Chapter 26

(Plate LXXVI.)Pluteolus reticulatus.About natural size.

(Plate LXXVI.)

Pluteolus reticulatus.About natural size.

P. reticula´tusPers.—rete, a net. From the net-work of veins on the pileus.Pileusslightly fleshy, bell-shaped, then expanded, sticky, reticulate with anastomosing veins, pale violaceous, striate on the margin.Lamellæfree, ventricose, crowded, rusty-saffron.Stemhollow, fragile, fibrillose, mealy at the top, white.Sporeselliptical, ferruginous, 10–13×5–6.5µ.

Pileus1–2 in. broad.Stem1–2 in. long, 1–2 lines thick.

Decaying wood. Cattaraugus county. September.

The specimens which I have referred to this species appear to be a small form with the pileus scarcely more than an inch broad and merely wrinkled on the disk, not distinctly reticulate as in the type. In the dried specimens the pileus has assumed a dark violaceous color. The dimensions of the spores have been taken from the American plant. I do not find them given by any European author.Peck, 46th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

In October, 1897, P. reticulatus grew in large quantities on a fallow lot close by the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. The lot was thickly covered with tall heavy-stemmed weeds, a mat of which, from the year before was present. The reticulations upon the cap are intricate and distinct. I have not seen it since.

The whole plant is tender and of fine flavor.

Hebe, youth;loma, fringe.

Partial veil fibrillose or absent.Pileussmooth, continuous, somewhat viscid, margin at first incurved. Flesh of stem continuous with that of the pileus; fleshy, fibrous, clothed, top rather mealy.Gillsattached, notched at the stem, edge inclined to be pale.Sporesclay-colored.

On the ground.

Closely allied to Inocybe, formerly included in Hebeloma, but differing in the character of the cuticle of the pileus which in Inocybe is scaly or fibrillose. Many of the species are strong in smell and taste. None have hitherto been considered edible and some have been regarded as poisonous.

ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.

Indusiati(indusium, a garment). Page283.

Furnished with a ring from the manifest veil, which often makes the margin of the pileus superficially silky.

Denudati(denudo, to lay bare). Page286.

Pileus smooth. Veil absent. None known to be edible.

Pusillus(pusus, a little boy).

Pileus scarcely an inch broad. None known to be edible.

The writer has not as yet investigated the edible qualities of this genus to his satisfaction. Much work remains to be done. But two species of Hebeloma are given as edible. They are good, but do not rank above second-class. Several others have been tested, but not in sufficient quantity to report upon their quality with perfect safety. So far as tested the species have been harmless.

H. mus´sivumFr.—mussivus, undecided. (Uncertain in generic place.)Pileus2–4 in. broad, either of one color, yellow or darker at the disk which is like a smooth sugar-cake, fleshy,compact, firm, convexthen plane, unequal, very obtuse, viscid, at firstsmoothand even, margin bent inward, even, then commonly turning upward and broken up into scales.Fleshthick, becoming yellow.Stem4 in. long, commonly 1 in. thick,very fleshy, sometimes stuffed, sometimes hollow at the top, equal or broad in the middle,wholly fibrillose and powdered at the top, light yellow.Veilfibrillose, very evanescent.Gillsemarginate, somewhat crowded, 3 lines broad, dry (not distilling drops),at first light yellow, then together with the spores somewhat rust-colored.

Odor weak, not unpleasant. Very distinct. It departs widely from all the following species in its habit and bright colors. The habit is that of a Flammula or Cortinarius, but the gills are emarginate and not powdered; from the turned up pileus and from the stem being powdered at the top, and from other marks it is to be referred to Hebeloma.Fries.

Sporeselliptical, 12×6µMassee.

New Jersey, Haddonfield. Under pine trees. Solitary. Frequent. September, 1896.McIlvaine.

Not previously reported.

Taste, even raw, is pleasant. It is meaty and the meat is good. It requires slow cooking and is best chopped fine and served in patties or croquettes.

(Plate LXXVIa.)Hebeloma fastibile.One-fourth natural size.

(Plate LXXVIa.)

Hebeloma fastibile.One-fourth natural size.

