Toadstools, mushrooms, fungi, edible and poisonous; one thousand American fungi
1. Pileus granulated B. Murray
1331 words | Chapter 131
_Peck_, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. cyanes´cens= Bull.—_cyaneus_, deep-blue. =Pileus= convex or nearly
plane, opaque, floccose-scaly or covered with an appressed tomentum,
pale-buff, grayish-yellow, yellowish or somewhat brown. =Flesh= rigid,
white, _quickly changing to blue_ where wounded. =Tubes= free, white,
becoming yellowish, the mouths minute, round, changing color like the
flesh. =Stem= ventricose, hoary with fine hairs, stuffed, becoming
cavernous, contracted and even at the top, colored like the pileus.
=Spores= subelliptical, 10–12.5×6–7.5µ.
=Pileus= 2–5 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, 8–18 lines thick.
Woods and open places. New York, _Peck_; New England, _Frost_,
_Bennett_; Minnesota, _Johnson_; Wisconsin, _Bundy_. _Peck_, Boleti of
the U.S.
High ground in woods. Solitary. West Virginia mountains, Springton
Hills, Pa., Kingsessing, Philadelphia, Mt. Gretna, Pa., _McIlvaine_.
Boletus cyanescens is a sparse grower. The quality of the juice varies.
That of young specimens stains the fingers blue, that of old, brown. The
caps are firm and make an excellent dish cooked in any way.
=B. casta´neus= Bull.—chestnut. (Plate CXIV, fig. 3, p. 414.) =Pileus=
convex, nearly plane or depressed, firm, even, dry, minutely
_velvety-tomentose, cinnamon or reddish-brown_. =Flesh= white,
unchangeable. =Tubes= free, short, small, white becoming yellow. =Stem=
equal or tapering upward, even, stuffed or hollow, clothed and colored
like the pileus. =Spores= 10–12.5×6–7.5µ.
=Pileus= 1.5–3 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2.5 in. long, 3–5 lines thick.
Woods and open places. Rather common and wide spread. _Peck_, Boleti of
the U.S.
Boletus castaneus is one of the neatest looking of fungi. The prevailing
color is cinnamon, that of the tubes white or very light yellow, spotted
with brown wherever insects have touched them. The pore surface of
mature specimens is usually irregular. Whoever has seen the stalagmites
of Luray Cave will recognize their color on the stems of B. castaneus.
These are brittle, snapping like pipe stems, with a small tube in
center.
The fungus is common from June until September. It is gregarious,
occasionally three or four individuals form a group. Either raw or
cooked the caps are edible and will become favorites.
=B. Mur´rayi= B. and C. =Pileus= hemispherical, _granulated, vivid red_.
=Flesh= yellow. =Tubes= decurrent, about 1 line deep, yellow. =Stem=
clavate, even, pale-yellow. =Spores= pale-yellow.
=Pileus= 2–3 in. broad, nearly 1.5 thick.
New England, _Murray_.
On account of the color of the spores this species has been placed with
the Cariosi. The description does not mention the character of the
interior of the stem, and the decurrent tubes depart from the character
of the typical species so that its true position is uncertain. The
species seems well marked by the character of the pileus. _Peck_, Boleti
of the U.S.
=B. isabelli´nus= Pk. =Pileus= convex, firm, minutely tomentose,
whitish, becoming darker and smoother with age. =Flesh= isabelline.
=Tubes= adnate, minute, sometimes larger near the stem, nearly round,
whitish. =Stem= nearly equal, subglabrous, hollow, whitish. =Spores=
subelliptical, 7.5–9×5–6µ. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long,
4–6 lines thick.
Woods. Ocean Springs, Miss. June. _Underwood._
The species belongs to the Cariosi. _Peck_, in Bull. Torrey Bot. Club,
Vol 24, No. 3.
APPENDIX (Boletus).
The descriptions of the following species are scarcely sufficient to
permit of the satisfactory reference of the species to their places in
the tribes. It is to be hoped that these plants may again be found and
their proper relations be ascertained.
=B. Ana´nas= Curt. =Pileus= pulvinate, thickly and rigidly
floccose-verrucose, yellow, flocci white above, flesh-colored beneath,
the margin thin, membranous, lacerated; hymenium plane, depressed around
the stem, yellow or tawny-yellow, becoming greenish where wounded, their
mouths medium size, obtusely angular. =Stem= even, solid, somewhat
enlarged at the base, white. =Spores= ferruginous.
=Pileus= 3–4 in. broad. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, 6–9 lines thick.
Under prostrate trunks of pine trees.
South Carolina, _Ravenel_; North Carolina, _Curtis_.
This is said to approach S. strobilaceus in habitat, but to be otherwise
very different. It is placed among the Subtomentosi in Sylloge, but from
these it recedes by its floccose wart-like scales. _Peck_, Boleti of the
U.S.
