The pasture hygrophorus is a small but rather stout-appearing mushroom. It grows on the ground in pastures, waste places, clearings, and thin woods, from July to September. Sometimes all white or gray.

Var. cinereus, Fr. Pileus and gills gray. The stem whitish and slender.

Var. pallidus, B. & Br. Pileus depressed, edge wavy, entirely pale ochre.

This species differs mainly from H. leporinus in that the latter is quite floccose on the pileus.

Hygrophorus eburneus. Bull.

SHINING WHITE HYGROPHORUS. EDIBLE.



Eburneus is from ebur, ivory. The pileus is two to four inches broad, sometimes thin, sometimes somewhat compact, white; very viscid or glutinous in wet weather, and slippery to the touch; margin uneven, sometimes wavy; smooth, and shining. When young, the margin is incurved.

The gills are firm, distant, straight, strongly decurrent, with vein-like elevations near the stem. The spores are white, rather long.

The stem is unequal, sometimes long and sometimes short; stuffed, then hollow, tapering downward, punctate above with granular scales. Odor and taste are rather pleasant. It is found in woods and pastures in all parts of Ohio, but it is not plentiful anywhere. I have found it only in damp woods about Chillicothe. August to October.

Hygrophorus cossus. Sow.

Cossus, because it smells like the caterpillar, Cossus ligniperda.

The pileus is small, quite viscid, shining when dry, white with a yellow tinge, edge naked, very strong-scented.

The gills are somewhat decurrent, thin, distant, straight, firm.

The stem is stuffed, nearly equal, scurvy-punctate upwards. Spores 8x4. Found in the woods. The strong smell will serve to identify the species.

Hygrophorus chlorophanus. Fr.

THE GREENISH-YELLOW HYGROPHORUS.

Chlorophanus is from two Greek words, meaning appearing greenish-yellow.

The pileus is one inch broad, commonly bright sulphur-yellow, sometimes scarlet-tinted, not changing color; slightly membranaceous, very fragile, often irregular, with the margin split or lobed, at first convex, then expanded; smooth, viscid, margin striate.

The gills are emarginate, adnexed, quite ventricose, with a thin decurrent tooth, thin, subdistant, distinct, pale-yellow.

The stem is two to three inches long, hollow, equal, round, viscid when moist, shining when dry, wholly unicolorous, rich light-yellow.

The spores are slightly elliptical, 8x5u.

This species resembles in appearance H. ceraceus, but it can be identified by its emarginate gills and somewhat larger form. The plant has a wide distribution, having been found from the New England States through the Middle West. It is found in damp, mossy places from August to October. I have no doubt of its edibility. It has a mild and agreeable taste when eaten in the raw state.

Hygrophorus cantharellus. Schw.



Cantharellus means a small vase.

The pileus is thin, convex, at length umbilicate, or centrally depressed, minutely squamulose, moist, bright red, becoming orange or yellow.

The gills are distant, subarcuate, decurrent, yellow, sometimes tinged with vermilion.

The stem is one to three inches long, smooth, equal, sub-solid, sometimes becoming hollow, concolorous, whitish within. Peck.

I have found about Chillicothe a number of the varieties given by Dr. Peck.

Var. flava. Pileus and stem pale yellow. Gills arcuate, strongly decurrent.

Var. flavipes. Pileus red or reddish. Stem yellow.

Var. flaviceps. Pileus yellow. Stem reddish or red.

Var. rosea. Has the pileus expanded and margin wavy scalloped.

Found from July to September.

Hygrophorus coccineus. Fr.

THE SCARLET HYGROPHORUS. EDIBLE.

Coccineus, pertaining to scarlet. The pileus is thin, convex, obtuse, viscid, scarlet, growing pale, smooth, fragile.

The gills are attached to the stem, with a decurrent tooth, connected by veins, variously shaded.

The stem is hollow and compressed, rather even, not slippery, scarlet near the cap, yellow at the base.

This plant when young is of a bright scarlet, but it soon shades into a light-yellow with advancing age. It is quite fragile and varies very greatly in size in different localities. Found in woods and pastures from July to October.

Hygrophorus conicus. Fr.

THE CONICAL HYGROPHORUS. EDIBLE.



The pileus is one to two inches broad, acutely conical, submembranaceous, smooth, somewhat lobed, at length expanded, and rimose; turning black, as does the whole plant when broken or bruised; orange, yellow, scarlet, brown, dusky.

The gills are free or adnexed, thick, attenuated, ventricose, yellowish with frequently a cinereous tinge, wavy, rather crowded.

The stem is three to four inches long, hollow, cylindrical, fibrillose, striated, colored like the pileus, turning black when handled.

This plant is quite fragile. It can be identified by its turning black when bruised. It sometimes appears early in the spring and continues till late in the fall. It is not abundant but is only occasionally found on the ground in woods and open places.

Hygrophorus flavodiscus. Frost.

YELLOW-DISKED HYGROPHORUS. EDIBLE.



Flavodiscus means yellow-disked.

The pileus is one-half to three inches broad, fleshy, convex or nearly plane, glabrous, very viscid or glutinous, white, pale-yellow or reddish-yellow in the center, flesh white.

The gills are adnate or decurrent, subdistant, white, sometimes with a slight flesh-colored tint, the interspaces sometimes venose.

The stem is one to three inches long, solid, subequal, very viscid, or glutinous, white at the top, white or yellowish elsewhere. The spores are elliptical, white, .00025 to .0003 of an inch long, .00016 to .0002 broad.

These mushrooms make a delicious dish. The specimens in the photograph were gathered at West Gloucester, Mass., by Mrs. E. B. Blackford, of Boston. I have found them about Chillicothe. They are very viscid, as the plants in Figure 167 will show. The caps are thick and the margin inrolled. They are found in October and November.

Hygrophorus speciosus. Pk.

SHOWY HYGROPHORUS. EDIBLE.



Speciosus means beautiful, showy; so called from the scarlet color of the umbo. The pileus is one to two inches in diameter, broadly convex, often with small central umbo; glabrous, very viscid or glutinous when moist; yellow, usually bright red or scarlet in the center; flesh white, yellow under the thin, separable pellicle.

The gills are distant, decurrent, white, or slightly tinged with yellow.

The stem is two to four inches long, nearly equal, solid, viscid, slightly fibrillose, whitish or yellowish. The spores are elliptic, .0003 of an inch long, .0002 broad. Peck.

This is a very beautiful and showy plant. It grows in swampy places and under tamarack trees. The specimens in Figure 168 were found in Massachusetts by Mrs. Blackford, and were photographed by Dr. Kellerman. It is found in September and August.

Hygrophorus fuligineus. Frost.

SOOTY HYGROPHORUS. EDIBLE.



Fuligineus means sooty or smoky.

The pileus is one to four inches broad, convex or nearly plane, glabrous, very viscid or glutinous, grayish-brown or fuliginous, the disk often darker or almost black.

The gills are subdistant, adnate or decurrent, white.

The stem is two to four inches long, solid, viscid or glutinous, white or whitish. The spores are elliptic, .0003 to .00035 of an inch long, .0002 broad. Peck, No. 4, Vol. 3.

This species is found frequently associated with H. flavodiscus, which it resembles very closely, save in color. When moist, the cap and stems are covered with a thick coating of gluten, and when the caps are dry this gives them a varnished appearance. I do not find them abundant here. The plants in Figure 169 were found by Mrs. Blackford near West Gloucester, Mass. They are found October and November.

Hygrophorus caprinus. Scop.

THE GOAT HYGROPHORUS. EDIBLE.

Caprinus means belonging to a goat; it is so called from the fibrils resembling goat's hair.

The pileus is two to three inches broad, fleshy, fragile, conical, then flattened and umbonate, rather wavy, sooty, fibrillose.

The gills are very broad, quite distant, deeply decurrent, white, then glaucous.

The stem is two to four inches long, solid, fibrillose, sooty, often streaked or striate, as will be seen in Figure 169, page 212.

The spores are 10x7-8u.

These plants grow in pine woods in company with H. fuligineus and H. flavodiscus. The specimen on the right in Figure 169 was found near West Gloucester, Mass., by Mrs. Blackford. It is found from September till hard frost.

Hygrophorus Laurae. Morg.



This is a beautiful plant, found among leaves, and so completely covered with particles of leaves and soil that it is hard to clean them off. They are very viscid, both stem and cap. They are only occasionally found in our state.

The pileus is two to three inches broad; reddish-brown in the center, shading to a very light tan on the edges; very viscid; convex; margin at first slightly incurved, then expanded.

The gills are adnate, slightly decurrent, not crowded, unequal, yellowish.

The stem is stuffed, tapering downward, whitish, furfuraceous near the cap.

I have found this plant in Poke Hollow, near Chillicothe, on several occasions, also in Gallia county, Ohio. I have not found it elsewhere in this vicinity. While I have not found it in sufficient quantity to try it I have no doubt of its edible qualities. I have found it only about the last of September and the first of October. It grows in rather dense woods on the north sides of the hills, where it is constantly shaded and damp. Named in honor of Prof. Morgan's wife.

Hygrophorus micropus. Pk.

SHORT-STEMMED HYGROPHORUS. EDIBLE.

Micropus means short-stemmed. The pileus is thin, fragile, convex or centrally depressed, umbilicate; silky, gray, often with one or two narrow zones on the margin; taste and odor farinaceous.

The gills are narrow, close, adnate or slightly decurrent, gray, becoming salmon color with age.

The stem is short, solid or with a slight cavity, often slightly thickened at the top, pruinose, gray, with a white, mycelioid tomentum at the base. The spores are angular, uninucleate, salmon color, .0003—.0004 of an inch long, .00025—.0003 broad. Peck.

This is a very small plant and not frequently found, but widely distributed. I have always found it in open grassy places during damp weather. The caps are thin, often markedly depressed. Its silky appearance and narrow zones on the margin of the cap, together with its rather close gills, broadly attached to the stem, gray at first, then salmon color, will identify the species. July to September.

Hygrophorus miniatus. Fr.

THE VERMILION HYGROPHORUS. EDIBLE.



Miniatus is from minium, red lead.

This is a small but a very common species, highly colored and very attractive. The pileus and the stem are bright red and often vermilion. The pileus is at first convex, but, when fully expanded, it is nearly or quite flat, and in wet weather it is even concave by the elevation of the margin, smooth or minutely scaly, often umbilicate. Its color varies from a bright red or vermilion or blood-red to pale orange hues.

The gills are yellow and frequently strongly tinged with red, distant, attached to the stem, and sometimes notched.

The stem is usually short and slender, colored like, or a little paler, than the cap; solid, when young, but becoming stuffed or hollow with age. The spores are elliptical, white, 8u long.

The Vermilion mushroom grows in woods and in open fields. It is more plentiful in wet weather. It seems to grow best where chestnut logs have decayed. It can be found in such places in sufficient quantities to eat. Few mushrooms are more tender or have a more delicate flavor. There are two other species having red caps, Hygrophorus coccineus and H. puniceus, but both are edible and no harm could come from any mistake. They are found from June to October. Those in Figure 171 were found in Poke Hollow September 29.

Hygrophorus miniatus sphagnophilus. Pk.



Sphagnophilus means sphagnum-loving, so called because it is found growing on sphagnum.

The pileus is broadly convex, subumbilicate, red.