H. fasti´bileFr.—fastidibilis, loathsome. From the smell.Pileus2 in. and more broad, pale yellowish, tan or becoming pale, compactly fleshy, convexo-plane, obtuse, somewhat wavy, even, smooth, the turned-in margin downy.Stem2–3 in. long, ½ in. thick,solid, wholly fleshy-fibrous, stout, somewhat bulbous, often twisted, everywherewhite-silky and fibrillose, white, but varying pallid, white-scaly upward.Cortinaremarkable, white, occasionally in the form of a ring.Gillsremarkablyemarginate, somewhat distant, rather broad, at first becoming pale-white, then dingy clay-color, edge whitish,distilling dropsin rainy weather.

Somewhat cespitose. Odor and taste of radish, bitterish. Like A.crustiliniformis; the odor is the same except that it is stronger, but it differs conspicuouslyin the manifest veil and somewhat distant gills.

Var.al´ba, stem longer, equal, somewhat hollow, fibrous-scaly at the apex, gills distant. A. spiloleucus Krombh., A. sulcatus Lindgr. is an elegant form with the margin of the pileus sulcate or rugoso-plicate.

In mixed woods. Common. July to October.Stevenson.

Spores11×8µW.G.S.; elliptical, pointed, 10×8µMorgan.

Var.elegans. Pileus purple-brown.

This sometimes appears on disused mushroom beds in large quantities, but the method by which the spores gain access is involved in darkness.

“A very suspicious species and has the reputation of being noxious.”Cooke.

“There is considerable external resemblance between this and A. campestris. No fungus is so often mistaken for A. campestris as this dangerous plant.”W.G. Smith.

This species is considered noxious abroad. No test is reported of its qualities here.

I have not seen it.

H. glutino´sumLind.—gluten, glue. (PlateLXXI, fig. 1, p. 268.)Pileusabout 3 in. broad, yellow-white, the disk darker, fleshy, convex then plane,regular, obtuse, with a tenaciousviscousgluten, and slimy in wet weather,sprinkled with white superficial scales.Fleshwhitish, becoming light-yellow.Stem3 in. long,stuffed, firm,somewhat bulbous, white-scalyand fibrillose, and white-mealy at the top, often rough with bundles of hairs at the base, at length rust-color within. Partial thread-like veil manifest, in the form of a cortina.Gillssinuato-adnate, somewhat decurrent, crowded, broad,pallid then light-yellowish, at length clay-cinnamon. Odor peculiar, mild.

On branches and among leaves, oak and beech. Frequent. September to December.Stevenson.

Spores5×4µW.P.; plum-shaped, 7µQ.; elliptical, 10–12×5µMassee; ellipsoid, 6–7×3–4µK.

New York. Among fallen leaves and half-buried decaying wood, in thin woods. Conklingville. September. In wet weather the gluten is sufficiently copious to drop from the pileus.Peck, Rep. 40.

Haddonfield, N.J., among leaves in mixed woods. Frequent. 1896.Mt. Gretna, Pa., among leaves under oaks. Frequent. September to November.McIlvaine.

Caps1½-3 in. across. Remarkably glutinous, shining as if varnished when wet. Partial veil not always noticeable.

The odor and taste are pleasant. The caps when well cooked are meaty, good, but of second quality.

H. crustulinifor´meBull.—crustulum, a small pie;forma, form.Pileuspale-whitish tan, most frequently pale-yellowish or brick-color at the disk, fleshy, convexo-plane, obtuse or slightly gibbous with an obtuse umbo, somewhat spreading with an uneven margin, even, smooth, at first slightly viscid, not zoned.Fleshtransparent when moist.Stemstuffed then hollow, stout, somewhat bulbous, white, naked, white-scaly at the top.Gillsrounded-adnexed, crowded,narrowed, 1 line broad and linear, thin, whitish then clay-color, at length date-brown,the unequal edge distilling watery drops in wet weather, spotted when dry.

Veilquitewanting. Odor strong, fetid, of radish. Very variable in stature; the stem, however, is never elongated as in A. elatus, etc.; in smaller specimens equal, pileus regular, gills almost adnate.

In mixed woods. Common. August to November.Stevenson.

Sporesellipsoid, 10–12×5–7µK.; 9×5µW.G.S.

Var.mi´norCke. Smaller than the type.

Minnesota, common in woods,Johnson; California,H. and M.; Wisconsin,Bundy; New Jersey,Ellis; Vermont,Burt(Lloyd); New York,Peck, 41st Rep.; Mt. Gretna, Pa., November, 1898. In woods.McIlvaine.

