Figure 305.Figure 305.—Boletus Morgani. One-half natural size.
Figure 305.—Boletus Morgani. One-half natural size.
Morgani is named in honor of Prof. Morgan.
The pileus is one and a half to two inches broad, convex, soft, glabrous, viscid; red, yellow, or red fading to yellow on the margin; flesh white, tinged with red and yellow, unchangeable.
The tube-surface convex, depressed around the stem, tubes rather long and large, bright yellow, becoming greenish-yellow.
The stem is elongated, tapering upward, pitted with long and narrow depressions, yellow, red in the depressions, colored within like the flesh of the pileus. The spores are olive-brown, 18–22µ, about half as broad.Peck.
This plant is found in company with B. Russelli, which it resembles very closely. Its smooth, viscid cap and white flesh will distinguish it. Its stem is much more rough in wet weather than in dry. The peculiar color of the stem will help to identify the species. I found it frequently on Ralston's Run, near Chillicothe. It is found in many of the states of the Union. July and August.
Russell's Boletus. Edible.
Figure 306.Figure 306.—Boletus Russelli. One-half natural size.
Figure 306.—Boletus Russelli. One-half natural size.
The cap is thick, hemispherical or convex, dry, covered with downy scales or bundles of red hairs, yellowish beneath the tomentum, often cracked in areas. The flesh is yellow and unchangeable.
The tubes are subadnate, often depressed around the stem, rather large, dingy-yellow, or yellowish-green.
The stem is very long, equal or tapering upward, roughened by the lacerated margins of the reticular depressions, red or brownish red. The spores are olive-brown, 18–22×8–10µ.
The pileus is one and a half to four inches broad, the stem is three to seven inches long, and three to six lines thick. This is distinguished from the other species by the dry squamulose pileus and the color of the stem. The latter is sometimes curved at the base.Peck.
I have found this species frequently in the woods and open places aboutChillicothe. It is one of the easiest of the Boleti to determine. The plants here have a bright brownish-red pileus, with a shade lighter color on the stem; the latter quite rough and tapering toward the cap. They are usually solitary. The plants in Figure 306 were collected in Michigan and photographed by Dr. Fischer.
Figure 307.Figure 307.—Boletus vermiculosus. One-half natural size.
Figure 307.—Boletus vermiculosus. One-half natural size.
Vermiculosus means full of small worms. The pileus is broadly convex, thick, firm, dry; smooth, or very minutely tomentose; brown, yellowish-brown or grayish-brown, sometimes tinged with red. The flesh is white or whitish, quickly changing to blue where wounded. The tubes are plane or slightly convex, nearly free, yellow; their mouths small, round, brownish-orange, becoming darker or blackish with age, changing promptly to blue where wounded.
The stem is nearly equal, firm, even, paler than the pileus. The spores are ochraceous-brown, 10–12×4–5µ.Peck.
The plant represented in Figure 307 grew under the beech trees on Cemetery Hill. I found it frequently in the woods, from July to September.
Figure 308.Figure 308.—Boletus Frostii. Caps blood-red and shining. Natural size.
Figure 308.—Boletus Frostii. Caps blood-red and shining. Natural size.
Frostii is named in honor of Mr. Frost, a noted mycologist.
The pileus is three to four inches broad; convex, polished, shining, blood-red; the margin is thin, the flesh scarcely changing to blue.
The tubes are nearly free, greenish-yellow, becoming yellowish-brown with age, their mouths blood-red or cinnabar-red.
The stem is two to four inches long, three to six lines thick, equal or tapering upward, distinctly reticulated, firm, blood-red. The spores are 12.5–15×5µ.Peck, Boleti of U. S.
This is a beautiful plant. It is not plentiful, yet it is found frequently on some of our hillsides. The plants in Figure 308 were found in Hayne's Hollow near Chillicothe, and photographed by Dr. Kellerman. The plant is found in New England and through the Middle West. I have had beautiful plants sent me from Vermont. It is not edible, so far as I know. Found in August and September.
