Chapter 20

(Plate XLIII.)Lactarius subdulcis.

(Plate XLIII.)

Lactarius subdulcis.

L. subdul´cisFr.—sub;dulcis, sweet.Pileus.5–2 in. broad, thin, convex, then plane or slightly funnel-shaped, with or without a small umbo or papilla, glabrous, even, zoneless, moist or dry, tawny-red, cinnamon-red or brownish-red, the margin sometimes wavy or flexuous.Gillsrather narrow, thin, close, whitish, sometimes tinged with red.Stem1–2.5 in. long, 1–3 lines thick, equal or slightly tapering upward, slender, glabrous, sometimes villous at the base, stuffed or hollow, paler than or colored like the pileus.Spores7.6–9µ.Milkwhite, taste mild or tardily and slightly acrid, sometimes woody or bitterish and unpleasant.Fleshwhitish, pinkish or reddish gray, odornone.

Fields, copses, woods, swamps and wet places. July to October. Very common.

This species grows in almost every variety of soil and locality. It may be found in showery weather on dry, rocky soil, on bare ground or among mosses or fallen leaves. In drier weather it is still plentiful in swamps and wet, shaded places, and in sphagnous marshes. It sometimes grows on decaying wood. It is also as variable as it is common. Gillet has described the following varieties:

Var.cinnamo´meus.Pileuscinnamon-red, sub-shining.Stemstuffed, then hollow; taste mild, becoming slightly acrid or bitter.

Var.ru´fus.Pileusdull chestnut-red; becoming more concave.Stemspongy; taste mild.

Var.ba´dius.Pileusbay-red, shining as if varnished, with an obtuse disk and an inflexed, elegantly crenulate margin.Stemvery glabrous, hollow.

The first and second varieties have occurred within our limits. The first also has the stem elastic and furnished with a whitish or grayish tomentum or strigose villosity at the base, when growing among moss in swamps. A form occurred in Sandlake, in which some of the specimenswere proliferous. The umbo had developed into a minute pileus. With us the prevailing color of the pileus is yellowish-red or cinnamon-red. Sometimes the color is almost the same as that of L. volemus and L. hygrophoroides, and again it is a tan-color or a bay-red, as in L. camphoratus, from which such specimens are scarcely separable, except by their lack of odor. In young plants the pileus usually has a moist appearance, which is sometimes retained in maturity. Cordier pronounces the species edible, and says that he has tested it several times without inconvenience.Peck, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Spores10µCooke; 7µW.G.S.

West Virginia mountains, 1881–1885; Pennsylvania, New Jersey, everywhere on moist ground. July to October.McIlvaine.

Edible.Curtis.

The description of Fries as enlarged and modified by Professor Peck, together with that of the varieties placed to the credit of the species by Gillet, are given above in full. The species with its ascribed varieties is common and well known. Var.ba´diusoccurs in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. They are all edible and vary but little in quality. L. subdulcis requires long cooking.

L. muta´bilisPk.—changeable.Pileus2–4 in. broad, thin, convex or nearly plane, zonate when moist, reddish-brown, the disk and zones darker, zoneless when dry, flesh colored like the pileus.Milksparse, white, taste mild.Gillsnarrow, close, adnate, whitish, with a yellowish or cream-colored tint when old.Stem1–2 in. long, 3–5 lines thick, equal or tapering upward, stuffed or spongy within, glabrous, colored like the pileus.Sporessubglobose, rough, 7.6µ broad.

Low, damp places. Selkirk and Yaphank, N.Y. June and September.

The species is allied to L. subdulcis, from which the larger size and zonate pileus separate it. The zones disappear in the dry plant, and this change in the marking of the pileus suggests the specific name. They appear to be formed by concentric series of more or less confluent spots and are suggestive of such species as L. deliciosus and L. subpurpureus.Peck, 43d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

West Virginia, Pennsylvania. Solitary but frequent. In moist woods and margins of woods. June to October.McIlvaine.

I have been familiar with and eaten this plant since 1882, but thought it might be a variety of L. deliciosus, with light-colored milk.

