Chapter 28

(Plate LXXXV.)Cortinarius asper.About two-thirds natural size.

(Plate LXXXV.)

Cortinarius asper.About two-thirds natural size.

C. as´perPk.—rough.Pileusfleshy, firm, hemispherical, then convex, rough with minute, erect, brown scales, ochraceous.Gillsclose, rounded behind and slightly emarginate, dull violaceous, then pale cinnamon.Stemequal, bulbous, solid, fibrillose-scaly, colored like the pileus but smooth and violaceous at the top, the bulb white with an abundant mycelium.Sporesbroadly elliptical, with a pellucid nucleus, 8µ long.

Plant3–4 in. high.Pileus2–3 in. broad.Stem3–5 lines thick. Ground in cleared places. Greig. September.

A fine species. The flesh of the stem is violaceous.Peck, 24th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

This plant sometimes grows in tufts or clusters and bears a very close resemblance to Armillaria mellea, both in color and in the character of the scales of the pileus.Peck, 27th Rep.

In thin woods and clearings, West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. The whole fungus is edible when young, and ranks high in Cortinarii. When full grown the stem is hard. Cut in thin, transverse slices itcooks tender, but does not equal the cap. Like most of the Cortinarii it is found in the autumn until frost kills it.

**Gills pinkish-brown then cinnamon.

(Plate LXXXVI.)Cortinarius squamulosus.

(Plate LXXXVI.)

Cortinarius squamulosus.

C. squamulo´susPk. (PlateLXXXII, fig. 1, p. 306).Pileusthick, fleshy, convex, densely fibrillose-squamulose, cinnamon-brown, the scales darker.Lamellænot crowded, deeply emarginate, pale pinkish-brown, then cinnamon-colored.Stipethick, solid, shreddy, subsquamulose, concolorous, swollen at the base into a very large tapering or subventricose bulb.

Height 4–6 in., breadth of pileus 2–4 in., stipe 6–9 lines thick at the top, 12–18 lines at the bottom.

Borders of swamps in woods. Sandlake. August.

Related to C. pholideus and C. arenatus, but distinct by the deep emargination of the lamellæ. It gives out a strong odor while drying. The color of the flesh is pinkish-white.Peck, 23d Rep. N.Y.

This species was discovered in 1869, and had not since been observed by the writer until the past season. It is manifestly a species of rare occurrence.Peck, 28th Rep.

Massachusetts,Frost; Wisconsin, Minnesota. Ranges from New England to Kentucky unchanged.Morgan.

Specimens from E.B. Sterling, Trenton, N.J., September, 1897. Asylum grounds. Several found at Mt. Gretna, August and September, 1897. Solitary in oak woods, gravelly soil.McIlvaine.Sent to Professor Peck and identified. Specimens were much darker than Professor Peck’s plates.

C. squamulosus is not attractive in appearance. The caps, only, are edible. Their consistency is very pleasant and flavor fairly good.

(Plate LXXXVIa.)Cortinarius autumnalis.

(Plate LXXXVIa.)

Cortinarius autumnalis.

C. autumna´lisPk.Pileusfleshy, convex or expanded, dull rusty-yellow, variegated or streaked with innate rust-colored fibrils.Gillsrather broad, with a wide shallow emargination.Stemequal, solid, firm, bulbous, a little paler than the pileus.

Height3–4 in., breadth of pileus 2–4 in.Stem6 lines thick.

Pine woods. Bethlehem. November. The plant is sometimes cespitose. The flesh is white.Peck, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Mt. Gretna, Pa., 1899.McIlvaine.

Quality fair. Caps meaty.

C. ochra´ceusPk. (PlateLXXXII, fig. 3, p. 306.)Pileusfleshy, convex, at length broadly subumbonate or gibbous, smooth, even or obscurely wrinkled, pale ochraceous.Stemsolid, fibrillose, ochraceous at the top, white below, gradually enlarged into a thick bulbous base.

Height2–4 in., breadth of pileus 2–3 in.Stem4–6 lines thick at the top, 12–18 lines at the base.

Under balsam trees in open places. Catskill mountains. October.

The stem appears as if sheathed. In some specimens the stem is short and rapidly tapers from the base to the top.Peck, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Many of the species were found by the writer in mixed woods among leaves at Mt. Gretna, Pa., September, 1898. Specimens were identified by Professor Peck.

The gills are bright yellow when young. Cap smooth, innately fibrillose, not viscid.Sporeslight brown.

Tasteless; smell faint. Good consistency. A fair flavor develops in cooking.

***Gills yellow.

(Plate LXXXVIb.)Cortinarius annulatus.Natural size.

(Plate LXXXVIb.)

Cortinarius annulatus.Natural size.

C. (Inoloma) annula´tusPk.Pileusbroadly convex, dry, villose-squamulose, yellow.Fleshyellowish.Lamellærather broad, subdistant, adnexed, yellow.Stemsolid, bulbous, somewhat peronate by theyellow fibrillose annular-terminated veil.Sporesbroadly elliptical or subglobose, 8µ long.

Pileus1–3 in. broad.Stem1.5–3 in. long, 3–6 lines thick.

Thin woods. Whitehall. August.

The whole plant is yellow inclining to ochraceous. It has the odor of radishes. The squamules of the pileus are pointed and erect on the disk, and often darker-colored there. The species is allied to C. tophaceus and C. callisteus, from which it is separated by its persistently annulate stem and more yellow color.Peck, 43d Rep.