The gills are adnate, whitish, becoming yellowish or sometimes tinged with red, occasionally red on the edge.

The stem is colored like the pileus, whitish at the base, both it and the pileus are very fragile.

This is more fragile than the typical form and retains its color better in drying. Peck, 43d Rep.

This is a beautiful plant growing, as Figure 172 shows, on the lower dead portion of the stems of bog moss or sphagnum. It grows very abundantly in Buckeye Lake. The photograph was made by Dr. Kellerman. It is found from July to October. These plants cook readily, have an excellent flavor and because of their color make an inviting dish. I have eaten heartily of them several times.

Hygrophorus marginatus. Pk.

MARGINED HYGROPHORUS. EDIBLE.



Marginatus, so called from the frequent vermilion edged gills.

The pileus is thin, fragile, convex, subcampanulate or nearly plane, often irregular, sometimes broadly umbonate, glabrous, shining, striatulate on the margin, bright golden-yellow.

The gills are rather broad, subdistant, ventricose, emarginate, adnexed, yellow, sometimes becoming orange or vermilion on the edge, interspaces venose.

The stem is fragile, glabrous, often flexous, compressed or irregular, hollow, pale-yellow; spores broadly elliptic, .00024—.0003 of an inch long, .00024—.0002 broad. Peck, N. Y., 1906.

This plant has the most beautiful yellow I have ever seen in a mushroom. This bright golden yellow and the orange or vermilion color on the margin or edge of the gills will always characterize the plant.

The specimen in Figure 173 were sent to me by Mrs. Blackford, of Boston, Mass., the last of August. They were not in the best condition when photographed.

Hygrophorus ceraceus. Fr.

THE WAX-LIKE HYGROPHORUS. EDIBLE.



Ceraceus is from cera, wax. The pileus is one inch and less broad, waxy-yellow, shining, fragile, thin, occasionally subumbonate, slightly fleshy, slightly striate.

The gills are firmly attached to the stem, subdecurrent, distant, broad, ventricose often connected with veins, almost triangular, yellow.

The stem is one to two inches long, hollow, often unequal, flexuous, sometimes compressed, yellow, occasionally orange at the base, waxy. The spores 8x6u.

This is a very beautiful, fragile plant, usually found growing in the grass. It is easily distinguished by its waxy yellow color. The plants photographed were found on the Cemetery Hill. They are found from August to October.

Hygrophorus virgineus. Wulf.

THE IVORY-CAPPED HYGROPHORUS. EDIBLE.



Virgineus, virgin; so called from its whiteness. The pileus is fleshy, convex, then plane, obtuse, at length depressed; moist, sometimes cracked into patches, floccose when dry.

The gills are decurrent, distant, rather thick, often forked.

The stem is curt, stuffed, firm, attenuated at the base, externally becoming even and naked. Spores 12x5-6u. Fries.

The plant is wholly white and never large. It is easily confounded with H. niveus and sometimes difficult to distinguish from the white forms of H. pratensis. This plant is quite common in pastures, both in the spring and in the fall. I found the specimens in Figure 175 on Cemetery Hill under the pine trees on November 11. They were photographed by Dr. Kellerman.

Hygrophorus niveus.

THE SNOW-WHITE HYGROPHORUS. EDIBLE.

Niveus, snow-white. The plant is wholly white. The pileus is scarcely one inch broad, somewhat membranaceous, bell-shaped, convex, then umbilicate, smooth, striate, viscid when moist, not cracked when dry, flesh thin, everywhere equal.

The gills are decurrent, thin, distant, acute, quite entire.

The stem is hollow, thin, equal, smooth. Spores 7x4u. Found in pastures.

Hygrophorus sordidus. Pk.

THE DINGY HYGROPHORUS. EDIBLE.



Sordidus means a dirty white, or dingy, referring to the color of the caps, so made by adhering earth.

The pileus is broadly convex or nearly plane, glabrous, slightly viscid, white, but usually defiled by adhering dirt; the margin at first strongly involute, then spreading or reflexed; flesh firm when young, tough when old.

The gills are subdistant, adnate, or decurrent, white or creamy-white.

The stem is five to ten Cm. long, firm, solid, white.

The spores are elliptical, 6.5-7.5x4-5u. Peck.

The specimens I found were clear white, growing among leaves and were especially free from soil. The stems were short and were inclined to be slightly ventricose. Dr. Peck says that this "species is distinguished from H. penarius by its clear white color, though this is commonly obscured by the adhering dirt that is carried up in the growth of the fungus." The young, growing plants were strongly involute but the older plants were reflexed, giving the plants a funnel-shaped appearance and giving the gills a much stronger decurrent appearance. Found October 26th.

Hygrophorus serotinus. Pk.

LATE HYGROPHORUS.



Serotinus means late. So called because it is late in the season.

Pileus is fleshy but thin, convex or nearly plane, often with the thin margin curved upward, glabrous or with a few obscure innate fibrils, reddish in the center, whitish on the margin, flesh white, taste mild.

The gills are thin, subdistant, adnate or decurrent, white, the interspaces slightly venose.

The stem is equal, stuffed or hollow, glabrous, whitish. The spores are white, elliptic, .0003 of an inch long, .0002 broad.

Pileus is 8-15 lines broad; stem about 1 inch long, 1.5-2.5 lines thick. Peck.

Some specimens of this species were sent to me from Boston by Mrs. Blackford, but after a careful study of them I was unable to place them. She then sent them to Dr. Peck, who gave them their very appropriate name. Those in Figure 177 were sent me in December, 1907.

They grow a number in the same locality and frequently in close groups or tufts. They seem to delight in oak and pine woods. Dr. Peck observes that this species is similar to Hygrophorus queletii, Bres., both in size and color, but the general characteristics of the plants do not agree. He also says it is similar in size and color to H. subrufescens, Pk., but differs materially in the specific description.

Panus. Fr.

Panus means swelling. The species under this genus are leathery plants, having the stems lateral and sometimes wanting. They dry up but revive with moisture. The gills are simple and thinner than the Lentinus, but with an entire, acute edge. There are a few species which give a phosphorescent light when growing on decayed logs. The genus closely resembles Lentinus but can be readily recognized on account of the smooth edged gills. A number of good authorities do not separate them but give both under the name Lentinus. This genus abounds wherever there are stumps and fallen timber.

Panus stypticus. Fr.

THE STYPTIC PANUS. POISONOUS.



Stypticus means astringent, styptic. The pileus is coriaceous, kidney-shaped, cinnamon-color, growing pale, cuticle breaking up into scales, margin entire or lobed, surface nearly even, sometimes zoned.

The gills are thin, crowded, connected by veins, of same color as cap, determinate, quite narrow.

The stem is lateral, quite short, swollen above, solid, compressed, pruinose, paler than the gills.

It is found very plentifully on decayed logs and stumps, and at times it is quite phosphorescent in its manifestations. It has an extremely unpleasant astringent taste. One might as well eat an Indian turnip as this species. Just a taste will betray it. Found from fall to winter.

Panus strigosus. B. & C.

THE HAIRY PANUS. EDIBLE.

Strigosus, covered with stiff hairs. The pileus is sometimes quite large, eccentric, covered with stiff hairs, margin thin, white.

The gills are broad, distant, decurrent, straw-color.

The stem is stout, two to four inches long, hairy like the pileus.

The favorite host of this species is an apple tree. I found a beautiful cluster on an apple tree in Chillicothe. Its creamy whiteness and hairy cap and short hairy stem will distinguish it from all other tree fungi. It is edible when young, but soon becomes woody.

Panus conchatus. Fr.

THE SHELL PANUS.

Conchatus means shell-shaped. The pileus is thin, unequal, tough, fleshy, eccentric, dimidiate; cinnamon, then pale; becoming scaly; flaccid; margin often lobed.

The gills are narrow, forming decurrent lines on the stem, often branched, pinkish, then ochre.

The stem is short, unequal, solid, rather pale, base downy.

This species will frequently be found imbricated and very generally confluent. Its shell-like form, its tough substance, and its thin pileus are its distinguishing marks. The taste is pleasant but its substance very tough. Found from September to frost.

Panus rudis. Fr.



This is a very plentiful plant about Chillicothe and is found throughout the United States, although it is a rare plant in Europe. It is generally given in American Mycology under the name Lentinus Lecomtei. It grows on logs and stumps. The form of the plant is quite different when growing on the top of a log or a stump, from those springing from the side. Those in the extreme left of Figure 179 grew on the side of the log, while those in the center grew on the top, in which case the plant has usually a funnel-shaped appearance.

The pileus is tough, reddish or reddish-brown, depressed, sinuate, bristling with tufts of hair, the margin quite strongly incurved, caespitose.

The gills are narrow and crowded, decurrent, considerably paler than the cap.

The stem is short, hairy, tawny; sometimes the stem is almost obsolete.

There is a slight tinge of bitterness in the plant when raw, but in cooking this disappears. When prepared for food it should be chopped fine and well cooked. It can be dried for winter use. It is found from spring to late fall.

Panus torulosus. Fr.

THE TWISTED PANUS. EDIBLE.



Torulosus means a tuft of hair. The pileus is two to three inches broad, fleshy, then tough, coriaceous; plane, then funnel-shaped, or dimidiate; even; smooth; almost flesh color, varying to reddish-livid, sometimes violet tinted.

The gills are decurrent, rather distant, distinct behind, separate, simple, ruddy, then tan-colored.

The stem is short, stout, oblique, gray, covered with a violaceous down. The spores are 6x3u.

The plant is variable both in form and color. Sometimes shaded very slightly with pink. It is not very common here. I found some very fine specimens growing on a log near Spider Bridge, Chillicothe.

It is edible but quite tough.

Panus levis. B. & C.

THE LIGHT PANUS. EDIBLE.

Levis, light. Pileus two to three inches broad, orbicular, somewhat depressed, white, covered with a dense mat of hair; margin inflexed and marked by triangular ridges.

The gills are broad, entire, decurrent.

The stem is two to three inches long, attenuated upward, eccentric, lateral, solid, hairy below like the pileus. The spores are white.

This certainly is a very beautiful plant and will hold the attention of the collector. It is not common with us. I have found it only on hickory logs. It is said to be of good flavor and to cook readily.

Lentinus. Fr.

Lentinus means tough. The pileus is fleshy, corky, tough, hard and dry, reviving when moist.

The stem is central or lateral and often wanting, but when present is continuous with the cap.

The gills are tough, unequal, thin, normally toothed, decurrent more or less, margin acute. The spores are smooth, white, orbicular.

All the species, so far as I know, grow on wood. They assume a great variety of forms. This genus is very closely related to Panus in the dry, coriaceous nature of the pileus and the gills, but it can be readily recognized by the toothed margin of the gills.

Lentinus vulpinus. Fr.

STRONG-SCENTED VULPINUS.



Vulpinus is from vulpes, a fox.

This is quite a large, massive plant, growing in a sessile and imbricated manner. It has appeared in large quantities for the past four years on an elm, very slightly decayed, but in quite a damp and dark place. The reader will get some idea of the size of the whole plant in Figure 181 if he will consider each pileus to be five to six inches broad. They are built up one on top of another, overlapping each other like shingles on a roof.

The pileus is fleshy but tough, shell-shaped, connate behind, longitudinally rough, costate, corrugate, tan-colored, and the margin is strongly incurved.