L. mutabilis is an excellent species, equal to any Lactarius.

L. camphora´tusFr.—camphor.Pileus1–2 in. across,brown-brick-red,somewhat zoned, sometimes zoneless, fleshy, thin, depressed, dry, smooth.Stemshort, 1–2 in., stuffed, somewhat undulated, of the same color as the pileus.Gillsadnate, crowded,yellowish-brick-color.Milkmild, white, odor agreeable, spicy.Fries.

Strong smelling.So like L. subdulcis that it can be distinguished safely only by its odor of melilot when dried.Stevenson.

Pileus.5–1.5 in. broad.Stem1–2 in. long, 2–3 lines.Peck, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Sporesspherical, echinulate, 6–7µQ.; subglobose, 8–9µMassee; 7.6–9µPeck.

Taste and smell not of camphor, but of melilot.

North Carolina,Curtis; South Carolina,Ravenel; Wisconsin,Bundy; New York,Peck, Rep. 23, Mon. 38th Rep.

West Virginia, Pennsylvania, July to October, in moist places. Mixed woods, etc.McIlvaine.

Edible.Gillet.

Its mild taste distinguishes it at once from L. rufus.

It has high but pleasant flavor. If the flavor is too evident to suit some tastes, it is well to mix milder species with it.

Grouped by F.D. Briscoe—Studies by C. McIlvaine.Plate XLIV.Fig.Page.Fig.Page.1.Russula cyanoxantha,1985.Russula roseipes,2092.Russula emetica,2016.Russula virescens,1943.Russula flavida,1977.Russula puellaris,2084.Russula sordida,190

Grouped by F.D. Briscoe—Studies by C. McIlvaine.Plate XLIV.

Reddish.

(Plate XLV.)Russula.

(Plate XLV.)

Russula.

Pileusregular, rigid, usually becoming more or less depressed.Fleshof the pileus descending into the gills forming a cellular trama.Veiland consequently the ring absent. Stem smooth, stout, rigid, brittle, spongy within.Gillsrigid, fragile, edge thin and acute.Sporesrounded, often echinulate, white or yellowish. On the ground.

Closely allied to Lactarius but separated by the absence of milk. The gills of some species exude watery drops in moist weather. Owing to the similarity of form and the variable coloring many species are difficult to determine; all the characters should be carefully noted, not omitting that of the taste.

Russulæ are readily distinguished by the stout, short, brittle stem and the fragility of the pileus and gills. They especially love open woods and appear during the summer and fall months, some being found until sharp frosts occur.

It has been claimed by mushroom growers, until within a few years, that the spores of the mushroom have to pass through the digestive apparatus of the horse before they will germinate. It has been conclusively demonstrated that such a transmission is not a necessity. It was for a long time my opinion—following the opinion of others—that such assistance was necessary. In my many efforts to propagate valuable food species of the wild toadstools I endeavored to find the method by which the spores were disseminated, and through what digestive medium they passed—either of insect or animal—before germination. Noticing that the Russulæ were fed upon by a small black beetle, I planted in suitable places, not the toadstools, but the beetles found upon them. The result was that in several instances I grew the Russulæ. My experiments, while interesting, are not conclusive, because I later found that the same results could be obtained from the toadstool itself whenplanted under its own natural life conditions. It is certain that beetles can not be raised by planting Russulæ.

The beetles known as tumble-bugs—canthon lævis—deposit eggs in the center of balls made of animal droppings; dig a hole in the ground and drop them into it. These droppings frequently contain the spores of the meadow mushroom. Thus planted with the proper surrounding of manure, and at the proper depth, the spores germinate, spread mycelium, and a crop of mushrooms is the result. The beetle becomes a horticulturist. No wonder the Egyptians, thousands of years ago, made it—the scarabeus—their sacred emblem, and that, today, thefleur-de-lisof France, so the Rosicrucians say, perpetuates its glorious worth and calling.

Most Russulæ are sweet and nutty to the taste; some are as hot as the fiercest of cayenne, but this they lose upon cooking. To this genus authors have done especial injustice; there is not a single species among them known to be poisonous, and, where they are not too strong of cherry bark and other highly flavored substances, they are all edible; most of them are favorites. Where they present no objectionable appearance or taste, their caps make most palatable dishes when stewed, baked, roasted or escalloped. The time of cooking should be determined by the consistency of the variety; some will cook in five minutes, others not under thirty. Salt, butter and pepper are the only necessaries as seasoning.

ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.

I.—Compactæ(compingo, to put together; compact). Page 187.

Pileus fleshy throughout, hence the margin is at first bent inward and always without striæ, without a distinct gluey pellicle (in consequence of which the color is not variable, but only changes with age and the state of the atmosphere). Flesh compact, firm. Stem solid, fleshy. Gills unequal.

II.—Furcatæ(furca, a fork. Withforkedgills). Page 191.

Pileus compact, firm, covered with a thin, closely adnate pellicle, which at length disappears, margin abruptly thin, at first inflexed, then spreading,acute, even. Stem at first compact, at length spongy-soft within. Gillssomewhat forked, with a few shorter ones intermixed, commonly attenuated at both ends, thin and normally narrow.

III.—Rigidæ(rigidus, rigid). Page 194.

Pileus without a viscid pellicle,absolutely dry, rigid, the cuticle commonly breaking up into flocci or granules. Flesh thick, compact, firm, vanishing away short of themargin which is straight(never involute), soon spreading, and alwayswithout striæ. Stem solid, at first hard, then softer and spongy. Gills, a few dimidiate, others divided, rigid,dilated in front and running out with a very broad, rounded apex, whence the margin of the pileus becomes obtuse and is not inflexed.Exceedingly handsome, but rather rare.

IV.—Heterophyllæ(R. heterophylla, the typical species

of the section). Page 198.

Pileus fleshy, firm, with a thin margin which is at first inflexed, then expanded and striate, covered with a thin adnate pellicle. The gills consist of many shorter ones mixed with longer ones, along with others which are forked. Stem solid, stout, spongy within.

V.—Fragiles(fragilis, fragile or brittle). Page 201.

Pileus more or less fleshy, rigid-fragile, covered with a pellicle which is always continuous, and in wet weather viscid and somewhat separable; margin membranaceous, at first convergent and not involute, in full-grown plants commonly sulcate and tubercular. Flesh commonly floccose, lax, friable. Stem spongy, at length wholly soft and hollow. Gills almost all equal, simple, broadening in front, free in the pileus when closed. Several doubtful forms occur. R. integra is specially fallacious from the variety of its colors.

*Gills and spores white.

**Gills and spores white, then light-yellowish or bright lemon-yellowish.

***Gills and spores ochraceous.

Compac´tæ.

R. ni´gricansBull.—nigrico, to be blackish.Pileus2–4 in. and more broad, olivaceous-fuliginous,at length black, fleshy to the margin which is at first bent inwards, convex then flattened, umbilicato-depressed, when young and moist slightly viscid and even (without a separable pellicle), at length cracked in scales.Fleshfirm, white,when broken becoming red on exposure to the air.Stem1 in. thick, persistently solid, equal, pallid when young,at length black.Gillsroundedbehind, slightly adnexed,thick, distant, unequal, paler, reddening when touched.Fries.

Compact, obese, inodorous, within and withoutat length wholly black, in which it differs from all others. The flesh becomes red when broken because it is saturated with red juice, although it does not exude milk. Sometimes a very few of the gills are dimidiate.

In woods. Common. June to November.Stevenson.

Var.albo´nigraKrombh.—albo, white;negro, to be black.Pileusfleshy, convexo-plane, depressed in the middle, at length funnel-shaped, viscid,whitish, smoky about the margin.Fleshwhite, turning black when broken.Stemsolid, stout, dusky, becoming blackened.Gillsdecurrent, crowded, unequal, dusky-whitish. In grassy places.

Sporespapillose, 8µW.G.S.; subglobose, rough, 8–9µMassee.

New York. Our specimens agree with the description in every respect, except that the gills are not distant.Peck, 32d Rep.

Mild when raw, but with a heavy woody taste.

Cooked it makes a good dish, but does not equal most Russulæ.