The Lurid Boletus.
Figure 309.Figure 309.—Boletus luridus. One-half natural size.
Figure 309.—Boletus luridus. One-half natural size.
Luridus means pale-yellow, sallow. The pileus is convex, tomentose, brown-olivaceous, then somewhat viscous, sooty. The flesh is yellow, changing to blue when wounded. Tubes free, yellow, becoming greenish, their mouths round, vermilion, becoming orange. The stem is stout, vermilion, somewhat orange at the top, reticulate or punctuate. The spores are greenish-gray, 15×9µ.
The lurid Boletus, though pleasant to the taste, is reputed very poisonous. Boletus rubeolarius, Pers., having a short, bulbous, scarcely reticulated stem, is regarded as a variety of this species. The red-stemmed Boletus, B. erythropus, Pers., is also indicated by Fries as a variety of luridus. It will be seen on the right in Figure 309. It is smaller than B. luridus, has a brown or reddish-brown pileus and a slender cylindrical stem, not reticulated but dotted with squamules.Peck, Boleti of the U. S. The plant is quite abundant in our woods. Found in July and August.
The Chestnut Boletus. Edible.
Figure 310.Figure 310.—Boletus castaneus. One-half natural size.
Figure 310.—Boletus castaneus. One-half natural size.
Figure 311.Figure 311.—Boletus castaneus.
Figure 311.—Boletus castaneus.
Castaneus, pertaining to a chestnut. The pileus is dry, convex, then expanded, minutely velvety; cinnamon or reddish-brown, from one to three inches in diameter; the flesh white, not changing when bruised, cap frequently turned upward.
The tube-surface is white, becoming yellow, tubes small and short, free from the stem.
The stem is equal or tapering upward, colored and clothed like the cap, short and not always straight; when young it is spongy in the center but becomes hollow with age. The spores are pale-yellow, oval or broadly elliptical, which is a feature to distinguish the species.
I found a number of specimens in James Dunlap's woods, near Chillicothe, Ohio. A great majority seemed to be attacked by the parasitic fungi, Sepedonium chrysospermum.
The caps are very fine eating. Care should be taken to use only young specimens. Found in open woods from June to September.
Satanic Boletus.
Pileus convex, smooth, somewhat gluey, brownish-yellow or whitish; flesh whitish, becoming reddish or violaceous where wounded. Tubes free, yellow, their mouths bright red, becoming orange-colored with age. The stem thick, ovate-ventricose, marked above with red reticulations.Peck, Boleti of U. S.
Hamilton Gibson and Captain McIlvaine seem to give his Satanic majesty a good reputation, but I would say "Be cautious." His looks always deterred me. Found in woods from June to September.
Strobilomyces is from two Greek words meaning a pine-cone and a fungus. The hymenophore is even, tubes not easily separable from it, large and equal. It is of a brownish-gray color, its shaggy surface more or less studded with deep-brown or black woolly points, each at the center of a scale-like segment. The tubes beneath are covered at first with a veil which breaks and is often found on the rim of the cap. It is a plant that will quickly attract attention.
The Cone-Like Boletus. Edible.
Figure 312.Figure 312.—Strobilomyces strobilaceus. Two-thirds natural size.
Figure 312.—Strobilomyces strobilaceus. Two-thirds natural size.
Strobilaceus, cone-like. This is especially emphasized from the fact that both the genus and the species are named from the fancied resemblance of the cap to a pine cone. It is ever readily recognized because of this character of the cap.
The pileus is convex, rough with dark umber scales drawn into regular cone-like points tipped with dark-brown; margin veiled, flesh grayish-white, turning red when bruised, and finally black.
Pore-surface grayish-white in young specimens, and usually covered with the veil; tubes attached to the stem, angular, turning red when bruised.