The gills are broad, nearly white, flesh-colored near the base, coarsely toothed.

The stem is usually obsolete, yet in some cases it is apparent.

The spores are almost round and very small, .00006 inch in diameter. In all plants which I have found the odor is somewhat strong and the taste is pungent. It grows in the woods in September and October.

Lentinus lepideus. Fr.

THE SCALY LENTINUS. EDIBLE.



Lepideus is from lepis, a scale.

The pileus is fleshy, compact, convex, then depressed, unequal, broken up in dark scales, flesh white, tough.

The gills are sinuate, decurrent, broad, torn, transversely striate, whitish, or with white edges, irregularly toothed.

The stem is stout, central or lateral, tomentose or scaly, often crooked, rooting, whitish, solid, equal or tapering at the base.

This is a peculiar plant, growing sometimes to immense forms. It grows on wood, seemingly to be partial to railroad ties to which its mycelium is very injurious. I found the plant frequently about Salem, Ohio. The specimens in the halftone were found near Akron, Ohio, and photographed by Prof. Smith. As an esculent it almost rivals the Pleuroti. It is found from spring to autumn. I found a beautiful cluster on an oak stump near Chillicothe, while looking for Morels, about the last of April.

Lentinus cochleatus. Fr.

THE SPIRAL-FORMED LENTINUS. EDIBLE.



Cochleatus is from cochlea, a snail, from resembling its shell.

The pileus is two to three inches broad, tough, flaccid, irregular, depressed, sometimes funnel-shaped, sometimes lobed or contorted, flesh-color, becoming pale.

The gills are crowded, beautifully serrated, pinkish-white.

The stem is solid, length variable, sometimes central, frequently eccentric, often lateral, smooth. The spores are nearly round, 4u.

This is a beautiful plant but sparingly found with us. I found a pretty cluster at the foot of a maple stump in Poke Hollow. The serrated form of the gills will attract attention at once. It is found in August and September.

Lenzites. Fr.

Lenzites, named after Lenz, a German botanist. The pileus is corky, dimidiate, sessile. The gills are corky, firm, unequal, branched, edge obtuse. It is very common in the woods, sometimes almost covering stumps and logs.

Lenzites betulina. Fr.



Betulina, from betula, a birch. This has a somewhat corky, leathery cap, firm and without zones, woolly, sessile, deeply grooved concentrically, margin of the same color.

The gills are radial, somewhat branching, and coming together again, sordid white or tan-color.

This species is wide-spread and is quite variable. It grows in the form of brackets. Figure 185 was photographed by Dr. Kellerman.

Lenzites separia. Fr.

THE CHOCOLATE LENZITES.

The pileus is corky, leathery shells, with the upper surface marked with rough zones of various shades of brown; margin yellowish.

The gills are rather thick, branched, one running into another; yellowish. Stem obsolete. Growing on limbs and branches, especially of the fir tree.

Lenzites flaccida. Fr.

FLACCID LENZITES.



Flaccida means limp, flaccid. Pileus is coriaceous, thin, flaccid, unequal, hairy, zoned, pallid, more or less flabelliform, imbricated.

The gills are broad, crowded, straight, unequal, branched, white, becoming pallid. Spores are 5x7.

This is a very attractive plant and quite common. It runs almost imperceptibly into Lenzites betulina. It is found on stumps and trunks.

Lenzites vialis. Pk.

Pileus is corky, almost woody, firm, zoned.

Gills are thick, firm, serpentine.

Stem, none.

Schizophyllum. Fr.

Schizophyllum is from two Greek words, meaning to split, and a leaf.

The pileus is fleshy and arid. The gills are corky, fan-like, branched, united above by the tomentose pellicle, bifid, split longitudinally at the edge. The spores somewhat round and white.

The two lips of the split edge of the gills are commonly revolute. This genus is far removed from the type of Agaricini. It grows on wood and is very common. Stevenson.

Schizophyllum commune. Fr.



This is a very common plant, growing in the woods on branches and decayed wood, where it can be found in both winter and summer.

The pileus is thin, adnate behind, somewhat extended, more or less fan-shaped or kidney-shaped, simple, often much lobed, narrowed behind to the point of attachment; whitish, downy, then strigose.

The gills are radiating, gray, then brownish-purple, and sometimes white, branched, split along the edges and rather deeply rolled backwards. The spores are nearly round, 5-6u.

This is a very common species all over the world. I found it in the winter of 1907 on decayed shade-trees along the streets of Chillicothe. It seems to be partial to maple timber. Some call this S. alneum. It is very easily identified from its purple gills being split.

Trogia. Fr.

Trogia is so called in honor of the Swiss botanist, Trog.

The pileus is nearly membranaceous, soft, quite tough, flaccid, dry, flexible, fibrillose, reviving when moist.

The gills are fold-like, venose, narrow, irregular, crisped.

Trogia crispa. Fr.

Crispa means crisp or curled. The pileus tough, cup-shaped, reflexed, lobed, villous, whitish or reddish toward the attachment, often tan-colored.

The gills are quite narrow, vein-like, irregular, more or less branched, blunt on the edge, white or bluish-gray, quite crisped, edge not channeled.

The caps are usually very much crowded and imbricated. It revives during wet weather and is found throughout the year, generally on beech limbs in our woods.



CHAPTER III.

THE ROSY-SPORED AGARICS.

The spores of this series are of great variety of color, including rosy, pink, salmon-color, flesh-color, or reddish. In Pluteus, Volvaria, and most of Clitopilus, the spores are regular in shape, as in the white-spored series; in the other genera they are generally irregular and angular. There are not so many genera as in the other series and fewer edible species.

Pluteus. Fr.

Pluteus means a shed, referring to the sheds used to make a cover for besiegers at their work, that they might be screened from the missiles of the enemy.

They have no volva, no ring on the stem. Gills are free from the stem, white at first then flesh-color.

Pluteus cervinus. Schaeff.

FAWN-COLORED PLUTEUS. EDIBLE.



Cervinus is from cervus, a deer. The pileus is fleshy, bell-shaped, expanded, viscid in wet weather, smooth, except a few radiating fibrils when young, margin entire, flesh soft and white; color of the cap light-brown or fawn-color, sometimes sooty, often more than three inches across the cap.

The gills are free from the stem, broad, ventricose, unequal in length, almost white when young, flesh-colored when mature from the falling of the spores. The stem is solid, slightly tapering upward, firm, brittle, white, spread over with a few dark fibrils, generally crooked. The spores are broadly elliptical. The cystidia in the hymenium on the gills will be of interest to those who have a microscope.

This is a very common mushroom about Chillicothe. It is found on logs, stumps, and especially on old sawdust piles. Note how easily the stem is removed from the cap. This will distinguish it from the genus Entoloma. You cannot get anything in the market that will make a better fry than Pluteus cervinus; fried in butter, it is simply delicious. Found from May to October.



Pluteus granularis. Pk.



Pileus is convex, then expanded, slightly umbonate, wrinkled, sprinkled with minute blackish granules, varying in color from yellow to brown.

The gills are rather broad, close, ventricose, free, whitish, then flesh-colored.

The stem is equal, solid, pallid, or brown, usually paler at the top, velvety with a short, close pile.

The spores are subglobose, about .0002 inch in diameter. The plant is two to three inches high, pileus one to two inches broad, stem one to two lines thick. Peck, 38th Rep. N. Y. State Bot.

This is a much smaller species than P. cervinus, but its esculent qualities are quite as good. Found from July to October.

Pluteus eximius. Smith.

Eximius, choice, distinguished. The pileus is fleshy, bell-shaped when young, expanded, beautifully fringed on the margin, larger than the cervinus.

The gills are free, broad, ventricose, white at first, then rose-colored, flesh white, and firm.

The stem is thick, solid, and clothed with fibers. Dr. Herbst, Fungal Flora of the Lehigh Valley.

I found some beautiful specimens in George Mosher's icehouse. I am very sorry I did not photograph them.

Volvaria. Fr.

The spores of this genus are regular, oval, rosy-spored. The veil is universal, forming a perfect volva, distinct from the cuticle of the pileus. The stem is easily separable from the pileus. The gills are free, rounded behind, at first white, then pink, soft. Most of the species grow on wood. Some on damp ground, rich mold, in gardens, and in hot-houses. One is a parasite on Clitocybe nebularis and monadelphus.

Volvaria bombycina. (Pers.) Fr.

THE SILKY VOLVARIA. EDIBLE.



Bombycina is from bombyx, silk. This plant is so called because of the beautiful silky lustre of the entire plant. The pileus is three to eight inches broad, globose, then bell-shaped, finally convex and somewhat umbonate, white, the entire surface silky, in older specimens more or less scaly, sometimes smooth at the apex. The flesh is white and not thick.

The gills are free, very crowded, broad, ventricose, flesh-colored, not reaching the margin, toothed. The stem is three to six inches long, tapering upward, solid, smooth, the tough volva remaining like a cup at the base. The spores are rosy in mass, smooth, and elliptical. The volva is large, membranaceous, somewhat viscid.

The plant in Figure 192 was found August 16th, on a maple tree where a limb had been broken, on North High Street, Chillicothe. Many people had passed along and enjoyed the shade of the trees but its discovery remained for Miss Marian Franklin, whose eyes are trained to see birds, flowers, and everything beautiful in nature.

I have found the plant frequently about Chillicothe, usually solitary; but on one occasion I found three specimens upon one trunk, apparently growing from the same mycelial mass. The caps of two of them were each five inches across. It usually grows on maple and beech. If you will observe a hollow beech, or sugar snag of which one side is broken away, leaving the sheltered yet open nestling place, you are very likely to find snugly enscounced in its decaying heart one or more specimens of these beautiful silky plants. The volva is quite thick and frequently the plant, when in the egg state, has the appearance of a phalloid. Found from June to October.

Volvaria umbonata. Peck.

THE UMBONATE VOLVARIA.



Umbonata, having an umbo or conical projection like the boss of a shield. This plant is quite common on the richly manured lawns of Chillicothe. I have found it from June to October. The pileus is white or whitish, sometimes grayish, often smoky on the umbo; globose when young, bell-shaped, plane when fully expanded, umbonate, smooth; slightly viscid when moist, shining when dry, inch to an inch and a half broad. The flesh is white and very soft.

The gills are free, white at first, then from flesh-color to a reddish hue from the rosy-colored spores; some of the gills are dimidiate, somewhat crowded, broader in the middle.

The stem is two inches to two and a half long, tapering from the base up, smooth, cylindrical, hollow and firm. The volva is always present, free, variously torn, white and sometimes grayish.

The entire plant is silky when dry. I have found it growing in my buggy shed. It is not abundant, though quite common. I have never eaten it, but I do not doubt its edibility.

Volvaria pusilla. Pers.



The pileus is explanate, white, fibrillose, dry, striate, center slightly depressed when mature.

The gills are white, becoming flesh-color, from the color of the spores, free, distant.

The stem is white, smooth, volva split to the base into four nearly equal segments. The spores are broadly elliptical, 5-6 mc.

This is the smallest species of the Volvaria. It grows on the ground among the weeds and is apt to escape the attention of the collector unless he knows its habitat. It is quite likely that V. parvula is the same plant as this. Also V. temperata, although it has a different habitat, seems to be very near this species. The plants in Figure 195 were collected in Michigan and photographed by Dr. Fischer. The volva is brown-tipped as shown in the figure given.