R. purpuri´naQuel. and Schulz.—purple. (PlateXLVa.)Pileusfleshy, margin acute, subglobose, then plane, at length depressed in the center, slightly viscid in very wet weather, not striate, often split, pellicle separable, rosy-pink, paling even to light yellow.Gillscrowded in youth, afterward subdistant, white, in age yellowish, reaching the stem, 2–4 lines broad in front, not greatly narrowed behind, almost equal, not forked.Stemspongy, stuffed, very variable, cylindrical, attenuated above and below the middle, rosy-pink becoming paler (rarely white) toward the base, color obscure in age.Fleshfragile, white, reddish under the skin; odor slight, taste mild.Sporeswhite, globose, sometimes sub-elliptical, 4–8µ long, minutely warted.

Pileus1.5–2.5 in. across.Stemup to .4 in. thick, 1.2 in. long.

“This is a beautiful and very distinct species easily known by its red stem, mild taste and white spores.”Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Photographed by Dr. J.R. Weist.Plate XLVa.RUSSULA PURPURINA.

R. adus´taFr.—aduro, to scorch.Pileuspallid or whitish,grayish-sooty, equally fleshy, compact, depressed then somewhat infundibuliform, margin at first inflexed, smooth, then erect, without striæ.Fleshunchangeable.Stemsolid, obese, of the same color as the pileus.Gillsadnate then decurrent,thin, crowded, unequal, white then dingy, not reddening when touched.Fries.

Sporessubglobose, almost smooth, 8–9µMassee.

In pine and mixed woods.

West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, in pine woods and in mixed woods. August to frost.McIlvaine.

R. adusta is solitary but often in small troops. It is easily recognized by the brownish blotches upon its cap, and the crowding of its thin gills.

The solid flesh must be well cooked. It is then of good flavor.

(Plate XLVb.)Russula brevipes.After Prof. Peck.

(Plate XLVb.)

Russula brevipes.After Prof. Peck.

R. bre´vipesPk.—brevis, short;pes, a foot.Pileus3–5 in. broad, at first convex and umbilicate, then infundibuliform, dry, glabrous or slightly villose on the margin, white, sometimes varied with reddish-brown stains.Fleshwhitish, taste mild, slowly becoming slightly acrid.Lamellæthin, close, adnate or slightly rounded behind; white.Stemsolid, white.

Sporesglobose, verruculose, 10–13µ.

Stem6–10 lines long, 6–10 lines thick.

Sandy soil in pine woods. Quogue. September.

This species is related to Russula delica, but is easily distinguished by its short stem and crowded gills. The pileus also is not shining and the taste is tardily somewhat acrid. From Lactarius exsuccus it is separated by the character of the gills and the very short stem which is about as broad as it is long. The spores also are larger than in that species. The gills in the young plant are sometimes studded with drops of water. They are not clearly decurrent. Some of them are forked at the base. The pileus is but slightly raised above the surface of the ground and is generally soiled by adhering dirt and often marked by rusty or brownish stains. The plants grew in old roads in the woods where the soil had been trodden and compacted.Peck, 43d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

West Virginia, 1882; Pennsylvania, 1887–1894; New Jersey, 1892. Solitary in pine and hemlock woods, generally on bare, compact ground. August to October.McIlvaine.

This species is a sparse grower, but its good size and respectable numbers soon fill the basket. When fresh it is of good substance and flavor.

R. del´icaFr.—delicus, weaned. (Milkless, juiceless in gills.)White.Pileus3–5 in. broad, fleshy throughout, firm, umbilicate then infundibuliform, regular, everywhere even, smooth with awhitish luster, the involute margin without striæ.Fleshfirm, juiceless, not very thick, white.Stemcurt, 1–2 in. long, ½ in. and more thick, solid, even, smooth, white.Gillsdecurrent, thin, distant, very unequal, white, exuding small watery drops in wet weather.Fries.

Sporesminutely echinulate, white, broadly elliptical, 8–10×6–7µMassee.

In appearance it resembles Lactarius vellereus and L. piperatus, but its gills do not distill milk or juice. It differs, too, in its mild taste. It is related to R. brevipes Pk.