Specimens received from E.B. Sterling, Trenton, N.J., September 5, 1897. Identified by Professor Peck. Mixed woods Kingsessing, near Bartram’s Garden, Philadelphia, September, 1897.

Solitary among grass and leaves. The permanent marking of the veil is conspicuous. Eight specimens were found and eaten. The caps cook tender, and have a decided but not unpleasant flavor.

C. cinnabari´nusFr.—cinnabaris, dragon’s blood.Pileus2–3 in. broad,scarlet-red, truly fleshy, campanulate, then flattened, obtuse or very obtusely umbonate, silky, then becoming smooth and shining, or obsoletely scaly; the firm flesh paler.Stem1½-2 in. long, 3–4 lines and more thick, solid, equal, sometimes however bulbous, fibrillose or striate, scarlet-red, reddish brick-color internally. Cortina fibrillose, lax, cinnabar.Gillswholly adnate, somewhat decurrent, 3 lines broad, somewhat distant, connected by veins, unequal and darker at the edge, dark blood-color when bruised.

Odor of radish. Readily distinguished from all others by itssplendid scarlet color, and from C. sanguineus by its short solid and firmstem, its broad pileus andsomewhat distant gills. Stem never becoming yellow.Fries.

Spores7–8×4µCooke.

It is a variable species with us.

Cap1½ in. across, convex, broadly umbonate, margin involute, yellowish-brown, silky, innately fibrillose, shining, when young the cap is round, margin involute.Veilwhite, fibrillose, fugacious, leaving no trace on stem.Fleshthick in center, solid, close-grained, white, tinged with brown. Tastes strongly as radishes. Skin partially detachable.

Gills exceedingly beautiful in their deep claret-color, which is permanent, decurrent.

Stem3 in. long, shining, smooth, white near top, brownish below, equal, fibrous, stuffed, skin removable.

On ground among pines, near station, Mt. Gretna, Pa. August to frost. Solitary, gregarious and cespitose.

Taste and smell like radishes. The caps cook well and are of fair flavor. Makes good patties and croquettes.

C. cinnabarinus, Var. 1. Mt. Gretna, Pa., August to frost. On decaying chestnut stumps.

Cap 1 in. across, shining, convex, orange-brown, white on margin and under minute appressed squamules, but few on margin; apparent remnant of a veil on cap, as a viscid skin.

Gills rounded behind, slightly emarginate, like Tricholoma, grayish-brown when young, becoming a brilliant scarlet, unequal.

Stem 2 in. high, over ¼ in. thick, white, covered with brownish-orange appressed squamules, often with stained marking of veil or fragments of veil as ring. Cespitose, connate.

Taste and smell strong like radishes. Flavor in dish is decided but pleasant. Makes good patties and croquettes.

Specimens were identified by Professor Peck as C. cinnabarinus, as were those of the preceding. The variations are so great that I give this place as a variety.

C. sanguin´eusFr.—sanguis, blood.Pileus1–1½ in. broad,blood-color, becoming slightly pale when dry, fleshy, thin, convex then plane, obtuse, occasionally depressed, silky or squamulose.Fleshreddish, paler.Stem2–3 in. long, 2–3 lines thick, stuffed then hollow, equal (rather attenuated than thickened at the base), here and thereflexuous, with fibrils of the same color, almost darker than the pileus. Cortina arachnoid, fugacious, red blood-color.Gillsadnate, crowded, 2–3 lines broad, quite entire, dark blood-color.

Whollydark blood-color, the stem when compressed pouring forth bloody juice. Odor of radish. Thinner than species nearest to it. The spores are ochraceous on a white ground, somewhat ferruginous on a black ground.Fries.

Spores6×4µW.G.S.

North Carolina,Curtis; Massachusetts,Sprague,Farlow,Frost; Connecticut,Wright; New York,Peck, 23d Rep.

Edible.Leuba.

(Plate LXXXVII.)Cortinarius cinnamomeus.Natural size.

(Plate LXXXVII.)

Cortinarius cinnamomeus.Natural size.

C. cinnamo´meusFr.Pileus1–2½ in. across.Fleshthin, convexo-campanulate, umbonate, somewhat cinnamon color, silky squamulose with yellowish innate fibrils, becoming almost glabrous.Gillsadnate, broad, crowded, shining, yellowish, then tawny-yellow.Stem2–4 in. long, equal, yellow, as is also the flesh and the veil, hollow.Spores7–8×4–5µ.

A very common species, especially in mossy places in pine woods, occurring under many well defined forms, which can not be separated as species. Essential points common to all. (1) Stem everywhere equal, stuffed, then hollow, yellowish, fibrillose from the similarly colored veil. (2) Pileus thin, flattened and obtusely umbonate, silky with yellowish down, often glabrous when adult, and then bright cinnamon, but the color is variable. (3) Flesh splitting, yellowish. (4) Gills adnate, crowded, thin, broad, always shining. (5) Spores dark ochraceous, size and color very variable; pileus from ½-3–4 in. across; color of pileus changeable, depending on the more or less persistence of the down (fundamental color and veil constant in this species and its allies); gills varying through blood-red, reddish cinnamon, tawny saffron, golden and yellow.Fries.

Pileusthin, convex, obtuse or umbonate, dry, fibrillose at least when young.Fleshyellowish.Lamellæthin, close, adnate.Stemslender, equal, stuffed or hollow.Sporeselliptical, 8µ long.Peck, 48th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Spores7–8×4µCooke.

