3. CRATERELLUS 508

CANTHARELLUS, Other species of the genus do not, as a rule, grow so plentifully, neither are they of equal excellence, but several of them are equal to any other species. Suspicion has been thrown upon C. aurantiacus. There is such a marked difference between the excellence of the genus in West Virginia and other localities, that it is possible C. aurantiacus may be noxious elsewhere, but the writer has not found it so; and it would be an astonishing contradiction of Nature’s ways if it was. Stevenson says: “It (C. cibarius) must have four hours slow cooking.” The writer has found thirty minutes to be sufficient; and it will fry in butter as quickly as any other fungus. ANALYSIS OF TRIBES. MESOPUS (_mesos_, middle; _pous_, a foot). Page 215. Stem central. * Stem solid. ** Stem tubular. PLEUROPUS (_pleura_, the side; _pous_, a foot). Stem lateral. RESUPINATUS (_resupinatus_, lying on the back). Stem absent. All the species known to be edible belong to Mesopus. ME´SOPUS. * _Stem solid._ =C. ciba´rius= Fr.—_cibaria_, food. (Plate XLVI, fig. 4, p. 214. Plate XLVII.) =Pileus= fleshy, obconic, smooth, egg-yellow, slightly depressed. =Gills= thick, distant, more or less branching and anastomosing, concolorous. =Stem= firm, solid, often tapering downward, concolorous. =Flesh= white. =Height= 2–4 in., breadth of =pileus= 2–3 in. =Stem= 3–6 lines thick. In open woods and grassy places. Common. July and August. Edible. The smell of apricots is not always clearly perceptible in American specimens. _Peck_, Monograph New York Species of Cantharellus, Rep. 23. =Spores= 6×8µ _W.G.S._; 7.6×5µ _Morgan_; spheroid-ellipsoid, 8–9×5–6µ _K._; 11µ _Q._ Reported from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from Columbia river to Louisiana. June to September. Wherever grown C. cibarius is one of the best. In European countries it is highly rated, and is expensive. Its mode of growth varies with its plentifulness. In the West Virginia mountains large patches of it closely cover the ground. Clusters weighing ½ pound are frequent. (Plate XLVII.) [Illustration: CANTHARELLUS CIBARIUS.] When shredded, or cut across the fibers, slow cooking for half an hour is sufficient, if the plants are fresh. If gathered for some hours, they should be soaked for a time. =C. mi´nor= Pk. =Pileus= fleshy, thin, convex then expanded and depressed, egg-yellow. =Gills= very narrow, distant, sparingly branched, yellowish. =Stem= slender, subflexuous, equal, smooth, hollow or stuffed, concolorous. =Height= 1–2 in., breadth of pileus 6–12 lines. In open woods. July. _Peck_, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot. =Spores= 6.4–7.6×4–5µ _Peck_. West Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania. _McIlvaine._ Grows in the West Virginia mountains, along with C. cibarius, and separate from it. It is more tender than C. cibarius, and not equal in flavor to those found there. I usually cooked them together and thus got quantity well flavored. =C. auranti´acus= Fr.—orange-yellow. (Plate CXXXVI, fig. 4, p. 508.) =Pileus= fleshy, obconic, nearly plane above, smooth or minutely tomentose, dull orange with the disk usually brownish, the margin decurved and sometimes yellowish. =Gills= narrow, close, repeatedly forked, orange, sometimes yellowish. =Stem= inequal, generally tapering upward, colored like the pileus. =Flesh= yellowish, taste mild. =Height= 2–3 in., breadth of =Pileus= 1–3 in. =Stem= 2–4 lines thick. Ground and very rotten logs in woods or in fields. Common. _Peck_, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot. =Spores= 6.4–7.6×4–5µ Peck, 10×5µ _Massee_. Var. _pallidus_ Pk. =Pileus= and gills pale yellow or whitish yellow. Stevenson says of the English species, “Unpleasant, reckoned poisonous.” The writer’s acquaintance with C. aurantiacus has been principally confined to West Virginia. There its taste is mild, scent but little, flavor not distinguishable from eastern C. Cibarius. There it is perfectly safe and wholesome; neither have the writer and his friends any reason for condemning it. =C. umbona´tus= Fr.—having an umbo. =Pileus= 1 in. and more broad, _ashy-blackish_, slightly fleshy, convex when young, _umbonate, at length depressed_, even, dry, _flocculoso_-silky on the surface, shining brightly especially under a lens. =Flesh= soft, white, often becoming red when wounded. =Stem= 3 in. long, about 4 lines thick, _stuffed_, equal, elastic, villous at the base, _ash-colored_, but paler than the pileus. =Gills= decurrent, thin, tense and straight, _crowded_, repeatedly divided by pairs, _shining-white_. Odor and taste scarcely notable. Gregarious. Among the taller mosses the stem is longer. Often overlooked from its habit being that of an agaric. It varies with the pileus squamulose and blackish. In woods. April to August. _Fries._ The rather prominent gills of this small species are likely to confuse those not familiar with its variance from the genuine type. Reddish tinge to flesh not noticed in the American species. The writer has gathered it in several states and enjoyed it for many years. (Plate XLVIII.) [Illustration: CANTHARELLUS ROSELLUS. Natural size. ] =C. rosel´lus= Pk.—rosy. =Pileus= thin, funnel-shaped, regular, glabrous, pale pinkish-red. =Flesh= white. =Gills= narrow, close, dichotomous, deeply decurrent, whitish, tinged with pink. =Stem= equal, slender, solid, subglabrous, often flexuous, colored like the pileus. =Spores= minute, broadly elliptical, 3.5×2.5µ. =Pileus= 4–8 lines broad. =Stem= about 1 in. long, scarcely 1 line thick. Mossy ground in groves of balsam. North Elba. September. This small species belongs to the section Agaricoides, and is apparently closely allied to C. albidus, from which its smaller size and different color distinguish it. The pileus is sometimes deeply umbilicate. _Peck_, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot. Frequent in pine woods of New Jersey, near Haddonfield, where the plant is sturdier than described. Though small it grows gregarious and in troops from which appetizing quantities can be gathered. It makes a pretty dish of pinkish hue and one of rare excellence. =C. lutes´cens= Bull.