2. Armillaria mellea var. 56

exannulata, I.—TRICHOLOMATA. Gills sinuately adnexed, etc. =A. robus´ta= A. and S.—_robustus_, robust, sturdy. Substance of entire plant compact. =Pileus= 2–3 in. across, varying in shades of gray and brown, scaly, fibrillose on margin, decreasing toward center or smooth, convex or top-shaped and margin involute at first, expanding. =Flesh= firm, very thick. =Gills= broad, emarginate, nearly free, crowded, whitish, up to ½ in. broad. =Veil= large, membranaceous, sometimes floccose, remaining adherent to the stem. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, obese, solid, tapering at the base, brownish-white and fibrillose below veil, white and flocculose above, flesh of stem continuous with that of the cap. Stevenson gives var. _minor_ with even cap with both gills and ring very narrow. =Spores= ovoid-spherical. 7µ. _Q._ Edible, _Curtis_; District Columbia, _Mrs. M. Fuller_. In mixed woods. Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New Jersey, _McIlvaine_. The substance of A. robusta differs from all other Armillaria in being very compact. It is not acrid but has a marked flavor. Cut into small pieces and well cooked it makes an acceptable dish. It is best in croquettes and patties, or served with meats. =A. viscid´ipes= Pk.—_viscidus_, sticky; _pes_, a foot. =Pileus= fleshy, compact, convex or nearly plane, glabrous, whitish with a slight yellowish or reddish-yellow tint. =Flesh= white, odor peculiar, penetrating, sub-alkaline. =Gills= narrow, crowded, sinuate or subdecurrent, whitish. =Stem= equal, solid, viscid and slightly tinged with yellow below the narrow membranous ring, whitish above. =Spores= elliptical, 8×5µ. =Pileus= 3–6 in. broad. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, 6–12 lines thick. In mixed woods. Rock City, Dutchess county. October. It is a large fine fungus, easily known by its white and yellowish hues, its crowded gills, viscid stem and peculiar penetrating almost alkaline odor. The cuticle of the pileus is thin and soft to the touch, but it sometimes cracks longitudinally and is sometimes slightly adorned with innate fibrils. A. dehiscens is said to have a viscid stem, but it is also squamose and the pileus is yellowish-ochraceous. _Peck_, 44th Rep N.Y. State Bot. Quite common in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. _McIlvaine._ It loses its strong odor when cooked and is equal to other Armillaria in edibility. Unless well cooked it has a slight saponaceous flavor. This is easily overcome by a few drops of lemon juice or sherry. =A. appendicula´ta= Pk.—bearing an appendicula or small appendage. =Pileus= broadly convex, glabrous, whitish, often tinged with rust color or brownish rust color on the disk. =Flesh= white or whitish. =Gills= close, rounded behind, whitish. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering upward, solid, bulbous, whitish, the veil either membranous or webby, white, commonly adhering in fragments to the margin of the pileus. =Spores= subelliptical, 8×5µ. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–3.5 in. long; 5–10 lines thick. Auburn, Ala. October. _C.F. Baker._ The general appearance of this species is suggestive of Tricholoma album, but the presence of a veil separates it from that fungus and places it in the genus Armillaria. The veil, however, is often slightly lacerated or webby and adherent to the margin of the pileus. _Peck_, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, Vol. 24. Mt. Gretna, Pa., Angora, Pa. On decaying roots in ground. August to November. Found plentifully in resorts of other Armillaria. Edibility the same. _McIlvaine._ =A. pondero´sa= Pk.—_ponderosus_, weighty, ponderous. =Pileus= thick, compact, convex or subcampanulate, smooth, white or yellowish, the naked margin strongly involute beneath the slightly viscid, persistent veil. =Gills= crowded, narrow, slightly emarginate, white inclining to cream color. =Stem= stout, subequal, firm, solid, coated by the veil, colored like the pileus, white and furfuraceous above the ring. =Flesh= white. =Spores= nearly globose, 4µ in diameter. =Plant= 4–6 in. high. =Pileus= 4–6 in. broad. =Stem= about 1 in. thick. Ground in woods. Copake, Columbia county. October. The veil for a long time conceals the gills, and finally becomes lacerated and adheres in shreds or fragments to the stem and margin of the pileus. _Peck_, 26th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. New England, _Frost_; New York, _Peck_, Repts. 