The Germans are said to be very fond of this species, which is generally stewed in butter and served with sauce for vegetables.

Catalogued by Dr. M.A. Curtis, North Carolina, as edible. Edible.Cooke.

Var.semi-sanguin´eusreceived from E.B. Sterling, Trenton, N.J., August, 1897. Juicy and good.

The species is common over the United States and plentiful in its numerous varieties from August to frost. It frequents mixed woods, borders and open and mossy places. The pine woods of New Jersey yield it in quantity, as do the hemlock forests of Eagle’s Mere, Pa., and oak woods of West Virginia.

It has a smell and taste—mildly of radishes. Its flavor when cooked is decided but pleasant.

(Plate LXXXVIII.)Cortinarius armillatus.

(Plate LXXXVIII.)

Cortinarius armillatus.

C. armilla´tusFr.—armilla, a ring. (PlateLXXXII, fig. 5, p. 306.)Pileus3–5 in. broad,red-brick color, truly fleshy, but not very compact, at first cylindrical, soon campanulate, at length flattened, dry, at first smooth, soon innately fibrillose or squamulose, flesh dingy pallid.Stem3–6 in. long, ½ in. thick, solid, firm, remarkably bulbous (bulb 1 in. thick, villous, whitish) and fibrillose at the base, when old striate and reddish-pallid, internally dirty yellow. Exterior veil woven, red, arrangedin 2–4 distant cinnabar zones encircling the stem; partial veil continuous with the upper zone, arachnoid, reddish-white.Gillsadnate, slightly rounded, distant, at first pallid cinnamon, at length very broad (½ in.), dark ferruginous, almost bay-brown.

Odor of radish. A very striking species. From the pileus not being hygrophanous,at the first smoothand at length torn into fibrils or squamulose, it might easily be taken for a species of Inoloma. The cortina itself is paler than the zones. It differs from all others in these zones. The rings are usually somewhat oblique.Fries.

Professor Peck in the 23d Rep. N.Y. State Cab. Nat. Hist., describes the American species as follows:

“Pileusfleshy, thick, convex or subcampanulate, then expanded, minutely squamulose, yellowish-red.Lamellænot close, broad, slightly emarginate, whitish-ochraceous, then cinnamon.Stipestout, solid, fibrillose, whitish, girt with one to four red bands, bulbous.

“Height 4–6 in., breadth of pileus 2–4 in., stipe 4–8 in. thick.

“Woods. North Elba. August.

“A large and noble species. The margin of the pileus is thin and sometimes uneven; the upper band on the stem is usually the brightest and most regular. The pileus is not distinctly hygrophanous.”

Spores10×6µCooke.

Edible.Cooke.

September 8, 1897, Mr. E.B. Sterling, Trenton, N.J., sent me several specimens new to me and remarkable in having two well-defined veils, the lower and thicker one of which left a dark zone upon the stem, the upper, fibrillose, was more persistent, but left a fainter impression. These veils are not mentioned in Professor Peck’s description of the American species, but are prominently noted in that of Fries, as above. In a very young specimen both veils were present. Cap light brown, minutely squamulose, with a few small red spots; margin thin, involute, flesh thick, yellowish, firm; gills distant, rounded behind, slightly emarginate, alternate ones short, light brown inclined to cinereous on edge.

Spores brown. Small young specimens did not show bulbous stem as distinct as larger and older ones.

I afterward found several specimens at Mt. Gretna, Pa., September and October, 1897.

The flesh is excellent, closely resembling Pholiota subsquarrosa. The species seems to be rare. If found in quantity it will prove one of our very best edibles.

C. dis´tansPk.Pileusthin except the disk, convex, squamulose, bay-brown when moist, tawny when dry.Lamellæbroad, distant, thick, dark cinnamon-color.Stipesubequal, often a little tapering upward, solid, slightly fibrillose-scaly, concolorous.

Height 2–3 in., breadth of pileus 1–2 in., stipe 4–6 in. thick.

Grassy ground in pine woods. Greenbush. June.

The flesh is dull-yellowish. The pileus, when drying, has for a time a brown-marginal zone.Peck, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

New Jersey pines. Eagle’s Mere, Pa., coniferous woods. August. Mt. Gretna, Pa., pines. August, September.McIlvaine.

Like most of the hygrophanous Cortinarii, the taste is more or less that of rotten wood. The flavor is flat and undesirable.

C. furfurel´lusPk.Pileusthin, convex, furfuraceous with minute squamules, hygrophanous, watery-tawny when moist, pale ochraceous when dry.Lamellæbroad, thick, distant, adnate or slightly emarginate, tawny-yellow, then cinnamon.Stemequal, peronate, colored like the pileus, with a slight annulus near the top.Sporessubelliptical, minutely rough, 8–10×6µ.

Plant1–2 in. high.Pileus1–2 in. broad.Stem2–4 lines thick.

Moist ground in open places. Gansevoort. August.Peck, 32d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Haddonfield, N.J., Mt. Gretna, Pa.McIlvaine.

Strong woody flavor—like rotten wood. Not poisonous, but not desirable.

C. casta´neusBull.—chestnut.Pileusfleshy, thin, campanulate or convex, then expanded, dark chestnut-color when moist, paler when dry.Lamellærather broad, violet-tinged, then cinnamon.Stipefibrillose, stuffed or hollow, lilac tinged at the top, white below.

Height 2–3 in., breadth of pileus 1–2 in., stipe 3–4 lines thick.