—yellowish. (Plate CXXXVI, fig. 9, p. 508.) =Pileus= thin, fleshy, convex, umbilicate, brownish-floccose, yellowish. =Gills= very distant, sparingly branched, arcuate-decurrent, pale ochraceous. =Stem= slender, slightly tapering downward, smooth, shining, bright orange-tinted yellow, stuffed or hollow. =Height= 2–3 in., breadth of =Pileus= 8–15 lines. Mossy ground in woods. Catskill and Adirondack mountains, also Sandlake. August to October. This is regarded by some as a variety of A. tubæformis. _Peck_, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot. In mixed and scrub-pine woods near Haddonfield, N.J.; mixed woods Angora and Kingsessing, Philadelphia. Perhaps constancy to C. cibarius has influenced the writer in favor of members of its family, and accounts for the gusto in “Fine” set opposite his notes to the present species. Nevertheless such is his opinion. ** _Stem tubular._ =C. flocco´sus= Schw.—woolly. (Plate XLVI, fig. 1, p. 214.) =Pileus= fleshy, elongated funnel-form or trumpet shape, floccose-squamose, ochraceous-yellow. =Gills= vein-like, close, much anastomosing above, long decurrent and subparallel below, concolorous. =Stem= very short, thick, rarely deeply rooting. =Height= 2–4 in., breadth of =Pileus= at the top 1–3 in. Woods and their borders. Not rare. Utica, _Johnson_. Albany and Sandlake. July and August. _Peck_, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot. =Spores= 12.5–15×7.6µ _Peck_. New York, _Peck_, Rep. 23; Maine, _Mrs. Stella F. Fairbanks_; West Virginia, _McIlvaine_. A beautiful species of good quality. (Plate XLIX.) [Illustration: CANTHARELLUS BREVIPES. Small plant, two-thirds natural size. ] =C. bre´vipes= Pk.—_brevis_, short; _pes_, a foot. (Plate XLVI, fig. 5, p. 214.) =Pileus= fleshy, obconic, glabrous, alutaceous or dingy cream-color, the thin margin erect, often irregular and lobed, tinged with lilac in the young plant; folds numerous, nearly straight on the margin, abundantly anastomosing below, pale umber tinged with lilac. =Stem= short, tomentose-pubescent, ash-colored, solid, often tapering downward. =Spores= yellowish, oblong-elliptical, uninucleate, 10–12µ×5µ. =Plant= 3–4 in. high. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 4–6 lines thick. Woods. Ballston, Saratoga county. July. This interesting species is related to the C. floccosus, both by its short stem and its abundantly anastomosing folds. The two species should be separated from the others and constitute a distinct section. The flesh in C. brevipes is soft and whitish, and the folds are generally thinner than in C. floccosus. _Peck_, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot. Plentiful in West Virginia mountains in 1884, growing in patches. Found in mixed woods near Cheltenham, Pa., and at Springton, Pa., 1887. In West Virginia it is prolific and rivals the C. cibarius in excellence. The flesh is softer, not so fibrous, and cooks more readily. In that locality there is a marked difference between C. brevipes and C. floccosus. The latter is much longer, and markedly resembles the large end of a gold lined cornet. Like the C. cibarius it is not of as good quality in eastern states. [Illustration] =NYC´TALIS= Fr. _Gr_—night. From inhabiting dark places. (Plate L.) [Illustration: NYCTALIS PARASITICUS.] Hymenophore continuous with the stem. =Gills= fleshy, thick, juicy, obtuse at the edge, not decurrent on the stem nor fold-like. =Veil= (in species which have been fully observed) floccoso-pruinose. _Fleshy fungi, not reviving, of uncertain and irregular occurrence, differing in many respects from one another and from the rest of the Agaricini._ _Fries._ The typical species are saprophytic on decaying fungi. But one species, Nyctalis asterophora, reported in America. See _Peck_, 26th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. =MARAS´MIUS= Fr. _Gr_—to wither or shrivel. (Plate LI.) [Illustration: MARASMIUS OREADES. About one-half natural size. ] =Pileus= regular, thin, tough and pliant. =Gills= pliant, rather tough, somewhat distant, variously attached or free, with an acute entire edge. =Stem= cartilaginous or horny, continuous with the pileus but of different texture. Not putrescent but drying up with lack of moisture, reviving and assuming the original form with the advent of rain. This character distinguishes Marasmius from all other genera of Agaricaceæ. Its nearer relations are Collybia and Mycena. Fries says that all Agaricaceæ having the smell of garlic are found in this genus. On the ground, but generally on wood or leaves. Professor Peck reports over forty species of this genus found in New York state. Several not found in New York are reported from other states. The writer has found a few such species in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Many untried species will probably prove to be edible; the majority are too small to be of food value. M. urens, reported poisonous, and M. peronatus, heretofore considered poisonous, have been found by the writer to be edible. Several species not described herein have been tested for edibility to a limited extent only. In this genus occurs the famed M. oreades, the Mousseron of France, the Champignon and Scotch bonnet of England, the Fairy-ring mushroom of America. ANALYSIS OF TRIBES. COLLYBIA (inclining to Collybia). Page 223. =Flesh= of pileus pliant, at length rather leathery, grooved or wrinkled, margin incurved at first. =Stem= somewhat cartilaginous; mycelium woolly, absent in some species. _A._ SCORTEI (_scorteus_, leathery). Page 223. Stem solid or stuffed, then hollow, fibrous within, outside covered with down. Gills separating from the stem, free. * Base of stem woolly or strigose. ** Stem naked at the base, often interwoven with twisted fibers. _B._ TERGINI (_terginus_, leathery). Page 225. Stem rooting, distinctly _tubular_, not _fibrous_, distinctly _cartilaginous_. Gills receding then free. Pileus thinner than in the preceding group, hygrophanous, even or with the margin striate. * Stem woolly below, smooth above. ** Stem when dry covered with velvety down. _C._ CALOPODES (_Gr_—beautiful; _Gr_—a foot). Page 226. Stem short, not rooting, often with a floccose or downy, tubercular base. Pileus convex, involute, then plane and more or less depressed, in which state the gills typically adnate are subdecurrent. On twigs, branches, etc. Gregarious. * Stem quite smooth above, shining, base not swollen. ** Stem covered with velvety down, rather swollen at the base. MYCENA (inclining to Mycena). Page 227. Stem horny, hollow, often filled with pith, tough, dry. Mycelium rooting, not floccose. Pileus somewhat membranaceous, bell-shaped, then expaned, margin at first straight and pressed to the stem. _A._ CHORDALES (_chorda_, a gut). Page 227. Stem rigid, rooting or dilated at the base. Pileus bell-shaped or convex. Type manifestly that of Mycena. _B._ ROTULÆ (_rotula_, a little wheel). Stem thread-like, flaccid, base not dilated or floccose but appearing to enter the matrix abruptly. Pileus soon becoming plane or umbilicate. On leaves. * Stem quite smooth, shining. ** Stem minutely velvety or hairy. APUS (_a_, without; _pous_, a foot). Pileus sessile, resupinate. I.