The stem is equal or tapering upward, furrowed at the top, covered with a woolly down. Spores dark-brown, 12–13×9µ. Found at Londonderry. Common in woods. August to September.
Boletinus is a diminutive of Boletus.
Hymenium composed of broad radiating lamellæ, connected by very numerous and narrow anastomosing branches or partitions, forming large angular pores. Tubes somewhat tenacious, not easily separable from the hymenophore and from each other, adnate or subdecurrent, yellowish.Peck.
The Painted Boletinus. Edible.
Figure 313.Figure 313.—Boletinus pictus.
Figure 313.—Boletinus pictus.
Pictus, painted. This plant seems to delight in damp pine woods, but I have found it only occasionally about Chillicothe, under beech trees. It is readily recognized by the red fibrillose tomentum which covers the entire plant when young. As the plant expands the reddish tomentum is broken into scales of the same color, revealing the yellowish color of the pileus beneath. The flesh is compact, yellow, often changing to a dull pinkish or reddish tint where wounded.
The tube-surface is at first pale yellow, but becomes darker with age, often changing to pinkish, with a brown tinge where bruised.
The stem is solid, equal, and covered with a cottony layer of mycelium-threads like the pileus, though often paler. The spores are ochraceous, 15–18×6–8µ. The plants are two to four inches broad, and one and a half to three inches high. Found from July to October.
Hollow-Stemmed Boletinus. Edible.
Figure 314.Figure 314.—Boletinus cavipes.
Figure 314.—Boletinus cavipes.
Cavipes is from two Latin words meaning a hollow stem.
The pileus is broadly convex, rather tough, flexible, soft, subumbonate, fibrillose-scaly, tawny-brown, sometimes tinged with reddish or purplish, flesh yellowish. The tubes are slightly decurrent, at first pale-yellow, then darker and tinged with green, becoming dingy-ochraceous with age. The stem is equal or slightly tapering upward, somewhat fibrillose or floccose, slightly ringed, hollow, tawny-brown or yellowish-brown, yellowish at the top and marked by the decurrent dissepiments of the tubes, white within. Veil whitish, partlyadhering to the margin of the pileus, soon disappearing. The spores are 8–10×4µ.Peck, in Boleti of the U. S.
This plant grows in New York and the New England states, under pine and tamarack trees. The caps are convex, covered with a tawny-brown fibrillose tomentum. The stems of those I have seen are hollow from the first. The plants in Figure 314 were sent me from Massachusetts by Mrs. Blackford.
Figure 315.Figure 315.—Boletinus porosus. Two-thirds natural size. Caps nut-brown, yellowish-brown or olivaceous.
Figure 315.—Boletinus porosus. Two-thirds natural size. Caps nut-brown, yellowish-brown or olivaceous.
These form a small but interesting species, not usually exceeding three and a half inches in diameter nor more than two inches in height.
The cap is somewhat fleshy, nut-brown, or yellowish-brown, shading to olivaceous in color in most of the specimens which I have found; when fresh and moist, somewhat sticky and shining. The margins are thin, rather even, and inclined to be involute; the shape of the cap is more or less irregular, in many cases almost kidney-shaped.
The stem is laterally attached, tough, and gradually expands into the pileus which it resembles in color; it is markedly reticulated at the top by the decurrent walls of the spore-tubes. The spore-surface is yellow, the tubes arranged in radiating rows, some being more prominent than others, the partitions often assuming the form of gills which branch and are connected by cross partitions of less prominence. The stratum of tubes, while soft, is very tenacious, not separating from the flesh of the pileus.
The odor and taste of all the specimens found were pleasant. Found in damp woods in July and August. When a sufficient number can be found they make an excellent dish.
It is found in abundance about Chillicothe.
Fistulina means a small pipe; so called because the tubes stand close together and separate easily one from another.