Ground under spruce or balsam trees. Catskill mountains. October. Edible.Peck, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Spores8×5µ.

It is certainly a wholesome, esculent species, but a great number would be required to make a good dish.M.C. Cooke.

Catalogued by Rev. M.A. Curtis, North Carolina, as edible.

Eaten in Italy. Inodorous, edible and agreeable.Cordier.More than fair. I have often eaten it.R.K. Macadam.

Paxillus, a small stake.

Hymenophorecontinuous with the stem, decurrent.Gillsmembranaceous, somewhat branched, frequently anastomosing behind,distinct from the hymenophore and easily separable from it.Sporesdingy-white or ferruginous.

Fleshy putrescent fungi, margin of pileus at first involute, then continually and gradually unfolding and expanding.Fries.

Pileussymmetrical or eccentric.Stemcentral, eccentric or wanting. Edge of gills entire, sharp.

The marked features of this genus are the strongly involute margin, the soft, tough, decurrent gills, separating readily from the flesh, and the color of the spores.

The members of this genus possess some of the characters of Boletus. The gills separate easily from the hymenophore as do the tubes of the latter, and their anastomosing tendency is in P. porosus so marked that the hymenium consists of large angular tubes. The gills of P. solidus B. and C. form pores at the base, and its spores are elongated, both features indicating an affinity with Boletus.

ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.

Lepista(a pan). Page327.

Pileus entire, central. Spores dingy-white, in P. panæolus somewhat rust-color. On the ground.

Tapinia(to depress). Page —--.

Pileus generally eccentric or resupinate. Spores rust-color. On the ground or on stumps.

So far as known the species of this genus are harmless. Many of them are large, fleshy and inviting in appearance, but their flesh is usually dry and coarse, and, though absorbent, is hard to cook tender. P. atrotomentosus, which seems to be rare, is an exception. The flesh of this species being firm in texture and readily made into a first-class dish.

P. lepis´taFr.—lepista, a pan.Pileus2–4 in. broad, flat or depressed, dirty-white, smooth, sometimes minutely cracked near the margin which is thin, involute and often undulate.Stemvery variable in length, 1–4 in., ½-¾ in. thick, dingy white or cream, solid, white inside, equal, with a cartilaginous cuticle passing between the gills and the flesh of the pileus, base blunt, villous, white.Gillsvery decurrent, crowded, 2–3 lines broad, slightly branched but not at the base, dingy-white becoming darker.

Sporesreddish, becoming dingy brown. Broadly pyriforme 6×8µMassee.

Pennsylvania. September, 1894.McIlvaine.Albion, N.Y.,Dr. Cushing, 1898.

On ground in woods and margins of woods.

Fleshwhite.Gillsnarrow, crowded, brittle, decurrent, dingy-white or pale-buff, easily separating from cap.Stemsolid, elastic, at length hollow, often short, an inch long, tapering downward, frequently up to four inches in length and equal, base villose.

Resembling Lactarius piperatus and some forms of Clitocybe. It is separated from the former by the absence of milk and from the latter by its involute margin. The Clitocybe resembling it are all edible.

Smellstrong, like old oily nuts. Edible but coarse.

P. li´vidusCke.Pileus1–2 in. across, convex, at length slightly depressed at the disk, margin slightly arched and incurved, dingy-white, or livid ochraceous, opaque.Gillsdecurrent, arcuate, almostcrowded, 1½ line broad, white.Stem3–4 in. long, ½ in. thick at the apex, attenuated downward, white, fibrillose, stuffed then hollow, usually rather flexuous.Fleshnearly white.Sporesglobose, 3–3.5µ diameter, nearly white.

In woods. Usually in small clusters. Closely allied to Paxillus revolutus, but distinguished by the absence of any tinge of violet on the pileus or stem, and by the persistently white gills.Massee.

Received from Katherine A. Hall, Danville, N.Y. October, 1898.

Raw it tastes like a drug-store smell. Edible, pleasant.

(Plate XC.)Paxillus involutus.One-half natural size.

(Plate XC.)

Paxillus involutus.One-half natural size.

P. involu´tus(Batsch) Fr.—involutus, rolled inward.Pileus2–5 in. broad, fleshy, compact, convexo-plane then depressed, smooth, viscid when moist, shining when dry, yellowish or tawny-ochraceous,strongly involute,margin densely downy, flesh pallid.Stem2–4 in. high, about ½ in. thick, solid, firm, paler than the pileus, central or eccentric.Gills2–3 lines broad, crowded, branched, anastomosing,forming pores behind, whitish then yellowish or rusty,spotting when bruised.

Sporesrust-color, ellipsoid or oblong-ellipsoid 8–16×6µK.; 5×6µW.G.S.Elliptical, 8–10µPeck.

It grows singly or in groups and likes damp mossy soil. Common in cool hemlock or spruce woods in the Adirondack mountains; not rare in the mixed woods of all our hilly districts. When growing on decayed stumps the stem is sometimes eccentric. August, November.C.H. Peck.

In open woods near Haddonfield, N.J., it grows to a large size and in quantity. In Angora woods near Philadelphia a complete ring of it 20 ft. in diameter was seen.

Considered edible throughout Europe and said to be highly esteemed in Russia. The flesh of the American plant is dry and coarse, does not cook tender and is rather tasteless.