A large, coarse species, cup-shaped at maturity. I have found it in several localities in Massachusetts in July and August. It is of fair quality cooked, but much inferior to R. virescens, etc.Macadam.

West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, in mixed woods, August to October.McIlvaine.

Edible. Taste mild. From the juiceless variety of L. vellereus its mild taste alone furnishes a separate character.Peck.

I have eaten it since 1882, but it is not a favorite. Its quality is fair.

R. sor´didaPk.—dirty. (PlateXLIV, fig. 4, p. 184.)Pileusfirm, convex, centrally depressed, dry, sordid-white, sometimes clouded with brown.Gillsclose, white, some of them forked.Stemequal, solid, concolorous.Sporesglobose, 7.5µ. Taste acrid.Fleshchanging color when wounded, becoming black or bluish-black.

Plant4–5 in. high.Pileus3–5 in. broad.Stem6–12 lines thick.

Ground under hemlock trees. Worcester. July.

It resembles L. piperatus in general appearance. The whole plant turns black in drying.Peck, 26th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Ohio,Morgan; Pennsylvania,Herbst; West Virginia, 1881–1885,Pennsylvania, New Jersey, pine, hemlock and mixed woods, July to September.McIlvaine.

It is of better quality than most coarse-grained Russulæ.

Furca´tæ.

R. furca´taFr.—furca, a fork.Pileus3 in. broad, sometimes greenish, sometimes umber-greenish, fleshy, compact, gibbous then plano-depressed or infundibuliform,even, smooth, but oftensprinkled with slightly silky luster, pellicle here and there separable, margin thin, at first inflexed, then spreading, alwayseven.Fleshfirm, somewhat cheesy, white.Stem2 in. or a little more long, solid, firm, equal or attenuated downward, even, white.Gillsadnato-decurrent, rather thick, somewhat distant but broad, attenuated at both ends, frequently forked, shining white.Fries.

Sporesglobose, echinulate, 6–7µC.B.P.; 7–8×9µMassee.

In woods, and grass under trees.

The frequently forked gills, from which the species takes its name, their being thick and slightly decurrent, help to distinguish it. It is quite common in its several varieties.

Tastemild at first. A slight bitter develops which disappears in cooking. It is then of good quality, not equal to R. virescens. Older writers marked it poisonous, doubtless for no other cause than its slight bitter. I have eaten it freely for fifteen years.

R. sangui´neaFr.—sanguis, blood.Pileus2–3 in. broad, blood-red or becoming pale round theeven, spreading,acute margin, fleshy, firm, at first convex, obtuse, then depressed and infundibuliform and commonly gibbous in the center, polished, even,moistin damp weather.Fleshfirm, cheesy, white.Stemstout, spongy-stuffed, at first contracted at the apex, then equal, slightly striate, white or reddish.Gillsat first adnate, then truly decurrent, very crowded, very narrow, connected by veins, fragile, somewhat forked, shining white.Fries.

Spores9–10µ diameterMassee.

In pine and mixed woods. July to October.

Color same as R. rubra but differs in its hard cheesy flesh, rigid, slightly yellowish gills in age. The gills of R. sanguinea are truly decurrent, and pointed in front.

Poisonous.Stevenson.Krapp says he has experienced grave inconveniences from eating it.

Myself and very many friends eat all fresh inviting Russulæ. We do not discriminate against a single peppery or acrid species, not even the R. emetica which has been severely maligned. In fact the peppery Russulæ are usually substantial in flesh and choice in substance.

The opinion of many is that R. sanguinea is one of the best. I have eaten it for years.

R. depal´lensPers.—palleo, to be pale.Pileus3–4 in. across, pallid-reddish or inclining to dingy-brown, etc., fleshy, firm, convex, then plane, more rarely depressed, but commonlyirregularly shaped and undulated, even, the thin, adnate pellicle presently changing color, especially at the disk, the spreading margin even, but slightly striate when old.Fleshwhite.Stemabout 1½ in. long, solid, firm, commonly attenuated downward,white, becoming cinereouswhen old.Gillsadnexed, broad, crowded, distinct, but commonly forked at the base, often with shorter ones intermixed. Inodorous, taste mild. The color of the pileus is at first pallid-reddish, or inclining to brownish, then whitish or yellowish, opaque in every stage of growth. It approaches nearest to the Heterophyllæ.Fries.