26, 29, 41. West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Ground in woods. September to November. _McIlvaine._ Professor Peck says in 26th Report: “This species has not been found since its discovery in 1872.” Where the Armillaria mellea frequents I have often found A. ponderosa. It was plentiful at Mt. Gretna, Pa., in September, 1898. Young specimens are quite as edible as A. mellea, and rather more juicy. II.—CLITOCYBÆ. Gills not sinuate, etc. =A. mel´lea= Vahl.—_melleus_, of the color of honey. (Plate XVI, fig. 1, p. 52.) =Pileus= adorned with minute tufts of brown or blackish hairs, sometimes glabrous, even or when old slightly striate on the margin. =Gills= adnate or slightly decurrent, white or whitish, becoming sordid with age and sometimes variegated with reddish-brown spots. =Stem= ringed, at length brownish toward the base. =Spores= elliptical, white, 8–10µ long. _Peck_, 48th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. =Spores= 9×5–6µ _W.G.S._; 10×8µ _B._; 8–10µ _Peck_. The A. mellea is unusually prolific and is common over the United States and Europe. Specimens may be found in the spring-time, but in middle latitudes it is common from August until after light frosts. It is usually in tufts, some of which contain scores of plants and are showy over ground filled with roots, or on stumps or boles of decaying trees. It frequents dense woods and open clearings. I have seen acres of dense woodland at Mt. Gretna, Pa., so covered with it and its varieties that but few square yards were unoccupied. A description of the typical A. mellea will rarely apply to any one plant. A combination of its variable features in one description would include something of nearly every white-spored Agaric under the sun. Yet there is something indescribable about it which once learned will unerringly betray it. Its =Caps= vary from perfectly smooth, through tufts of scales and hairs, more or less dense, to matted woolliness. It may show any one of these conditions in youth and be bald in age. Some shade of yellow is the prevailing color, but this will vary from whitish to dark-purplish or reddish-brown. When water-soaked it is one color, when dry, another. Commonly the margins of the =Caps= are striated, sometimes they are smooth as a cymbal, and not unlike one, have a raised place or umbo in the center. =Flesh= white or whitish. =Gills= when young are white or creamy, usually running down the stem, sometimes slightly notched at attachment. They freckle in age and lose their fair complexion. The =Veil= or collar about the stem is as variable as fashion—thick and closely woven or flimsy as gossamer, or vanishing as the plant grows old. The =Stems= may be even as a lead pencil, or swollen like a pen-holder, or bulbous toward the base, or distorted by pressure in the tufts. It is as variable in color as the cap, usually darkening downward in hues of brown. The outside is firm and fibrous, sometimes furrowed, inside soft or hollow. =Cap= 1–6 in. across. =Stem= 1–6 in. long, ¼-¾ in. thick. Var. _obscu´ra_ has the cap covered with numerous small blackish scales. Var. _fla´va_ has the cap yellow or reddish-yellow, but in other respects it is like the type. Var. _gla´bra_ has the cap smooth, otherwise like the type. Var. _radica´ta_ has a tapering, root-like prolongation of the stem, which penetrates the earth deeply. Var. _bulbo´sa_ has a distinctly bulbous base to the stem, and in this respect is the reverse of var. radicata. Professor Peck writes: “Var. _exannulata_ (Plate XVI, fig. 2, p. 52) has the cap smooth and even on the margin, and the stem tapering at the base. The annulus is very slight and evanescent or wholly wanting. The cap is usually about an inch broad, or a little more, and the plants grow in clusters, which sometimes contain forty or fifty individuals. It is more common farther south than it is in our state (N.Y.), and is reported to be the most common form in Maryland. This I call var. exannulata.” From _Dr. Taylor_, Washington, D.C.; Indiana, _H.I. Miller_. To these may be added also var. _al´bida_ Pk. in which the pileus is white or whitish. A variety, perhaps a variation of var. bulbosa was sent to me by E. B. Sterling, Trenton, N.J., and afterward found by myself at Mt. Gretna, Pa. The =Cap= purplish-brown, convex, striate and light on margin, edge irregular with parts of veil attached. =Flesh= white, very thin. =Gills= decurrent, arcuate, pinkish-gray. =Stem= stuffed, fibrous, white above, dense floccose veil, same color as cap below, swollen toward base which is pointed, sulcate, white inside, closely clustered and some of the stems distinctly bulbous. =Taste= decidedly unpleasant. An intense acridity develops and increases when the juices of raw pieces are swallowed, and the salivary glands are much excited. The acridity is not lost in cooking. It simply can not be eaten. Specimens were sent by me to Professor Peck who referred it to A. mellea. I have never seen the abortive form of Clitopilus abortivus, though found in many places and in great quantity, showing any part or trace of the original plant. But that a similar monstrosity occurs upon A. mellea is shown by individuals and parts of individuals of a cluster being aborted. Without such positive proof, no one would suspect either of these odd formations to be abortive of either C. abortivus or A. mellea, or any other fungus. I consider the abortive form of A. mellea far superior in substance and flavor to it or any of its varieties. The Armillaria can not be ranked among the tender or high-flavored toadstools, yet their abundance, meaty caps and nourishing qualities place them among our most valuable food species. The caps when chopped into small pieces make good patties and croquettes. They have an impressive flavor of their own, and offer an esculent medium for seasoning and the gravies of various meats. =A. nardos´mia= Ellis—_nardosmius_, of the odor of nardus. (A name applied by the ancients to several plants, especially _spica nardi_—spikenard.) =Pileus= fleshy, firm, thick and compact on the disk, thin toward the margin, whitish, variegated with brown spots, with a thick, tough and separable cuticle. =Flesh= white. =Gills= crowded, subventricose, slightly emarginate, whitish. =Stem= solid, fibrous, not bulbous, sheathed below by the brown velvety veil, the ring narrow, spreading, uneven on the edge. =Spores= subglobose, 6µ in diameter. =Pileus= about 3 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–3 in. long, 4–6 lines thick. Ground in woods, Suffolk county. September. _Peck_, 43d Rep. N.Y. State Bot. Several specimens from sandy grounds in pine woods, Haddonfield, N.J., were sent by me to Professor Peck and were identified by him. Plentiful at Mt. Gretna, Pa., September to frost, 1898. In mixed woods, on gravelly ground. Eaten in quantity by several persons. _McIlvaine._ Cuticle of caps when dry breaking up into brownish, squamulose scales, margin involute. =Gills= subdecurrent. =Veil= thick, persistent. =Stem= short, subbulbous, solid. =Flesh= white. Very much resembles a short-stemmed Lepiota. Smell and taste strong, like almonds. Disappears in cooking. III.—COLLYBIÆ. Gills adnate, stem somewhat cartilaginous. =A. mu´cida= Schrad.—_mucidus_, slimy. =Pileus= commonly shining white, thin, almost transparent, hemispherical then expanded, obtuse, more or less radiato-wrinkled, smeared over with a thick tenacious gluten; margin striate when thinner. =Stem= 1½-3 in. long, 1–2 lines thick at the apex, thickened at the base, stuffed, thin, rigid, curved ascending, smooth, white, but sooty scaly at the base when most perfectly developed. =Ring= inserted at the apex of the stem, bent downward and glued close to the stem, furrowed, the white border again erect, with a swollen and entire margin, which sometimes becomes dingy brown. =Gills= rounded behind, obtuse, adhering to the stem and striato-decurrent, distant, broad, lax, mucid, always shining white. Very variable in stature, from 1 in. (when of this size the stem is almost equal) to as much as 6 in. broad. The color of the pileus varies gray, fuliginous, olivaceous. The gills sometimes become yellow, but only from disease. Sometimes solitary, sometimes a few are joined in a cespitose manner at the