Volvaria volvacea. Bull.

THE STOVE VOLVARIA.

It is called "The Stove Volvaria" because it has been found in old unused stoves. Pileus fleshy, soft, bell-shaped, then expanded, obtuse, virgate, with adpressed black fibrils. The gills are free, flesh-colored, and inclined to deliquesce. The stem is solid, subequal, white. The volva loose, whitish. The spores are smooth, elliptical.

This is a much smaller plant than the V. bombycina and grows in the ground. It is often found in hot-houses and cellars.

Entoloma. Fr.

Entoloma is from two Greek words; entos, within; loma, a fringe, referring to the inner character of the veil, which is seldom even apparent. The members of this genus have rosy spores which are prominently angular. There is neither volva, nor annulus. The gills are attached to the stem or notched near the junction of the gills and the stem. The pileus is fleshy and the margin incurved, especially when young. The stem is fleshy, fibrous, sometimes waxy, continuous with the pileus. It corresponds with Hypholoma, Tricholoma, and Hebeloma. It can always be separated from the rosy-spored genera by the notched gills. The flesh-colored spores and gills distinguish the Entoloma from the Hebeloma, which has ochre-spored ones, and Tricholoma, which has white ones.

All the species, so far as I know, have rather a pleasant odor, and for that reason it is highly necessary that the genus and species should be thoroughly known, as they are all dangerous.

Entoloma rhodopolium. Fr.

THE ROSE-GRAY ENTOLOMA.



Rhodopolium is composed of two Greek words, rose and gray.

The pileus is two to five inches broad, hygrophanous; when moist dingy-brown or livid, becoming pale when dry, isabelline-livid, silky-shining; slightly fleshy, bell-shaped when young, then expanded and somewhat umbonate, or gibbous, at length rather plane and sometimes depressed; fibrillose when young, smooth when full grown; margin at first bent inwards and when large, undulated. Flesh white.

The gills adnate, then separating, somewhat sinuate, slightly distant, broad, white, then rose color.

The stem is two to four inches long, hollow; equal when smaller, when larger, attenuated upward; white pruinate at the apex, otherwise smooth; slightly striate, white, often reddish from spores. Spores 8-10x6-8u. Fries.

The plant is found in mixed woods and is rather common. Captain McIlvaine reports it edible, but I have never eaten any of the Entolomas. Some of them have a bad reputation. Found in September and October.

Entoloma grayanum. Pk.



The pileus is convex to expanded, sometimes broadly umbonate, drab in color, the surface wrinkled or rugose, and watery in appearance. The flesh is thin and the margin incurved.

The gills are at first drab in color, but lighter than the pileus, becoming pinkish in age. The spores on paper are very light salmon-color. They are globose or rounded in outline, 5-7 angled, with an oil globule, 8-10u, in diameter.

The stem is of the same color as the pileus, but lighter, striate, hollow, somewhat twisted, and enlarged below. The above accurate description was taken from Atkinson's Studies of American Fungi. The plants were found near a slate cut on the B. & O. railroad near Chillicothe. Not edible. This species and E. grisea are very closely related. The latter is darker in color, with narrower gills, and has a different habitat.

Entoloma subcostatum. Atkinson n. sp.



Subcostatum means somewhat ribbed, referring to the gills.

Plants gregarious or in troups or clusters, 6-8 cm. high; pileus 4-8 cm. broad; stems 1-1.5 cm. thick.

The pileus is dark-gray to hair-brown or olive-brown, often subvirgate with darker lines; gills light salmon-color, becoming dull; stem colored as the pileus, but paler; in drying the stems usually become as dark as the pileus.

Pileus subviscid when moist, convex to expanded, plane or subgibbous, not umbonate, irregular, repand, margin incurved; flesh white, rather thin, very thin toward the margin.

Gills are broad, 1-1.5 cm. broad, narrowed toward the margin of the pileus, deeply sinuate, the angles usually rounded, adnexed, easily becoming free, edge usually pale, sometimes connected by veins, sometimes costate, especially toward the margin of the pileus.

Basidia four-spored. Spores subglobose, about six angles, 8-10u in diameter, some slightly longer in the direction of the apiculus, pale-rose under the microscope.

Stem even, fibrous striate, outer bark subcartilaginous, flesh white, stuffed, becoming fistulose.

Odor somewhat of old meal and nutty, not pleasant; taste similar.

Related to E. prunuloides, Fr., and E. clypeatum, Linn. Differs from the former in dark stem and uneven pileus, differs from the latter in being subviscid, with even stem, and pileus not umbonate and much more irregular, and differs from both in subcostate gills. Atkinson.

The specimens in Plate XXX grew in grassy ground on the campus of the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. They were collected by R. A. Young and photographed by Dr. W. A. Kellerman, and through his courtesy I publish it. The plants were found the last of October, 1906.

Entoloma salmonea. Pk.



Pileus thin, conical or campanulate, subacute, rarely with a minute papilla at the apex, smooth, of a peculiar soft, ochraceous color, slightly tinged with salmon or flesh color.

The gills and stem are colored like the pileus. Peck.

Dr. Peck says, "It is with some hesitation that this is proposed as a species, its resemblance to another species is so close. The only difference is found in its color and in the absence of the prominent cusp of that plant. In both species the pileus is so thin that in well dried specimens, slender, dark, radiating lines on it, mark the position of the lamellae beneath, although in the living plant these are not visible." The plant in Figure 199 was found in Purgatory Swamp near Boston, by Mrs. Blackford. They are found in August and September.

Entoloma clypeatum. Linn.

THE BUCKLER ENTOLOMA.

Clypeatum, a shield or buckler. The pileus is slightly fleshy, lurid when moist, when dry gray and rather shining, streaked, spotted, campanulate, then expanded, umbonate, smooth, watery.

Gills just reaching the stem, rounded, ventricose, somewhat distant, minutely toothed, dirty flesh-color.

The stem is stuffed, then hollow, equal, round, clothed with small fibers, becoming pale, covered with a minute powdery substance. The flesh is white when dry. This plant will be distinguished usually by the amount of white mycelium at the base of the stem. Dr. Herbst remarks that it is a genuine Entoloma. It is certainly a beautiful plant when fully developed. It is found in woods and in rich grounds from May till September. Label it poisonous until its reputation is established.

Clitopilus. Fr.

Clitopilus is from clitos, a declivity; pilos, a cap. This genus has neither volva nor ring. It is often more or less eccentric, margin at first involute; stem fleshy, diffused upward into the pileus; the gills are white at first, then pink or salmon-color as the plant matures and the spores begin to fall; decurrent, never notched. The pileus is more or less depressed, darker in the center. The spores are salmon-color, in some cases rather pale, smooth or warted. Clitopilus is closely related to Clitocybe, the latter having white gills, the former pink. It differs from Entoloma just as Clitocybe differs from Tricholoma. It can always be distinguished from Eccilia because the stem is never cartilaginous at the surface. It differs from the genus, Flammula, mainly in the color of the spores.

Clitopilus prunulus. Scop.

THE PLUM CLITOPILUS. EDIBLE.



Prunulus means a small plum; so called from the white bloom covering the plant.

The pileus is two to four inches broad, fleshy, firm; at first convex, then expanded, at length becoming slightly depressed, often eccentric, as will be seen in Figure 200; whitish, often covered with a frost-like bloom, margin often wavy, bending backward.

The gills are strongly decurrent, comparatively few of full length, white, then flesh-color.

The stem is solid, white, naked, striate, short. Spores, 7-8x5.

This is one of the most interesting plants because of the various forms it presents.

I have found it in various parts of the state and frequently about Chillicothe. It has a pleasant taste, and an odor reminding you of new meal. It is tender and its flavor is excellent.

Found in woods or open woods, especially where it is damp, and under beech trees, as well as oak. Found from June to October.

The plants in Figure 200 were collected near Ashville, N. C., and photographed by Prof. H. C. Beardslee.

Clitopilus orcellus. Bull.

THE SWEET-BREAD CLITOPILUS. EDIBLE.



Orcellus is a diminutive meaning a small cask; from orca, a cask.

The pileus is fleshy, soft, plane, or slightly depressed, often irregular, even when young; slightly silky, somewhat viscid when moist; white or yellowish-white, flesh white, taste and odor farinaceous.

The gills are deeply decurrent, close, whitish, then flesh-color.

The stem is short, solid, flocculose, often eccentric, thickened above. The spores are elliptical, 9-10x5u. Peck, 42d Rep. N. Y.

This plant resembles the Plum mushroom, C. prunulus, very closely in appearance, taste and odor, but it is considerably smaller. It grows in wet weather, in open fields and lawns. It is quite widely distributed in our state, having found it in Salem, Bowling Green, Sidney, and Chillicothe. I frequently find it associated with Marasmius oreades. The specimens in Figure 201 were found near Ashville, N. C., and were photographed by Prof. H. C. Beardslee. Found from July to October.

Clitopilus abortivus. B. and C.

THE ABORTIVE CLITOPILUS. EDIBLE.



Abortivus means abortive or imperfectly developed; so called from its many irregular and undeveloped forms.

The pileus is fleshy, firm, convex, or nearly plane, regular or irregular, dry, clothed with a minute silky tomentum, becoming smoother with age, gray or grayish-brown, flesh white, taste and odor subfarinaceous.

The gills are slightly or deeply decurrent, at first whitish or pale gray, then flesh-colored. Spores irregular, 7.5-10x6.5u.

The stem is nearly equal, solid, minutely flocculose, sometimes fibrous, striate, paler than the pileus. Peck, 42d Report N. Y.

There are often three forms of this plant; a perfect form, an imperfect form, and an abortive form as will be seen in Figure 203. The abortive forms seem to be more common, especially in this locality. They will be taken at first to be some form of puff-ball. They are found in open woods and in ravines. I found some very fine specimens under beech trees on Cemetery Hill. They are, however, widely distributed over the state and the United States. The specimens in Figure 203 were collected near Ashville and photographed by Prof. Beardslee.



Clitopilus subvilis. Pk.

THE SILKY-CAPPED CLITOPILUS. EDIBLE.

Subvilis means very cheap, insignificant.

The pileus is thin, centrally depressed or umbilicate, with the margin decurved, hygrophanus, dark-brown, striate on the margin when moist, taste farinaceous.

The gills are subdistant, adnate, or slightly decurrent, whitish when young, then flesh-colored.

The stem is slender, brittle, rather long, stuffed or hollow, glabrous, colored like the pileus or a little paler.

The spores are angular, 7.5-10u. Peck, 42d Rept.

This plant is distinguished from Clitopilus villis by its shining pileus, widely separated gills, and farinaceous taste. Found on Ralston's Run and in Haynes' Hollow, near Chillicothe, from July to October.

Clitopilus Noveboracensis. Pk.



Noveboracensis, the New York Clitopilus. Pileus thin, convex, then expanded or slightly depressed; dingy-white, cracked in areas or concentrically rivulose, sometimes obscurely zonate; odor farinaceous, taste bitter.

Gills narrow, close, deeply decurrent, some of them forked, white, becoming dingy, tinged with yellow or flesh-color.

Stem equal, solid, colored like the pileus, the mycelium white, often forming white, branching, root-like fibers. Spores globose.