In beech woods, pastures, etc. August to September.

Sporessubglobose, echinulate, 7–8µMassee.

R. depallens somewhat resembles R. heterophylla. Both are edible. It is a solitary grower and not common, but when found it occurs in good quantity. It belongs to the best class of Russulæ.

R. subdepal´lensPk.—sub,deandpalleo, to be pale.Pileusfleshy, at first convex and striate on the margin, then expanded or centrally depressed and tuberculate-striate on the margin, viscid, blood-red or purplish red, mottled with yellowish spots, becoming paler or almost white with age, often irregular.Fleshfragile, white, becoming cinereous with age, reddish under the cuticle, taste mild.Lamellæbroad, subdistant, adnate, white or whitish, the interspaces venose.Stemstout, solid but spongy within, persistently white.

Sporeswhite, globose, rough, 8µ broad.

Pileus3–6 in. broad.Stem1.5–3 in. long, 6–12 lines thick.

Under a hickory tree. Trexlertown, Pa. June.W. Herbst.

Closely related to Russula depallens, from which it differs in having the margin of the pileus striate at first and more strongly so when mature, also in the pileus being spotted at first, the gills more distant, the stem persistently white and the spores white. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club. Vol. 23, No. 10. October, 1896.

I do not doubt its edibility. SeeR. depallens.

R. ochrophyl´laPk.—ochra, a yellow earth;phyllon, a leaf.Pileus2–4 in. broad, firm, convex becoming nearly plane or slightly depressed in the center, even or rarely very slightly striate on the margin when old, purple or dark purplish red.Fleshwhite, purplish under the adnate cuticle, taste mild.Gillsentire, a few of them forked at the base, subdistant, adnate, at first yellowish, becoming bright ochraceous buff when mature, dusted by the spores, the interspaces somewhat venose.Stemequal or nearly so, solid or spongy within, reddish or rosy tinted, paler than the pileus.Sporesbright ochraceous buff, globose-verruculose, 10µ broad.

The ochery-gilled Russula is a large fine species, but not a common one. It differs but little in color and size from the European pungent Russula, Russula drimeia, but it is easily distinguished from it by its mild taste.

The cap is dry, convex or a little depressed in the center, purple or purplish red, the white flesh purplish under the cuticle, which, however, is not easily separable.

The gills are nearly all entire, extending from the stem to the margin of the cap. They are therefore much closer together near the stem than at the margin. They are at first yellowish, but a bright ochraceous buff when mature. They are then dusted by the similarly colored spores.

The stem is stout, nearly cylindric, firm but spongy in the center and colored like the cap, but generally a little paler. There is a variety in which the stem is white and the cap deep red. In other respects it is like the typical form. Its name is Russula ochrophylla albipes.

The ochery-gilled Russula grows in groups under trees, especially oak trees, and should be sought in July and August.Peck, 51st Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

West Virginia, Pennsylvania, July to September,McIlvaine.

Edible.Peck, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Ri’gidæ.

R. lac’teaFr.—lac, milk.Pileus2 in. broad, at the firstmilk-white, then tan-white, throughout compactly fleshy, bell-shaped, then convex, often excentric, without a pellicle, always dry, at the first even, then slightly cracked when dry, margin straight, thin, obtuse, even.Fleshcompact, white.Stem1½-2 in. long, 1½ in. thick, solid, very compact, but at length spongy-soft within, equal, even, always white.Gillsfree, very broad,thick, distant, rigid, forked, white.Fries.

Sporessubglobose, echinulate, 7–9µMassee.

Closely allied to R. albella Pk. from which it differs in its shorter stem, and pileus cracking into areolæ, and gills not being entire.

In mixed woods, in patches, not common.

Botanic creek, West Philadelphia, Pa., patches,McIlvaine, 1887.

Edible and of good flavor.Macadam.

Raw, it has a raw, rather unpleasant taste and odor, a little like some acorns. But its firm, thick flesh, meaty gills and stem, and good flavor when well cooked, rank it equal to any.