—COLLY´BIA. _A._ SCORTEI. * _Stem woolly or strigose at base._ =M. u´rens= Fr.—_uro_, to burn. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad, unicolorous, pale yellowish, _becoming pale_, slightly fleshy, _moderately compact at the disk, even_, but here and there scaly or cracked in wavy lines when dry, smooth, the thin margin involute. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 3 lines thick, _solid_, composed of crisp tough fibers, rigid, equal, sometimes however ventricose, ½ in. thick, _everywhere clothed with white flocci, pale_, white-downy at the base. =Gills= free, united behind, _at length remote_ from the stem, _distant_, tough, at first pale-wood-color, _then brown_. Gregarious, somewhat cespitose. _Taste very stinging._ The stem is not strigosely sheathed at the base. _Fries._ In mixed woods. Frequent. June to September. A curious form occurred with the pileus turning very dark when full-grown. _B. and Br._ POISONOUS. Worthington Smith has tested it by accident. It produced headache, swimming of brain, burning in throat and stomach, followed by severe purging and vomiting. _Stevenson._ Gregarious or cespitose. Taste very pungent, a feature which separates the present from M. oreades. Not coarsely tomentose at the base, as in M. peronatus, but only downy. _Massee._ =Spores= 3×4µ _W.G.S._; elliptical, 8×4µ _Massee_. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia. _McIlvaine._ I have not known it to disagree with myself or friends. That it may not agree with some persons is unquestioned. Collectors should carefully test it upon themselves. =M. perona´tus= Fr.—_pero_, a kind of boot. =Pileus= 1–2 in. and more broad, light yellowish or pallid brick-red, then becoming pale, _wood-color_ or tan, at first fleshy-pliant, then _coriaceo-membranaceous_, convex then plane, obtuse, flaccid, slightly wrinkled, even at the disk, _at length pitted, striate at the margin_. =Flesh= white. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 1–2 lines thick, stuffed, fibrous, tough, attenuated upward, _at length hollow_ and compressed, _furnished with a bark_, light yellow then pallid, _cuticle villous_ but separating and reddish when rubbed, somewhat incurved at the base, where it is _clothed with dense, somewhat strigose_, yellowish or white _villous down_. =Gills= _adnexed, then separating_, free, moderately _thin_, and _crowded_, when young whitish, _pallid wood-color_, at length somewhat remote, reddish. _B._ Woolly sheathed at the base. Taste acrid like that of M. urens, odor none. _Fries._ In woods. Common. _Stevenson._ =Spores= pip-shaped, 7×4µ _W.G.S._; 10×6–7µ _Massee_. New York. Thin woods. North Elba. August. September. _Peck_, 42d Rep.; West Virginia, June to December, West Philadelphia and Mt. Gretna, Chester county, Pa. _McIlvaine._ M. peronatus is the wood-cousin of M. oreades. It is still reputed poisonous by all writers upon the subject, though M.C. Cooke gives it the benefit of a doubt. The name is given because of the base of the stem being densely covered with short hairs or a woolly down, and is thus easily recognized. It is common in woods, among decaying leaves, especially of the oak, from May until after frosts. It is usually solitary, but a few individuals are sometimes clustered. It is quite peppery to the taste, but pleasantly so. I have repeatedly eaten it, as have my friends. It loses its acridity in cooking, and though the caps are tougher than M. oreades, they make a highly flavored and delicious dish. Collectors should carefully test it for themselves. ** _Stem naked at the base, etc._ =M. ore´ades= Fr. _Gr_—mountain-nymphs. Scotch bonnet. Champignon. Mousseron. (Plate LI, p. 221.) =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad, _reddish then becoming pale, absorbing moisture, whitish when dry, fleshy_, pliant, convex then plane, somewhat umbonate, even, smooth, slightly striate at the margin when moist. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 1½ lines thick, _solid_, very tough, _equal_, tense and straight, _everywhere clothed with a villous-woven cuticle_ which can be rubbed off, pallid; bluntly rooted at the base, naked, not villous or tomentose. =Gills= free, broad, _distant_, the alternate ones shorter, _at first soft_, then firmer, pallid-white. _Odor_ weak, but _pleasant_, stronger when dried, _taste mild_. Commonly growing in circles or rows. _Fries._ =Spores= 6–7×5–6µ _K._; elliptical, 8×5µ _Massee_; nearly elliptical, white, 7.6–9µ long _Peck_. Common throughout the states during the summer months after rains, and in rings, but can be found from May until after frost. If one knows where the rings are to be found M. oreades can be gathered when shriveled, and are quite as good, after soaking, as when fresh. M. oreades must be sought for where the grass is luxuriant. It hides among it. It is well worthy of the search. Raw, fresh or shriveled, it is sweet, nutty, succulent when eaten; stewed well it is delicious. Though tough its consistency is agreeable. The most delicate stomachs can digest it. The writer saved the life of a lovely woman by feeding her upon it when nothing else could be retained; and of another, by feeding Coprinus micaceus, after a dangerous operation. He introduced these species, together with a few others, into a large hospital in Philadelphia, where they were used with marked beneficial effect, and such use is now widespread. When dried, by exposure to the air or sun, it can be kept indefinitely, neither losing its aroma or flavor, which it graciously imparts to soups or any other dish. Collybia dryophila, Stropharia semi-globata, and Naucoria semi-orbicularis are sometimes found growing with it. These species are delicious and harmless. Lafayette B. Mendel in the Am. Jour. of Physiology, March, 1898, gives the following analysis: Twenty freshly