But one specimen found and that was sent to Professor Peck. Taste bitter.

Regarded as poisonous by European writers. It is not reported as tested in America.

Flamma, a flame.(In reference to the bright colors of many of the species.)

Flamma, a flame.

(In reference to the bright colors of many of the species.)

Pileusfleshy, marginat first turned inward.Veilfibrillose or none.Stemfleshy-fibrous, not mealy at the top.Gillsdecurrent or attached without a tooth.Sporesmostly pure rust color; some brownish-rust, others tawny-ochraceous.

A few species grow on the ground, the majority on wood.

ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.

Gymnoti(naked). Page288.

Pileus dry, generally scaly. Spores not yellowish.

Lubrici(lubricus, slimy). Page289.

Pileus covered with a continuous,viscid, smooth, partly separable cuticle. Veil fibrillose. Spores not yellowish. Gregarious, on the ground, rarely on wood. Distinguished from Hebeloma by the gills not being sinuate and the top of the stem not mealy.

Udi(udus, moist). Page290.

Veil slight, generally hanging in fragments. Cuticle of the pileus continuous, not separable, smooth, in places superficially downy, moist or slightly viscid in rainy weather. Spores not yellowish. Cespitose, growing on wood.

Sapinei(sapinus, pine). Page291.

Veil silky, very slight, adpressed to the stem or forming a silky ring on it. Cuticle of pileus thin, the flesh splitting at the surface into scales, not viscid. Distinguished by the gills and spores being light yellow or tawny. Somewhat cespitose; always on pine or on the ground among pine branches.

Sericelli(sericeus, silky).

Cuticle of the pileus slightly silky, dry or at the first viscid.

None known to be edible.

The genus Flammula is not represented in our territory by a large number of species. It is, nevertheless, not very sharply distinct from the allied genera, Pholiota, Hebeloma and Naucoria. From Pholiota it is especially separated by the slight development of the veil which is merely fibrillose or entirely wanting. It never forms a persistent membranous collar on the stem. From Hebeloma it may be distinguished by the absence of a sinus at or near the inner extremity of the gills, by the absence of white particles or mealiness from the upper part of the stem and by the brighter or more distinctly rusty or ochraceous color of the spores. From Naucoria the fleshy or fibrously fleshy stem affords the most available distinguishing character. The genus belongs to the Ochrosporæ or ochraceous-spored series, but the spores of its species vary in color from ochraceous or tawny-ochraceous to rust-color or brownish-rust color. The three things to be especially kept in mind in order to recognize the species are the color of the spores, the adnate or decurrent but not clearly sinuate gills and the fleshy or fibrously fleshy stem without a membranous ring.

Our species are mostly of medium size, none being very small and one only meriting the appellation large. They appear chiefly in late summer or in autumn and grow in woods or in wooded regions either on the ground or more often on decaying wood. Many are gregarious or cespitose in their mode of growth. Some have a bitterish or unpleasant flavor and none of our species has yet been classed as edible. Fries arranged the species in five groups, of which the names and more prominent characters are here given.Peck, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

The few species which the writer has found to be edible, and the two new species found by him, were tested after the publication of the above. Several of the species found are not mentioned herein for the reason that a sufficient quantity was not obtained to make certain their quality as a food. The bitterness, as far as observed, with which most of the species are tainted disappears in cooking.

F. alie´naPk.Pileusthin, flexible, broadly convex, umbilicate, dry, bare, slightly striate on the margin when old, grayish or pale grayish-brown.Fleshwhite, fibrous.Gillsthin, subdistant, bow-shaped, decurrent, ochraceous-brown.Stemfirm, fibrous-striate, solid,slightly tapering upward, colored like the pileus, covered at the base with a dense white tomentum.Sporesrusty-brown, globose, 5µ broad.

Pileus3–5 cm. broad.Stem5 cm. long, 4–6 mm. thick.

Gregarious on partly burned anthracite coal, Mt. Gretna, Pa. September.C. McIlvaine.

The species is peculiar in its color and habitat. In the dried specimen the gills have assumed a brown color with no ochraceous tint. Mr. McIlvaine remarks that it is an edible species, dries well, and is excellent when cooked. Its relationship is with F. anomala Pk., but it is a larger plant with darker color and a different habitat.Peck, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 26, F. 1899.