R. albel’laPk.—whitish.Pileus2–3 in. broad, thin, fragile, dry, plane or slightly depressed in the center, even or obscurely striate on the margin, commonly white, sometimes tinged with pink or rosy-red, especially on the margin.Fleshwhite, taste mild.Lamellæentire, white, becoming dusted by the spores.Stem1–2 in. long, 3–4 lines thick, equal, solid or spongy within, white.

Sporeswhite, globose, 7.6µ broad.

Dry soil of frondose woods. Port Jefferson. July.

Closely allied to R. lactea, but differing in its fragile texture, entire lamellæ, more slender stem, and in the pileus not cracking into areas.Peck, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

R. vires’censFr.—viresco, to be green. (PlateXLIV, fig. 6, p. 184.)Pileusgreen, compactly fleshy, globose then expanded, at length depressed, often unequal, always dry, not furnished with a pellicle, wherefore theflocculose cuticle is broken up into patches or warts, margin straight, obtuse,even.Fleshwhite, not very compact.Stemsolid, internally spongy, firm,somewhat rivulose, white.Gillsfree, somewhatcrowded, sometimes equal, sometimes forked, with a few shorter ones intermixed,white.Fries.

Taste mild; good, raw.

Sporesscarcely echinulate, almost globular, 6µW.G.S.Spores8–10µMassee; 6–7.6µPeck.

Capround when young, very hard, then convex or becoming dished, sometimes repand. It is without a separable skin, covered with various sized areas of mouldy looking patches which are at times distinctly cracked. The color varies from a bright bluish-green to grayish-green, such shades remind one of mouldy cheese or the shades of Roquefort; again the color may vary in shades of light leather brown, occasionally the caps are almost white, opaque in each shade of color. Flesh crisp, brittle, thick, white, mild, good raw. Gills and stem as described.

R. virescens is common in the United States but not generally plentiful. It is a solitary grower, usually but few are found in a patch. Striking in appearance when its green colors are present, and always clean looking and inviting. It sometimes attains the size of 5 in. across. It is a hot weather Russula and rarely appears before the latter part of June, then after rains.

To eat, it should be in a healthy, fresh condition. All Russulæ impart a stale flavor if any part of gills or cap is wilting, drying or decaying. It requires forty minutes' slow stewing, or it can be dressed raw as a salad. Roasted or fried crisp in a hot buttered pan it is at its best. It should be well salted.

R. lep´idaFr.—lepidus, neat, elegant.Pileus3 in. broad,blood-red-rose, becoming pale, whitish especially at the disk, somewhat equally fleshy, convex then expanded, scarcely depressed, obtuse, opaque, unpolished,with a silky appearance, at length often cracked scaly, margin spreading, obtuse, without striæ.Stemas much as 3 in. long, often 1 in. thick,even, white or rose-color.Gillsrounded behind, rather thick, somewhat crowded, often forked, connected by veins, white, often red at the edge.

Taste mild; wholly compact and firm, but the flesh is cheesy, not somewhat clotted. The gills are often red at the edge, chiefly toward the margin, on account of the margin of the pileus being continuous with the gills.Fries.

Spores8–10×6–8µSyll.

Frequent. July to October, in mixed woods.

A common and variable species in size and color, but the cap is always some shade of rose-red or lake. The flesh is compact and cheesy. The gills sometimes edged with pink as they near the margin. Taste mild.

The crisp flesh of R. lepida requires forty minutes' slow stewing, if stewed. It yields a delicate pink shade to the dish. Roasted or cooked in a hot buttered pan it is excellent.

R. ru´braFr.—ruber, red.Pileusunicolorous, a cinnabar-vermilion, but becoming pale (tan) when old, disk commonly darker, compact, hard but fragile, convex, then flattened, here and there depressed, absolutely dry,without a pellicle, but becoming polished-even, often sinuously cracked when old, margin spreading, obtuse, even, always persistent.Fleshwhite,reddish under the cuticle.Stem2–3 in. long, about 1 in. thick, solid, even, varying white and red.Gillsobtusely adnate, somewhat crowded, whitish, then yellowish, with dimidiate and forked ones intermixed.