=B. radico´sus= Bundy. =Pileus= thin, wide, recurved, yellow tinged with
brown, the cuticle easily removed. =Flesh= pale-yellowish tinged with
pink, not changing color when bruised. =Tubes= decurrent, large,
uneven-mouthed, compound, angular, tinged with brown. =Stem= flexuous,
yellow above, whitish below, rough with dark appressed scales,
fibrous-rooted.
=Pileus= 4 in. broad. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, 5 lines thick.
Wisconsin, _Bundy_.
The pileus is not described as viscid, but in other respects the species
appears to belong to the Viscipelles and to be related to Boletus
collinitus. _Peck_, Boleti of the U.S.
=B. Po´cono= Schw. =Pileus= pulvinate, cervine (dun color), minutely
covered with bundles of tomentum on the closely-inflexed margin. =Tubes=
rather large, somewhat prominently angular, concolorous. =Stem=
subattenuated, thickened toward the base, pallid-striate at the apex,
elsewhere spadiceous, subfurfuraceous.
=Pileus= 1 in. broad. Stem 2–3 in. long.
Beech woods. Pennsylvania, _Schweinitz_.
[Illustration]
=STROBILO´MYCES= Berk.
_Gr_—a pine cone; a fungus.
(Plate CXXIV.)
[Illustration:
STROBILOMYCES STROBILACEUS.
Two-thirds natural size.
]
Hymenophore even. =Tubes= not easily separable from it, large, equal.
=Pileus= and =stem= distinctly rough-scaled, the =flesh= tough. Syl.
Fung., Vol. VI, p. 49.
I have given Professor Saccardo’s emended diagnosis of this genus,
because it expresses what appears to me to be the most important generic
character, that is, tubes not easily separable from the hymenophore. By
this character and by the tough substance the transition between Boletus
and Polyporus is made.
Tubes nearly equal in length S. strobilaceus
Tubes shortened around the stem S. floccopus
_Peck_, Boleti of the U.S.
=S. strobila´ceus= Berk. _Gr_—cone-like. (Plate CXXIV.) =Pileus=
hemispherical or convex, dry, covered with thick floccose projecting
blackish or blackish-brown scales, the margin somewhat appendiculate
with scales and fragments of the veil. =Flesh= whitish, changing to
reddish and then to blackish where wounded. =Tubes= adnate, whitish,
becoming brown or blackish with age; their mouths large, angular,
changing color like the flesh. =Stem= equal or tapering upward, sulcate
at the top, floccose-tomentose, colored like the pileus. =Spores=
subglobose, rough, blackish-brown, 10–12.5µ.
=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 3–5 in. long, 4–10 lines thick. _Peck_,
Boleti of the U.S.
West Virginia mountains, Pennsylvania, _McIlvaine_; Indiana, _H.I.
Miller_.
Common in woods and their margins, under the overhanging sods of washes
and road-cuts. Often in troops, occasionally cespitose. The rough fuzzy
cap reminds of short fur that has been wet and dried. Its appearance is
unique among Boleti. Before cooking the stem and tubes should be
removed, unless the latter are very firm and fresh. The squamules must
be cut away or the dish will be rough.
With many this Boletus is a prime favorite. It has a strong woody taste,
sometimes musky, sometimes faintly of anisette. It cooks well by any
method.
=S. floc´copus= Vahl.—floccose-stemmed. =Pileus= convex, soft, covered
with areas of bunched rough, scaly tomentum, cinereous, at length
blackish, appendiculate with the silky, thick annular veil. =Tubes=
_shortened behind_, their mouths large, whitish-gray. =Stem= stout,
pitted above, umber-tomentose below. =Spores= perfectly globose, brown,
9µ broad.
=Pileus= 4–5 in. broad. =Stem= 4–5 in. long, 1 in. thick.
Woods. North Carolina and Pennsylvania, _Schweinitz_; Ohio, _Morgan_;
New York, _Peck_.
According to Fries this is a larger and firmer species than S.
strobilaceus but manifestly related to it. The New York specimens which
I have referred to it differ from S. strobilaceus in no respect, except
in the tubes being depressed around the stem. Unless there are other
differences in the European plant, it scarcely seems to me to be worthy
of specific distinction. Boletus floccopus, Rost. tab. 40, is referred
to Boletus scaber, as is B. holopus, Rost. tab. 48. _Peck_, Boleti of
the U.S.
I agree with Professor Peck that this species is not worthy of specific
distinction. During 1898 I found a bunch containing eight individuals
which varied through all botanic characteristics given to both species.
The largest individual was 4½ in. across cap, the smallest 1½ in. On
some the tubes were adnate, on others shortened behind. There was no
difference in flavor excepting that due to age.
[Illustration: PLATE CXXV.]
FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE.
Reading Tips
Use arrow keys to navigate
Press 'N' for next chapter
Press 'P' for previous chapter