The hymenophore is fleshy and hymenium inferior. When first seen springing from a stump or root it looks like a large strawberry. It soon develops into the appearance of a big red tongue. When young the upper side is quite velvety and peach-colored, later it becomes a livid red and loses its velvety appearance. The under surface is flesh-colored and is rough like the surface of a tongue, owing to the fact that the tubes are free from one another. When it is moist it is very viscid, making your hands quite blood-stained in appearance.
The Liver Fungus. Edible.
Figure 316.Photo by C. G. Lloyd.Plate XLIII. Figure 316.—Fistulina hepatica.Beefsteak mushroom.
Photo by C. G. Lloyd.
Plate XLIII. Figure 316.—Fistulina hepatica.Beefsteak mushroom.
This is a beautiful plant, quite common where there are chestnut stumps and trees. I have found it on chestnut oak, quite large specimens, too. It is one of my favorite mushrooms; one cannot afford to pass it by. Its beautiful color will attract attention at once, and having once eaten it well prepared, one will never pass a chestnut stump without examining it.
Figure 317.Figure 317.—Fistulina hepatica. One-half natural size.
Figure 317.—Fistulina hepatica. One-half natural size.
The pileus is fan-shaped or semicircular, red-juicy, flesh when cut somewhat mottled like beet-root and giving forth a very appetizing odor; the cap is moist and somewhat viscid, the color varying from a red (somewhat beefy) to a reddish-brown in older plants; while the spore surface varies from strawberry-pink through a light-and dark-tan to an almost chestnut-brown.
In young plants the color is much richer and more vivid than in those of greater maturity. The spore surface resembles nothing so much as a very fine sponge, the spore-tubes being short, crowded, yet distinct.
The marked peculiarity of its mode of growth is in the attachment of the stem; somewhat thick, fleshy, and juicy, coming from the side of the pileus like the handle of a fan, it looks as if some one had taken hold of the cap and given it a partial twist to the right or to the left, as may be seen in Figure 317. Another peculiarity I have noticed in this species consists of the nerve-like lines,or veinlets, radiating from the stem and streaking the upper surface of the cap. The taste, when raw, is slightly but pleasantly acid. Its favorite habitat seems to be injured places on chestnut trees, and about chestnut stumps. It is known as Liver Fungus, Beefsteak Fungus, Oak-Tongue, Chestnut-Tongue, etc. It is found from July to October.
I have found it plentiful about Chillicothe on chestnut stumps, and quite generally over the state. I found some very fine specimens on the chestnut oaks, about Bowling Green, Ohio.
When properly prepared it is equal to any kind of meat. It is one of our best mushrooms.
Figure 318.Figure 318.—Fistulina pallida. Natural size.
Figure 318.—Fistulina pallida. Natural size.
Pallida means pale. Pileus kidney-shaped, pallid-red, fawn or clay-color, thick at the base and thinning toward the margin, which is often crenate and inflexed; pulverulent, firm, flexible, tough; flesh white.
The tubes are long and slender, mouths somewhat enlarged, whitish, the tubesurface a pale cream-color and minutely mealy, pores not decurrent but ending with the beginning of the stem.
The stem is uniformly attached to the concave margin of the cap; attenuated downward; whitish below, but near the cap it changes to the same tint. The peculiar manner of attachment of the stem will serve to identify the species, which I have found several times near Chillicothe. The specimen in the illustration was found on the State farm, and photographed by Dr. Kellerman.
Polyporus is from two Greek words meaning many and pores. In this genus the stratum of the pores is not easily separated from the cap. Most of the species under this genus are tough and corky. Many grow on decayed wood, a few on the ground, but even these are inclined to be tough. Very few of those growing on wood have a central stem and many have apparently no stem at all.
The Black-Footed Polyporus.
Figure 319.Figure 319.—Polyporus picipes. Two-thirds natural size. Note the black stem, which gives name to the species.
Figure 319.—Polyporus picipes. Two-thirds natural size. Note the black stem, which gives name to the species.
Picipes is frompix, pitch or black, andpes, foot.