Prof. Beardslee thinks that this species is doubtless identical with C. popinalis of Europe. He has submitted specimens and photographs to European mycologists, who hold to this view.

I found this plant quite abundant on the Huntington Hills after heavy rains in August. Their season is from August to October. The specimens in Figure 204 were found growing among leaves after a heavy rain October 10th. The plants have a tendency to turn blackish if they are bruised in handling them.

Var. brevis. This is so called from its short stem. The margin of the pileus is pure white when moist. Gills attached to the stem or slightly decurrent.

Eccilia. Fr.

Eccilia is from a Greek verb which means "I hollow out"; so called because the hollow cartilaginous stem expands upward into a membranaceous pileus, whose margin at first is incurved. Gills decurrent, attenuated behind.

This genus corresponds with Omphalia and is separated from Clitopilus by the cartilaginous, smooth stem.

Eccilia carneo-grisea. B. & Br.

THE FLESH-GRAY ECCILIA. EDIBLE.



Carneo-grisea means fleshy-gray.

The pileus is one inch or more broad, umbilicate, dark-gray or grayish flesh color, finely striate, margin darkened with micaceous particles.

The gills are distant, adnate, decurrent, rosy, slightly undulate, margin irregularly darkened.

The stem is one to two inches long, slender, smooth, hollow, wavy, same color as the pileus, white tomentose at the base.

Spores irregularly oblong, rough, 7x5u.

It is found from Nova Scotia through the Middle West. It is commonly reported in fir and pine woods but I find it on the hillsides about Chillicothe in mixed woods. It is frequently found here associated with Boletinus porosus.

Found in July, August, and September.

Eccilia polita. Pers.



Polita means having been furbished.

The pileus is one inch or more broad, convex, umbilicate, somewhat membranaceous, watery, livid or hair-brown to olive, smooth, shining when dry, finely striate on the margin.

The gills are slightly decurrent, crowded, irregular or uneven, flesh color.

The stem is cartilaginous, stuffed or hollow, lighter in color than the pileus, equal or sometimes slightly enlarged at the base, polished from which the specific name is derived.

This is a larger plant than E. carneo-grisea; and it differs materially in the character of its spores, which are strongly angled and some of them square, 10-12u in diameter, with a prominent mucro at one angle. It is found in the woods from September to frost.

Leptonia. Fr.

Leptonia means slender, thin.

The spores are salmon-color and irregular. The pileus is never truly fleshy, cuticle always torn into scales, disk umbilicate, and often darker than the margin which is at first incurved. The gills are attached to the stem and easily separated in old plants. The stem is rigid, with cartilaginous bark, hollow or stuffed, smooth, shining, often dark-blue, confluent with the cap.

Leptonia incana. Fr.

THE HOARY LEPTONIA.

Incana means hoary or grayish-white.

The pileus is about one inch broad, somewhat membranaceous, convex, then plane, depressed in the center, smooth, with a silky lustre, margin striate.

The gills are attached to the stem, broad, somewhat distant, white, then greenish.

The stem is hollow, shining, smooth, brownish-green. The spores are very irregular, dull-yellowish, pink, rough, 8-9u.

It is frequently found in pastures after warm rains. They grow in clusters, and have the odor of mice to a marked degree.

Leptonia serrulata. Pers.

SAW LEPTONIA.



Serrulata means saw-bearing, so named from the serrulate character of the gills.

The pileus is dark-blue, flesh thin, umbilicate, depressed, without striate, squamulose.

The gills are attached to the stem, with a dark serrulate edge.

The stem is thin, cartilaginous, paler than the pileus.

Nolanea. Fr.

Nolanea means a little bell, so called from the shape of the pileus.

It is rosy-spored. The stem is cartilaginous and hollow. The pileus is submembranaceous, thin, bell-shaped, papillate, margin straight, pressed close to the stem. The gills are free and not decurrent. They are found growing on the ground in the woods and pastures.

Nolanea pascua. P.

THE PASTURE NOLANEA.

Pascua means pasture.

The pileus is membranaceous, conical, then expanded, slightly umbonate, smooth, striate, watery; when dry, shining like silk.

The gills are nearly free, ventricose, crowded, dirty-grayish.

The stem is hollow, fragile, silky-fibrous, striate. The spores are irregular, 9-10. They are found in pastures in summer and fall, after a rain.

Nolanea conica. Pk.

THE CONE NOLANEA.

The pileus is thin, membranaceous, conical, with a minute umbo or papilla, cinnamon-color, striatulate when moist.

The gills are light flesh-color, nearly free.

The stem is slender, straight, hollow.

Found in moist woods.

Claudopus. Smith.

Claudopus is from two Greek words: claudos, lame; pus, foot.

The pileus is eccentric or lateral like the Pleuroti. The species were formerly placed in the Pleuroti and Crepidoti, which they very closely resemble, save in the color of the spores. This genus formerly included those plants which have lilac spores, but Prof. Fries limited it to those which have pink spores. The spores in some species are even and in others, rough and angular. The stem is either wanting or very short, hence its name. All are found on decayed wood.

Claudopus nidulans. Pers.



Nidulans is from nidus, a nest.

The pileus is sessile, sometimes narrowed behind into a short stem-like base, caps often overlapping one another, kidney-shaped, quite downy, the margin involute, hairy toward the margin, a rich yellow or buff color.

The gills are broad, moderately close, orange-yellow.

The spores are even, 3-5x1u, elongated, somewhat curved, delicate pink in mass. It is quite common in the woods about Chillicothe. A maple log from which I secured the specimen photographed in Figure 208 was completely covered and presented a beautiful sight. It has a rather strong and disagreeable odor. It is edible, but generally tough, and must be chopped very fine and cooked well. It is found in woods, on logs and stumps, from August to November.

Claudopus variabilis. Pers.

Variabilis, variable or changeable. The pileus is white, thin, resupinate—that is the plant seems to be on its back, the gills being turned upward toward the light, quite downy, even, being fastened in the center to a short downy stem.

The gills are at first white, then of the color of the spores.

It is found on decaying limbs and branches in the woods. It is quite common everywhere.



CHAPTER IV.

THE RUSTY-SPORED AGARICS.

The spores are of various shades of ochre yellow, rusty, rusty-brown, brown, yellowish-brown. The hymenophore is never free from the stem in the rusty-spored series, nor is there a volva.

Pholiota. Fr.

Pholiota, a scale. The members of this genus have rusty spores. These may be sepia-brown, bright yellowish-brown or light red. There is no volva, but there is a ring which is sometimes persistent, friable, and fugacious. In this respect it corresponds with the Armillaria among the white spored agarics. The pileus is fleshy. The gills are attached to the stem and sometimes notched with a decurrent tooth, tawny or rusty in color on account of the falling of the spores. Many species grow on wood, logs, stumps, and branches of trees, although others grow on the ground.

Pholiota precox. Pers.

THE EARLY PHOLIOTA. EDIBLE.



Precox, early. Pileus is fleshy, soft, convex, then expanded, at length smooth, even, margin at first incurved; moist but not sticky, whitish, often with slight tinge of yellow or tan-color; when the plant is fully matured it is often upturned and fluted.

The gills are attached to the stem and slightly decurrent by a tooth, moderately broad, crowded, unequal, creamy white, then rusty-brown. Spores brownish, 8-13x6-7u.

The stem is stuffed, then hollow, often striate above the ring, rather slender, sometimes mealy, skin peeling readily, whitish. The spores are rusty-brown and elliptical. The caps are from one to two inches broad, and the stem is from two to three inches long. The veil is stretched like a drumhead from the stem to the margin of the cap. It varies in manner of breaking; sometimes it separates from the margin of the cap and forms a ring around the stem; again, but little remains on the stem and much on the rim of the cap.

It appears every year on the Chillicothe high school lawn. The gills are creamy-white when the cap first opens, but they soon turn to a rusty-brown. It comes in May. I have never found it after June. I am always delighted to find it for it is always appetizing at that season. Look for them on lawns and pastures and in grain fields.

Pholiota dura. Bolt.

THE HARD PHOLIOTA. EDIBLE.



Dura, hard; so called because the surface of the cap becomes quite hard and cracked. The pileus is from three to four inches or more broad, very compact, convex, then plane, cuticle often very much cracked, margin even, tawny, tan-color, sometimes quite brown.

The gills are firmly attached to the stem, somewhat decurrent with a tooth, ventricose, livid, then a brown rusty color. Spores elliptical, 8-9x5-6u.

The stem is stuffed, hard, externally fibrous, thickened toward the apex, sometimes ventricose, often irregularly shaped.

On June 6th, 1904, I found Mr. Dillman's garden on Hickory street, Chillicothe, white with this plant. Some were very large and beautiful and I had an excellent opportunity to observe the irregularity in the form of the stem. Some years previous I found a garden in Sidney, Ohio, equally filled. In the fall of 1905 I was asked to drive out about seven miles from Chillicothe to see a wheat-field, the last of October, that was white with mushrooms. I found them to be of this species.

Only the young plants should be used, as the older ones are a bit tough.

Pholiota adiposa. Fr.

THE FAT OR PINEAPPLE PHOLIOTA. EDIBLE.



Adiposa is from adeps, fat. The pileus is showy, deep-yellow, compact, convex, obtuse, slightly umbonate, quite viscid when moist, shining when dry; cuticle plain or broken into scales which are dark-brown, the margin incurved; the flesh is saffron-yellow, thick at the center and thinning out toward the margin.

The gills are firmly attached to the stem, sometimes slightly notched, close, yellow, then rust-color with age. Spores elliptical, 7x3u.

The stem is equal, stuffed, tough, thickening at the base, brown below and yellow above, quite scaly.

The beautiful appearance of the tufts or clusters in which the Pineapple Pholiotas grow will attract the attention of an ordinarily unobservant beholder. The scales on the cap seem to contract and rise from the surface and sometimes disappear with age. The caps of mushrooms should not ordinarily be peeled before cooking, but it is better to peel this one.

The ring is slight and the specimens represented here were found on a stump in Miss Effie Mace's yard, on Paint Street, Chillicothe.

Pholiota Caperata. Pers.

THE WRINKLED PHOLIOTA. EDIBLE.

Caperata means wrinkled.



The pileus is three to four inches broad, fleshy, varying from a clay to a yellowish color, at first somewhat egg-shaped, then expanded, obtuse, wrinkled at the sides, the entire cap and especially at the center is covered with a white superficial flocci.

The gills are adnate or attached to the stem, rather crowded, this, somewhat toothed on their edges, clay-cinnamon color. Spores elliptical, 12x4.5u.

The stem is four to five inches long, solid, stout, round, somewhat bulbous at the base, white, scaly above the ring, which is often very slight, often only a trace, as will be seen on the left hand plant in Figure 212.

The spores are dark ferruginous when caught on white paper, but paler on dark paper.

The white superficial flocci will mark the plant. It has a wide distribution throughout the states. I found it in a number of places in Ohio and it is quite plentiful about Chillicothe. It is a favorite in Germany and it is called by the common people "Zigeuner," a Gypsy.

It is found in September and October.

Pholiota unicolor. Fl. Dan.



Unicolor means of one color.

The pileus is campanulate to convex, subumbonate, hygrophanous, bay, then ochre, nearly even, never fully expanded.