It grows on partlyburnedanthracite coal, notburied, as printed in the Torrey Bulletin. The mycelium completely involves the pieces of coal, holding them tightly in its meshes. Patches of it were strictly limited to the size of the ash-pile containing the partly burned coal. Quite fifty were found.

As stated, it is edible, and it is of remarkably fine substance for a Flammula.

F. edu´lisPk.—eatable.Pileusfleshy, convex, obtuse, glabrous, moist, brown, grayish-brown or yellowish-brown, sometimes rimose.Fleshwhitish.Lamellærather broad, close, decurrent, bright tan color, becoming brownish-rusty.Stemscespitose, equal, stuffed or hollow, brown.Sporessubelliptical, 13×5–6µ.

Pileus2–3 in. broad.Stem2–3 in. long, 3–6 lines thick.

Grassy ground, along pavements, in gutters and by the side of wooden frames of hotbeds. Haddonfield, N.J. October.C. McIlvaine.

The collector of this species informs me that the flavor of the fresh plant is slightly bitter, but that this disappears in cooking and the fungus furnishes a very good and tender article of food. Successive crops continued to appear for a month. In the dried specimens the stem is striate.Peck, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 24, No. 3.

This new species appears annually in the same place. I have not found it elsewhere. It is meaty and excellent.

(Plate LXXVIb.Flammula alnicola.Two-thirds natural size.

(Plate LXXVIb.

Flammula alnicola.Two-thirds natural size.

F. alni´colaFr.—alnus, alder;colo, to inhabit.Pileus2–3 in. broad,yellow, at length becoming rust-color and sometimes green, fleshy, convex then flattened, obtuse, slimy when moist, but not truly viscous, at the first superficially fibrillose toward the margin.Fleshnot very compact, of the same color as the pileus.Stem2–3 in. and more long, ½ in. thick,stuffed then hollow, attenuato-rooted, commonly curved-flexuous,fibrillose, at first yellow, then becoming rust-color.Veilmanifest, sometimes fibrillose, sometimes woven into a spider-web veil.Gillssomewhat adnate, broad, plane, at firstdingy-pallidor yellowish-pallid, at length together with the plentiful spores rust-colored.

The gills vary decurrent and rounded according to situation. Odor and taste bitter. There are two forms:a.Pileus irregular, fibrillose round the margin; gills at first dingy-pallid.b.Salicicola, pileus somewhat convex, smooth, rarely at the first downy-scaly; gills at first yellowish-pallid.Fries.

Sporessubelliptical, 8×5µK.; 8–10×5–6µPeck.

New York, swampy woods about base of alders, October,Peck, Rep. 35; at base of alders, with adnate gills, and on birch stumps, with the gills rounded behind, Rep. 39. Mt. Gretna, Pa., New Jersey, mixed woods, August to November, 1898,McIlvaine.

Gregarious and in loose tufts, not plentiful. It is a pretty plant, usually of a bright yellow, sometimes darker at the center of cap. Traces of an evanescent fibrillose ring are occasionally found or the fibrils adorn the margin of the cap. The gills next to the stem are either rounded, attached or slightly decurrent.

Raw the taste is slightly bitter. This disappears in long cooking.

F. fla´vidaSchaeff. (Pers.)—flavidus, light yellow.Pileusfleshy, thin, broadly convex or nearly plane, glabrous, moist, pale yellow.Fleshwhitish or pale yellow, taste bitter.Lamellæmoderately close, adnate, pale or yellowish becoming rust-color.Stemequal, often more or less curved, hollow, fibrillose, whitish or pale yellow, with a white mycelium at the base.Spores8×5µ.

Pileus1–2 in. broad.Stem1–3 in. long, 1–3 lines thick.

Decaying wood of various trees. Commonly in wooded or mountainous districts. Summer and autumn.

Our specimens were found on wood of both coniferous and deciduous trees. The plants are sometimes cespitose. The pileus becomes more highly colored in drying. The spores are pale rust-colored approaching ochraceous. In Sylloge the spores of this species are described as pale yellowish.Peck, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Sporesbroadly elliptical, 6–8×5µMassee.

New York, decaying wood,Peck, Rep. 32, 50;Mrs. E.C. Anthony, August. West Virginia, 1881–1885; Mt. Gretna, Pa. August to October.McIlvaine.

F. flavida is a frequent species, gregarious and tufted on decaying wood, either standing, fallen, or as roots in the ground. The texture and substance are good. The slight bitter when raw disappears in cooking. The caps, only, are tender.

