on white paper, and they measure 4–5 × 3–4 µ, the size given for European specimens of this species. The gills are forked, somewhat anastomosing at the base, and sinuous in outline, though not markedly corrugated as in the next form. From descriptions of the European specimens the plants are sometimes larger than these here described, and it is very variable in form and often imbricated as in the following species.

Paxillus corrugatusAtkinson.—This very interesting species was collected at Ithaca, N. Y., on decaying wood, August 4, 1899. The pileus is lateral, shelving, the stem being entirely absent in the specimens found. Thepileusis 2–5 cm. broad, narrowed down in an irregular wedge form to the sessile base, convex, then expanded, the margin incurved (involute). The color of the cap is yellow, maize yellow to canary yellow, with a reddish brown tinge near the base. It is nearly smooth, or very slightly tomentose. The flesh is pale yellow, spongy. Thegillsare orange yellow, 2–3 mm. broad, not crowded, regularly forked several times, thin, blunt, very wavy and crenulate, easily separating from the hymenophore when fresh; the entire breadth of the gills is fluted, giving a corrugated appearance to the side. Thesporesin these specimens are faintly yellow, minute, oblong, broadly elliptical, short, sometimes nearly oval, 3 × 1.5–2 µ. Thebasidiaare also very minute. The spores are olive yellow on white paper. The plant has a characteristic and disagreeable odor. This odor persists in the dried plant for several months.

Figure162is from the plants (No. 3332 C. U. herbarium) collected as noted above on decaying hemlock logs in woods. A side and under view is shown in the figure, and the larger figure is the under-view, from a photograph made a little more than twice natural size, in order to show clearly the character of the gills. The two smaller plants are natural size. When dry the plant is quite hard.

Plate 53, Figure 162.—Paxillus corrugatus. Cap maize yellow to orange yellow, reddish brown near the base; gills orange yellow. Two lower plants natural size; upper one 2-1/2 times natural size. Copyright.

Plate 54, Figure 163.—Paxillus panuoides, pale yellow; natural size. Copyright.

The plants belonging to this family are characterized especially by a honey-combed fruiting surface, that is, the under surface of the plants possesses numerous tubes or pores which stand close together side by side, and except in a very few forms these tubes are joined by their sides to each other. InFistulinathe tubes are free from each other though standing closely side by side. InMeruliusdistinct tubes are not present, but the surface is more or less irregularly pitted, the pits being separated from each other by folds which anastomose, forming a network. These pits correspond to shallow tubes.

The plants vary greatly in consistency, some are very fleshy and soft and putrify readily. Others are soft when young and become firmer as they age, and some are quite hard and woody. Many of the latter are perennial and live for several or many years, adding a new layer in growth each year. The larger number of the species grow on wood, but some grow on the ground; especially in the genusBoletus, which has many species, the majority grow on the ground. Some of the plants have a cap and stem, in others the stem is absent and the cap attached to the tree or log, etc., forms a shelf, or the plant may be thin and spread over the surface of the wood in a thin patch.

In the genusDædaleathe tubes become more or less elongated horizontally and thus approach the form of the gills, while in some species the tubes are more or less toothed or split and approach the spine-bearing fungi at least in appearance of the fruit-bearing surface. Only a few of the genera and species will be described.

The following key is not complete, but may aid in separating some of the larger plants:

Tubes or pores free from each other, though standing closely side by side,Fistulina.Tubes or pores not free, joined side by side,1.1—Plants soft and fleshy, soon decaying,2.Plants soft when young, becoming firm, some woody or corky, stipitate, shelving, or spread over the wood,Polyporus.Tubes or pores shallow, formed by a network of folds or wrinkles, plants thin, sometimes spread over the wood, and somewhat gelatinous,Merulius.2—Mass (stratum) of tubes easily separating from the cap when peeled off, cap not with coarse scales, tubes in some species in radiating lines,Boletus.Stratum of tubes separating, but not easily, cap with coarse, prominent scales,Strobilomyces.Stratum of tubes separating, but not easily, tubes arranged in distinct radiating lines. In one species (B. porosus) the tubes do not separate from the cap,Boletinus.

This last genus is apt to be confused with certain species of Boletus which have a distinct radiate arrangement of the tubes. It is questionable whether it is clearly distinguished from the genus Boletus.

Of the few genera in thePolyporaceæwhich are fleshy and putrescent,Boletuscontains by far the largest number of species. The entire plant is soft and fleshy, and decays soon after maturity. The stratum of tubes on the under side of the cap is easily peeled off and separates as shown in the portion of a cap near the right hand side of Fig.169. In the genusPolyporusthe stratum of tubes cannot thus be separated. In the generaStrobilomycesandBoletinus, two other fleshy genera of this family, the separation is said to be more difficult than inBoletus, but it has many times seemed to me a "distinction without a difference."