The gills are subtriangular, adnate, seceding, broad, ochraceous-cinnamon. Spores 9-10x5u.

The stem is stuffed, then hollow, colored as the pileus, nearly smooth, ring thin but entire.

They are a late grower and found on well-decayed logs. They are quite common in our woods. Found in November. The plants in Figure 213 were found on the 24th of November, in Haynes' Hollow.

Pholiota mutablis. Schaff.

THE CHANGEABLE PHOLIOTA. EDIBLE.

Mutablis means changeable, variable. The pileus two to three inches broad, fleshy; deep cinnamon when moist, paler when dry; margin rather thin, transparent; convex, then expanded, sometimes obtusely umbonate, and sometimes slightly depressed; even, quite smooth, flesh whitish and taste mild.

The gills are broad, adnate, slightly decurrent, close, pale umber, then cinnamon-color.

The stem is two to three inches long, slender, stuffed, becoming hollow, smooth above or minutely pulverulent, and pale, below slightly scaly up to the ring, and darker at the base, ring membranaceous, externally scaly. The spores are ellipsoid, 9-11x5-6u.

I find this specimen growing in a caespitose manner on decayed wood. It is quite common here late in the season. I found some very large specimens on Thanksgiving day, 1905, in Gallia County, Ohio. It is one of the latest edible plants.

Pholiota heteroclita. Fr.

BULBOUS-STEMMED PHOLIOTA.



Heteroclitus means leaning to one side, out of the center.

The pileus is three to six inches broad, compact, convex, expanded, very obtuse, rather eccentric, marked with scattered, innate, adpressed scales, whitish or yellowish, sometimes smooth when dry, viscid if moist.

The gills are very broad, at first pallid, then ferruginous, rounded, adnexed.

The stem is three to four inches long, solid, hard, bulbous at the base, fibrillose, white or whitish; veil apical, ring fugacious, appendiculate. The spores are subelliptical, 8-10x5-6u.

This species has a strong and pungent odor very much like horse-radish. It grows on wood and its favorite hosts are the poplar and the birch. It is found at almost any time in the fall. The specimens in the Figure 214 were found in Michigan and photographed by Dr. Fischer, of Detroit.

Pholiota aurevella. Batsch.

GOLDEN PHOLIOTA.

Aurevella is from auri-vellus, a golden fleece.

The pileus is two to three inches in diameter, bell-shaped, convex, gibbous, tawny-yellow, with darker scales, rather viscid.

The gills are crowded, notched behind, fixed, very broad, plane, pallid olive, at length ferruginous.

The stem is stuffed, nearly equal, hard, various in length, curved, with rusty adpressed squamules, ring rather distant. On trunks of trees in the fall, generally solitary. Not very common.

Pholiota curvipes. Fr.

Curvipes, with a curved foot or stem. Pileus is rather fleshy, convex, then expanded, torn into adpressed floccose scales.

The gills are adnate, broad, white, then yellowish, at length tawny.

The stem is somewhat hollow, thin, incurved (from which it derives its name), fibrillose, yellow, as well as is the floccose ring. Spores 6-7x3-4. Cooke.

I found several specimens of this species at different times on one well rotted beech log on Ralston's Run, but was unable to find it on any other log in any woods near Chillicothe. I had trouble to place it till Prof. Atkinson helped me out. I found it from August to November.

Pholiota spectabilis. Fr.

THE SHOWY PHOLIOTA.

Spectabilis, of notable appearance, worth seeing. The pileus is compact, convex, then plane, dry, torn into silky scales disappearing toward the margin, golden orange color, flesh yellow.

The gills are adnexed, rounded near the stem, slightly decurrent, crowded, narrow, yellow, then ferruginous.

The stem is solid, three to four inches high, quite thick, tough, spongy, thickened toward the base, even, bulbous, somewhat rooting. Ring inferior. I found the specimens in October and November. It may grow earlier. Found on decayed oak stumps.

Pholiota marginata. Batsch.

THE MARGINATE PHOLIOTA. EDIBLE.



Marginata means edged, margined; so called from the peripheral striae of the pileus.

The pileus is rather fleshy, convex, then plane, smooth, moist, watery, striate on the margin, honey-colored when moist, tan-colored when dry.

The gills are firmly attached to the stem, crowded, unequal; when mature, of a dark reddish-brown from the shedding of the spores. Spores 7-8x4u.

The stem is cylindrical, smooth, hollow, of the same color as the pileus, covered with a frost-like bloom above the ring, which is distant from the apex of the stem and frequently disappears entirely.

It is quite common, being found on nearly every rotten log in our woods. It comes early and lasts till late in the fall. The caps are excellent when well prepared.

Pholiota aegerita. Fr.

AEgerita is the Greek name for the black poplar; so called because it grows on decayed poplar logs. The pileus is fleshy, convex, then plane, more or less checked or rivulose, wrinkled, tawny, edge of the cap rather pale.

The gills are adnate, with a decurrent tooth, rather close, pallid, then growing darker.

The stem is stuffed, equal, silky-white, ring superior, fibrillose, tumid. Spores 10x5u.

Found in October and November, in the woods wherever there are decayed poplar logs.

Pholiota squarrosoides. Pk.

LIKE THE SCALY PHOLIOTA. EDIBLE.



Squarrosoides means like Squarrosa. The pileus is quite firm, convex, viscid, especially when moist; at first densely covered with erect papillose or subspinose tawny scales, which soon separate from each other, revealing the whitish or yellowish color of the cap and its viscid character.

The gills are close, emarginate, at first whitish, then pallid or dull cinnamon color.

The stem is equal, firm, stuffed, rough, with thick squarrose scales, white above the thick floccose annulus, pallid or tawny below. The spores are minute, elliptical, .0002 inch long, .00015 inch broad.

They grow in tufts on dead trunks and old stumps, especially of the sugar maple. They closely resemble P. squarrosa. Found late in the fall. Its favorite haunt is the inside of a stump or within the protection of a log.

Pholiota squarrosa. Mull.

THE SCALY PHOLIOTA. EDIBLE.



Squarrosa means scaly. The pileus is three to four inches broad, fleshy, bell-shaped, convex, then expanded; obtusely umbonate, tawny-yellow, clothed with rich brown scales; flesh yellow near the surface.

The gills are attached to the stem, with a decurrent tooth, at first yellowish, then of a pale olive, changing to rusty-brown in color, crowded, and narrow. The spores are elliptical, 8x4u.

The stem is three to six inches high, saffron yellow, stuffed, clothed with small fibers, scaly like the pileus, attenuated at the base from the manner of its growth. The ring is close to the apex, downy, rich brown, inclining to orange in color.

This is quite a common and showy mushroom. It is found on rotten wood, on or near stumps, growing out from a root underground, and is often found at the foot of trees. Only the caps of the young specimens should be eaten. It is found from August to late frost.

Inocybe. Fr.

Inocybe is from two Greek words meaning fiber and head; so called from the fibrillose veil, concrete with the cuticle of the pileus, often free at the margin, in the form of a cortina. The gills are somewhat sinuate, though they are sometimes adnate, and in two species are decurrent; changing color but not powdered with cinnamon. Spores are often rough but in other specimens are even, more or less brownish rust-color. Stevenson.

Inocybe scaber. Mull.

ROUGH INOCYBE. NOT EDIBLE.

Scaber means rough. The pileus is fleshy, conical, convex, obtusely gibbous, sprinkled with fibrous adpressed scales; margin entire, grayish-brown.

The gills are rounded near the stem, quite crowded, pale dingy-brown.

The stem is solid, whitish or paler than the pileus, clothed with small fibers, equal, veiled. The spores are elliptical, smooth, 11x5u.

It is found on the ground in damp woods. Not good.

Inocybe lacera. Fr.

THE TORN INOCYBE.

Lacera means torn. The pileus is somewhat fleshy, convex, then expanded, obtuse, umbonate, clothed with fibrous scales.

The gills are free, broad, ventricose, white, tinged with red, light-gray. Spores are obliquely elliptical, smooth, 12x6u.

The stem is slender, short, stuffed, clothed with small fibers, naked above, reddish within.

Found on the ground where the soil is clayish or poor. Not good.

Inocybe subochracea Burtii. Peck.



This is a very interesting species. It is thus described by Dr. Peck: "Veil conspicuous, webby fibrillose, margin of the pileus more fibrillose; stem longer and more conspicuously fibrillose. The well developed veil, and the longer stem, are the distinguishing characters of this variety."

The plants are found in mossy patches on the north hillsides about Chillicothe. The pale ochraceous yellow and the very fibrillose caps and stem will attract the attention of the collector at once. The caps are one to two and a half inches broad and the stem is two to three inches long.

Inocybe subochracea. Peck.

Pileus thin, conical or convex, sometimes expanded, generally umbonate, fibrillose squamulose, pale ochraceous-yellow.

The gills are rather broad, attached, emarginate, whitish, becoming brownish-yellow.

The stem is equal, whitish, slightly fibrillose, solid. Peck.

This is a small plant from one to two inches high whose cap is scarcely over an inch broad. It grows in open groves where the soil is sandy. It is found on Cemetery Hill from June to October.

Inocybe geophylla, var. violacea. Pat.



This is a small plant and has all the characteristics of Inocybe geophylla excepting color of cap and gills.

The pileus is an inch to an inch and a half broad, hemispherical at first, then expanded, umbonate, even, silky-fibrillose, lilac, growing paler in age.

The gills are adnexed, lilac at first, then colored by the spores. Spores 10x5.

The stem equal, firm, hollow, slightly violaceous.

This plant grows in September in mixed woods among the dead leaves. Its bright violet color will arrest the attention at once.

Inocybe dulcamara. A. & S.



Dulcamara means bitter-sweet. The pileus is an inch to an inch and a half in diameter, rather fleshy, convex, umbonate, pilosely-scaly.

The gills are arcuate, ventricose, pallid olivaceous.

The stem is somewhat hollow, fibrillose and squamulose from the veil, farinaceous at the apex. Spores 8-10x5u.

Found from July to September, in grassy places.

Inocybe cincinnata. Fr.



Cincinnata means with curled hair. This is quite an interesting little plant. It is found on Cemetery Hill, in Chillicothe, under the pine trees and along the walks where there is but little grass. It is gregarious and quite a hardy plant.

The pileus is fleshy, convex, then plane, quite squarrosely scaly, somewhat dark or grayish-brown.

The gills are grayish-brown with a tinge of violet at times; adnexed, rather close, ventricose.

The stem is solid, slender, scaly, somewhat lighter than the pileus. The spores are 8-10x5u.

This plant seems to be a late grower. I did not find it till about the 15th of October and it continued till the last of November. I had found two other species on the same hill earlier in the season. No Inocybes are good to eat.

Inocybe pyriodora. Pers.

Pyriodora, smelling like a pear. The pileus is one to two inches broad, quite strongly umbonate, at first conical, expanded, covered with fibrous adpressed scales, in old plants the margin turned up, smoky or brown-ochre becoming pale.

The gills are notched at the stem, not crowded, dingy-white, becoming nearly cinnamon-brown, somewhat ventricose.

The stem is two to three inches long, stuffed, firm, equal, pale, apex pruinose, veil very fugacious. Flesh tinged with red.

Common in the woods in September and October. The plant is not edible.