The pileus is fleshy, rigid, coriaceous, tough, even, smooth, depressed either behind or in the center; livid with a chestnut-colored disk.
The pores are decurrent, rounded, small, tender, white, finally reddish-gray.
The stem is eccentric and lateral, equal, firm; at first velvety, then naked; punctate with black dots, becoming black.
The stem at the base is pitch-black, as will be seen in Figure 319. The margin of the cap is very thin and the caps are irregularly funnel-form. This plant is widely distributed over the United States and is quite common about Chillicothe. Found in damp woods on decayed logs from July to November. When very young and tender it can be eaten.
The Sun-Shade Polyporus. Edible.
Figure 320.Photo by C. G. Lloyd.Plate XLIV. Figure 320.—Polyporus umbellatus.
Photo by C. G. Lloyd.
Plate XLIV. Figure 320.—Polyporus umbellatus.
Umbellatus is fromumbella, a sun-shade. Very much branched, fibrous-fleshy, toughish. The pileoli are very numerous, one-half to one and a half inches broad, sooty, dull-red, united at the base. Pores are minute and white. White pileoli have sometimes occurred.Fries.
The tufts, as will be observed from Figure 320, are very dense, and there seems to be no limit to their branching. Notice that every cap is depressed or umbilicate. The specimen in Figure 320 was collected near Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, by Mr. C. G. Lloyd, Cincinnati, and through his courtesy I have used his print. I have found the plant about Chillicothe and Sidney, Ohio. It is found on decayed roots on the ground, or on stumps. When the caps are fresh they are quite good.
May to November.
The Branched Polyporus. Edible.
Figure 321.Figure 321.—Polyporus frondosus. One-fifth natural size.
Figure 321.—Polyporus frondosus. One-fifth natural size.
Frondosus, full of leafy branches. The tufts are from six inches to over a foot broad, very much branched, fibrous-fleshy, toughish.
The pileoli are very numerous, one-half to two inches broad, sooty-gray, dimidiate, wrinkled, lobed, intricately recurved. Flesh white. Stems, growing into each other, white.
The pores are rather tender, very small, acute, white, commonly round, but in oblique position, gaping open and torn.Fries.
The specimen in Figure 321 was found near Chillicothe. When tender it is very good. Found on stumps and roots from September till the coming of frost.
We are told that in the Roman markets this mushroom is frequently sold as an article of food.
Figure 322.Figure 322.—Polyporus leucomelas.
Figure 322.—Polyporus leucomelas.
Leucomelas is from two Greek words,leucos, white, andmelas, black.
The pileus is two to four inches broad, fleshy, somewhat fragile, irregularly shaped, silky, sooty-black; flesh soft, reddish when broken.
The pores are rather large, unequal, ashy or whitish, becoming black when drying.
The stem is one to three inches long, stout, unequal, somewhat tomentose, sooty-black, becoming black internally. The pileus and stem become black in places.
The spores are cylindric-fusoid, pale-brown, 10–12×4–5µ.
They are usually found in pine woods. The caps are often deformed and are easily broken. The pores resemble those of a Boletus. The plant is quite widely distributed. The one in Figure 322 was found in Massachusetts by Mrs. Blackford, and I photographed it after it was partially dry. It is probably the same as P. griseus, P.
Berkeley's Polyporus. Edible.
The pileoli are fleshy, tough, becoming hard and corky, many times imbricated, sometimes growing very large, with many in a head; subzonate, finally tomentose; the plant very much branched, alutaceous.
The stem is short or entirely wanting, arising from a long and thick caudex.
The pore surface is very large, the pores are large and irregular, angular, pale-yellowish.
I have seen some very large specimens of this species. The natural size of the specimen in Figure 323 is two and one-fourth feet across. When young it is edible, but not equal to P. sulphureus. It is found growing on the ground near trees and stumps, and is a widely distributed plant.
Figure 323.Figure 323.—Polyporus Berkeleyi. One-fifth natural size.