gathered specimens (from New Haven) weighed 9 grams, an average weight of 0.45 grams each. The analysis gave: Water 74.96% Total solids 25.04 Total nitrogen of dry 5.97 substance Ash of dry substance 7.23 _B._ TERGINI. ** _Stem downy when dry, etc._ =M. Wyn´nei= B. and Br. =Pileus= 1–1½ in. broad, _lilac_-brown, tardily changing color, fleshy, convexo-plane, somewhat umbonate. =Stem= 2 in. long, 1½ line thick, tubed, _furfuraceous_, somewhat of the same color as the pileus. =Gills= adnexed, thick, distant, bright-colored, beautifully tinged with _lilac_; interstices even. Inodorous. Gregarious or cespitose. The stem springs from a white mycelium, but is by no means strigose or tawny at the base. Quite distinct from M. fusco-purpureus. _Fries._ Among leaves, twigs, etc. _Stevenson._ =Spores= elliptical, 7–8×4µ _Massee_. Kingsessing, West Philadelphia. Gregarious and cespitose, among leaves, etc., in oak woods. September to October, 1885. This very pretty fungus very much resembles at first sight the small purplish Clitocybes, but is readily distinguished on examination. I ate the caps and enjoyed them during the seasons of 1885 and 1887, but have not seen the plant since. The caps are equal to M. oreades. _C._ CALOPODES. * _Stem smooth, etc._ =M. scorodo´nius= Fr. _Gr_—a plant that smells like garlic. =Pileus= ½ in. and more broad, rufous when young, but soon becoming pale, whitish (not hygrophanous), slightly fleshy, pliant, convex then soon plane, obtuse, always arid; even when young, at length wrinkled and crisped. =Stem= 1 in. long, scarcely 1 line thick, _horny_, tough, tubed, equal, _very smooth throughout, shining, reddish, inserted and naked_ at the base. =Gills= _adnate_, often separating, connected by veins, at length crisped in drying, whitish. Commonly gregarious. _Readily distinguished from neighboring species by its strong odor of garlic._ _Fries._ Heaths and dry pastures on twigs, etc. Rare. Edible. Esteemed for flavoring. _Stevenson._ =Spores= elliptical, 6×4µ _Massee_. North Carolina, _Schweinitz_, _Curtis_; New England, _Frost_; New Jersey, _Ellis_; New York, August, _Peck_, 23d Rep. =M. ca´lopes= Fr. _Gr_—beautiful; a foot. =Pileus= about 4 lines broad, _whitish_, slightly fleshy, tough, convex then flattened, obtuse, rarely depressed, even, smooth, slightly wrinkled when dried. =Stem= 1 in. long, 1 line thick, tubed, slightly attenuated upward, even, _smooth_, tough, dull-red or _bay-brown-red_, shining, _somewhat rooted_. =Gills= slightly emarginate, in groups of 2–4, thin, white. _Inodorous._ Almost smaller than M. scorodonius, but the stem is longer, otherwise very like it. _Fries._ =Spores= elliptical, 7×4µ _Massee_. Twigs and stems among fallen leaves in woods. Ticonderoga. August. This might easily be mistaken for M. scorodonius, but it is without odor, and has a different insertion of the lamellæ. It is sometimes cespitose. The pileus in our specimens is whitish. _Peck_, 31st Rep. N.Y. State Bot. Because of its similarity to M. scorodonius, which is edible, it is given here. II.—MYCENA. _A._ CHORDALES. =M. allia´ceus= Fr.—_allium_, garlic. =Pileus= 1–1½ in. broad, whitish inclining to fuscous, often milk-white when young, somewhat membranaceous, campanulate then expanded, somewhat umbonate, even, at length striate and sulcate, smooth, dry. =Stem= as much as 8 in. long, _horny_, rigid, fistulose, attenuated upward, _pruinato-velvety, blackish_, rooted at the base where it is somewhat incurved and naked. =Gills= adnexed in the form of a ring, then _free_, slightly ventricose, arid, slightly distant, fuscous-whitish, crisped when dry. Odor strong, of garlic, persistent. _There is nothing of a reddish tinge in the whole plant._ The stem is not tomentose at the base as in the Tergini. _Fries._ Among leaves and on rotten wood. Frequent. August to October. _Stevenson._ =Spores= 14–16×8µ. _Massee_. North Carolina, _Schweinitz_, _Curtis_; Pennsylvania, _Schweinitz_; Minnesota, _Johnson_; Novia Scotia, _Somers_. Edible. Bull. Boston Myc. Club. [Illustration] =HELIOMYCES= Lev. _Helios_, the sun; _myces_, a fungus. =Pileus= membranaceous, between leathery and gelatinous, radiately sulcate. =Gills= equal, edge acute. =Stem= somewhat woody, cylindrical, central. Allied to Marasmius, but differing in its sub-gelatinous substance. None reported edible. ---------- =LENTI´NUS= Fr. _Lentus_, tough or pliant. (Plate LII.) [Illustration: SECTION OF LENTINUS.] =Pileus= fleshy-coriaceous, pliant, tough and hard when old, persistent. =Gills= becoming dry, tough, simple, unequal, thin, margin acute, _toothed_, more or less decurrent. =Stem= when present central, excentric or lateral, hard and firm, continuous with the flesh of the pileus. Growing on wood. =Spores= somewhat round, even, white. Distinguished from other coriaceous genera by its serrated and torn gills. “The genera Lentinus and Lenzites are found in every region of the world; their principal center, however, is in hot countries, where they attain a splendid development. On the contrary, toward the north they rapidly decrease in number.” Fungi. _Cooke and Berkeley._ In habitat and mode of growth Lentinus closely resembles Pleurotus, and parallel genera with colored spores. When young the species are inviting, and when well cooked are meal-giving. They are not delicacies, but substantials. They dry well. Grated they make soups, and give their pleasant flavor to any dish. ANALYSIS OF TRIBES. MESOPODES (_mesos_, middle; _pous_, a foot). Page 229. Stem distinct. PLEUROTI (_pleura_, a side; _ous_, an ear). Stem lateral or absent. None known to be edible I.—MESO´PODES (center-stemmed). =L. Lecom´tei= Fr. =Pileus= coriaceous, funnel-shaped, regularly reflexed, hairy, tawny. =Gills= crowded, pallid. =Stem= short, hairy, tawny. Common to the states. Professor Peck writes to me: “This plant, by reason of its rather tough substance, has commonly been referred to Lentinus, under the name L. Lecomtei Schw., but this reference is scarcely satisfactory to me, since the edge of the lamellæ is scarcely at all serrate as required by that genus. It seems to me it would go better under the genus Panus. It is variable—sometimes eccentric or even lateral. It is sometimes called Lentinus strigosus, but I do not think the two are distinct species, however distinct they may be in form.” February 26, 1894. Like all Lentinus the present species is rather tough, yet chopped into small pieces, well cooked and seasoned, it is quite equal to P. ostreatus and many others of high renown. (Plate LIII.) [Illustration: LENTINUS TIGRINUS. About one-half natural size. ] =L. tigri´nus= Fr.