Inocybe rimosa. Bull.

THE CRACKED INOCYBE.

Rimosa, cracked. The pileus is one to two inches broad, shining, satiny, adpressed fibrillose, brown-yellow, campanulate, then expanded, longitudinally cracked.

The gills are free, somewhat ventricose, at first white, brownish-clay color.

The stem is one to two inches high, distant from the pileus, solid, firm, nearly smooth, bulbous, mealy white above. Spores smooth, 10-11x6u.

I. eutheles differs from this species in being umbonate; I. pyriodora in its strong smell. Many plants will often be found in one place in open woods or in cleared places. Their radiately cracked pilei, with the inner substance showing yellow through the cracks, will help to distinguish the species. Found from June to September.

Hebeloma. Fr.

Hebeloma is from two Greek words meaning youth and fringed. Partial veil fibrillose or absent. Pileus is smooth, continuous, somewhat viscid, margin incurved. The gills are notched adnate, edge of different color, whitish. The spores clay-color. All found on the ground.

Hebeloma glutinosum. Linn.

Glutinosum, abounding in glue. The pileus is one to three inches broad, light-yellow, the disk darker, fleshy, convex, then plane, covered with a viscid gluten in wet weather; flesh is white, becoming yellow.

The gills are attached to the stem, notched, slightly decurrent, crowded, pallid, light yellow, then clay-color. Spores elliptical, 10-12x5u.

The stem is stuffed, firm, somewhat bulbous, covered with white scales, and mealy at the top. There is a partial veil in the form of a cortina.

Found among leaves in the woods. In wet weather the gluten is abundant. While it is not poisonous it is not good.

Hebeloma fastibile. Fr.

OCHREY HEBELOMA. POISONOUS.

Fastibilis means nauseous, disagreeable; so called from its pungent taste and smell.

The pileus is one to three inches across, convex, plane, wavy, viscid, smooth, pale yellowish-tan, margin involute and downy.

The gills are notched, rather distant, pallid, then cinnamon; lachrymose.

The stem is two to four inches long, solid, subbulbous, white, fibrous scaly, sometimes twisted, often becoming hollow, veil evident. The spores are pip-shaped, 10x6u.

The odor is much the same as in H. crustuliniforme but it differs in having a manifest veil and more distant gills. Found in woods from July to October.

Hebeloma crustuliniforme. Bull.

THE RING HEBELOMA. NOT EDIBLE.

Crustuliniforme means the form of a cake or bun.

The pileus is convex, then expanded, smooth, somewhat viscid, often wavy, yellowish-red, quite variable in size.

The gills are notched, thin, narrow, whitish then brown, crowded, edge crenulate, and with beads of moisture.

The stem is solid, or stuffed, firm, subbulbous, whitish, with minute white recurved flecks.

It is found in woods or about old sawdust piles. The plants sometimes grow in rings. September to November.

Hebeloma pascuense. Pk.



Pascuense, pertaining to pastures; referring to its habitat.

The pileus is convex, becoming nearly plane, viscid when moist, obscurely innately fibrillose; brownish-clay, often darker or rufescent in the center, the margin in the young plant slightly whitened by the thin webby veil; the margin of the cap more or less irregular, flesh white, the taste mild, odor weak.

The gills are close, rounded behind, adnexed, whitish, becoming pale ochraceous.

The stem is short, firm, equal, solid, fibrillose, slightly mealy at the top, whitish or pallid.

The spores are pale ochraceous, subelliptical. I found the plants in Figure 222 on Cemetery Hill late in November. It is a very low plant, growing under the pine trees and keeping close to the walks. The whitened margin of the young plant is a very good ear-mark by which to know this species.

Pluteolus. Fr.

Pluteolus means a small shed. It is the diminutive of pluteus, a shed or penthouse, from its conical cap.

The pileus is rather fleshy, viscid, conical or campanulate, then expanded; margin at first straight, adpressed to the stem. Stem somewhat cartilaginous, distinct from the hymenophore. Gills free, rounded behind.

Pluteolus reticulatus. Pers.

Reticulatus means made like a net; from rete, a net, so called from the net-like appearance of veins on the cap.

The pileus is slightly fleshy, campanulate, then expanded, rugoso-reticulate, viscid, margin striate, pale violaceous.

The gills are free, ventricose, crowded, saffron-yellow, to ferruginous.

The stem is one to two inches long, hollow, fragile, fibrillose, inclined to be mealy at the top, white.

I have found only a few plants of this species in our state. It seems to be rare. The anastomosing veins on the cap and its pale violaceous color will mark the species. I have always found it on decayed wood. Captain McIlvaine speaks of finding it in quantities on the stems of fallen weeds and says it was tender and of fine flavor. September.

Galera. Fr.

Galera means a small cap. The pileus is more or less bell-shaped, margin straight, at first depressed to the stem, hygrophanous, almost even, atomate when dry, more or less membranaceous.

The gills are attached to the stem or with a decurrent tooth, as in Mycena.

The stem is cartilaginous, hollow, confluent with, but different in texture from the cap. The veil is often wanting, but when present is fibrous and fugacious. The spores are ochraceous ferruginous.

Galera hypnorum. Batsch.

THE MOSS-LOVING GALERA.

Hypnorum means of mosses; from hypna, moss.

The pileus is membranaceous, conic, campanulate, smooth, striate, watery when moist, pale when dry, cinnamon.

The gills are attached to the stem, broad, rather distant, cinnamon-colored, whitish on the edge.

The stem is slender, wavy, same color as the pileus, pruinose at the apex. This plant is very like G. tenera, only much smaller, and of a very different habitat. Found in mosses from June to October.

Galera tenera. Schaeff.

THE SLENDER GALERA. EDIBLE.



Tenera is the feminine form of tener, slender, delicate.

The pileus is somewhat membranaceous, at first cone-shaped, partially expanded, bell-shaped, hygrophanous, ochraceous when dry.

The gills are attached to the stem, crowded, rather broad, ascending, cinnamon-brown, the edges whitish, sometimes slightly serrate.

The stem is straight, hollow, fragile, rather shining; three to four inches long, equal or sometimes inclined to thicken downward, of nearly the same color as the pileus. The spores are elliptical and a dark rust-color, 12-13x7u.

You will frequently meet a variety whose cap and stem are quite pubescent but whose other characteristics agree with G. tenera. Prof. Peck calls it G. tenera var. pilosella.

Found in richly manured lawns and pastures. It is quite common. The caps, only, are good.

Galera lateritia. Fr.

THE BRICK-RED GALERA. EDIBLE.

Lateritia means made of brick, from later, a brick; so called because the caps are brick-colored.

The pileus is somewhat membranaceous, cone-shaped, then bell-shaped, obtuse, even, hygrophanous, rather pale yellow when wet, ochraceous when dry.

The gills are almost free, adnexed to the top of the cone, linear, very narrow, tawny or ferruginous.

The stem is three to four inches long, hollow, slightly tapering upward, straight, fragile, white pruinose, whitish. Spores are elliptical, 11-12x5-6u.

This plant resembles G. ovalis, from which it can be distinguished by its linear ascending gills and the absence of a veil.

Found on dung and in richly manured pastures, from July to frost.

Galera Kellermani. Pk. sp. nov.



Kellermani is named in honor of Dr. W. A. Kellerman, Ohio State University.

The pileus is very thin, subovate or subconic, soon becoming plane or nearly so; striatulate nearly to the center when moist, more or less wavy and persistently striate on the margin when dry, minutely granulose or mealy when young, unpolished when mature, often with a few scattered floccose squamules when young, and sometimes with a few slight fragments of a veil adhering to the margin which appears as if finely notched by the projecting ends of the gills; watery-brown when moist, grayish-brown when dry, a little darker in the center; taste slight, odor faint, like that of decaying wood.

The gills are thin, close, adnate, a delicate cinnamon-brown becoming darker with age. The stem is two and a half to four cm. long, slender, equal, or slightly tapering upward; finely striate, minutely scurvy or mealy, at least when young; hollow, white. The spores are brownish ferruginous with a faint pinkish tint in mass, elliptic, 8-12x6-7u. Peck.

Dr. Peck says the distinguishing features of this species are its broadly expanded or plane grayish-brown pileus, with its granulose or mealy surface, its persistently striate margin, and its very narrow gills becoming brownish with age. I have seen the plant growing in the culture beds in the greenhouse of the Ohio State University. It is a beautiful plant. Plants of all ages are shown in Figures 224 and 225.

Galera crispa. Longyear.



Crispa means crisped; the specific name is based on the peculiar character of the gills which are always crisped as soon as the pileus is expanded.

The pileus is 1.5 to 3.5 cm. broad, membranaceous, persistently conico-campanulate, subacute, uneven and somewhat rivulose, ochraceous-brown on disk, lighter toward the margin which becomes crenulate and upturned in older specimens; slightly pruinose at first, rugulose and a little paler when dry.

The gills are adnexed, not crowded, rather narrow, interspersed with anastomosing veins; much crisped; at first nearly white, then becoming ferruginous from the spores.

The stem is 7 to 10 cm. long, tapering from a somewhat bulbous base, yellowish-white, pruinose at base, hollow, fragile. The spores are 8-10u broad, 12-16u long. Longyear.

They are found in grass on lawns and in pastures, June and July.

Dr. Peck, to whom specimens were referred, suggested that they may be a variety of G. lateritia, unless the peculiar character of the gills proved to be constant. Prof. Longyear has found the plant frequently in Michigan and it was found by him in the City Park, Denver, Col., in July, 1905.

Its distinguishing characteristic is sufficiently constant to make the recognition of the species a matter of ease. The plants in Figure 226 were photographed by Prof. B. O. Longyear.

Galera ovalis. Fr.

THE OVAL GALERA.

The pileus is somewhat membranaceous, oval or bell-shaped, even, watery, dusky-rust color, somewhat larger than G. tenera.

The gills are almost free, ventricose, very broad, rust-colored.

The stem is straight, equal, slightly striate, nearly of the same color as the cap, about three inches long. Found in pastures where stock has been. I have found it in the Dunn pasture, on the Columbus pike, Ross County, O.

Crepidotus. Fr.

Crepidotus is from a Greek word meaning a slipper. The spores are dark or yellowish-brown. There is no veil. The pileus is excentric, dimidiate or resupinate. The flesh is soft. The stem is lateral or wanting, when present it is continuous with the cap. They generally grow on wood.

Crepidotus versutus. Pk.



This is a very modest little plant growing on the underside of rotten logs or bark, thus, no doubt, escaping the attention of many. Sometimes it may be found growing from the side of a log, in which case it grows in a shelving form. When growing under the log the upper side of the cap is against the wood and it is said to be resupinate.

The pileus is kidney-form, quite small, thin, pure white, covered with a soft whitish down.

The gills are radiate from the point of attachment of the cap, not crowded, whitish, then ferruginous from the spores.

Crepidotus mollis. Schaeff.

SOFT CREPIDOTUS.

The pileus is between subgelatinous and fleshy; one to two inches broad; sometimes solitary, sometimes imbricated; flaccid, even, smooth, reniform, subsessile, pallid, then grayish.

The gills are decurrent from base, crowded, linear, whitish then watery cinnamon. The spores are elliptical, ferruginous, 8-9x5-6u.

This species is widely distributed and quite common on decayed logs and stumps, from July to October.