P. a´tro-tomento´sus(Batsch.) Fr.—ater, black;tomentum, down.Pileus3–6 in. broad, rust-color or reddish-brown, compactly fleshy, eccentric, convex then plane or depressed, margin thin, frequently minutely rivulose, sometimes tomentose in the center.Fleshwhite.Stem3–6 in. high, ½-1 in. thick, stout, solid, elastic, eccentric or lateral, unequal rooting,covered with dense velvety down, very dark brown.Gillsadnate, 3 lines broad, close, anastomosing at the base, yellowish, interspaces venose.

Sporessubhyaline 4–6×3–4µK.Elliptical, pale-yellowish, 5×2.5–3µMassee. Elliptical 5–6×4µPeck.

Found near Philadelphia, gregarious in old woods. September. In New Jersey in pine woods on stumps and on the ground, probably growing from roots.McIlvaine.

Grows singly or cespitose, sometimes in large tufts, when the pileus is frequently irregular from compression. In wet weather the pileus is moist and sometimes obscurely mottled with dark spots. Occasionally it has an unpleasant dirt-like odor.Peck.

Cordier considers this species suspicious and Paulet inutile on account of its bad taste.

The flesh differs from most Paxilli in being very fine grained and cooked is of the consistency of a marshmallow. The taste is marked but pleasant.

Spores typically black-purple or brownish-purple, more rarely dusky brown. (It is to be observed that the spores vary in color according to the color of the ground on which they are deposited.) There are sterile forms with the gills persistently white (A. obturatus, A. udus). Those species are more deceptive in which the gills continue for a long time white, and even begin to decay before they are discolored by the spores; these may be easily mistaken for Leucospori.Fries.

Pratelli is the name given by the early authors to this series, based upon the spore color; Porphyrosporæ is the name now used. The species within the group are closely allied to those having black spores without a tinge of purple or violet (Melanosporæ), but in none of the species do the gills deliquesce as in Coprinus, neither are there resupinate or lateral stemmed species.

There is a present tendency to do away with this series and include all dark-spored species in the Melanosporæ. Professor Atkinson and Bertha Stoneman, in their “Provisional Key to the Genera of Hymenomycetes,” omit the series and give “Melanosporæ, Gill and Butz (Pratellæ and Coprinariæ in broadest sense). Spores dark brown, purplish-brown or black.”

Porphyrosporae.PlateXCII.Chart of genera in purple-spored series—Porphyrosporae,Page330.

Porphyrosporae.

PlateXCII.Chart of genera in purple-spored series—Porphyrosporae,Page330.

(Plate XCIII.)Chitonia rubriceps.Two-thirds natural size.

(Plate XCIII.)

Chitonia rubriceps.Two-thirds natural size.

It is frequently difficult to determine by the spore-color of this series even to which series a specimen belongs. Many of our best edibles belong in this series. I know of none noxious.

Universal veil distinct from the pileus, at maturity forming a distinct volva round the base of the ringless central stem.Gillsfree from the stem.Sporesbrownish-purple.

Analogous in structure with Volvaria and Amanitopsis. An exotic genus imported into this country.

No American species reported.

Grouped by F.D. Briscoe—Studies by C. McIlvaine.Plate XCI.Fig.Page.Fig.Page.1.Agaricus variabilis,3464.Agaricus campester,3322.Agaricus silvicola,3435.Agaricus campester (section),3323.Agaricus placomyces,345

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

Agaricon, a Greek name for fungi, said to be derived from the name of a town, Agara.

Pileusfleshy, flesh of the stem different from that of the pileus, furnished with a distinct ring.Gillsat first enclosed by the veil, free, rounded behind, at first white or whitish, in some species this stage lasting but a short time, then pink or reddish, at length dark purplish-brown from the spores.Sporesbrown, brownish or reddish-purple.

On the ground, generally in pastures, meadows or manured ground, a few species occur in woods.

Analogous with Lepiota of the white-spored series. Stropharia also bears a ring and has similar colored spores, but is separated by the flesh of stem and pileus being continuous and the gills being more or less adnate.

Formerly in Agaricus as sub-genus Psalliota (psallion,psalion, in poetry, a ring). When Psalliota was raised to generic rank it was given the name of the great genus Agaricus as a mark of distinction on account of its including the most widely known and useful mushroom of the world—Agaricus campester. The name Psalliota is not in modern use.

Old Agaricus included many subgenera and consequently many more species. Now it contains but few. All of them are highly flavored and of marked excellence. Before the subgenera under Agaricus were promoted to full generic standing it was customary to state the name of a species thus: Agaricus (Psalliota) campester. Agaricus (Stropharia) semi-orbicularis. This was lengthy and clumsy. In the older books this form prevails. Often, however, the subgenus is omitted before the name, which compels the student to look up the subgenus to which the species belongs. The older books are therefore puzzling to modern students, who find there simply the name Agaricus to guide them. The present genus of a known species in old Agaricus can be easily found by looking in the index for its specific name. The name of the genus follows it in parentheses.

All of the genus can be cooked in any desired way.

ANALYSIS OF SPECIES.

*Gills at first or very soon pink or rosy.

**Gills at first brownish or gray.

***Gills at first white or whitish.

*Gills at first or very soon pink or rosy.