—_tigris_, a tiger. From the markings. =Pileus= commonly 2 in. broad, white, _variegated_ with somewhat adpressed, _blackish_, _hairy squamules_, fleshy-coriaceous, _thin_, commonly orbicular and central, at first convexo-plane, _umbilicate, at length funnel-shaped_, often split at the margin when dry. =Stem= about 2 in. long, _thin_, solid, very hard, commonly attenuated downward, minutely _squamulose_, whitish, often ascending and becoming dingy-brown at the base, at first furnished _at the apex with an entire reflexed ring_, _which soon falls off_. =Gills= decurrent (_by no means sinuate_), narrow, crowded, unequal, toothed like a saw, white. Somewhat gregarious, even cespitose, thinner and more coriaceous and regular than L. lepideus B., wholly blackish with squamules. _Fries._ On old stumps. Rare. _Stevenson._ When fresh very tender and easily torn, when dry coriaceous. _Sow._ Smell strong, acrid, like that of some Lactarii. _M.J.B._ =Spores= 6.6×3.3µ _Morgan_; elliptical, smooth, 7×3.5µ _Massee._ Agreeable taste and odor, eaten in Europe. _Roques._ Edible, tough when old and never very delicate or digestible.—_M. C. Cooke._ Not found in sufficient quantity to test. =L. lepi´deus= Fr. _Gr_—scaly. (Plate XVI, fig. 3, 4, p. 52.) =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad, pallid-ochraceous, variegated with adpressed, _darker, spot-like scales, fleshy_, very _compact_ and firm, _irregular_, commonly excentric, convex then depressed, but not truly umbilicate, sometimes broken up into cracks. =Flesh= pliant, white. =Stem= short, commonly 1 in. long, solid, _stout, very irregularly formed_, almost woody, tomentose-scaly, whitish, rooted at the base, _at the first furnished with a veil toward the apex_. =Gills= decurrent, but _sinuate behind_, crowded broad, transversely striate, whitish, edge torn into teeth. Odor pleasant. _Fries._ =Spores= 11×5µ _W.G.S._, 7×3µ. _Massee._ Lentinus lepideus is a sort of commercial traveler. It is common wherever railroads are. It is partial to oak ties and its mycelium is injurious to them. It is found upon pine and other timbers. The writer has collected large clusters of it from oak sawdust. The European plant is noted as “almost always solitary.” In the United States it is seldom so. It is noted as growing in damp, dark places, but it loves the sun. As a food it is about on a par with P. ulmarius, not as tough, but harder when old. It is a reliable species from spring until late autumn, is persistent and dries well. It is neat, handsome, prolific. When young it makes a good dish, and when old can be used to advantage in soups. =L. cochlea´tus= Fr.—_cochlea_, a snail. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad, flesh-color, but becoming pale, somewhat tan, fleshy-pliant, thin, commonly excentric, imbricated, very unequal, somewhat lobed or contorted, sometimes plane, sometimes funnel-shaped-umbilicate, but not pervious, _smooth_. =Stem= solid, firm, sometimes central, most frequently excentric, sometimes wholly lateral, _always sulcate, smooth_, flesh-colored upward, reddish-brown downward. =Gills= decurrent, crowded, serrated, white-flesh-color. _Fries._ Pliant, tough, flaccid, very changeable in form, sometimes solitary, sometimes cespitose, imbricated, growing into each other. From very small forms which are commonly solitary, with the stem and pileus scarcely 1 in. it ranges to 3 in. On stumps. Frequent. August to October. According to Fries the odor is weak, of anise; but it is generally strong and very pleasant. _Stevenson._ =Spores= nearly globular, 4µ diameter _Morgan_; spheroid or ellipsoid-spheroid, uniguttate, 4–6µ _K._; almost globular, 4µ _W.G.S._ The dense clusters of all sized members are usually plenty in favored localities. It is inviting in appearance, taste and spicy odor. It retains a suspicion of the latter when cooked which gives the dish a flavor pleasant to many. It must be young to be tender. When dry—like others of its kind—it can be grated and used in many ways. =L. Un´derwoodii= Pk. =Pileus= fleshy, tough, convex or nearly plane, the glabrous surface cracking into areola-like scales which are indistinct or wanting toward the margin, whitish or slightly tinged with buff or pale ochraceous. =Flesh= white. =Gills= moderately close, decurrent, slightly connecting or anastomosing at the base, somewhat notched on the edge, whitish, becoming discolored in drying. =Stem= stout, hard, solid, eccentric, squamose, colored like the pileus. =Spores= oblong, 13–15×5–6.5µ. =Plant= cespitose. =Pileus= 3–6 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–3 in. long, about 1 in. thick. This differs from L. magnus in its cespitose habit, eccentric stem, longer spores, less distinctly areolate-squamose pileus and in its habitat. The gills are connected at the base very much like those of Pleurotus ostreatus. _Peck_, Torr. Bull. Vol. 23, No. 10. North Carolina, Pennsylvania, _McIlvaine_. The writer first met with it in North Carolina, near Washington, on oaks and railroad timbers, and in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. It attains quite a size, grows singly and in clusters. Its clean, cake-like appearance is attractive. Cooked it ranks with P. ulmarius, L. lepideus, and Panus strigosus. [Illustration] =PA´NUS= Fr. A name given to a tree-growing fungus by Pliny. (Plate LIV.) [Illustration: PANUS TORULOSUS. About one-fourth natural size. ] Whole fungus between fleshy and leathery, tough, not woody, texture fibrous. =Gills= unequal, tough, becoming leathery, edge acute and unbroken. =Stem= present or absent. Growing on wood. Various in form, lasting long. Allied to Lentinus but differing in the tough and very entire gills. =Spores= even, white. ANALYSIS OF SPECIES. * Stem excentric. ** Stem lateral. *** Stem absent. Pileus resupinate or dimidiate. Species of this genus are among our most observable fungi. Their settlements are frequent on decaying trees, stumps, branches, on fences, cut timber, etc. Most of them are small, but their coriaceous build prevents their shrinking in cooking. Most species have a pleasant farinaceous taste and odor, which they yield, together with a gummy substance, to soups and gravies. Tasting a small piece will immediately tell, if the species is not known, whether it is edible or of the styptic kind. * _Stem excentric._ =P. concha´tus= Fr.