Veryacrid, very hard and rigid, most distinct from all the others of this group in thepileus becoming polished-even, although without a pellicle, in theflesh being somewhat clotted, and in thevery acrid taste.Gillsoften red at the edge.Fries.

Sporeswhitish,Fries; spheroid, 8–10µK.

Krapp says he has experienced grave inconveniences from eating it. European authorities mark “poisonous.”

I do not hesitate to cook it either by itself or with other Russulæ and serve it at my table. It is easier cooked than R. virescens and others of the crisp species, and has equal flavor.

R. Linnæ´iFr.—in honor of Linnæus.Pileus3–4 in. broad, unicolorous, dark purple, blood-red or bright rose, opaque, not becoming pale, everywhere fleshy, rigid, plano-depressed, sometimes spread upward, even, smooth,dry, without a separable pellicle, margin spreading, obtuse, without striæ.Fleshthick,spongy-compact, white.Stem1½ in. and more long, 1 in. and more thick, stout, firm, but spongy-soft within, somewhat ventricose,obsoletely reticulatedwith fibers, intensely blood-red.Gillsadnate, somewhat decurrent, rather thick, not crowded,broad(more than ½ in.), fragile, sparingly connected by veins, white,becoming yellow when dry, with a few dimidiate ones intermixed, somewhat anastomosing behind.Fries.

Sporeswholly white,Fries; ellipsoid, spheroid, echinulate, 11µQ.; 9–11×8–9µMassee.

West Virginia, 1881–1885. West Philadelphia, Pa., on Bartram’s Botanic creek.McIlvaine.

R. Linnæi is one of our handsomest and best Russulæ. European authors state its habit to be exactly that of R. emetica, but though I have known it intimately for many years I have not been struck with this in the American plant. Its large size, its more or less red stem never entirely white, at times hollow, cavernous, its less solid flesh, habit of growing in troops, sometimes parts of rings, flourishing best where the leaf mat is heaviest, loving the leaf drift in fence-corners, are well marked distinctions.

When young there is no better Russula. As it ages the stem becomes soft, spongy and should be thrown away. The caps, only, eaten.

R. oliva´ceaFr.—oliva, an olive;olivaceus, the color of an olive.Pileus2–4 in. across, dingy-purple then olivaceous or wholly brownish-olivaceous, fleshy, convexo-flattened and depressed,slightly silky and squamulose, margin spreading, even.Fleshwhite, becoming somewhat yellow.Stemfirm, ventricose, rose-color to pallid, spongy-stuffed within.Gillsadnexed, wide,yellow, with shorter and forked ones intermixed.

Mild. Near to R. rubra, but certainly distinct in the stem being definitely spongy, in the pileus being unpolished, and in the gills being soft and brightly colored; corresponding with R. alutacea.Fries.

Sporeslight yellow,Fries; spheroid, punctate, 10µQ.; globose, minutely granulate, yellow, 9–10µ diameterMassee.

Mt. Gretna, Pa., 1897–1898.

Pileus2–4 in. across, 2–3 in. long, ½-⅓ in. thick.

The caps are equally good with R. alutacea. They must be fresh, and similarly cooked.

R. fla´vidaFrost—yellow. (PlateXLIV, fig. 3, p. 184.)Pileusfleshy, convex, slightly depressed, unpolished, bright yellow.Gillswhite, adnate, turning cinereous.Stemyellow, solid, white at the extreme apex.FrostMs.

Pileusfleshy, convex, slightly depressed in the center, not polished, yellow, the margin at first even, then slightly striate-tuberculate.Gillsnearly entire, venose-connected, white, then cinereous or yellowish.Stemfirm, solid, yellow, sometimes white at the top.

Sporesyellow, subglobose, 6.5–7.6µ in diameter.Fleshwhite, taste mild.

Plant2–3 in. high.Pileus2–3 in. broad.Stem4–6 lines thick.FrostMss.

Ground in woods. Sandlake. August.Peck, 32d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

R. flavida is showy, solitary and in patches. The stem when young and solid is equally good with the cap. Cooks in twenty-five minutes and is of good flavor.

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