base. _Stevenson._ =Spores= elliptical, 15–16×8–9µ _Massee_; 17×14µ _W.G.S._ North Carolina, _Schweinitz_, _Curtis_; Pennsylvania, _Schweinitz_; Maryland, _Miss Banning_. West Virginia mountains, 1882, Haddonfield, N.J., 1891–94, on beech trees and roots. _McIlvaine._ Commonly considered esculent in Europe. Dirt adheres so tenaciously to it that it is difficult to clean. This, however, occurs only when the fungus grows from roots and pushes its way up through covering earth. When growing from trees it is attractive and of good quality. Should be chopped fine and well cooked. =TRICHOLO´MA= Fr. _Gr._—a hair, a fringe. (Plate XIX.) [Illustration: SECTION OF TRICHOLOMA.] =Pileus= symmetrical, generally fleshy, never truly umbilicate, seldom umbonate. =Veil= absent or appearing only as fibrils or down on the margin of the pileus. =Gills= sinuate (the small sudden curve near the stem always apparent in the young plant), sometimes with a slightly decurrent tooth. =Stem= central, usually stout, fleshy-fibrous, without a bark-like skin. =Flesh= continuous with that of the pileus. =Ring= and =Volva= absent. =Spores= white or dingy. But one is known to be poisonous. Some are acrid or unpleasant in flavor. With one exception all grow on the ground in pastures and woods, appearing from May to late in the autumn. Gills generally white or dingy, frequently spotted or stained. The pileus may be smooth or adorned with fibrous or downy scales, dry, moist, viscid or water-soaked. The distinguishing feature of Tricholoma is the sinuate gills. In Collybia the stem bears a distinct bark-like skin; in Clitocybe the gills are never sinuate; species of Pleurotus are distinguished by growing on wood only, and Paxillus by their strongly-incurved margin and anastomosing gills. In cooking Tricholoma consistency must be the guide to plan and time. The tougher varieties require to be cut into small pieces and to be well cooked, while the brittle and delicate varieties will cook quickly. Many of them make excellent soups. ANALYSIS OF TRIBES. _A._ PILEUS VISCID, FIBRILLOSE, SCALY OR DOWNY, NOT WATER-SOAKED. Stem fibrillose from the remains of the adnate universal veil. LIMACINA (_limas_, a slug or snail, slimy). Page 61. Cuticle of pileus viscid when moist, innately fibrillose or scaly, but not lacerated; flesh of pileus thick, firm; margin almost naked. * Gills not discolored, nor becoming reddish. ** Gills discolored, usually spotted with reddish-brown. GENUINA. Page 67. Cuticle of the pileus never moist or viscid; torn into downy or floccose scales. Flesh soft, not water-soaked; margin involute and slightly downy at first. * Gills not changing color, nor spotted with red or black. ** Gills becoming reddish or gray, the edge at last generally with reddish or black spots. RIGIDA (_rigeo_, to be stiff). Page 74. Pileus rigid, hard, somewhat cartilaginous when fleshy, very fragile when thin, cuticle rigid, granulated or broken up when dry into smooth scales, not torn into fibrils. Young specimens occur which are fibrillose from the veil, not from laceration of the cuticle. * Gills white or pallid, not becoming spotted with red or gray. ** Gills becoming reddish, grayish or spotted. SERICELLA (_sericeus_, silky). Page 74. Pileus first slightly silky, soon becoming smooth, very dry, neither moist, viscid, water-soaked, nor distinctly scaly; rather thin, opaque, absorbing moisture, but is the same color as the gills. Stem fibrous, by which the smaller species resembling Collybia may be distinguished. * Gills broad, rather thick, somewhat distant. **:sericella2 Gills narrow, thin, crowded. B. PILEUS EVEN, SMOOTH, NOT DOWNY NOR SCALY, NOT VISCID. In rainy weather moist; when very young pruinose (but rarely conspicuously) from the universal veil. Flesh soft and spongy or very thin when it is water-soaked. GUTTATA (_gutta_, a drop). Page 76. Pileus fleshy, soft, fragile, marked with drop-like spots or rivulose. Appearing in spring, rarely in autumn. Cespitose, in troops or often in rings. * Gills whitish. ** Gills becoming reddish or smoky-gray. [Illustration: Grouped by F.D. Briscoe—Studies by C. McIlvaine. PLATE XVIII.] FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE. 1–2. TRICHOLOMA PERSONATUM, 79 5. TRICHOLOMA 68 COLUMBETTA,