Figure 323.—Polyporus Berkeleyi. One-fifth natural size.
Figure 324.Photo by C. G. Lloyd.Plate XLV. Figure 324.—Polyporus Berkeleyi.Reduced. Natural size being 2½ feet across.
Photo by C. G. Lloyd.
Plate XLV. Figure 324.—Polyporus Berkeleyi.Reduced. Natural size being 2½ feet across.
The Giant Polyporus. Edible.
Giganteus is fromgigas, a giant. The pileoli are very numerous, imbricated, fleshy, tough, somewhat coriaceous, flaccid, somewhat zoned; color a grayish-brown in young specimens, the deep cream pore surfaces tipping the pileoli, rendering it a very attractive plant; this cream-color is quickly changed to black or deep-brown by touching it.
The pores are minute, shallow, round, pallid, at length torn.
The stem is branched, connate from a common tuber.
This is a large and certainly a very attractive plant, being very often two to three feet across. When young and tender it is edible. Found growing on decayed stumps and roots, it is somewhat common in our state. I have found some quite large specimens about Chillicothe. It is easily distinguished by its pore surface turning black or dark-brown to the touch. When young and tender it makes a good stew, but it must be well cooked.
The Scaly Polyporus.
Figure 325.Photo by C. G. Lloyd.Figure 325.—Polyporus squamosus. Natural size.
Photo by C. G. Lloyd.
Figure 325.—Polyporus squamosus. Natural size.
Squamosus means abounding in scales. The pileus is from three to eighteen inches broad, fleshy, fan-shaped, expanded, flattened, somewhat ochraceous, variegated, with scattered, brown, adpressed scales.
The stem is eccentric and lateral, blunt, reticulated at apex, blackish at the base.
The pores are thin, variable; at first minute, then broad, angular and torn; pallid. Spores are white and elliptical, 14×6µ.
It is found from Massachusetts to Iowa, and grows very large. Specimens have been reported seven feet in circumference and attaining a weight of 40 pounds.
The specimen in Figure 325 was found by Mr. C. G. Lloyd in the woods at Red Bank, near Cincinnati. It is quite a common plant in Europe.
It is tough, but it is prepared for eating by being cut fine and stewed for a half hour or more.
In Figure 325 the angular and torn pores are obvious, as well as the scales which give rise to its name. Found on trunks and stumps from May to November.
The Sulphur-colored Polyporus. Edible.
Figure 326.Photo by C. G. Lloyd.Plate XLVI. Figure 326.—Polyporus sulphureus.
Photo by C. G. Lloyd.
Plate XLVI. Figure 326.—Polyporus sulphureus.
Sulphureus, pertaining to sulphur, so called from the color of the tube-bearing surface. In mature specimens the growth is horizontal, spreading fan-like from the stem, undulating with radiating flutings. The upper surface is salmon, orange, or orange-red; flesh cheesy, light-yellow, the edge being smooth and unevenly thickened with nodule-like prominences. In young specimens the ascending, under yellow surface outwardly exposed.
The pore surface is a bright sulphur-yellow, which is more persistent than the color of the cap; pores very minute, short, often formed of inflexed masses.
The stem is short, a mere close attachment for the spreading growth. The taste is slightly acid and mucilaginous when raw. The spores are elliptical and white, 7–8×4–5µ.
It grows on decayed logs, on stumps, and on decayed places in living trees. The mycelium of this species will frequently be found in the hearts of trees and remain there for years before the tree is injured sufficiently for the mycelium to come to the surface. It may take months, or a century, to accomplish this.
When this plant is young and tender it is a prime favorite with all who know it. It is found from August to November. Its favorite host is an oak stump or log.
Figure 327.Figure 327.—Polyporus flavovirens. Two-thirds natural size.
Figure 327.—Polyporus flavovirens. Two-thirds natural size.
Flavovirens means yellowish-green or olivaceous.