F. hy´bridaFr.—hybrida, a hybrid.Pileusabout 2 in. broad, at first tawny-cinnamon, then tawny-orange, fleshy, hemispherical with the margin involute, then expanded, obtuse, regular and well formed, even,smooth, moist.Fleshmoderately compact, pallid.Stem2–3 in. long, 4–5 lines thick, at firststuffedwith a soft pith, then hollow,attenuated(almost conico-attenuated)upward, whitish with adpressed silky-hairy down (becoming tawny when the down is rubbed off) slightly striate, with white hairs at the base, and somewhat mealy at the apex.Veilmanifest in the form of an annular zone at the apex of the stem, white or at length colored with the spores.Gillsadnate, somewhat crowded,light yellow then tawny, not spotted.Fries.

Sporeselliptical, tawny-ochraceous, 7–8×4–5µMassee; 6×4µW.P.

Mt. Gretna, Pa., August, September, 1898. On ground under pine trees. Gregarious.W.H. Rorer.Not elsewhere reported.

This is a handsome plant, quite prolific in the large pine groves at Mt. Gretna, Pa. The caps are of good flavor.

F. mag´naPk.—magnus, large.Pileusfleshy, broadly convex, soft, dry, fibrillose and somewhat streaked, pale yellow or buff, the margin commonly becoming revolute with age.Fleshwhitish or yellowish.Gillsclose, adnate or slightly decurrent, often crisped or wavy toward the stem, about three lines wide, ochraceous.Stemequal or thickened toward the base, fleshy-fibrous, solid, elastic, fibrillose, colored like the pileus, brighter yellow within.Sporessubelliptical, ochraceous, 10×6µ.

Cespitose.Pileus4–6 in. broad.Stem3–4 in. long, 8–12 lines thick.

About the base of trees. Westchester county. October.

This is a large and showy species. The stems are sometimes united at the base into a solid mass. The young gills are probably yellow, but I have seen only mature specimens.Peck, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

New Jersey, Trenton, ground in clearing, in pairs and singly. November,E.B. Sterling; Mt. Gretna, Pa. Mixed thin woods. October to November. Near trees. Cespitose,McIlvaine.

Individuals of all ages were found and eaten. The young gills are very light yellow, darkening to a deep, rich yellow.

The caps are of good substance and flavor. When very young the stems are edible.

Tuba, a trumpet.

(Plate LXXVII.)Tubaria furfuracea.Natural size.

(Plate LXXVII.)

Tubaria furfuracea.Natural size.

Stemsomewhat cartilaginous, fistulose.Pileussomewhat membranaceous, often clothed with the universal floccose veil.Gillssomewhat decurrent.Sporesrust-color or (in Phæoti) brownish-rust color.

The species referred to this subgenus were taken from Naucoria and Galera because they correspond with Omphalia and Eccilia. The pileus is, however, distinctly umbilicate or depressed in only a few of them; the others are placed here on account of their somewhat decurrent gills, which are broadest behind and triangular.Fries.

Small and unimportant.

Naucum, a nut-shell.

(Plate LXXVIII.)Naucoria semi-orbicularis.Natural size.

(Plate LXXVIII.)

Naucoria semi-orbicularis.Natural size.

Pileusmore or less fleshy, conical or convex, then expanded,margin at first incurved.Gillsfree or adnate, not decurrent.Veilfugacious or absent, sometimes attached in minute flakes to the edge of the young pileus.Stemcartilaginous, hollow or with a spongy stuffing. Growing on wood or on the ground, sometimes rooted.Sporesvarious shades of brown, dull or bright.

Naucoria corresponds with Collybia, Leptonia and Psilocybe; from the latter it is distinguished by the spore colors and from Galera in the brown-spored series by the margin of the pileus being at first incurved.

“The spores are rust-color, or brownish rust-color. The color of the pileus is some shade of yellow. The stem is not distinctly ringed, but sometimes a slight spore-stained band marks the place of the obsolete ring.”Peck, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

The members of this genus are with two or three exceptions very common, and common over the land. The greater number grow on the ground among grass; a few grow upon decaying wood. The stems are not of the same texture as the cap and frequently will not cook tender. The caps, however, are, of all species tested, tender and of good flavor. Species of the genus are among the first to appear in spring, and well reward the enterprising mycophagist for his early tramps.

ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.

Gymnoti(Gr—naked). Page295.

Pileus smooth. Veil absent. Spores rust-color, not becoming dusky-rust-color.

Phæoti(Gr—dusky). Page296.

Pileus smooth. Gills and spores dusky rust-color. Veil rarely manifest.

Lepidoti(lepis, a scale).

Pileus flocculose or squamulose. Veil manifest.

None known to be edible.

N. hama´dryasFr.—Gr, a nymph attached to her tree.Pileus1½-2 in. broad,bay-brown-ferruginouswhen young and moist, pale yellowish when old and becoming pale, slightly fleshy, convex then expanded, gibbous, even, smooth.Stem2–3 in. long, 3 lines thick,somewhat fragile, hollow, equal, naked, smooth,pallid.Gillsattenuato-adnexed, somewhat free, slightly ventricose, almost 2 lines broad, crowded, rust-color, opaque.Veilnone. Widely removed from neighboring species. Pileussomewhat separateas in Plutei.Fries.

Sporeselliptical, rust-color, 13–14×7µMassee.

Haddonfield, N.J. Frequent. Solitary. On ground along pavements, under trees, in woods. Spring to autumn.McIlvaine.

Massee gives it as hygrophanous. I have not found it so. It is moist after rain and dew.

The caps and upper part of the stem are tender, easily cooked and of good flavor.

N. cero´desFr.Gr—wax.Pileus½-1 in. broad, watery cinnamon when moist, tan-colorwhen dry, somewhat membranaceous,convex bell-shapeand flattened, at length depressed,obtuse, when moist smooth, pellucid-striate at the circumference,when dryeven,slightly silky-atomate.Stem2–3 in. long, 1–2 lines thick, slightly firm, tubed, equal, somewhat flexuous, fibrilloso-striate under a lens,becoming dingy bay-brownsometimes for the most part, sometimes only at the base, pallid upward, mealy at the apex.Gillsadnate, separating,very broad behind, hence almost triangular,somewhat distant, broad, plane, soft, distinct, pallid then cinnamon very finely fimbriated at the edge under a lens.Fries.

The typical form, growing among damp mosses, is quite early, gregarious, with the colors almost those of Galera hypnorum, but otherwisevery different.b.Another form occurs on naked, commonly burnt soil, in late autumn, with almost the habit of N. pediades, but with a different color of gills and spores; this form is firmer.Stem1 in. long, tense and straight, and color more ochraceous.Stevenson.

Spores9µB. and Br.; smooth, 6×3µMassee.

West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, in grass and moss, along damp wood margins. August to October.McIlvaine.

N. cerodes is not plentiful where I have found it. Enough has been collected at a time to prove it esculent. It is tender, but has not much flavor.

(Plate LXXVIIIa.)Naucoria striapes.

(Plate LXXVIIIa.)

Naucoria striapes.

N. stri´apesCke.—stria, a line;pes, a foot.Pileus1–1½ in. broad, ochraceous, bell-shaped, obtuse, then expanded, smooth, even.Stem2–3 in. long, 2 lines thick, hollow, equal, erect or flexuous, white,longitudinally striate.Gillsslightly adnate behind, rather distant, tawny rust-color.

Cespitoseor gregarious. Among grass on lawn.Stevenson.

Sporesnarrowly elliptical, 10–12×4µMassee.

New Jersey, Trenton. Growing among leaves near dump. May to November.E.B. Sterling.

The few specimens tested were delicate and of slight flavor.

N. pedi´adesFr.—Gr, a plain.Pileus1–2 in. broad,yellowor pale yellowish-ochraceous then becoming pale, slightly fleshy, convex then plane, obtuse, even, dry, smooth, at length crookedly cracked, but always without striæ.Fleshwhite.Stem2–3 in. long, 1–2 lines thick,stuffed with a pith, somewhat flexuous, tough, equal, but with a small bulb at the base,slightly silky becoming even, yellowish.Gillsadnexed, 2 lines broad, at first crowded, at length somewhat distant,somewhat dingy-brown, then dingy cinnamon.

Sporesbrownish-rust-color. The small bulb at the base is formed by the mycelium being rolled together. Stature variable.Fries.

Sporesdingy rust-color, elliptical, 10–12×4–5µMassee.

West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, in grassy places, pastures and along pavements. Common. May to November.McIlvaine.