—Formed like _concha_, a shell-fish. =Pileus= about 3 in. across, tough and flexible, unequal, excentric or dimidiate, margin often lobed, cinnamon-color becoming pale, at length more or less scaly. =Flesh= thin. =Gills= narrow, forming decurrent lines on the stem, somewhat branched; pinkish-white then pale-ochraceous. =Stem= about ⅔ in. long, 3–4 lines thick, solid, unequal, pale, base downy. _Massee._ On trunks of beech, poplar, etc. Often imbricated and more or less grown together. Allied to Panus torulosus, but distinguished by the much thinner pileus, more expanded and excentric, also dimidiate, flaccid, cinnamon becoming pale, but the form not constant. =Stem= about ½ in. long, 4 lines thick, often compressed, downy at the base. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad, scaly when old. =Gills= decurrent in long, parallel lines, not at all resembling those of Pleurotus ostreatus, which anastomose behind, but frequently unequally branched, at first whitish or pale flesh-color, then wood-color, crisped when dry. _Fries._ Always known by its shell-like form and its tough substance. Sent to the writer by Mr. E.B. Sterling, Trenton, N.J. September, 1898. The appearance of scales upon the pileus was scarcely noticeable. Taste pleasant. The fungus is tough when old, but yields an excellent gravy. [Illustration: Photographed by Dr. J.R. Weist. PLATE LV. PANUS STRIGOSUS. ] =P. torulo´sus= Fr.—a tuft of hair. (Plate LIV, p. 232.) =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad, somewhat flesh-color, but varying reddish-livid and becoming violet, _entire_, but very excentric, fleshy, somewhat compact when young, _plano-infundibuliform, even_, smooth. =Flesh= pallid. =Stem= short, commonly 1 in., solid, oblique, tough, firm, commonly with gray, but often violaceous _down_. =Gills= decurrent, somewhat distant, simple, separate behind, reddish then tan-color. Very changeable in form, at first fleshy-pliant, at length coriaceous. In the covering of the stem it approaches Paxillus atro-tomentosus, but there is no affinity between them. _Fries._ On old stumps. =Spores= 6×3µ _W.G.S._ North Carolina, _Curtis_; Massachusetts, _Frost_; Minnesota, _Johnson_; Kansas, _Cragin_; New York, _Peck_, Rep. 30. Much esteemed in France, _W.D.H._ Edible, but tough. _M.C.C._ =P. lævis= B. and C.—light. =Pileus= 3 in. broad, orbicular, slightly depressed, white, clothed in the center with long, intricate, rather delicate hairs, which are shorter and more matted toward the inflected margin; substance rather thin. =Stem= 3 in. high, ½ in. thick, attenuated upward, generally excentric, sometimes lateral, not rooting, solid, hairy below like the margin of the pileus. =Gills= rather broad, entire, decurrent, but not to a great degree, the interstices even above, behind clothed with the same coat as the top of the stem. =Spores= white. On oak and hickory trunks. A most distinct species, remarkable for its great lightness when dry and the long villous but not compressed or compound flocci of the pileus. Sometimes the center of the pileus becomes quite smooth when old. One of the prettiest of fungi. The markings upon the white margin are more precise than those of the finest bee comb. One does not tire looking at the work of Nature’s geometrician. It is not plentiful, but is of useful size. It has good flavor and cooks quite tender. (Plate LV_a_.) [Illustration: PANUS STRIGOSUS. One-third natural size. ] =P. strigo´sus= B. and C.—covered with stiff hairs. =Pileus= white, excentric, clothed with coarse strigose pubescence, margin thin. =Stem= strigose like the pileus. =Gills= broad, distant, decurrent. Allied to P. lævis. =Pileus= 8 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 1 in. or more thick. On oak stumps. Decaying wood of deciduous trees. September. It is remarkable for its large size and the dense hairy covering of the pileus and stem. _Peck_, 26th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. A remarkably handsome fungus. A specimen taken from a cluster growing upon an apple tree measured 10 in. across. Its creamy whiteness, and short hairy stem make it unmistakable among other tree-fungi. When very young it is edible, but soon becomes woody. Even when aged it yields a well flavored gravy. ** _Stem lateral._ =P. farina´ceus= Schum.—_farina_, meal. From the scurf on the pileus. Pileus cinnamon-umber, somewhat coriaceous, flexuous, cuticle separating into whitish-bluish-gray scurf. =Stem= short, lateral, of the same color as the pileus. =Gills= determinately free, distinct, paler. The habit is that of P. stipticus. _Stevenson._ Pennsylvania, A. pleurotus f., _Schweinitz_; Ohio, _Morgan_. Var. albido-tomentosus. See Panus albido-tomentosus. =P. al´bido-tomento´sus= CKE. MASS.—_albidus_, white; _tomentum_, down. =Pileus= about ⅔ in. long, ½ in. broad, horizontal, sometimes imbricated, semi-circular, subcoriaceous, flexuous or regular, pale umber, densely clothed with a short, whitish, velvety down, which seems to be persistent, but thinner and shorter toward the shortly incurved margin. =Stem= lateral, very short, or entirely absent, and attached by a downy base. =Gills= radiating from the point of attachment; narrowed behind, lanceolate, honey-colored, margin entire, rigid, scarcely crowded, shorter ones intermixed. =Spores= subglobose, smooth, 5µ diameter. On trunks and branches. =Pileus= about 1 in. broad, often in imbricated tufts. It is doubtful whether this is not a distinct species from the type described by Fries. _Cooke and Massee._ Panus albido-tomentosus is given by Cooke and Massee as a variety of Panus farinaceus. The writer decides to give it place as a species. It has been sent to me by Mr. H.I. Miller, from Terre Haute, Ind., by Dr. E.L. Cushing, Albion, N.Y., Miss Madeleine Le Moyne, Washington, Pa. I have found it in West Virginia, New Jersey and many parts of Pennsylvania. It is plentiful in patches upon branches and boles of deciduous trees. Long, slow cooking makes it tender. It makes a luscious gravy after thirty minutes' stewing. *** _Stem absent, pileus resupinate or dimidiate._ =P. betuli´nus= Pk.