The pileus is quite large, three to six inches broad, convex, expanded funnel-form or repand, fleshy, tomentose, yellowish-green or olivaceous; frequently the pileus is cracked when old; flesh white.
The pores are not large, toothed, white or whitish, decurrent upon the stem which is tapering.
This plant is very common on the oak hillsides about Chillicothe. The plants in Figure 327 were found by Miss Margaret Mace on the Governor Tiffin farm, about twelve miles north of Chillicothe, growing in large groups under oak trees. It is edible though often tough. It is found in August and September. It is very abundant in this region.
The Bouquet Polyporus. Edible.
Figure 328.Figure328.—Polyporus heteroclitus. One-fourth natural size. The Pileoli bright orange.
Figure328.—Polyporus heteroclitus. One-fourth natural size. The Pileoli bright orange.
Heteroclitus is from two Greek words; one of two and to lean, referring to its habit of growth, leaning apparently upon the ground or the base of a tree or stump. It is cæspitose and coriaceous. The pileoli are two and a half inches broad, orange and sessile, expanded on all sides from the radical tubercle, lobed, villous, zoneless.
The pores are irregularly shaped and elongated, golden yellow.Fries.
The specimen in Figure 328 was found by Mr. Beyerly at Richmond Dale, Ohio. It was over a foot in diameter and eight inches high, growing in many cæspitose layers, on the ground under an oak tree, from a radical tubercle. The flesh was juicy and tender, breaking easily. The radical tubercle from which it grew was filled with a milky juice. The flesh was somewhat lighter in color than the outside pilei, which extended horizontally from the tubercle. It is a very showy and attractive plant, and as Captain McIlvaine remarks, it looks like a "mammoth dahlia" in bloom. When young and tender it is good, but in age it becomes rank. This plant was found July 1st. It grows in the months of June and July.
Figure 329.Figure329.—Polyporus radicatus. One-third natural size.
Figure329.—Polyporus radicatus. One-third natural size.
Radicatus, from the long root the plant has. The pileus is fleshy, quite tough, cushion-shaped, slightly depressed, pale sooty, somewhat downy.
The pores are decurrent, quite large, obtuse, equal, white.
The stem is very long, often eccentric, tapering downward, sometimes ventricose as in Figure 329, rooting quite deep, black below.
It is found on the ground in the woods and in old clearings beside old trees and stumps.
The blackish or brown pileus, which is more or less tomentose, with a black stem more or less deformed, will serve to distinguish the species. Found from September to November.
Figure 330.Figure330.—Polyporus perplexus. Two-thirds natural size.
Figure330.—Polyporus perplexus. Two-thirds natural size.
The pileus is spongy-fleshy, fibrous, sessile, commonly imbricated, and somewhat confluent,irregular, hairy-tomentose to setose-hispid, grayish-tawny, or ferruginous, the margin subacute, sterile, the substance within tawny-ferruginous, somewhat zonate.
The pores are two to three lines long, unequal, angular, the dissepiments becoming brownish-ferruginous with age or where bruised. The spores are ferruginous, broadly elliptical, .00024 to .0003 inch long and about .0002 broad.Peck.
This is very abundant on beech logs, growing quite large, massive, imbricated, and confluent, the pileoli being often two to four inches broad. It is very closely related to P. cuticularis and P. hispidus. It can be easily distinguished from P. cuticularis by means of its straight margin, and from P. hispidus by its small size and smaller pores. Found from September to November.
Pileus is very large, eight to ten inches broad and three to four inches thick, compact, spongy, fleshy but fibrous, dimidiate, with occasionally a very short stem; generally very hairy, but sometimes smooth; the pileus is often marked with concentric lines which seem to indicate arrested vegetation; brown, blackish, yellowish or reddish brown, below pale-yellow or rich sienna-brown, margin paler.