Naucoria. Fr.

Naucoria, a nut shell. The pileus is some shade of yellow, convex, inflexed, smooth, flocculent or scaly. The gills are attached to the stem, sometimes nearly free, never decurrent. The stem is cartilaginous, confluent with the cap but of a different texture, hollow or stuffed. The veil is absent or sometimes small traces may be seen attached to the rim of the pileus, in young plants in the form of flakes. The spores are of various shades of brown, dull or bright. They grow on the ground on lawns and rich pastures. Some on wood.

Naucoria hamadryas. Fr.

THE NYMPH NAUCORIA. EDIBLE.

Hamadryas, one of the nymphs whose life depended upon the tree to which she was attached.

The pileus is one to two inches broad, rather fleshy, convex, expanded, gibbous, even, bay-ferruginous when young and moist, pale yellowish when old.

The gills are attenuated, adnexed, almost free, rusty, slightly ventricose, somewhat crowded.

The stem is hollow, equal, fragile, smooth, pallid, two to three inches long. The spores are elliptical, rust-color, 13-14x7u.

This is quite a common species, often growing alone along pavements, under shade trees, and in the woods. The caps only are good. Found from June to November.

Naucoria pediades. Fr.

THE TAN-COLORED NAUCORIA. EDIBLE.



Pediades is from a Greek word meaning a plain or a field, referring to its being found on lawns and pastures.

The pileus is somewhat fleshy, convex, then plane, obtuse or depressed, dry, finally opaque, frequently inclined to be minutely rivulose.

The gills are attached to the stem but not adnate to it, broad, subdistant, only a few entire brownish, then a dingy cinnamon.

The stem is pithy or stuffed, rather wavy and silky, yellowish, base slightly bulbous. The spores are of a brownish-rust color, 10-12x4-5u.

If the small bulb at the base of the stem is examined, it will be found to be formed chiefly of mycelium rolled together around the base. It is found on lawns and richly manured pastures from May to November. Use only the caps. This plant is usually known as semiorbicularis.

Naucoria paludosella. Atkinson n. sp.



Paludosella is a diminutive of palus, gen. paludis, a swamp or marsh.

Plants six to eight cm. high; pileus two and a half to three cm. broad; stem three to four mm. thick.

Pileus viscid when moist, convex to expanded, in age somewhat depressed; clay color, darker over center, often with appressed clay brown scales with a darker color.

Gills raw umber to Mars brown (R), emarginate, adnate sometimes with a decurrent tooth, easily becoming free.

Cystidia on sides of gills none, edge of gills with large, hyaline, thin-walled cells, subventricose, sometimes nearly cylindrical, abruptly narrowed at each end with a slight sinus around the middle.

Spores subovate to subelliptical, subinequilateral, smooth, 7-9x4-5u, fuscous ferruginous, dull ochraceous under microscope.

Stem same color as pileus but paler, cartilaginous; floccose from loose threads or, in some cases, abundant threads over the surface; becoming hollow, base bulbous, the extreme base covered with whitish mycelium.

Veil rather thick, floccose, disappearing, leaving remnant on stem and margin of pileus when fresh. Atkinson.

Dr. Kellerman and I found this plant growing on living sphagnum, other mosses and on rotten wood on Cranberry Island, in Buckeye Lake, Ohio. Figure 229 will illustrate its mode of growth, and the older plant with upturned cap will show the conspicuous clay-brown scales of the pileus. The plants are found in September and October.

Flammula. Fr.

Flammula means a small flame; so called because many of the species have bright colors. The spores are ferruginous, sometimes light yellow. The cap is fleshy and at first usually inrolled, bright colored; veil filamentous, often wanting. The gills are decurrent or attached with a tooth. The stem is fleshy, fibrous, and of the same character as the cap.

The species of the Flammula are mostly found on wood. A few are found on the ground.

Flammula flavida. Schaeff.

THE YELLOW FLAMMULA.

Flavida means yellow.

The pileus is fleshy, convex, expanded, plane, equal smooth, moist, margin at first inrolled.

The gills are firmly attached to the stem, yellow, turning slightly ferruginous.

The stem is stuffed, somewhat hollow, fibrillose, yellow, ferruginous at the base.

These plants are of a showy yellow, and are frequently found in our woods on decayed logs. They are found in July and August.

Flammula carbonaria. Fr.

THE VISCID FLAMMULA.



Carbonaria is so called because it is found on charcoal or burned earth.

The pileus is quite fleshy, tawny-yellow, at first convex, then becoming plane, even, thin, viscid, margin of the cap at first inrolled, flesh yellow.

The gills are firmly attached to the stem, clay-colored or brown, moderately close.

The stem is stuffed or nearly hollow, slender, rigid, squamulose, pallid, quite short.

The spores are ferruginous-brown, elliptical, 7x3.5u.

I have found this species quite frequently where an old stump had been burned out. It is gregarious. I have only found it from September to November but the specimens in Figure 230 were sent to me in May, from Boston. They were found in great abundance in Purgatory Swamp, where the grass and vegetation had been burned away.

Flammula fusus. Batsch.

Fusus means a spindle; so called from the spindle-shaped stem.

The pileus is compact, convex, then expanded, even, rather viscid, reddish-tan, flesh yellowish.

The gills are somewhat decurrent, pallid yellow, becoming ferruginous.

The stem is stuffed, firm, colored like the pileus, fibrillose, striate, attenuated and somewhat fusiform, rooting. The spores are broadly elliptical, 10x4u.

Found on well-decayed logs or on ground made up largely of decayed wood. Found from July to October.

Flammula fillius. Fr.

The pileus is two to three inches broad, even, smooth, with rather viscid cuticle, pale orange-red with the disc reddish.

The gills are attached to the stem, arcuate, rather crowded, white, then pallid or tawny-yellow.

The stem is three to five inches long, hollow, smooth, pallid, reddish within. The spores are elliptical, 10x5u.

Found on the ground in the woods from July to October.

Flammula squalida. Pk.



The pileus is one to one and a half inches broad, fleshy, convex, or plane, firm, viscose, glabrous, dingy-yellowish or rufescent, flesh whitish but in color similar to the pileus under the separate cuticle.

The gills are rather broad, adnate, pallid, becoming dark ferruginous.

The stem is one and a half to three inches long, one to two lines thick, slender, generally flexuose, hollow fibrillose, pallid or brownish, pale-yellow at the top when young; spores are brownish-ferruginous, .0003 inch long, .00016 broad. Peck.

It is found in bushy and swampy places. Dr. Peck says it is closely related to F. spumosa. Its dingy appearance, slender habit, more uniform and darker color of the pileus, and darker color of the lamellae. It grows in groups. The plant in Figure 231 was found in Purgatory Swamp, by Mrs. Blackford. Found in August and September.

Paxillus. Fr.

Paxillus means a small stake or peg. The spores as well as the entire plant are ferruginous. The pileus, with an involute margin, gradually unfolds. It may be symmetrical or eccentric. The stem is continuous with the hymenophore. The gills are tough, soft, persistent, decurrent, branching, membranaceous, usually easily separating from the hymenophore.

The distinctive features of this genus are the involute margin and the soft, tough, and decurrent gills which are easily separable from the hymenophore. Some grow on the ground, others grow on stumps and sawdust.

Paxillus involutus. Fr.



Involutus means rolled inward. The pileus is two to four inches broad, fleshy, compact, convex, plane, then depressed; viscid when moist, the cap being covered with a fine downy substance, so that when the margin of the cap unrolls the marks of the gills are quite prominent; yellowish or tawny-ochraceous, spotting when bruised.

The gills are decurrent, branched; anastomosing behind, near the stem; easily separating from the hymenophore.

The stem is paler than the pileus, fleshy, solid, firm, thickened upward, brown spotted.

The flesh is yellowish, changing to reddish or brownish when bruised. The spores are rust-colored and elliptical, 8-10u. It is found on the ground and decayed stumps. When found on the side of a decayed stump or a moss-covered log the stem is usually eccentric, but in other cases it is generally central.

It will be found around swampy places in an open woods. I found quite large specimens around a swamp in Mr. Shriver's woods near Chillicothe, but they were too far gone to photograph. It is edible but coarse. It appears from August to November. Some authors call it the Brown Chantarelle.

Paxillus atrotomentosus. Fr.



Atrotomentosus is from ater, black, and tomentum, woolly or downy.

The pileus is three to six inches broad, rust-color or reddish-brown, compactly fleshy, eccentric, convex then plane or depressed, margin thin, frequently minutely rivulose, sometimes tomentose in the center, flesh white, tinged with brown under the cuticle.

The gills are attached to the stem, slightly decurrent, crowded, branched at the base, yellowish-tawny, interspaces venose.

The stem is two to three inches long, stout, solid, elastic, eccentric or lateral, rooting, covered except at the apex with a dark-brown velvety down. The spores are elliptical, 5-6x3-4u.

I found the specimen in Figure 233 at the foot of an old pine tree on hillside at Sugar Grove, Ohio. I found the plant frequently at Salem, Ohio. It grows where the pine tree is a native. It is not poisonous. I do not regard it as very good. Found during August and September.

Paxillus rhodoxanthus. Schw.

THE YELLOW PAXILLUS. EDIBLE.



Rhodoxanthus means a yellow rose. The pileus is one to two inches broad, convex, then expanded, cushion-shaped, the epidermis of the cap often cracked showing the yellow flesh, resembling very much Boletus subtomentosus; reddish-yellow or chestnut-brown. The flesh is yellow and the cap dry.

The gills are decurrent, somewhat distant, stout, chrome yellow, occasionally forked at the base; anastomosing veins quite prominent, the cystidia being very noticeable.

The stem is firm, stout, of the same color as the cap, perhaps paler and more yellow at the base. The spores are oblong, yellow, 8-12x3-5u.

This is one of the most troublesome plants whose genus we have to settle. One of my mycological friends advised me to omit it from the genus altogether. It has been placed in various genera, but I have followed Prof. Atkinson and classed it under Paxillus. The plant is widely distributed. I find it frequently about Chillicothe. It is edible. Found in August, September and October. A full discussion of the plant will be found in Prof. Atkinson's book.

Cortinarius. Fr.

Cortinarius is from cortina, a curtain, alluding to a cobwebby veil seen only in the comparatively young plants. Sometimes, parts of it will seem more substantial, remaining for a time on the margin of the cap or on the stem. The color of the pileus varies and its flesh and that of the stem are continuous. The hymenophore and the gills are continuous. The gills are attached to the stem, frequently notched, membranaceous, persistent, changing color, dry, powdery, with rusty-yellow spores which drop slowly. The veil and gills are the chief marks of distinction. The former is gossamer-like and separate from the cuticle, and the latter are always powdered. It is always essential to note the color of the gills in the young plant, since color is variable and sometimes shows only the slightest trace on the stem, colored from the falling spores.

Most authorities divide the genus into six tribes, from the appearance of the pileus. They are as follows:

I. Phlegmacium, meaning a shiny or clammy moisture. The pileus has a continuous pellicle, viscid when moist, stem dry, veil spider-webby.

II. Myxacium, meaning mucus, slime; so called from the glutinous veil. The pileus is fleshy, glutinous, rather thin; the gills are attached to the stem, slightly decurrent; the stem is viscid, polished when dry, slightly bulbous.