—_betula_, birch. =Pileus= thin, suborbicular or dimidiate, nearly plane, glabrous, prolonged behind into a short stem, grayish-brown, darker or blackish toward the stem. =Gills= narrow, close, decurrent, whitish. Stem adorned with a slight tawny hairiness which is more fully developed toward the base. =Spores= minute, 4–5×1.5–2µ. Decaying wood of birch. Newfoundland. October, _Rev. A.C. Waghorne_. _Peck_, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, Vol. 23, No. 10. Common in West Virginia mountains on birches, 1882; found at Eagle’s Mere, Pa., August, 1898. Quite plentiful on decaying birch trees, which abound there. Size from ½-1½ in. across. Eaten raw it has a gummy quality and very pleasant nutty flavor. I did not have opportunity to cook it, but regard it as a species well worth trying. =P. stip´ticus= Fr.—_stypticus_, astringent. =Pileus= ½-1 in. broad, cinnamon becoming pale, arid, thin, but not membranaceous, kidney-shaped, pruinose, the _cuticle separating into furfuraceous scales_. =Stem= not reaching 1 in. long, solid, _definitely lateral_, compressed, _dilated upward_, ascending, pruinose, paler than the gills. =Gills= ending determinately (not decurrent), thin, very narrow, crowded, _elegantly connected by veins_, cinnamon. _Fries._ Gregarious, cespitose, remarkable for _its astringent taste_. The pileus sometimes has a funnel-shaped appearance with lobes all around. On stumps, etc. Common. August to February. Reckoned poisonous. _Stevenson._ =Spores= obovoid-spheroid, 2–3×1–2µ _K._; 3×4µ _W.G.S._ Plentiful and general. The markings upon the cap in moist weather are sometimes exquisitely regular. The immediate and lasting unpleasantness of this fungus to mouth and throat, whether cooked or raw, will cancel all desire to eat of it forevermore. A nibble will detect it. It is reckoned poisonous, and may be. No one but a determined suicide would resort to it. Dr. Lambotte asserts that it is a violent purgative. [Illustration] =XER´OTUS= Fr. _Gr_—dry; _Gr_—an ear. (Plate LVI.) [Illustration: XEROTUS DEGENER.] Hymenophore continuous with the stem, descending into the trama which is homogeneous with the _coriaceous pileus_. =Gills= coriaceous, broadly plicæform, dichotomous, edge quite entire, obtuse. _Rigid, persistent, analogous with the Cantharelli, but differing in the whole structure._ _Fries._ The gills are more distant than in any species of Agaricaccæ. None edible. =TRO´GIA= Fr. After _Trog_, a Swiss botanist. (Plate LVIII.) [Illustration: TROGIA CRISPA. Natural size. ] =Gills= fold-like, edge longitudinally channelled (in the single European species only crisped). In other respects agreeing with Xerotus. _Soft, flaccid, but arid and persistent, texture fibrillose._ _Fries._ Reviving when wet. =Spores= white. _Stevenson._ =Spores= elongated or cylindrical. American representative, Trogia crispa, var. variegata. Pileus and gills variegated with bluish or greenish-blue stains. Sandlake. September. _Peck_, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. Not edible. =SCHIZOPHYL´LUM= Fr. _Gr_—to split; _Gr_—a leaf. (Plate LVIII_a_.) [Illustration: SCHIZOPHYLLUM COMMUNE.] =Pileus= fleshless, arid. =Gills= coriaceous, fan-wise branched, united above by the tomentose pellicle, bifid, split longitudinally at the edge. =Spores= somewhat round, white. _Fries._ The two lips of the split edge of the gills are commonly revolute. The farthest removed of all the Agaricini from the type. Growing on wood. _Stevenson._ Common on decaying _wood_. Tough. =LENZITES= Fr. After _Lenz_, a German botanist. =Pileus= corky or coriaceous, texture arid and floccose. =Gills= coriaceous, firm, sometimes simple and unequal, sometimes anastomosing and forming pores behind, trama floccose and similar to the pileus, edge somewhat acute. The European species are dimidiate, sessile, persistent, growing on wood, quite resembling Dædalea. _Fries._ Allied most nearly to Trametes and Dædalea and forming as it were the transition from Agaricaceæ to Polyporaceæ. In tropical countries they are more woody in texture. _Stevenson._ Very common. None edible. (Plate LVII.) [Illustration] RHODOSPORAE. [Illustration] _Hymenophore distinct from fleshy stem._ VOLVARIA. PLUTEUS —-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-— _Hymenophore confluent and homogeneous with fleshy stem._ ENTOLOMA. CLITOPILUS. CLAUDOPUS. —-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-- _Hymenophore confluent with, but heterogeneous from cartilaginous stem._ LEPTONIA. NOLANEA. ECCILIA. PLATE LVIII_b_. CHART OF GENERA IN PINK-SPORED SERIES—RHODOSPORAE. PAGE 239. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------- _Series II._ =RHODOSPORÆ.= _Gr_—rose; _Gr_—seed. Or =HYPORHO´DII=—_hypo_, under; _rhodon_, rose. Spores pink or salmon-color. In Volvaria, Pluteus and most of Clitopilus, the spores are regular in shape, as in the white-spored series, in the rest of the subgenera they are generally angular and irregular. Though European writers, generally, condemn the rosy-spored series as inedible, a few of our best American edibles are found in it—notably Pluteus cervinus. =VOLVA´RIA= Fr. _Volva_, a wrapper. =Spores= regular, oval, pink, or salmon. =Veil= universal, forming a perfect _volva_, distinct from the cuticle of the pileus. =Stem= separating easily from the pileus. =Gills= _free_, rounded behind, at the very first white then pinkish, soft. Analogous with Amanita. Growing in woods and on rich mold, rotten wood and damp ground, hence often found in hot-houses and gardens. V. Loveiana Berk. is parasitic on Clitocybe nebularis. There are thirteen species reported from different parts of the United States. Most of them grow upon wood. Two species have previously been reported as edible, to which I have added V. Taylori, tested by myself. One species, V. gloiocephala, is upon the authority of Letellier, given as poisonous. It is found in several parts of the United States, but no comment has been made upon its edibility. I have not seen it. A careful study of its botanic characters is urged. It should be regarded as poisonous until its reputation is cleared up, as it probably will be. ANALYSIS OF SPECIES. * Pileus dry, silky or fibrillose. ** Pileus more or less viscid, smooth. [Illustration: Photographed by Dr. J.R. Weist. PLATE LIX. VOLVARIA BOMBYCINA. ] * _Pileus dry, silky or fibrillose._ (Plate LIX_a_.) [Illustration: VOLVARIA BOMBYCINA. Natural size. ] =V. bombyci´na= Schaeff.