The larger number of the species ofBoletusgrow on the ground. Some change color when bruised or cut, so that it is important to note this character when the plant is fresh, and the taste should be noted as well.

Boletus edulisBull.Edible.[Ag. bulbosusSchaeff. Tab. 134, 1763.Boletus bulbosus(Schaeff.) Schroeter. Cohn's Krypt, Flora. Schlesien, p. 499, 1889].—This plant, which, as its name implies, is edible, grows in open woods or their borders, in groves and in open places, on the ground. It occurs in warm, wet weather, from July to September. It is one of the largest of the Boleti, and varies from 5–12 cm. high, the cap from 8–25 cm. broad, and the stem 2–4 cm. in thickness.

Plate 56, Figure 164.—Boletus edulis. Cap light brown, tubes greenish yellow or yellowish; stem in this specimen entirely reticulate (natural size, often larger). Copyright.

Thepileusis convex to expanded, smooth, firm, quite hard when young and becoming soft in age. The color varies greatly, frombuff to dull reddish, to reddish-brown, tawny-brown, often yellowish over a portion of the cap, usually paler on the margin. The flesh is white or tinged with yellow, sometimes reddish under the cuticle. Thetubesare white when young and the mouths are closed (stuffed), the lower surface of the tubes is convex from the margin of the cap to the stem, and depressed around the stem, sometimes separating from the stem. While the tubes are white when young, they become greenish or greenish-yellow, or entirely yellow when mature. Thesporeswhen caught on paper are greenish-yellow, or yellow. They are oblong to fusiform, 12–15 µ long. Thestemis stout, even, or much enlarged at the base so that it is clavate. The surface usually shows prominent reticulations on mature plants near the tubes, sometimes over the entire stem. This is well shown in Fig.164from plants (No. 2886, C. U. herbarium) collected at Ithaca, N. Y.

Plate 57, Figure 165.—Cap light brown, tubes greenish yellow or yellowish; stem in these specimens not reticulate (2/3 natural size). Copyright.

Figure165represents plants (No. 4134, C. U. herbarium) collected at Blowing Rock, N. C., in September, 1899. The plant is widely distributed and has long been prized as an esculent in Europe and America. When raw the plant has an agreeable nutty taste, sometimes sweet. The caps are sometimes sliced and dried for future use. It is usually recommended to discard the stems and remove the tubes since the latter are apt to form a slimy mass on cooking.

Boletus felleusBull.Bitter.—This is known as the bitter boletus, because of a bitter taste of the flesh. It usually grows on or near much decayed logs or stumps of hemlock spruce. It is said to be easily recognized by its bitter taste. I have found specimens of a plant which seems to have all the characters of this one growing at the base of hemlock spruce trees, except that the taste was not bitter. At Ithaca, however, the plant occurs and the taste is bitter. It is one of the large species of the genus, being from 8–12 cm. high, the cap 7–20 cm. broad, and the stem 1–2.5 cm. in thickness.

Thepileusis convex becoming nearly plane, firm, and in age soft, smooth, the color varying from pale yellow to various shades of brown to chestnut. The flesh is white, and where wounded often changes to a pink color, but not always. Thetubesare adnate, long, the under surface convex and with a depression around the stem. The tubes are at first white, but become flesh color or tinged with flesh color, and the mouths are angular. Thestemis stout, tapering upward, sometimes enlarged at the base, usually reticulated at the upper end, and sometimes with the reticulations over the entire surface (Fig.166). The color is paler than that of the cap. Thesporesare oblong to spindle-shaped, flesh color in mass, and single ones measure 12–18 × 4–5 µ.

The general appearance of the plant is somewhat like that of theBoletus edulis, and beginners should be cautioned not to confuse the two species. It is known by its bitter taste and the flesh-colored tubes, while the taste of theB. edulisis sweet, and the tubes are greenish-yellow, or yellowish or light ochre.

Plate 55 represents three specimens in color.

Boletus scaberFr.Edible.—This species is named the rough-stemmed boletus, in allusion to the rough appearance given to the stem from numerous dark brown or reddish dots or scales. This is a characteristic feature, and aids one greatly in determining the species, since the color of the cap varies much. The cap is sometimes whitish, orange red, brown, or smoky in color. The plant is 6–15 cm. high, the cap 3–7 cm. broad, and the stem 8–12 mm. in thickness.

Thepileusis rounded, becoming convex, smooth, or nearly so, sometimes scaly, and the flesh is soft and white, sometimes turning slightly to a reddish or dark color where bruised. Thetubesare small, long, the surface formed by their free ends is convex in outline, and the tubes are depressed around the stem. They are first white, becoming darker, and somewhat brownish. Thestemis solid, tapering somewhat upward, and roughened as described above.