A. campes´terLinn.—campus, a field. (PlateXCI, fig. 4 (3 figs.) fig. 5, section, p. 332).Pileusat first hemispherical or convex, then expanded with decurved margin or nearly plane, smooth, silky floccose or hairy squamulose, the margin extending beyond the lamellæ, the flesh rather thick, firm, white.Lamellæfree, close, ventricose,at first delicate pink or flesh color, then blackish-brown,subdeliquescent.Stemequal or slightly thickened toward the base,stuffed, white or whitish, nearly or quite smooth.Ringat or near the middle, more or less lacerated, sometimes evanescent.Sporeselliptical, 6–8×4–5µ.

Plant2–4 in. high.Pileus1.5–4 in. or more broad.Stem4–8 lines thick.Peck, 36th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Sporesspheroid-ellipsoid, 9×6µK.; 6×8µW.G.S.

The varieties of A. campester are numerous. All of them are edible and vary but slightly in their excellence.

Var.al´busBerk.—albus, white. A very common wild form.Cap2–4 in. across, smooth or slightly fibrillose.Stem1½-3 in. long, ⅓-⅔ in. thick, white or whitish. Spring to autumn, in rich grassy places. Sometimes very large. It is cultivated.

Var.gri´seusPk.—griseus, gray.Capgrayish, silky, shining.Ringvanishing. Reported from Virginia.

Var.prati´colaVitt.—pratum, a meadow;colo, to inhabit. Meadow variety.Capcovered with reddish scales.Fleshpinkish. Parade ground, Mt. Gretna, Pa.

Var.umbri´nusVitt.—umber, dark brown.Capbrown, smooth.Stemshort, minutely scaly.

“Var.rufes´censBerk.—rufescens, becoming red.Pileusreddish, minutely scaly.Gillsat first white.Stemelongated.Fleshturning bright red when cut or bruised. This departs so decidedly from the ordinary characters of the type, especially in the white color of the young gills, that it seems to merit separation as a distinct species.”Peck, 36th Rep.

Var.villa´ticusBrond.—belonging to a villa.Capscaly.Stemscaly.

Var.horten´sisCke.—growing in gardens.Capbrownish or yellowish-brown, covered with fibrils or minute hairs. This is a cultivated species.

“Var.Bu´channi.Capwhite, smooth, depressed in center, the margin naked.Stemstout.Ringthin, lacerated. A rare variety, sometimes occurring in mushroom beds.

“Var.elonga´tus—elongated. Long-stemmed variety.Pileussmall, smooth, convex, the margin adorned with the adherent remains of the lacerated veil.Stemlong, slender, slightly thickened toward the base.Ringslight or evanescent. This is also a variety of mushroom beds.

“Var.vapora´rius. Green-house variety (A. vaporarius Vitt.)Pileusbrownish, coated with long hairs or fibrils.Stemhairy-fibrillose, becoming transversely scaly. Conservatories, cellars, etc. Not differing greatly from Var. hortensis.”Peck, 36th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

The A. campester is known the world over as the common mushroom. It is cosmopolitan, appearing in pastures and rich places from spring and until long after severe frosts. It is the sweet morsel of gourmets. Indirectly it has done more damage than the assembled viciousness of all other toadstools. It is by mistaking the young button forms of the deadly Amanita for the button forms of the common mushroom that most cases of fatal toadstool poisoning are brought about. It is, also, usually the persons who think they know the mushroom, and can not be deceived, that get poisoned. If two rules are observed danger can be avoided. (1) Never eat a fungus gathered in the woods believing it to be the mushroom. The typical A. campester does not grow in the woods; species of Agaricus somewhat resembling it do. (2) Look at the gills; those of the mushroom are at first a light-pink which rapidly, as the plant matures, darken to a dark-brown, purplish-brown, or purplish-black. This is due to the ripening of the spores. Those of the Amanita are constantly white.

Pages could be written upon the mushroom and its culture, and recipes for the cooking of it would fill a volume. One important thing is omitted from them all—it is culinary heresy to peel a mushroom. Much of the flavor lies in the skin, as it does in that of apples, apricots, peaches, grapes, cherries and other fruits. The mushroom should be wiped with a coarse flannel or towel until the skin is clean. See chapter on cooking, etc.

Lafayette B. Mendel, in American Journal of Physiology, March, 1898, gives the following analysis of A. campester:

Two varieties of the common mushroom were collected in New Haven. Fifteen specimens of one variety weighed 1½ ounce, an average weight of 43 grains each. The analysis gave:

A. comp´tulusFr.—comptus, gaily adorned.Pileus1–1½ in. broad,yellowish-white, slightly fleshy, convex then plane, obtuse,adpressedly fibrilloso-silky, becoming even.Fleshthin, soft, of the same color as the pileus.Stem2 in. long, 2–3 lines thick,hollow, stuffed with floccules when young,somewhat attenuated, even, smooth, white, becoming somewhat light yellow.Ringmedial, torn,fugacious, of the same color.Gillsrounded-free behind, crowded, soft, broader in front,flesh-colorthenrose, not dingy-flesh-color except when old.

Closely allied to A. campestris, but constantly distinct in its more beautifully colored gills.Fries.

Cultivated ground. Menands. August.Peck, Rep. 41.

Closely allied to A. campestris, from which it may be separated by its smaller size, the yellowish hue of the dry plant and by the smaller spores.Peck, 41st Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Mt. Gretna, Pa. Parade ground, with A. campester; Haddonfield, N.J. August to frost.McIlvaine.

A. comptulus appears frequently in the latitude of Philadelphia. It is a neat species, but not substantial in flesh. Here it usually grows close to the ground. The ring is very evanescent.

Its edible qualities are those of A. campester.