The pores are minute, round, inclined to separate, fringed, paler. The spores are yellowish, apiculate, 10×7µ. Often found on living trees, the plant gains entrance to the living stem through the bark, by means of a wound made by some agency, as a bird or a boring insect; soon a mass of mycelium is formed, and from this the fruiting body is produced.
Pileus is quite thin, spongy, fleshy, then dry; plane, hairy-tomentose, ferruginous, then blackish-brown; margin fibrous, fimbriate, internally loose and parallel, fibrous.
The pores are long, quite small, pale, then ochraceous; pores longer than the thickness of the flesh. The spores are yellow or ochraceous, very abundant, 7×4–5µ. The hairs on the pileus are three-cleft.
This is very frequent in beech woods about Chillicothe. Found in September and October.
The Round Polyporus. Edible.
Circinatus is fromcircinus, a pair of compasses, hence means rounded like a circle.
The pileus is three to four inches across, with a double cap, one cap within another, both being compact, thick, round, plane, zoneless, velvety, rusty-yellow to reddish-brown, the flesh being of the same color. The upper cap is pliable, compact, soft, and covered with a soft tomentum, the lower cap, contiguous with the stem, is woody and corky.
The pores are decurrent, extending down the stem, entire, rather small, dusky-gray.
The stem is short and rather thick, often swollen, covered with a reddish-brown tomentum.
This is an odd but handsome species and easily determined because of its double cap. It is said to prefer fir woods, but I have frequently found it in oak woods. It grows on the ground, and when young and fresh the pilei are said to be good. I have never found more than one specimen at a time and never in a condition to eat, though good authorities say it is edible when young and tender. Found in September and October.
Adustus means scorched, so called from the blackish color of margin.
The pileus is often imbricated; fleshy, tough, firm, thin, villous, ash-color; margin straight, blackish.
The pores are minute, round, obtuse, whitish, soon ashy-brown.
It is abundant everywhere on fallen beech or on beech stumps. It is very close to P. fumosus if it is not identical with it. It is found from August to late fall.
Figure 331.Figure331.—Polyporus resinosus. One-fourth natural size.
Figure331.—Polyporus resinosus. One-fourth natural size.
Pileus from three to six, and frequently eight, inches long; rich-brown, varying from bright cinnamon to red, handsomely marked with delicate pencilings radiating from the axis of growth; the color of the pileus seems to form a binding about the edge of the light-gray pore surface, which is closely punctured with minute elliptical pores.
The color of the pore surface readily changes to brown upon slight pressure. The whole plant is full of a brownish juice which exudes freely upon pressure. The plant is shelving and imbricated upon the side of a log, without any apparent stem.
Taken altogether the Polyporus resinosus presents one of the handsomest specimens of fungus growth that one will be likely to find in a long day's tramp. When fresh and growing it has rather a pleasant taste.
It is found during October and November, growing on decayed logs, being partial to the beech. Its abundance is equal to its beauty.
Figure 332.Figure332.—Polyporus lucidus. One-third natural size.
Figure332.—Polyporus lucidus. One-third natural size.
The pileus is two to three or more inches broad, usually very irregular, brownish-maroon, with a distinct double zone of duller dark-brown and tan. Cap glazed especially in the center, wrinkled.
The spore surface is a very light grayish-brown in the young plant, changing to almost a tan in older ones, pores labyrinthiform.
The stem is irregular, knotted and swollen with protuberances somewhat resembling buds, from which develop the caps which in some cases appear as ifstuck on the stem like barnacles on a stick. Contrary to most mushrooms the upper surface of the cap and the stem are of nearly the same color, the stem being usually of a more brilliant red. The stem has a distinct root extending into the ground several inches. The whole plant is almost indescribably irregular. It is quite an attractive plant when seen growing among the weeds and beside stumps. The plants in Figure 332 I found growing among Datura stramonium beside old stumps in a pasture. I have found the same species growing on oak stumps. It is known as Ganoderma Curtisii, Berk., G. pseudo-boletus, Merrill. It is found from August till late fall.