The plant is one of the common species of the genusBoletus. It occurs in the woods on the ground or in groves or borders of woods in grassy places. Writers differ as to the excellence of this species for food; some consider it excellent, while others regard it as less agreeable than some other species. It is, at any rate, safe, and Peck considers it "first-class."

Boletus retipesB. & C.—This species was first collected in North Carolina by Curtis, and described by Berkeley. It has since been reported from Ohio, Wisconsin, and New England (Peck, Boleti of the U. S.). Peck reported it from New York in the 23d Report, N. Y. State Mus., p. 132. Later he recognized the New York plant as a new species which he calledB. ornatipes(29th Report, N. Y. State Mus., p. 67). I collected the species in the mountains of North Carolina, at Blowing Rock, in August, 1888. During the latter part of August and in September, 1899, I had an opportunity of seeing quite a large number of specimens in the same locality, for it is not uncommon there, and two specimens were photographed and are represented here in Fig.167. The original description published in Grevillea1: 36, should be modified, especially in regard to the size of the plant, its habit, and the pulverulent condition of the pileus. The plants are 6–15 cm. high, the cap 5–10 cm. broad, and the stem 0.5–1.5 cm. in thickness.

Plate58,Figure166.—Boletus felleus. Cap light brown, tubes flesh color, stem in this specimen entirely reticulate (natural size, often larger). Copyright.

Figure167.—Boletus retipes. Cap yellowish brown, to olive-brown or nearly black, stem yellow, beautifully reticulate, tubes yellow (natural size). Copyright.

Thepileusis convex, thick, soft and somewhat spongy, especially in large plants. The cap is dry and sometimes, especially when young, it is powdery; at other times, and in a majority of cases according to my observations, it is not powdery. It is smooth or minutely tomentose, sometimes the surface cracked into small patches, but usually even. The color varies greatly between yellowish brown to olive brown, fuliginous or nearly black. Thetubesare yellow, adnate, the tube surface plane or convex. The spores are yellowish or ochraceous, varying somewhat in tint in different specimens. Thestemis yellow, yellow also within, and beautifully reticulate,usually to the base, but sometimes only toward the apex. It is usually more strongly reticulate over the upper half. The stem is erect or ascending.

The plant grows in woods, in leaf mold or in grassy places. It is usually single, that is, so far as my observations have gone at Blowing Rock. Berkeley and Curtis report it as cespitose. I have never seen it cespitose, never more than two specimens growing near each other.

Boletus ornatipesPk., does not seem to be essentially different fromB. retipes. Peck says (Boleti U. S., p. 126) that "the tufted mode of growth, the pulverulent pileus and paler spores separate this species" (retipes) "from the preceding one" (ornatipes). Inasmuch as I have never foundB. retipestufted, and the fact that the pileus is not always pulverulent (the majority of specimens I collected were not), and since the tint of the spores varies as it does in some other species, the evidence is strong that the two names represent two different habits of the same species. The tufted habit of the plants collected by Curtis, or at least described by Berkeley, would seem to be a rather unusual condition for this species, and this would account for the smaller size given to the plants in the original description, where the pileus does not exceed 5 cm. in diameter, and the stem is only 5 cm. long, and 6–12 mm. in thickness. Plants which normally occur singly do on some occasions occur tufted, and then the habit as well as the size of the plant is often changed.

A good illustration of this I found in the case ofBoletus edulisduring my stay in the North Carolina mountains. The plant usually occurs singly and more or less scattered. I found one case where there were 6–8 plants in a tuft, the caps were smaller and the stems in this case considerably longer than in normal specimens. A plant which agrees with the North Carolina specimens I have collected at Ithaca, and so I judge thatB. retipesoccurs in New York.

Boletus chromapesFrost.—This is a pretty boletus, and has been reported from New England and from New York State. During the summer of 1899 it was quite common in the Blue Ridge mountains, North Carolina. The plant grows on the ground in woods. It is 6–10 cm. high, the cap is 5–10 cm. in diameter, and the stem is 8–12 mm. in thickness. It is known by the yellowish stem covered with reddish glandular dots.

Plate 59, Figure 168.—Boletus chromapes. Cap pale red, rose or pink, tubes flesh color, then brown, stem yellowish either above or below, the surface with reddish or pinkish dots (natural size). Copyright.

Thepileusis convex to nearly expanded, pale red, rose pink to vinaceous pink in color, and sometimes slightly tomentose. The flesh is white, and does not change when cut or bruised. Thetubesurface is convex, and the tubes are attached slightly to the stem,or free. They are white, then flesh color, and in age become brown. Thestemis even, or it tapers slightly upward, straight or ascending, whitish or yellow above, or below, sometimes yellowish the entire length. The flesh is also yellowish, especially at the base. The entire surface is marked with reddish or pinkish dots.

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