A. silvat´icusSchaeff.—belonging to woods.Pileusthin, at first convex or bell-shaped, then expanded,gibbous or subumbonate, fibrillose or variegated with a few thin tawny brownish or reddish-brownspot-like adpressed scales, whitish, brownish or smoky-gray, the disk sometimes tinged with red or reddish-brown, the flesh white or faintly reddish.Lamellæthin, close, free, narrowed toward each end, reddish,then blackish-brown.Stemrather long,equal or slightly tapering upward, hollow, whitish.Sporeselliptical, 5–6.5×4–5µ.

Plant3–5 in. high.Pileus2–4 in. broad.Stem4–6 lines thick.

Woods. Summer and autumn. Not common.Peck, 36th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Massachusetts,Farlow; Minnesota,Johnson; California—edible,H. and M.

West Virginia, 1881–1885, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. August to frost. In pine and mixed woods.McIlvaine.

Edible,Curtis. Edible,Peck.

In taste and smell A. silvaticus resembles A. silvicola, but is stronger. It is a frequent but not common species in the localities where I have found it. Quantities of it have not occurred, but myself and friends have eaten it for years, knowing no distinction in effect between it and allied species. Its strong taste requires that it be well cooked. It does not lose its high flavor, which may be objectionable to some. I prefer using its juices as a flavoring.

A. diminuti´vusPk.—diminutive.Pileusthin, fragile, at first convex, then plane or centrally depressed, sometimes slightly umbonate, whitish or yellowish, faintly spotted with small thin silky appressed brownish scales, the disk brownish or reddish-brown.Lamellæclose, thin, free, ventricose, brownish-pink becoming brown, blackish-brown or black.Stemequal or slightly tapering upward, stuffed or hollow, smooth, pallid.Annulusthin, persistent, white.Sporeselliptical 5×4µ.

Plant1.5–2 in. high.Pileus1–1.5 in. broad.Stem1–2 lines thick.

Woods. Croghan and Sandlake, N.Y. August. Autumn.

This is a small but symmetrical and beautiful Agaric. It is perhaps too closely related to the preceding species (A. silvaticus), of which it may possibly prove to be a mere variety or dwarf form. Its pileus is quite thin and fragile. Usually the darker or reddish hue of the disk gradually loses itself in the paler color of the margin, but sometimes the whole surface is tinged with red.Peck, 36th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Chester county; West Philadelphia, Pa., September; Mt. Gretna, Eagle’s Mere, Pa., August.McIlvaine.

I have found A. diminutivus so intimately associated with A. silvaticusthat its being a dwarf form of the latter seemed more than probable. Its edible qualities are the same.

A. Rod´maniPk.Pileusrather thick, firm, at first convex, then nearly or quite plane, with decurved margin, smooth or rarely slightly cracked into scales on the disk, white or whitish, becoming yellowish or subochraceous on the disk, the flesh white, unchangeable.Lamellæclose,narrow, rounded behind, free, reaching nearly or quite to the stem,at first whitish then pink or reddish-pink, finally blackish-brown.Stemshort, subequal, solid, whitish, smooth below the ring, often scurfy or slightly mealy-squamulose above; ring variable, thick or thin, entire or lacerated, at or below the middle of the stem.Sporesbroadly elliptical or subglobose, generally uninucleate, 5–6×4–5µ.

Plant2–3 in. high.Pileus2–4 in. broad.Stem6–10 lines thick. Grassy ground and paved gutters. Astoria, L.I.Rev. W. Rodman. Washington Park, Albany. May to July.

This species is intermediate between A. campestris and A. arvensis, from both of which it may be distinguished by its narrow gills, solid stem and smaller, almost globose, spores. In size, shape of the pileus and general appearance it most resembles A. campestris, but in the whitish primary color of the gills and in the yellowish tints which the pileus often assumes, it approaches nearer to A. arvensis. * * *Peck, 36th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

I can now add my own testimony to that of Mr. Rodman as to its edibility. Its flesh is firm but crisp, not tough, and its flavor, though not equal to that of the common mushroom, is nevertheless agreeable, and its use as food is perfectly safe.Peck, Rep. 49.

This species has grown freely for several years at Hull and Cohasset, Mass. It is usually found about June 1st, and is not seen again until early autumn. It is the handsomest mushroom I have seen, and its edible qualities are on a par with its appearance.Macadam.

A. hæmorrhoida´riusShulzer.Gr—discharging blood.Pileus4 in. across, reddish-brown, fleshy, ovate then expanded,covered with broad adpressed scales, margin at first bent inward.Fleshwhen broken immediately blood-red.Stem4 in. high, 1 in. thick, soon hollow, fibrillose, the solid base somewhat bulbous.Ringsuperior, large.Gillsfree, approximate, crowded, rosy-flesh-color, at length purple-umber.

Very striking, 3–4 in. high. The pileus and the white stem become spotted blood-red when touched. The stem when young is adpressedly squamulose below, when full grown mealy, becoming smooth.Fries.

Sporespurple-brown, 7–8×5µ Massee; brown, elliptical, 5–6×4µPeck.

A rare or overlooked plant in United States, first recorded by Professor Peck, who found it but once, growing under a hemlock tree. Rep. 45.

Nebraska,Clements; West Virginia; Eagle’s Mere and Mt. Gretna, Pa. In hemlock and mixed woods. Autumn.McIlvaine.

Cap2–4 in. across.Stem3–4 in. long, up to ¾ in. thick.