In 1897 Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, abounded with N. pediades, which were collected and eaten by many. The caps are tender and of a mushroom flavor.

N. semi-orbicula´risBull.—semi, half;orbicularis, round. (PlateLXXVIII, p. 294.)Pileus1–2 in. broad,tawny rust-colorthen ochraceous, slightly fleshy, convexo-expanded, obtuse, dry, even, smooth, corrugated when dry.Stem3–4 in. long, scarcely beyond 1 line thick, cartilaginous, tough, slender, tense and straight, equal, even, smooth, becoming pallidrust-color, shining, often darker at the base,internally containing a separate narrow tubewhich is easily broken up into fibrils.Gillsadnate, rarely sinuate behind, almost 3 linesbroad, and many times broader than the flesh of the pileus, crowded,pallid then rust-color.

The pileus is slightly viscid when fresh and moist. Easily distinguished from S. semi-globatus, with which it has been confounded, by the stem.Stevenson.

Spores14×8µW.G.S.; 10×5–6µMassee.

Allied to N. pediades, distinguished by its viscid cap when moist, and dark stem.

Common over the states. Washington, D.C.,Mrs. Mary Fuller.

West Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New Jersey. Solitary, sometimes cespitose, very common on lawns, rich pastures, etc. April until frost.McIlvaine.

This is one of our first appearing toadstools, coming up when the grass shows its full spring hue. It is found after rains until the coming of frost. Its hemispherical caps, precise, neat, dark gills and brown spores readily distinguish it. While usually small, patience and picking will soon gather quarts. The caps cook easily and are of excellent flavor.

N. platysper´maPk.—platys, broad;sperma, seed.Pileusconvex, becoming nearly plane, glabrous, slightly tinged with ochraceous or reddish-yellow when young, soon whitish, the margin at first adorned withvestiges of a white flocculent veil.Fleshwhite.Lamellæmoderately close, slightly rounded behind, pallid, becoming brownish.Stemequal, stuffed with a white pith, slightly flocculent or furfuraceous above when young, whitish, the mycelium sometimes forming white thread-like strands.Sporesbroadly elliptical, 15µ long, 12.5µ broad.

Pileus1–1.5 in. broad.Stem3–5.5 in. long, 1.5–2 in. thick.

On the ground. Compton, Cal.Prof. A.J. McClatchie.

This species differs from N. pediades and N. semi-orbicularis, to which it is related, by its larger, broader spores and paler color.Peck, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 25, No. 6.

This new species reported from California is so closely allied to N. semi-orbicularis and N. pediades, both of which are edible, that it is here given, that it may be recognized by students on the Pacific coast or wherever it occurs.

Galerus, a cap.

Pileusmore or less membranaceous, conical or oval, then expanded, striate, margin at the first straight, then adpressed to the stem.Gillsnot decurrent.Stemsomewhat cartilaginous, continuous with the pileus, but differing in texture, tubular.Veilnone or fibrillose.Sporestawny-ochraceous.

Slender, fragile, generally growing on the ground.

Galera corresponds with Mycena, Nolanea, Psathyra and Psathyrella, which are distinguished by their spore colors. In the brown-spored series Naucoria is separated by the margin of the pileus being at first incurved, and Tubaria by the decurrent gills.

The genus is composed of small species, but many grow in clusters, and are of a consistency which decreases but little in quick cooking. Those tested are delicate in texture and flavor.

G. lateri´tiaFr.—later, a brick.Pileus1 in. high,pale yellowish when moist, ochraceous when dry, hygrophanous, membranaceous,acorn-shaped then bell-shaped, obtuse, even, smooth, slightly and densely striate at the margin when moist.Stem3 in. and more long, 1 line thick, tubular, attenuated upward, tense and straight, even, butwhite-pruinose, whitish.Gillsadnexedin the top of the cone, hence appearing as if free, ascending, very narrow,crowded, cinnamon.

Gillsalmost adpressed to the stem, almost pendulous. Remarkably analogous with A. ovalis, but easily distinguished by thelinear gillsand the absence of a veil; very fragile.Fries.

Spores11×5µW.P.; 11–12×5–6µMassee.

West Virginia, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania. On dung and rich pastures. June to frost.McIlvaine.

The narrow conical cap, distinctly striate, distinguishes this species from G. tenera. In quality there is no difference. It is a well-flavored, delicate species.

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