Toadstools, mushrooms, fungi, edible and poisonous; one thousand American fungi
11. Stems not cespitose, hollow C. Seymourianus
614 words | Chapter 70
_Peck_, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
SPORES FLESH-COLOR.
_A._ SPORES EVEN.
=C. pru´nulus= Scop.—_prunus_, plum. (Plate LXIII, fig. 4, 5, p. 254.)
=Pileus= fleshy, _compact_, at first convex and regular, then repand,
_dry_, _pruinate_, white or ashy-white. =Flesh= white, unchangeable,
with a pleasant farinaceous odor. =Gills= deeply decurrent, subdistant,
flesh-colored. =Stem= solid, naked, striate, white. =Spores=
subelliptical, pointed at each end, 10–11×5–6µ.
=Pileus= 1.5–3 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 3–4 lines thick.
Woods.
Not abundant, but edible, and said to be delicious and one of the best
of the esculent species. _Peck_, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
June to October. Most plentiful in August and September.
Very plentiful in oak woods at Angora, West Philadelphia, moderate crops
at Mt. Gretna, Pa.
An abortive form (see Plate LXIII, fig. 2, 3, p. 254) occurs not
distinguishable from that of Armillaria mellea. It grows singly and in
tufts, very variable in shape, white, tinged with brown on ruptured
surfaces. This form equals its original.
C. prunulus has a strong smell of fresh meal. It is a delicious species.
Stew. It is one of the very best in patties, croquettes, etc.
(Plate LXV.)
[Illustration:
CLITOPILUS ORCELLA.
Two-thirds natural size.
]
=C. Orcel´la= Bull.—=Pileus= 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. =Gills= deeply decurrent, _close_, whitish then
flesh-colored. =Stem= short, solid, flocculose, often eccentric,
thickened above, white. =Spores= elliptical, 9–10×5µ.
Generally a little smaller than the preceding species, softer and more
irregular, but so closely allied that by some it is considered a mere
variety of it. It is said to be edible and of delicate flavor. It occurs
in wet weather in pastures and open places. _Peck_, 42d Rep. N.Y. State
Bot.
Grows in oak woods, Angora, West Philadelphia; Mt. Gretna, Pa.
Qualities same as C. prunulus. Delicious.
=C. pascuen´sis= Pk.—pasture. =Pileus= fleshy, compact, centrally
depressed, _glabrous, reddish or pale yellowish_, the cuticle of the
disk cracking into minute areas. =Gills= rather narrow, close,
decurrent, whitish, becoming flesh-colored. =Stem= short, equal or
tapering downward, solid, glabrous, colored like the pileus. =Spores=
subelliptical, pale incarnate, 7.5–10×5–6µ.
=Pileus= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 8–18 lines long, 4–6 lines thick.
Pastures. Saratoga county.
The species is related to C. prunulus from which it is distinct by its
shorter, paler spores, its glabrous pileus cracked in areas on the disk
and tinged with red or yellowish and by its paler gills. From C.
pseudo-orcella it differs in its glabrous pileus with no silky luster
and in its closer gills. Its odor is obsolete but it has a farinaceous
flavor. It is probably esculent, but has not been found in sufficient
quantity to afford a test of qualities. _Peck_, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
=C. unitinct´us= Pk.—one-colored. =Pileus= thin, _submembranaceous_,
flexible, convex or nearly plane, centrally depressed or umbilicate,
glabrous, subshining, often concentrically rivulose, grayish or
grayish-brown. =Flesh= whitish or grayish-white, odor obsolete, taste
mild. =Gills= narrow, moderately close, _adnate or slightly decurrent_,
colored like the pileus. =Stem= slender, straight or flexuous,
subtenacious, equal, slightly pruinose, grayish-brown, with a close
white myceloid tomentum at the base and white root-like fibers of
mycelium permeating the soil. =Spores= elliptical, 7.5×5µ.
Var. _al´bidus_. Whitish or grayish-white, not rivulose. Gills broader.
Spores brownish flesh-color.
=Pileus= 6–16 lines broad. Stem about 1 in. long, 1 line thick.
Woods of pine or balsam. Albany and Essex counties. Autumn.
The variety is a little paler than the typical form, with gills a little
broader, but is probably not specifically distinct. _Peck_, 42d Rep.
N.Y. State Bot.
I have not seen this species. Edibility not reported.
_B._ SPORES ANGULAR OR IRREGULAR.
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