Every part of the plant turns red and has a congested appearance when bruised. The flesh is white but immediately becomes red when broken.

It is a frequent but not common species, growing singly, or in small clusters.

In flavor and substance it is equal to any mushroom.

A. mari´timusPk.Pileusvery fleshy, firm, at first subglobose, then broadly convex or nearly plane, glabrous, sometimes slightly squamose with appressed spot-like scales, white becoming dingy or grayish-brown when old.Fleshwhitish, quickly reddening when cut, taste agreeable, odor distinct, suggestive of the odors of the seashore.Lamellænarrow, close, free, pinkish becoming purplish-brown with age, the edge white.Stemshort, stout, firm, solid, equal, sometimes bulbous, white, the annulus delicate, slight and easily obliterated.Sporesbroadly elliptic, purplish-brown, 7–8µ long, 5–6µ broad.

Pileus2–8 in. broad.Stem1–2 in. long, .6 in. thick.

Sandy soil near salt water, Lynn, Mahant and Marblehead, Mass. June to December.R.F. Dearborn.

This is a very interesting and an excellent mushroom. Dr. Dearborn writes that he has used it on the table for fourteen years and that it is the only mushroom that he has ever eaten in which the stem is as good as the cap. He considers it the most hearty and satisfying of all the numerous species that he has ever eaten. Both its taste and odor is suggestive of the sea. The latter is quite strong, and perceptible by one riding along the road by whose side the mushrooms are growing. They sometimes grow in semicircles and attain a larger size in warm weather than in the colder weather of autumn. They are most abundant in August. The flesh, when cut or broken, quickly assumes a pinkor reddish hue on the freshly-exposed surface. This is a very distinctive character and with the maritime habitat makes the species easy to recognize. Another species, Agaricus hæmorrhoidarius Kalchb. exhibits a similar change of color in its wounded flesh, but is of very rare occurrence with us, does not, so far as ascertained, grow near the sea, has a darker cap and a long hollow stem. The stem in the maritime mushroom is short and solid. Its collar is very slight and easily destroyed.Peck, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 26, No. 2, F. 1899.

A. Califor´nicusPk.—Pileusat first subconical, becoming convex, minutely silky or fibrillose, whitish, tinged with purple or brownish-purple on the disk.Fleshwhitish.Gillsclose, free, pink becoming purplish, then blackish-brown.Stemrather long, solid or stuffed, equal or tapering upward, distinctly and rather abruptly narrowed above the entire externally silky ring, pallid or brownish.Sporesbroadly elliptical, 5–6×4–5µ.

Pileus1–3 in. broad.Stem1.5–3 in. long, 2–4 lines thick.

Under oak trees. Pasadena. January.McClatchie.

This fungus is similar in size, shape and habitat to A. hemorrhoidarius, but it is unlike that species in color, in the adornment of the pileus and in its color not changing where bruised or broken. Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, 22–5 My. 95.

A. Elven´sisB. and Br.—Name from river Elwy, Wales, where first found. Tufted.Pileus4–6 in. or more across, subglobose then hemispherical, fibrillose, broken up into large persistent brown scales, areolate in the center, margin very obtuse, thick, covered with pyramidal warts.Stemat first nearly equal, at length swollen in the center, and attenuated at the base, 4–6 in. high, 2 in. thick in the center, fibrillose and areolate below, nearly smooth within the pileus, solid, stuffed with delicate threads.Ringthick, very large, deflexed, broken here and there, warted in areas beneath.Gillsrather crowded, ¼ in. broad, free, of a brownish flesh-color.Sporeselliptic oblong, 8×4µ.

Under oak trees, etc. Edible, delicious eating. Flesh of pileus ¾ in. thick, red when cut.Massee.

California,H. and M.

Edible.Cooke, 1891.

A. fœdera´tusBerk. and Mont.—confederated.Pileusfleshy, thin, at first ovoid then bell-shaped, finally convex, somewhat umbilicate with the center slightly depressed, margin hanging down (when dry involute), fragments of the veil hanging from the margin, tawny, scaly with minute, scattered, white, persistent granules, 2–3 in. broad, ¾-1½ in. high.

Stemstout, hollow, stuffed with fibers, gradually increasing in size to the base; below the ring rough from the ruptured bark, 4 in. high.Ringsuperior, broad, reflexed, torn, persistent.Gillslinear, medium broad, at first pinkish-lilac, when adult brownish, edge white, pulverulent, adnate, gradually attenuated toward the margin.Sporesdingy-brown, ovoid oblong, 10µ long. Somewhat cespitose. Elegant.

On the ground in pastures. July. Columbus, Ohio.Sullivant, Mont. Syll., p. 121.

Edibility not reported. I have not seen this species.

A. xylo´genusMont.Gr—produced on wood.Pileusmembranaceous, at first ovoid, then conical, bell-shaped, umbonate, finally convexo-plane, smooth, pale-yellow, center brownish, margin split, striate when dry, 1½-2½ in. broad, 1¼ in. high.Stemcartilaginous, white, 3 in. high, ¼ in. thick, gradually thickened toward the base, hollow.Ringof medium size, inferior, erect or reflexed.Gillsfree, remote, lance-shaped, rounded behind, attenuated toward the margin, pink as in A. campester.Sporesspherical, colorless, hyaline, 5–7.5µ.

On dead wood. August. Columbus, Ohio.Sullivant.Mont. Syll., p. 122.

Edibility not reported. I have not seen this species.

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