—_bombyx_, silk. =Pileus= 3–8 in. broad, _wholly white_, fleshy, soft, at first globose, soon bell-shaped, at length convex, somewhat umbonate, _everywhere silky_ or, _when older, hairy-scaled_, more rarely becoming smooth at the vertex. =Flesh= not thick, white. =Stem= 3–6 in. long, ½ in. thick or more at the base, solid, equally attenuated from the base to the apex, even, smooth, white. =Volva=, soon torn asunder, ample, 2–3 in. broad, membranaceous, lax, slashed, somewhat viscid, persistent. =Gills= free, very crowded when young, almost cohering, ventricose, in groups of 2–4, then toothed, flesh-colored. Ovate when young. According to some becoming brownish. The stem is curved-ascending on vertical trunks and straight on prostrate ones. Commonly solitary, sometimes however cespitose. _Stevenson._ =Spores= elliptic, smooth, 6–7×4µ _Massee_; 6–8µ _Lloyd_. Considered edible. _Stevenson._ Edible. _Curtis._ Very general but not common over the United States. It is a large plant, from 3 in. upward across cap. Growing from wood, oaks, maples, beech, etc. The writer has not been successful in finding it. Drawing, spore-print and description received from _H.I. Miller_, Terre Haute, Ind. Upon such an authority as the late Dr. Curtis there is no doubt of its edibility. (Plate LX.) [Illustration: VOLVARIA VOLVACEA. Two-fifths natural size. ] =V. volva´cea= Bull.—_volva_, a wrapper. =Pileus= 2–3 in. across. =Flesh= white, thick at the disk, very thin elsewhere, soft, bell-shaped then expanded, obtuse, grayish-yellow, virgate or streaked with adpressed blackish fibrils. =Gills= free, about 2 lines broad, pale flesh-color. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, about 4 lines thick, almost equal, white, solid. Volva large, loose, whitish. =Spores= smooth, elliptical, 6–8×3.5–4µ; no cystidia. _Massee._ On the ground by roadsides, etc., also in stoves. Allied to V. bombycina, but constantly different in the less ample and less persistent, brownish volva. =Pileus= 3 in. across, rarely more, gray, elegantly virgate with blackish fibrils; flesh-color of the gills not so pure. _Fries._ Once found in woods at roots of a tree. It occurs every year in the cellar of our drug store. _Lloyd_ “Volvæ.” North Carolina, _Schweinitz_; Minnesota, _Johnson_; Ohio, _Morgan_. Probably edible, should be carefully tested. =V. Tay´lori= Berk. =Pileus= 1¾ in. high and broad, livid, conico-campanulate, obtuse, striately cracked from the apex, thin, margin lobed and sinuated. =Stem= 2½ in. long, ¼ in. thick, pallid, solid, nearly equal, slightly bulbous at the base. =Volva= date-brown, lobed, somewhat lax, small. =Gills= uneven, broad in front, very much attenuated behind, rose-color. Pileus beautifully penciled and cracked. The dark volva, bell-shaped pileus, and uneven, attenuated gills are marked characters. The habit is rather that of some Entoloma than of its more immediate allies. _Fries._ =Spores= 6×9µ _W.G.S._; broadly elliptical, smooth, 5×3.5–4µ _Massee_. Indiana, _Mrs. L.H. Cox_; West Philadelphia, in much decayed stump of maple. _McIlvaine._ =Caps= 1½-2 in. across and beautifully penciled and cracked. =Stem= 1½-3 in. long. =Gills= up to ⅓ in. wide. The spores when shed in body are a beautiful maroon. Resembling V. volvacea, but lighter in color, and having a brown volva. Specimens sent me by J.J. Newbaker, Steelton, Pa., had snow-white caps and when young were velvety to the touch. Gills tinged with pink; volva dark brown. The few specimens eaten were of good flavor, somewhat resembling Pluteus cervinus. **_Pileus more or less viscid, smooth._ =V. specio´sa= Fr.—_speciosus_, handsome. =Pileus= 3–5 in. broad, whitish, _gray_ or umber _at the disk_, fleshy, globose when young, then bell-shaped, at length plane and somewhat umbonate, even, _smooth, gluey_. =Flesh= soft, floccose, white. =Stem= 4–8 in. long, as much as 1 in. thick, solid, firm, slightly attenuated from the base as far as the apex, when young, _white-villous_ and tomentose at the base, then becoming smooth, white. =Volva= bulbous rather than lax, free however, variously torn into loops, membranaceous, ½-1 in. broad, externally tomentose, white. =Gills= free, flesh-colored. The gills are wholly the same as those of A. bombycinus. It occurs also thinner, with the pileus wholly gray. _Fries._ =Spores= 12–18×8–10µ _K._; elliptical or subglobose, smooth, 14–16×8µ _Massee_. Distinguished by the whitish, viscid pileus, and the downy volva and stem. _Massee._ “Common in cultivated soil, especially grain fields and along roads. A fine edible agaric and our most abundant one in California.” _McClatchie._ Volvæ, U.S., Lloyd. =V. gloioceph´ala= Dec. Fl. _Gr_—sticking; head. =Pileus= dark opaque brown, fleshy, bell-shaped then expanded, umbonate, smooth, _glutinous_, striate at the margin. =Stem= solid, _smooth_, becoming brownish or tawny; the _volva_, which is _circularly split_, pressed close. =Gills= free, reddish. Fragments of the volva are sometimes seen on the pileus. The stem is commonly more slender than that of A. speciosus. _Fries._ On the ground. Uncommon. June to October. _Stevenson._ Pileus about 3 in. across, with a strong regular, obtuse umbo in the center, of a delicate mouse-gray, viscid when moist, but when dry shining, quite smooth, margin striate in consequence of the thinness of the flesh. =Stem= 6 in. or more high, about ½ in. thick in the center, attenuated upward, bulbous at the base, clothed with a few slight fibers, easily splitting, solid, rather dingy, ringless. =Volva= loose, villous like the base of the stem, splitting into several unequal lobes; the gills are broad, especially in front, narrower behind and quite free, so as to leave a space round the top of the stem, white, tinged with grayish-pink; margin slightly toothed. Smell strong and unpleasant, and taste disagreeable. _M.J.B._ VERY POISONOUS according to Letellier. _Stevenson._ =Spores= 19×9µ _W.G.S._; elliptical, smooth, 10–12×6–7µ _Massee_. Distinguished by the smoky, glutinous pileus. The measurement of the spores as given by Saccardo (19×9µ) is certainly too large, and is probably an uncorrected error. _Massee._ North Carolina, _Curtis_; South Carolina, _Ravenel_; Ontario, _Dearness_; California, _Harkness and Moore_; Ohio, _Morgan_; Mississippi, Minnesota, _Johnson_. [Illustration: Grouped by F.D. Briscoe—Studies by C. McIlvaine. PLATE LXI.] FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE.