2. PHOLIOTA CAPERATA, 270 4. PHOLIOTA SUBSQUARROSA, 275

_Hymenophore distinct from fleshy stem._ ACETABULARIA. BOLBITIUS. _Hymenophore confluent and homogenous with fleshy stem._ CORTINARIUS. PHOLIOTA. INOCYBE. HEBELOMA. FLAMMULA. PAXILLUS. CREPIDOTUS. _Hymenophore confluent with, but heterogeneous from cartilaginous stem._ NAUCORIA. GALERA. PLUTEOLUS. TUBARIA. _Series III._ =OCHRO´SPORÆ= (Dermini). Spores brown. Ochrosporæ, third in color series, ranges in spore color from dull ochraceous, through bright ocher, to rusty orange and ferruginous or iron-rust. The various shades will tax even a color expert. There are no species in the series corresponding to Amanitæ. In Acetabularia there is a cup-like volva; in Pholiota there is a distinct interwoven ring on the stem; in Cortinarius the secondary veil is like a cobweb, and may form an imperfect zone around the stem, or hang as fibers from the margin of the cap; Pluteolus exactly resembles Pluteus. There are many edible species of good quality in the series. None are known to be poisonous. The substance, as a rule, is tougher than in most of the preceding genera, and in many instances has a strong woody flavor. Several species are late growers, and are among the best of fungi. Notably in Pholiota. =ACETABULA´RIA= Berk. _Acetabulum_, a vinegar-cup. From the cup-like volva. Universal veil distinct from the pileus; hymenophore distinct; gills free; spores pallid, tawny or brown. Analogous to Volvaria and Chitonia. No American species reported. [Illustration] =PHOLIO´TA= Fr. _Gr_—a scale. =Pileus= more or less fleshy. =Gills= adnate, with or without a decurrent tooth, tawny or rust colored at maturity from the spores. =Flesh= of stem continuous with that of the pileus. =Ring= distinct, interwoven. =Spores= sepia-brown, bright yellowish-brown or light red. Generally on wood, sometimes on the ground in damp moss, frequently densely cespitose. Some of the species are large and bright colored. Distinguished from all other genera of the brown-spored series by the possession of a distinct ring. In Cortinarius the veil and ring are web-like. Stevenson notes in his description of the genus: “None are to be commended as edible.” My investigation shows that there are several delicious species, notably P. squarrosa and subsquarrosa. Their lateness and plentifulness make them valuable food fungi. I have nothing but praise for the entire genus. ANALYSIS OF TRIBES. _A._ HUMIGENI (_humus_, ground; _gigno_, to bear). Page 270. On the ground, rarely cespitose. * Eudermini. _Gr_—well; _dermini_, the brown-spored series. Spores ferruginous. ** Phæoti. _Gr_—dusky. Spores dusky rust-colored. _B._ TRUNCIGENI (_truncus_, a trunk; _gigno_, to bear). Page 273. On wood; subcespitose. * Ægeritini. _P. ægerita_, the type of the section. Pileus naked, not scaly, sometimes cracked. Gills pallid, then reddish or dusky. None known to be edible. ** Squamosi—_squama_, a scale. Pileus scaly, not hygrophanous. Gills becoming discolored. * Gills not becoming purely rust-colored. ** Gills yellow, then rust-color or tawny. *** Hygrophani. _Gr_—moist; to appear. Gills cinnamon, not at first yellow. _C._ MUSCIGENI (_muscus_, moss; _gigno_, to bear). Hygrophanous. Like Galera with a ring. _A._ HUMIGENI. On ground. * Eudermini. _Spores ferruginous._ =P. capera´ta= Pers.—_capero_, to wrinkle. (Plate LXXI, fig. 2, page 268.) =Pileus= 3–5 in. broad, more or less intensely yellow, fleshy, but thin in proportion to its size and robust stem, ovate then expanded, obtuse, viscid only when moist and not truly so, even at the disk, wrinkled in pits at the sides, _incrusted with white superficial flocci_. =Stem= 4–6 in. long, more than 1 in. thick, solid, stout, cylindrical with exception of the base which is often tuberous, shining white, _scaly above the ring, which is membranaceous, reflexo-pendulous, and broken into squamules at the apex_. =Gills= adnate, crowded, thin, somewhat serrated, _clay_-cinnamon. When young the pileus is incrusted with the veil or with white mealy-floccose soft, hairy down, which is crowded on the even disk and scaly towards the thin pitted-furrowed margin; and as this separates the pileus is naked. Veil universal, floccoso-mealy, at the first cohering in the form of a volva but not continuous; in rainy weather remaining in the form of a volva at the base. =Spores= dark ferruginous on a white ground, paler on a black ground. There is a smaller form (A. macropus Pers.) in pine woods, pileus even and paler. =Stem= 3 in. long, and without a tuberous base. =Ring= oblique and often incomplete. _Stev._ =Spores= 10µ _B. and Br._; 12×4µ _W.P._; spheroid-ellipsoid, uniguttate, 11–12×8–9µ _K._; 12×4.5µ _Massee_. Not previously reported. This fungus occurs sparingly in rich woods near Boston. It is much esteemed in Germany, and eagerly sought by the common people, who call it familiarly the “Zigeuner” (Gypsy). Boston Myc. Club Bull. 1896. I have found this species in but one place—on the south hill of the great Chester valley, Pa., where it grows plentifully in woods. The taste raw was slightly acrid, but when cooked this disappeared. Many ate of the species and enjoyed it. =P. togula´ris= Bull.—_togula_, a little cloak. From the ample ring. =Pileus= 1½ in. broad, _pallid ochraceous_, fleshy, soft, bell-shaped then expanded, obtuse, orbicular, _without striæ_, smooth. =Flesh= thin, soft, becoming yellow. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, 2 lines thick, tubed, rigid, equal, cylindrical, rough with stiff fibers, naked and becoming yellow at the apex, becoming dingy brown downward. =Ring= medial, more than 1 in. distant, entire, spreading-reflexed. =Gills= adnato-separating, ventricose, crowded, narrowed in front, becoming yellow, at length pale rust-color, never becoming dingy brown. Protean, slender, very variable in stature, growing in troops. _b._ More slender, but densely gregarious, with the wholly pallid smooth stem thinner, often flexuous. This form is exactly A. mesodactylus Berk. _c._ Very small. Pileus 1 in. =Stem= 1 in. or a little more, scarcely 1 line thick, very flexuous, becoming rust-color. _Stevenson._ =Spores= elliptical, 8×3.5µ _Massee_. New Jersey, on decayed chips mixed with dirt. May, 1898. _E.B. Sterling._ Not previously reported. The specimens sent were tested and found to be of good quality. ** Phæ´oti. _Spores fuscous—ferruginous (dingy rust-color)._ =P. du´ra= Bolt.—_durus_, hard. =Pileus= 3 in. and more broad, tawny, tan-color, becoming dingy brown, fleshy, _somewhat compact_, convexo-plane, obtuse, smooth, _then cracked into patches_, margin even. =Stem= commonly curt, 2 in. long, about ½ in. thick, _stuffed_, even solid, hard, becoming silky-even, then longitudinally cracked when dry, thickened at the _apex, mealy_ and more than usually widened into the pileus, varying ventricose and irregularly-shaped. =Ring= _torn_. =Gills= _adnate_, striato-decurrent with a tooth, ventricose, ½ in. broad, _livid then dingy rust-color_. The stem is abundantly furnished with fibrillose rootlets at the base. Although very closely allied to A. præcox, it is readily distinguished by its rust-color or brown-rust spores. _Stevenson._ =Spores= 9×5µ _W.G.S._; 8–9×5–6µ _Massee_. Haddonfield, N.J. June to October. Florist’s garden, _McIlvaine_. After rains P. dura appears, solitary, from spring to autumn. The cracked cap, in mature specimens, distinguishes it from other species found on its habitat. It varies in size from 1½ in. up to 4 in. across. The caps are excellent. (Plate LXXII.) [Illustration: PHOLIOTA PRÆCOX. After Peck. ] =P. præ´cox= Pers.—_præcox_, early. =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad, convex or nearly plane, soft, nearly or quite glabrous, whitish, more or less tinged with yellow or tan-color. =Gills= close, adnexed, at first whitish, then brownish or rusty-brownish. =Stem= 1.5–3 in. long, 2–2.5 lines thick, rather slender, mealy or glabrous, stuffed or hollow, whitish. =Spores= elliptical, rusty-brown, 10–13×6–8µ. The Early Pholiota is a small but variable species. From other similarly colored species that appear in grassy ground early in the season, the collar on the stem will generally distinguish it. Its cap is usually convex when young but nearly flat in the mature plant. It is rather pale in color but not a clear white, being tinted with yellow or pale tan-colored hues. The gills are whitish when the cap first opens, but they soon change to a rusty-brown hue in consequence of the ripening of the spores. They are excavated at the inner extremity and slightly attached to the stem. They are ventricose when the cap is fully expanded. The stem is rather slender, nearly or quite straight and soon smooth and hollow. It is pale or whitish, and usually furnished with a small collar. Sometimes the collar is slight and disappears with age and sometimes the fragments of the veil remain attached to the margin of the cap leaving nothing for a collar. The plants usually grow in grassy ground, lawns and gardens, and appear from May to July. Var. _minor_ Batt. is a small form having the cap only about 1 in. broad and the remnants of the veil adherent to the margin of the cap. It is represented by figures 6 to 12. Var. _sylvestris_ Pk. has the center of the cap brownish or rusty-brown, and grows in thin woods. _Peck_, 49th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. =Spores= inclining to fuscous, spheroid-ellipsoid, 8–13×5–7µ _K._; 8×6µ _W.G.S._; 8–13×6–7µ _Massee_. West Virginia, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, May to August. On rich ground, lawns, gardens, etc. _McIlvaine._ Coming as it does in early spring, it is a prized species wherever found. The caps only are good. _B._ TRUNCIGENI. On wood. ** Squamosi. _Scaly._ (Plate LXXIII.) [Illustration: PHOLIOTA SQUARROSA. One-half natural size. ] =P. squarro´sa= Mull.—_squarrosus_, scurfy. (Plate LXXI, fig. 3, page 268.) =Pileus= 3–5 in. broad, saffron-rust-color, scaly with _innate, crowded, revolute, darker_ (becoming dingy brown), persistent _scales_, fleshy, convex bell-shaped then flattened, commonly obtusely umbonate or gibbous, dry. =Flesh= light-yellow, compact when young, sometimes thin. =Stems= curt when young, as much as 8 in. long when full-grown, as much as 1 in. thick at the apex, remarkably attenuated downwards, stuffed, scaly as far as the ring with crowded, revolute, darker scales. =Ring= only slightly distant from the apex, rarely membranaceous, entire or often slashed, generally floccoso-radiate, of the same color as the scales. =Gills= adnate with a decurrent tooth, crowded, narrow, _pallid-olivaceous_ then rust-color. =Spores= ferruginous. Very cespitose, forming large heaps. Stems commonly cohering at the base, varying very much in stature in the same cluster; varying also much thinner, scarcely ever curved-ascending. Odor heavy, stinking; sometimes, however, obsolete. _Stevenson._ =Spores= ellipsoid, 7–8x4–5µ _K._; 4x5µ _W.G.S._; 8x4µ _Massee_. On trunks of trees, on and near stumps, etc. Common. August to December. West Virginia, 1881–1885, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. On rotten wood and stumps. August to long after frost. _McIlvaine._ Edible. _Curtis._ The American species, as I have repeatedly found it, is not so large as given in the European description, and the habitat is more closely confined to the trunks of standing trees and stumps not much decayed. It is a showy species, to be seen from afar off, especially after the leaves fall. Taste when young, raw, is sweet, mealy; when mature, like stale lard. Cooked, the caps are of good substance and flavor. One of the very best. =P. squarrosoi´des= Pk.—_squarrosus_, scurfy; _eidos_, form. =Pileus= firm, convex, viscid when moist, at first densely covered by erect papillose or subspinose tawny scales, which soon separate from each other, revealing the whitish color and viscid character of the pileus. =Lamellæ= close, emarginate, at first whitish, then pallid or dull cinnamon color. =Stem= equal, firm, stuffed, rough with thick squarrose scales, white above the thick floccose ring, pallid or tawny below. =Spores= minute, elliptical, 5×4µ. Densely cespitose, 3–6 in. high. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 3–5 lines thick. Dead trunks and old stumps of maple. Adirondack and Catskill mountains. Autumn. This is evidently closely related to A. squarrosus, with which it has, perhaps, been confused, but its different colors and viscid pileus appear to warrant its separation. _Peck_, 31st Rep. N.Y. State Bot. Occurred in large clusters on sugar maples at Eagle’s Mere in October, and on stumps at Mt. Gretna. It very closely resembles P. squarrosa. Its caps are of the very best. =P. subsquarro´sa= Fr.—_sub_, under; _squarrosus_, scurfy. (Plate LXXI, fig. 4, p. 268.) =Pileus= 2 in. and more broad, _brown rust-color_, with darker, _adpressed_, floccose _scales_, fleshy, convex, obtuse or gibbous, viscid. =Stem= 3 in. long, 4–5 lines thick, stuffed (often hollow when old), equal, yellow-rust-color, clothed with darker scales which are adpressed, or spreading only at the apex, not rough, furnished with an annular zone at the apex, becoming yellow-rust-color within. =Gills= deeply sinuate, emarginate, _almost free_, arcuate, crowded, at first pale then dingy yellow. =Spores= rust-color. The pileus is viscid, but not glutinous like that of A. adiposus. It holds a doubtful place between A. aurivellus and A. squarrosus, departing from both, however, in the gills being at the first yellow; and from A. squarrosus, to which it is more like, in the gills being emarginato-free, not decurrent. Somewhat cespitose. Almost inodorous. _Fries._ =Spores= ferruginous, size not stated. West Philadelphia, Mt. Gretna, Pa., Haddonfield, N.J. September until after frosts. _McIlvaine._ Not previously reported. The maple trees in West Philadelphia frequently show large clusters of it up to twenty feet from ground; to be seen from afar after the leaves have fallen. Our American species differs somewhat from the European. American species: =Pileus= 1–3 in. across, fleshy, convex, _very viscid_, rich brownish-yellow, covered with darker adpressed floccose scales. =Flesh= slightly yellow. =Gills= white when very young slightly emarginate, adnexed, crowded, ¼ in. broad, brown. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, ½ in. thick, equal or tapering toward base, stuffed, then hollow, covered with squamose scales as far up as the slight ring, smooth above ring. =Ring= membranaceous, slight. =Spores= rust-color. The species is variable and differs greatly in youth and maturity. The caps, fried in hot buttered pan, are unexcelled. Equally fine in croquettes and patties. ** _Gills yellow, then rust-color._ (Plate LXXIV.) [Illustration: PHOLIOTA ADIPOSA. About natural size. ] =P. adipo´sa= Fr.—_adeps_, fat. =Pileus= fleshy, firm, at first hemispherical or subconical, then convex, very viscid or glutinous when moist, scaly, yellow. =Flesh= whitish. =Gills= close, adnate, yellowish becoming rust-color with age. =Stem= equal or slightly thickened at the base, scaly below the slight radiating floccose ring, solid or stuffed, yellow, generally rust-color at the base. =Spores= elliptical, 7.6×5µ. The Fat pholiota is a showy species. Its tufted mode of growth, rather large size, yellow color and rusty-brown scales make it a noticeable object. The stem is somewhat and the cap very viscid when moist, and this viscidity when dry gives it a shining appearance. The scales of the cap become erect or reflexed and sometimes appear blackish at the tips. They sometimes disappear with age. The flesh is firm and white or whitish. The gills when young are yellow or pale-yellow, but when mature they assume a ferruginous or rusty color like that of the spores. The stem is similar in color to the cap, but paler or nearly white at the top and usually reddish-brown or rusty-brown at the base. The collar is slight and often scarcely noticeable in mature specimens. The =Cap= is 2–4 in. broad, the =Stem= 2–4 in. long and 4–6 lines thick. The plants commonly grow in tufts on stumps or dead trunks of deciduous trees in or near woods. They may be found from September to November. It is well to peel the caps before cooking. This species is not classed as edible by European authors, but I find its flavor agreeable and its substance digestible and harmless. _Peck_, 49th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. =Spores= 8×5µ _W.G.S._; elliptical, ferruginous, 7×3µ _Massee_. Mt. Gretna, Pa. October until after frost. About trees and stumps and on logs. _McIlvaine._ P. adiposa yields a substantial substance of good flavor. =P. flam´mans= Fr.—_flamma_, flame. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad, yellow-tawny, fleshy, convex then plane, somewhat umbonate, _absolutely dry_, sprinkled with _superficial, pilose_, somewhat concentric, _paler_ or _sulphur-yellow, rough_ or curly _scales_; margin at first inflexed, then spread when larger. =Flesh= thin, _light yellow_. =Stem= 3 in. long, 2–3 lines thick, stuffed then _hollow, equal_, most frequently flexuous, _very light yellow as are also the crowded rough scales_. =Ring= membranaceous, entire, not far removed from the pileus, of the same color. =Gills= _adnate_ and without a tooth, somewhat thin, crowded, at the first _bright sulphur-yellow_, at length rust-color, edge quite entire. Pileus by no means hygrophanous. It is distinguished from all others by the _sulphur-yellow scales on the tawny pileus_. Forming small clusters. Inodorous. The ring is sometimes only indicated by an annular zone. _Fries._ =Spores= ellipsoid, 4×2µ _K._; ellipsoid, 3–4×2–2.5µ _C.B.P._; 4×2µ _W.P._; 8×4µ _Massee_. Quite plentiful in the New Jersey pines, from October until after heavy frosts. Caps seldom over 3 in. across. Solitary, and in clusters of not over half a dozen. The caps fried are delicious. =P. luteofo´lia= Pk.—_luteus_, yellow; _folium_, a leaf. =Pileus= firm, convex, dry, scaly, fibrillose on the margin, pale-red or yellowish. =Lamellæ= broad, subdistant, emarginate, serrate on the edge, yellow, becoming bright rust-color. =Stem= firm, fibrillose, solid, colored like the pileus, often curved from the place of growth. =Ring= obsolete. =Spores= bright rust-color, 7×4µ. =Plant= subcespitose, 2–3 in. high. =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 3–5 lines thick. Trunks of birch trees. Forestburgh. September. The general appearance of this plant is like A. variegatus or reddish forms of A. multipunctus. The reddish color appears sometimes to fade with age. _Peck_, 27th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. Eagle’s Mere, Pa. In clusters, on birch trees. August, 1898. _McIlvaine._ Grows in quantity in the birch forests. The caps are delicious. =P. ornel´la= Pk. (Agaricus ornellus Pk., 34 Rep., p. 42.) =Pileus= convex or nearly plane, slightly squamose, reddish-brown tinged with purple, the margin paler, floccose-appendiculate. =Gills= moderately close, yellowish or pallid, becoming brown. =Stem= equal or slightly thickened upward, solid, squamulose, pale-yellow, sometimes expanded at the base into a brownish disk margined with yellowish filaments. =Spores= brown, elliptical, 6–7.5×4–5µ. =Plant= 1–2 in. high. =Pileus= about 1 in. broad. =Stem= 1 line to 1.5 lines thick. Decaying wood. South Ballston, Saratoga county. October. The scales of the pileus are sometimes arranged in concentric circles. The purplish tint is not always uniform, but in some instances forms spots or patches. _Peck_, 34th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. Specimens, clustered, found by me on railroad ties at Haddonfield, N.J., September, 1897, had caps 1–1½ in. broad, of a dull green without tinge of purple; skin minutely cracked, showing the white flesh in the interstices; stem 1–2 in. long, 3–4 lines thick, slightly thickened upward, pale orange, solid, squamulose; ring floccose; taste when raw, slightly bitter. These were sent to Professor Peck who wrote: “Appears to be a form of P. ornella Pk., but it differs some in color, being more of a green hue than of purple or olivaceous. It is pretty and I would like to know more about it before deciding on it fully.” I have not since found it. Very palatable when cooked. *** Hygrophani. _Gills cinnamon, etc._ =P. muta´bilis= Schaeff.—changeable. =Pileus= about 2 in. broad, cinnamon when moist, becoming pale when dry, hygrophanous, slightly fleshy, convex then flattened, commonly obtusely umbonate, sometimes depressed, even and _smooth_, but when young occasionally scaly throughout. =Stem= about 2–3 in. long, 2 lines and more thick, _rigid_, stuffed then hollow, equal or attenuated downward, _scaly-rough as far as the ring, rust-color, blackish_ or umber _downward_, often ascending or twisted. =Ring= membranaceous, externally scaly. =Gills= _adnato-decurrent_, crowded, rather broad, pallid then cinnamon. _Stevenson._ Densely cespitose, variable in stature. =Spores= ellipsoid-obovate, 6×11µ _W.G.S._; 7×4µ _W.P_; 9–11×5–6µ _Massee_; 11×7µ _Morgan_. Edible. _Curtis._ Considered excellent in Europe. =P. margina´ta= Batsch.—_marginatus_, margined. =Pileus= 1 in. and more broad, honey-colored when moist, tan when dry, hygrophanous, slightly fleshy, convex then expanded, obtuse, even, _smooth_, margin striate. =Stem= about 2 in. long, 1–2 lines thick, _tubed_, equal, _fibrillose_ or slightly striate, _not scaly, of the same color as the pileus_, but becoming dingy-brown, and _commonly white velvety at the base_. =Ring= 1–2 lines distant from the apex, often in the form of a cortina and fugacious. =Gills= _adnate_, crowded, thin, _narrow_, at first pallid, then darker cinnamon. It varies much, and is deceptive on account of the vanishing veil. In hedges there is a very small cespitose form with the pileus only ½ in. broad, and the stem tough and smooth, with exception of the remains of the fugacious cortina. There also occur on the ground among mosses smaller and paler forms, which must be carefully distinguished from A. unicolor, etc. _Stevenson._ =Spores= 7–8×4µ _Massee_. Haddonfield, N.J., November, December, 1896. In pine woods. _McIlvaine._ The caps of this small Pholiota, seldom over 1 ½ in. across, can be gathered in goodly numbers where it frequents. They are of excellent quality. =P. dis´color= Pk.—changing color. =Pileus= thin, convex, then expanded or slightly depressed, smooth, viscid, hygrophanous, watery-cinnamon and striatulate on the margin when moist; bright ochraceous-yellow when dry. =Lamellæ= close, narrow, pallid then pale rust-color. =Stem= equal, hollow, fibrillose-striate, pallid. =Ring= distinct, persistent. =Spores= elliptical, 7×5µ. =Plant= subcespitose, 2–3 in. high. =Pileus= 8–16 lines broad. =Stem= 1 line thick. Old logs in woods. Greig. September. The change of color from the moist to the dry state is very marked. This species resembles Agaricus autumnalis, in which the annulus is fugacious and the spores are longer. The edge of the gills in both is white-flocculose. _Peck_, 25th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. Two forms of this species are found. One has a scattered form of growth, the other found on decaying wood of birch is cespitose. The species is allied to P. marginata, from which it is readily distinguished by its viscid pileus. _Peck_, Rep. 44. Var. _discolor minor_ Pk. Small. Pileus 6–10 lines broad, chestnut color when young or moist. Stem about 1 line thick, at first clothed with whitish fibrils. Among mosses about or on the base of stumps. September. _Peck_, Rep. 46. West Virginia. Eagle’s Mere, Mt. Gretna, Pa. August to frost. On decaying wood. _McIlvaine._ This little Pholiota is abundant where it does grow. In the West Virginia forests I have seen logs with many tufts of it upon each. The caps are fairly good. [Illustration] =INO´CYBE= Fr. _Gr_—fiber; _Gr_—head. (Plate LXXV.) [Illustration: INOCYBE LANUGINOSA. One-fourth natural size. ] Universal veil somewhat fibrillose, concrete with the cuticle of the pileus, often free at the margin, in the form of a cortina. =Gills= somewhat sinuate (but they occur also adnate and in two species decurrent), changing color, but not powdered with cinnamon. =Spores= often rough, but in others even, more or less brownish-rust color. Inocybe (with Hebeloma) corresponds with Tricholoma. Inocybe and Hebeloma have some common features, but they are really very distinct. Inocybe is readily distinguished by the fibrillose covering of the pileus, which never has a distinct pellicle, by the veil which is continuous and homogeneous with the fibrils of the pileus, and by the rusty-brown spores. All grow on the ground. They are (mostly) strong-smelling (commonly nauseous). None are edible. _Stevenson._ None reported as either edible or poisonous. Those I have tested are not pleasant. [Illustration] =PLUTE´OLUS= Fr. Dim. of _pluteus_, a shed. =Pileus= conical or bell-shaped, then expanded, rather fleshy, viscid, margin at first straight and pressed to the stem. =Gills= _free, rounded behind_. =Stem= somewhat cartilaginous, its substance different from that of the pileus. Growing on wood. =Spores= rust or saffron color. Pluteus, the only genus having the same structure, is separated by its salmon-colored spores. (Plate LXXVI.) [Illustration: PLUTEOLUS RETICULATUS. About natural size. ] =P. reticula´tus= Pers.—_rete_, a net. From the net-work of veins on the pileus. =Pileus= slightly fleshy, bell-shaped, then expanded, sticky, reticulate with anastomosing veins, pale violaceous, striate on the margin. =Lamellæ= free, ventricose, crowded, rusty-saffron. =Stem= hollow, fragile, fibrillose, mealy at the top, white. =Spores= elliptical, ferruginous, 10–13×5–6.5µ. =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. long, 1–2 lines thick. Decaying wood. Cattaraugus county. September. The specimens which I have referred to this species appear to be a small form with the pileus scarcely more than an inch broad and merely wrinkled on the disk, not distinctly reticulate as in the type. In the dried specimens the pileus has assumed a dark violaceous color. The dimensions of the spores have been taken from the American plant. I do not find them given by any European author. _Peck_, 46th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. In October, 1897, P. reticulatus grew in large quantities on a fallow lot close by the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. The lot was thickly covered with tall heavy-stemmed weeds, a mat of which, from the year before was present. The reticulations upon the cap are intricate and distinct. I have not seen it since. The whole plant is tender and of fine flavor. =HEBELO´MA= Fr. _Hebe_, youth; _loma_, fringe. Partial veil fibrillose or absent. =Pileus= smooth, continuous, somewhat viscid, margin at first incurved. Flesh of stem continuous with that of the pileus; fleshy, fibrous, clothed, top rather mealy. =Gills= attached, notched at the stem, edge inclined to be pale. =Spores= clay-colored. On the ground. Closely allied to Inocybe, formerly included in Hebeloma, but differing in the character of the cuticle of the pileus which in Inocybe is scaly or fibrillose. Many of the species are strong in smell and taste. None have hitherto been considered edible and some have been regarded as poisonous. ANALYSIS OF TRIBES. INDUSIATI (_indusium_, a garment). Page 283. Furnished with a ring from the manifest veil, which often makes the margin of the pileus superficially silky. DENUDATI (_denudo_, to lay bare). Page 286. Pileus smooth. Veil absent. None known to be edible. PUSILLUS (_pusus_, a little boy). Pileus scarcely an inch broad. None known to be edible. The writer has not as yet investigated the edible qualities of this genus to his satisfaction. Much work remains to be done. But two species of Hebeloma are given as edible. They are good, but do not rank above second-class. Several others have been tested, but not in sufficient quantity to report upon their quality with perfect safety. So far as tested the species have been harmless. INDUSIA´TI. With a ring, etc. =H. mus´sivum= Fr.—_mussivus_, undecided. (Uncertain in generic place.) =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad, either of one color, yellow or darker at the disk which is like a smooth sugar-cake, fleshy, _compact_, firm, convex then plane, unequal, very obtuse, viscid, at first _smooth_ and even, margin bent inward, even, then commonly turning upward and broken up into scales. =Flesh= thick, becoming yellow. =Stem= 4 in. long, commonly 1 in. thick, _very fleshy_, sometimes stuffed, sometimes hollow at the top, equal or broad in the middle, _wholly fibrillose and powdered at the top, light yellow_. =Veil= fibrillose, very evanescent. =Gills= emarginate, somewhat crowded, 3 lines broad, dry (not distilling drops), _at first light yellow_, then together with the spores somewhat rust-colored. Odor weak, not unpleasant. Very distinct. It departs widely from all the following species in its habit and bright colors. The habit is that of a Flammula or Cortinarius, but the gills are emarginate and not powdered; from the turned up pileus and from the stem being powdered at the top, and from other marks it is to be referred to Hebeloma. _Fries._ =Spores= elliptical, 12×6µ _Massee_. New Jersey, Haddonfield. Under pine trees. Solitary. Frequent. September, 1896. _McIlvaine._ Not previously reported. Taste, even raw, is pleasant. It is meaty and the meat is good. It requires slow cooking and is best chopped fine and served in patties or croquettes. (Plate LXXVI_a_.) [Illustration: HEBELOMA FASTIBILE. One-fourth natural size. ] =H. fasti´bile= Fr.—_fastidibilis_, loathsome. From the smell. =Pileus= 2 in. and more broad, pale yellowish, tan or becoming pale, compactly fleshy, convexo-plane, obtuse, somewhat wavy, even, smooth, the turned-in margin downy. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, ½ in. thick, _solid_, wholly fleshy-fibrous, stout, somewhat bulbous, often twisted, everywhere _white-silky and fibrillose_, white, but varying pallid, white-scaly upward. =Cortina= remarkable, white, occasionally in the form of a ring. =Gills= remarkably _emarginate, somewhat distant_, rather broad, at first becoming pale-white, then dingy clay-color, edge whitish, _distilling drops_ in rainy weather. Somewhat cespitose. Odor and taste of radish, bitterish. Like A. crustiliniformis; the odor is the same except that it is stronger, but it differs conspicuously _in the manifest veil and somewhat distant gills_. Var. _al´ba_, stem longer, equal, somewhat hollow, fibrous-scaly at the apex, gills distant. A. spiloleucus Krombh., A. sulcatus Lindgr. is an elegant form with the margin of the pileus sulcate or rugoso-plicate. In mixed woods. Common. July to October. _Stevenson._ =Spores= 11×8µ _W.G.S._; elliptical, pointed, 10×8µ _Morgan_. Var. _elegans_. Pileus purple-brown. This sometimes appears on disused mushroom beds in large quantities, but the method by which the spores gain access is involved in darkness. “A very suspicious species and has the reputation of being noxious.” _Cooke._ “There is considerable external resemblance between this and A. campestris. No fungus is so often mistaken for A. campestris as this dangerous plant.” _W.G. Smith._ This species is considered noxious abroad. No test is reported of its qualities here. I have not seen it. =H. glutino´sum= Lind.—_gluten_, glue. (Plate LXXI, fig. 1, p. 268.) =Pileus= about 3 in. broad, yellow-white, the disk darker, fleshy, convex then plane, _regular_, obtuse, with a tenacious _viscous_ gluten, and slimy in wet weather, _sprinkled with white superficial scales_. =Flesh= whitish, becoming light-yellow. =Stem= 3 in. long, _stuffed_, firm, _somewhat bulbous, white-scaly_ and fibrillose, and white-mealy at the top, often rough with bundles of hairs at the base, at length rust-color within. Partial thread-like veil manifest, in the form of a cortina. =Gills= sinuato-adnate, somewhat decurrent, crowded, broad, _pallid then light-yellowish_, at length clay-cinnamon. Odor peculiar, mild. On branches and among leaves, oak and beech. Frequent. September to December. _Stevenson._ =Spores= 5×4µ _W.P._; plum-shaped, 7µ _Q._; elliptical, 10–12×5µ _Massee_; ellipsoid, 6–7×3–4µ _K._ New York. Among fallen leaves and half-buried decaying wood, in thin woods. Conklingville. September. In wet weather the gluten is sufficiently copious to drop from the pileus. _Peck_, Rep. 40. Haddonfield, N.J., among leaves in mixed woods. Frequent. 1896. Mt. Gretna, Pa., among leaves under oaks. Frequent. September to November. _McIlvaine._ =Caps= 1½-3 in. across. Remarkably glutinous, shining as if varnished when wet. Partial veil not always noticeable. The odor and taste are pleasant. The caps when well cooked are meaty, good, but of second quality. DENUDA´TI. Pileus smooth, etc. =H. crustulinifor´me= Bull.—_crustulum_, a small pie; _forma_, form. =Pileus= pale-whitish tan, most frequently pale-yellowish or brick-color at the disk, fleshy, convexo-plane, obtuse or slightly gibbous with an obtuse umbo, somewhat spreading with an uneven margin, even, smooth, at first slightly viscid, not zoned. =Flesh= transparent when moist. =Stem= _stuffed then hollow_, stout, somewhat bulbous, white, naked, white-scaly at the top. =Gills= _rounded-adnexed_, crowded, _narrowed_, 1 line broad and linear, thin, whitish then clay-color, at length date-brown, _the unequal edge distilling watery drops in wet weather, spotted when dry_. =Veil= quite _wanting_. Odor strong, fetid, of radish. Very variable in stature; the stem, however, is never elongated as in A. elatus, etc.; in smaller specimens equal, pileus regular, gills almost adnate. In mixed woods. Common. August to November. _Stevenson._ =Spores= ellipsoid, 10–12×5–7µ _K._; 9×5µ _W.G.S._ Var. _mi´nor_ Cke. Smaller than the type. Minnesota, common in woods, _Johnson_; California, _H. and M._; Wisconsin, _Bundy_; New Jersey, _Ellis_; Vermont, _Burt_ (Lloyd); New York, _Peck_, 41st Rep.; Mt. Gretna, Pa., November, 1898. In woods. _McIlvaine._ But one specimen found and that was sent to Professor Peck. Taste bitter. Regarded as poisonous by European writers. It is not reported as tested in America. [Illustration] =FLAM´MULA= Fr. _Flamma_, a flame. (In reference to the bright colors of many of the species.) =Pileus= fleshy, margin _at first turned inward_. =Veil= fibrillose or none. =Stem= fleshy-fibrous, not mealy at the top. =Gills= decurrent or attached without a tooth. =Spores= mostly pure rust color; some brownish-rust, others tawny-ochraceous. A few species grow on the ground, the majority on wood. ANALYSIS OF TRIBES. GYMNOTI (naked). Page 288. Pileus dry, generally scaly. Spores not yellowish. LUBRICI (_lubricus_, slimy). Page 289. Pileus covered with a continuous, _viscid_, smooth, partly separable cuticle. Veil fibrillose. Spores not yellowish. Gregarious, on the ground, rarely on wood. Distinguished from Hebeloma by the gills not being sinuate and the top of the stem not mealy. UDI (_udus_, moist). Page 290. Veil slight, generally hanging in fragments. Cuticle of the pileus continuous, not separable, smooth, in places superficially downy, moist or slightly viscid in rainy weather. Spores not yellowish. Cespitose, growing on wood. SAPINEI (_sapinus_, pine). Page 291. Veil silky, very slight, adpressed to the stem or forming a silky ring on it. Cuticle of pileus thin, the flesh splitting at the surface into scales, not viscid. Distinguished by the gills and spores being light yellow or tawny. Somewhat cespitose; always on pine or on the ground among pine branches. SERICELLI (_sericeus_, silky). Cuticle of the pileus slightly silky, dry or at the first viscid. None known to be edible. The genus Flammula is not represented in our territory by a large number of species. It is, nevertheless, not very sharply distinct from the allied genera, Pholiota, Hebeloma and Naucoria. From Pholiota it is especially separated by the slight development of the veil which is merely fibrillose or entirely wanting. It never forms a persistent membranous collar on the stem. From Hebeloma it may be distinguished by the absence of a sinus at or near the inner extremity of the gills, by the absence of white particles or mealiness from the upper part of the stem and by the brighter or more distinctly rusty or ochraceous color of the spores. From Naucoria the fleshy or fibrously fleshy stem affords the most available distinguishing character. The genus belongs to the Ochrosporæ or ochraceous-spored series, but the spores of its species vary in color from ochraceous or tawny-ochraceous to rust-color or brownish-rust color. The three things to be especially kept in mind in order to recognize the species are the color of the spores, the adnate or decurrent but not clearly sinuate gills and the fleshy or fibrously fleshy stem without a membranous ring. Our species are mostly of medium size, none being very small and one only meriting the appellation large. They appear chiefly in late summer or in autumn and grow in woods or in wooded regions either on the ground or more often on decaying wood. Many are gregarious or cespitose in their mode of growth. Some have a bitterish or unpleasant flavor and none of our species has yet been classed as edible. Fries arranged the species in five groups, of which the names and more prominent characters are here given. _Peck_, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. The few species which the writer has found to be edible, and the two new species found by him, were tested after the publication of the above. Several of the species found are not mentioned herein for the reason that a sufficient quantity was not obtained to make certain their quality as a food. The bitterness, as far as observed, with which most of the species are tainted disappears in cooking. GYMNO´TI. Veil absent, pileus dry, etc. =F. alie´na= Pk. =Pileus= thin, flexible, broadly convex, umbilicate, dry, bare, slightly striate on the margin when old, grayish or pale grayish-brown. =Flesh= white, fibrous. =Gills= thin, subdistant, bow-shaped, decurrent, ochraceous-brown. =Stem= firm, fibrous-striate, solid, slightly tapering upward, colored like the pileus, covered at the base with a dense white tomentum. =Spores= rusty-brown, globose, 5µ broad. =Pileus= 3–5 cm. broad. =Stem= 5 cm. long, 4–6 mm. thick. Gregarious on partly burned anthracite coal, Mt. Gretna, Pa. September. _C. McIlvaine._ The species is peculiar in its color and habitat. In the dried specimen the gills have assumed a brown color with no ochraceous tint. Mr. McIlvaine remarks that it is an edible species, dries well, and is excellent when cooked. Its relationship is with F. anomala Pk., but it is a larger plant with darker color and a different habitat. _Peck_, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 26, F. 1899. It grows on partly _burned_ anthracite coal, not _buried_, as printed in the Torrey Bulletin. The mycelium completely involves the pieces of coal, holding them tightly in its meshes. Patches of it were strictly limited to the size of the ash-pile containing the partly burned coal. Quite fifty were found. As stated, it is edible, and it is of remarkably fine substance for a Flammula. LU´BRICI. Pileus viscid, etc. =F. edu´lis= Pk.—eatable. =Pileus= fleshy, convex, obtuse, glabrous, moist, brown, grayish-brown or yellowish-brown, sometimes rimose. =Flesh= whitish. =Lamellæ= rather broad, close, decurrent, bright tan color, becoming brownish-rusty. =Stems= cespitose, equal, stuffed or hollow, brown. =Spores= subelliptical, 13×5–6µ. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 3–6 lines thick. Grassy ground, along pavements, in gutters and by the side of wooden frames of hotbeds. Haddonfield, N.J. October. _C. McIlvaine._ The collector of this species informs me that the flavor of the fresh plant is slightly bitter, but that this disappears in cooking and the fungus furnishes a very good and tender article of food. Successive crops continued to appear for a month. In the dried specimens the stem is striate. _Peck_, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 24, No. 3. This new species appears annually in the same place. I have not found it elsewhere. It is meaty and excellent. UDI. Pileus smooth, not viscid; veil fragmentary, etc. (Plate LXXVI_b_. [Illustration: FLAMMULA ALNICOLA. Two-thirds natural size. ] =F. alni´cola= Fr.—_alnus_, alder; _colo_, to inhabit. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad, _yellow_, at length becoming rust-color and sometimes green, fleshy, convex then flattened, obtuse, slimy when moist, but not truly viscous, at the first superficially fibrillose toward the margin. =Flesh= not very compact, of the same color as the pileus. =Stem= 2–3 in. and more long, ½ in. thick, _stuffed then hollow_, attenuato-rooted, commonly curved-flexuous, _fibrillose_, at first yellow, then becoming rust-color. =Veil= _manifest_, sometimes fibrillose, sometimes woven into a spider-web veil. =Gills= somewhat adnate, broad, plane, at first _dingy-pallid_ or yellowish-pallid, at length together with the plentiful spores rust-colored. The gills vary decurrent and rounded according to situation. Odor and taste bitter. There are two forms: _a._ Pileus irregular, fibrillose round the margin; gills at first dingy-pallid. _b._ Salicicola, pileus somewhat convex, smooth, rarely at the first downy-scaly; gills at first yellowish-pallid. _Fries._ =Spores= subelliptical, 8×5µ _K._; 8–10×5–6µ _Peck_. New York, swampy woods about base of alders, October, _Peck_, Rep. 35; at base of alders, with adnate gills, and on birch stumps, with the gills rounded behind, Rep. 39. Mt. Gretna, Pa., New Jersey, mixed woods, August to November, 1898, _McIlvaine_. Gregarious and in loose tufts, not plentiful. It is a pretty plant, usually of a bright yellow, sometimes darker at the center of cap. Traces of an evanescent fibrillose ring are occasionally found or the fibrils adorn the margin of the cap. The gills next to the stem are either rounded, attached or slightly decurrent. Raw the taste is slightly bitter. This disappears in long cooking. =F. fla´vida= Schaeff. (Pers.)—_flavidus_, light yellow. =Pileus= fleshy, thin, broadly convex or nearly plane, glabrous, moist, pale yellow. =Flesh= whitish or pale yellow, taste bitter. =Lamellæ= moderately close, adnate, pale or yellowish becoming rust-color. =Stem= equal, often more or less curved, hollow, fibrillose, whitish or pale yellow, with a white mycelium at the base. =Spores= 8×5µ. =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 1–3 in. long, 1–3 lines thick. Decaying wood of various trees. Commonly in wooded or mountainous districts. Summer and autumn. Our specimens were found on wood of both coniferous and deciduous trees. The plants are sometimes cespitose. The pileus becomes more highly colored in drying. The spores are pale rust-colored approaching ochraceous. In Sylloge the spores of this species are described as pale yellowish. _Peck_, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. =Spores= broadly elliptical, 6–8×5µ _Massee_. New York, decaying wood, _Peck_, Rep. 32, 50; _Mrs. E.C. Anthony_, August. West Virginia, 1881–1885; Mt. Gretna, Pa. August to October. _McIlvaine._ F. flavida is a frequent species, gregarious and tufted on decaying wood, either standing, fallen, or as roots in the ground. The texture and substance are good. The slight bitter when raw disappears in cooking. The caps, only, are tender. SAPIN´EI. Gills and spores yellowish, etc. =F. hy´brida= Fr.—_hybrida_, a hybrid. =Pileus= about 2 in. broad, at first tawny-cinnamon, then tawny-orange, fleshy, hemispherical with the margin involute, then expanded, obtuse, regular and well formed, even, _smooth, moist_. =Flesh= moderately compact, pallid. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 4–5 lines thick, at first _stuffed_ with a soft pith, then hollow, _attenuated_ (almost conico-attenuated) _upward_, whitish with adpressed silky-hairy down (becoming tawny when the down is rubbed off) slightly striate, with white hairs at the base, and somewhat mealy at the apex. =Veil= _manifest in the form of an annular zone at the apex of the stem_, white or at length colored with the spores. =Gills= adnate, somewhat crowded, _light yellow then tawny, not spotted_. _Fries._ =Spores= elliptical, tawny-ochraceous, 7–8×4–5µ _Massee_; 6×4µ _W.P._ Mt. Gretna, Pa., August, September, 1898. On ground under pine trees. Gregarious. _W.H. Rorer._ Not elsewhere reported. This is a handsome plant, quite prolific in the large pine groves at Mt. Gretna, Pa. The caps are of good flavor. =F. mag´na= Pk.—_magnus_, large. =Pileus= fleshy, broadly convex, soft, dry, fibrillose and somewhat streaked, pale yellow or buff, the margin commonly becoming revolute with age. =Flesh= whitish or yellowish. =Gills= close, adnate or slightly decurrent, often crisped or wavy toward the stem, about three lines wide, ochraceous. =Stem= equal or thickened toward the base, fleshy-fibrous, solid, elastic, fibrillose, colored like the pileus, brighter yellow within. =Spores= subelliptical, ochraceous, 10×6µ. Cespitose. =Pileus= 4–6 in. broad. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, 8–12 lines thick. About the base of trees. Westchester county. October. This is a large and showy species. The stems are sometimes united at the base into a solid mass. The young gills are probably yellow, but I have seen only mature specimens. _Peck_, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. New Jersey, Trenton, ground in clearing, in pairs and singly. November, _E.B. Sterling_; Mt. Gretna, Pa. Mixed thin woods. October to November. Near trees. Cespitose, _McIlvaine_. Individuals of all ages were found and eaten. The young gills are very light yellow, darkening to a deep, rich yellow. The caps are of good substance and flavor. When very young the stems are edible. [Illustration] =TUBA´RIA= W.G.S. _Tuba_, a trumpet. (Plate LXXVII.) [Illustration: TUBARIA FURFURACEA. Natural size. ] =Stem= _somewhat cartilaginous, fistulose_. =Pileus= somewhat membranaceous, often clothed with the universal floccose veil. =Gills= _somewhat decurrent_. =Spores= rust-color or (in Phæoti) brownish-rust color. The species referred to this subgenus were taken from Naucoria and Galera because they correspond with Omphalia and Eccilia. The pileus is, however, distinctly umbilicate or depressed in only a few of them; the others are placed here on account of their somewhat decurrent gills, which are broadest behind and triangular. _Fries._ Small and unimportant. [Illustration] =NAUCO´RIA= Fr. _Naucum_, a nut-shell. (Plate LXXVIII.) [Illustration: NAUCORIA SEMI-ORBICULARIS. Natural size. ] =Pileus= more or less fleshy, conical or convex, then expanded, _margin at first incurved_. =Gills= free or adnate, not decurrent. =Veil= fugacious or absent, sometimes attached in minute flakes to the edge of the young pileus. =Stem= cartilaginous, hollow or with a spongy stuffing. Growing on wood or on the ground, sometimes rooted. =Spores= various shades of brown, dull or bright. Naucoria corresponds with Collybia, Leptonia and Psilocybe; from the latter it is distinguished by the spore colors and from Galera in the brown-spored series by the margin of the pileus being at first incurved. “The spores are rust-color, or brownish rust-color. The color of the pileus is some shade of yellow. The stem is not distinctly ringed, but sometimes a slight spore-stained band marks the place of the obsolete ring.” _Peck_, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot. The members of this genus are with two or three exceptions very common, and common over the land. The greater number grow on the ground among grass; a few grow upon decaying wood. The stems are not of the same texture as the cap and frequently will not cook tender. The caps, however, are, of all species tested, tender and of good flavor. Species of the genus are among the first to appear in spring, and well reward the enterprising mycophagist for his early tramps. ANALYSIS OF TRIBES. GYMNOTI (_Gr_—naked). Page 295. Pileus smooth. Veil absent. Spores rust-color, not becoming dusky-rust-color. PHÆOTI (_Gr_—dusky). Page 296. Pileus smooth. Gills and spores dusky rust-color. Veil rarely manifest. LEPIDOTI (_lepis_, a scale). Pileus flocculose or squamulose. Veil manifest. None known to be edible. I.—GYMNO´TI. =N. hama´dryas= Fr.—_Gr_, a nymph attached to her tree. =Pileus= 1½-2 in. broad, _bay-brown-ferruginous_ when young and moist, pale yellowish when old and becoming pale, slightly fleshy, convex then expanded, gibbous, even, smooth. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 3 lines thick, _somewhat fragile, hollow_, equal, naked, smooth, _pallid_. =Gills= _attenuato-adnexed_, somewhat free, slightly ventricose, almost 2 lines broad, crowded, rust-color, opaque. =Veil= none. Widely removed from neighboring species. Pileus _somewhat separate_ as in Plutei. _Fries._ =Spores= elliptical, rust-color, 13–14×7µ _Massee_. Haddonfield, N.J. Frequent. Solitary. On ground along pavements, under trees, in woods. Spring to autumn. _McIlvaine._ Massee gives it as hygrophanous. I have not found it so. It is moist after rain and dew. The caps and upper part of the stem are tender, easily cooked and of good flavor. =N. cero´des= Fr. _Gr_—wax. =Pileus= ½-1 in. broad, watery cinnamon when moist, tan-color _when dry_, somewhat membranaceous, _convex bell-shape_ and flattened, at length depressed, _obtuse_, when moist smooth, pellucid-striate at the circumference, _when dry_ even, _slightly silky-atomate_. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 1–2 lines thick, slightly firm, tubed, equal, somewhat flexuous, fibrilloso-striate under a lens, _becoming dingy bay-brown_ sometimes for the most part, sometimes only at the base, pallid upward, mealy at the apex. =Gills= adnate, separating, _very broad behind_, hence almost triangular, _somewhat distant_, broad, plane, soft, distinct, pallid then cinnamon very finely fimbriated at the edge under a lens. _Fries._ The typical form, growing among damp mosses, is quite early, gregarious, with the colors almost those of Galera hypnorum, but otherwise very different. _b._ Another form occurs on naked, commonly burnt soil, in late autumn, with almost the habit of N. pediades, but with a different color of gills and spores; this form is firmer. =Stem= 1 in. long, tense and straight, and color more ochraceous. _Stevenson._ =Spores= 9µ _B. and Br._; smooth, 6×3µ _Massee_. West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, in grass and moss, along damp wood margins. August to October. _McIlvaine._ N. cerodes is not plentiful where I have found it. Enough has been collected at a time to prove it esculent. It is tender, but has not much flavor. (Plate LXXVIII_a_.) [Illustration: NAUCORIA STRIAPES.] =N. stri´apes= Cke.—_stria_, a line; _pes_, a foot. =Pileus= 1–1½ in. broad, ochraceous, bell-shaped, obtuse, then expanded, smooth, even. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 2 lines thick, hollow, equal, erect or flexuous, white, _longitudinally striate_. =Gills= slightly adnate behind, rather distant, tawny rust-color. _Cespitose_ or gregarious. Among grass on lawn. _Stevenson._ =Spores= narrowly elliptical, 10–12×4µ _Massee_. New Jersey, Trenton. Growing among leaves near dump. May to November. _E.B. Sterling._ The few specimens tested were delicate and of slight flavor. II.—PHÆ´OTI. =N. pedi´ades= Fr.—_Gr_, a plain. =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad, _yellow_ or pale yellowish-ochraceous then becoming pale, slightly fleshy, convex then plane, obtuse, even, dry, smooth, at length crookedly cracked, but always without striæ. =Flesh= white. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 1–2 lines thick, _stuffed with a pith, somewhat flexuous_, tough, equal, but with a small bulb at the base, _slightly silky becoming even, yellowish_. =Gills= adnexed, 2 lines broad, at first crowded, at length somewhat distant, _somewhat dingy-brown, then dingy cinnamon_. =Spores= brownish-rust-color. The small bulb at the base is formed by the mycelium being rolled together. Stature variable. _Fries._ =Spores= dingy rust-color, elliptical, 10–12×4–5µ _Massee_. West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, in grassy places, pastures and along pavements. Common. May to November. _McIlvaine._ In 1897 Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, abounded with N. pediades, which were collected and eaten by many. The caps are tender and of a mushroom flavor. =N. semi-orbicula´ris= Bull.—_semi_, half; _orbicularis_, round. (Plate LXXVIII, p. 294.) =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad, _tawny rust-color_ then ochraceous, slightly fleshy, convexo-expanded, obtuse, dry, even, smooth, corrugated when dry. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, scarcely beyond 1 line thick, cartilaginous, tough, slender, tense and straight, equal, even, smooth, becoming pallid _rust-color_, shining, often darker at the base, _internally containing a separate narrow tube_ which is easily broken up into fibrils. =Gills= adnate, rarely sinuate behind, almost 3 lines _broad_, and many times broader than the flesh of the pileus, crowded, _pallid then rust-color_. The pileus is slightly viscid when fresh and moist. Easily distinguished from S. semi-globatus, with which it has been confounded, by the stem. _Stevenson._ =Spores= 14×8µ _W.G.S._; 10×5–6µ _Massee_. Allied to N. pediades, distinguished by its viscid cap when moist, and dark stem. Common over the states. Washington, D.C., _Mrs. Mary Fuller_. West Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New Jersey. Solitary, sometimes cespitose, very common on lawns, rich pastures, etc. April until frost. _McIlvaine._ This is one of our first appearing toadstools, coming up when the grass shows its full spring hue. It is found after rains until the coming of frost. Its hemispherical caps, precise, neat, dark gills and brown spores readily distinguish it. While usually small, patience and picking will soon gather quarts. The caps cook easily and are of excellent flavor. =N. platysper´ma= Pk.—_platys_, broad; _sperma_, seed. =Pileus= convex, becoming nearly plane, glabrous, slightly tinged with ochraceous or reddish-yellow when young, soon whitish, the margin at first adorned with vestiges of a white flocculent veil. =Flesh= white. =Lamellæ= moderately close, slightly rounded behind, pallid, becoming brownish. =Stem= equal, stuffed with a white pith, slightly flocculent or furfuraceous above when young, whitish, the mycelium sometimes forming white thread-like strands. =Spores= broadly elliptical, 15µ long, 12.5µ broad. =Pileus= 1–1.5 in. broad. =Stem= 3–5.5 in. long, 1.5–2 in. thick. On the ground. Compton, Cal. _Prof. A.J. McClatchie._ This species differs from N. pediades and N. semi-orbicularis, to which it is related, by its larger, broader spores and paler color. _Peck_, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 25, No. 6. This new species reported from California is so closely allied to N. semi-orbicularis and N. pediades, both of which are edible, that it is here given, that it may be recognized by students on the Pacific coast or wherever it occurs. [Illustration] =GALE´RA= Fr. _Galerus_, a cap. =Pileus= more or less membranaceous, conical or oval, then expanded, striate, margin at the first straight, then adpressed to the stem. =Gills= not decurrent. =Stem= somewhat cartilaginous, continuous with the pileus, but differing in texture, tubular. =Veil= none or fibrillose. =Spores= tawny-ochraceous. Slender, fragile, generally growing on the ground. Galera corresponds with Mycena, Nolanea, Psathyra and Psathyrella, which are distinguished by their spore colors. In the brown-spored series Naucoria is separated by the margin of the pileus being at first incurved, and Tubaria by the decurrent gills. The genus is composed of small species, but many grow in clusters, and are of a consistency which decreases but little in quick cooking. Those tested are delicate in texture and flavor. =G. lateri´tia= Fr.—_later_, a brick. =Pileus= 1 in. high, _pale yellowish when moist_, ochraceous when dry, hygrophanous, membranaceous, _acorn-shaped then bell-shaped_, obtuse, even, smooth, slightly and densely striate at the margin when moist. =Stem= 3 in. and more long, 1 line thick, tubular, attenuated upward, tense and straight, even, but _white-pruinose, whitish_. =Gills= _adnexed_ in the top of the cone, hence appearing as if free, ascending, very narrow, _crowded, cinnamon_. =Gills= almost adpressed to the stem, almost pendulous. Remarkably analogous with A. ovalis, but easily distinguished by the _linear gills_ and the absence of a veil; very fragile. _Fries._ =Spores= 11×5µ _W.P._; 11–12×5–6µ _Massee_. West Virginia, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania. On dung and rich pastures. June to frost. _McIlvaine._ The narrow conical cap, distinctly striate, distinguishes this species from G. tenera. In quality there is no difference. It is a well-flavored, delicate species. (Plate LXXIX.) [Illustration: GALERA TENERA. Two-thirds natural size. ] =G. te´nera= Schaeff.—_tener_, tender. =Pileus= ½ in. and more high, _of one color, pallid rust-color when damp_, becoming pale when dry, hygrophanous, somewhat membranaceous, _conico-bell-shaped_, commonly smooth, slightly striate when moist, wholly even when dry, opaque, somewhat atomate. =Stem= commonly 3–4 in. long, 1 line thick, tubular, fragile, equal or when larger thickened downward, _tense and straight, somewhat shining_, striate upward, of the same color as the pileus when moist, and like it becoming pale when dry. =Gills= _adnate in the top of the cone_, appearing _as if free_, ascending, somewhat crowded, _linear, cinnamon_. Pastures and grassy places in woods. Common. May to November. _Stevenson._ =Spores= ellipsoid, 14–21×8–12µ _K._; 14–8µ _W.G.S._; 14×7µ _W.P._; 12–13×7µ _Massee_; elliptical, dark rust-color, almost rubiginous, 13–16.5×8–10µ _Peck_. Var. _pilosella_ (Agaricus pilosellus Pers.), has both pileus and stem clothed with a minute erect pubescence when moist. A form is sometimes found in which the center of the pileus is brown or blackish-brown. _Peck_, 46th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. Var. _obscu´rior_ Pk. A notable form of this species was found growing in an old stable of an abandoned lumber camp. The plants were large, the pileus in some being more than an inch broad, the stems were 3–6 in. long and the color was rust-colored as in G. ovalis, to which the plants might be referred but for the large spores. Essex county. July. I have labeled the specimens variety _obscurior_. _Peck_, 50th Rep. Haddonfield, N.J.; Chester county; West Philadelphia, Pa.; West Virginia. In rich pastures, on lawns, dung in woods. Common. June to October. _McIlvaine._ Very variable in size and in color when wet and dry. The color of gills and spores readily distinguishes it in its habitats. From spring to frost it can usually be gathered in quantity. It is small, tender, shrivels in cooking, but makes a savory, excellent dish. Var. obscurior found cespitose on very old manure at a ruined stable, Mt. Gretna, Pa., August. _McIlvaine._ =G. fla´va= Pk.—_flavus_, yellow. =Pileus= membranous, ovate or bell shaped, moist or subhygrophanous, obtuse, plicate striate on the margin, yellow. =Lamellæ= thin, narrow, crowded, adnate, at first whitish, then yellowish-cinnamon. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering upward, hollow, slightly striate at the top, sprinkled with white mealy particles, white or yellowish. =Spores= ovate or subelliptical, brownish-rust-color, 13×8µ. =Pileus= 6–12 lines broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 1–1.5 lines thick. Damp vegetable mold in woods. Tompkins county. July. This species is well marked by the pale-yellow color of the pileus and its plicate striations which are very distinct even in the dried specimens. They extend half way to the disk or more. When dry the pileus is seen to be sprinkled with shining atoms as in some other species of the same genus. Occasionally the yellow cuticle cracks into squamules or small scales. _Peck_, 46th Rep. Trenton, N.J., _Sterling_; Haddonfield, N.J.; Pennsylvania. Among chips in woods and on woods ground. _McIlvaine._ This species is frequent, and when plentiful well worth gathering. It has a more woody flavor than other Galera, but is tasty. =G. vittæfor´mis= Fr.—_vitta_, a chaplet; _forma_, form. =Pileus= ½-1 in. broad, _date-brown_ when moist, membranaceous, conical then hemispherical, obtuse, _even at the disk_, striate toward the margin, smooth. =Stem= 1½-3 in. long, ½-1 line thick, tubular, equal, _somewhat straight_, but not tense and straight, smooth or sometimes pubescent, slightly striate under a lens, _opaque, rust-color_. =Veil= scarcely conspicuous. =Gills= adnate, broader at the middle, in the form of a segment when larger, somewhat ascending, somewhat distant, at first _watery-cinnamon_, at length rust-color. _Fries._ =Spores= elliptical, 12×6µ _Massee_. Haddonfield, N.J.; Mt. Gretna, Pa. On pastures, lawns, etc. June to September. _McIlvaine._ Not previously reported. Though small it makes up in quantity when found. The stems are not as tender as the caps. Quality good. [Illustration] =BOLBITIUS= Fr. _Gr_—cow’s dung. =Pileus= membranaceous. =Gills= adnexed or free, membranaceous, soft, salmon-color or rusty, dissolving (not dripping as in Coprinus), powdered with the rusty spores. =Stem= central; universal veil absent, partial veil often obsolete. Very delicate and fragile, remarkable among the Ochrosporæ for the gills dissolving into mucus, and in this respect analogous with Coprinus among the Melanosporæ, and Hiatula amongst the Leucosporæ. Growing on dung or amongst grass where dung abounds. A small but very natural genus, with the vegetative portion like Coprinus and the fructification resembling Cortinarius, hence occupying an intermediate position between these two genera. _Fries._ =B. Bol´toni= Fr.—after Bolton. =Pileus= rather fleshy, viscid, at first even, then with the membranaceous margin sulcate, disk darker, subdepressed. =Stem= attenuated, yellowish, at first floccose from the remains of the fugacious veil. =Gills= subadnate, yellow then livid-brown. _Fries._ Haddonfield, N.J., cespitose among manure on sawdust. Of small substance but good consistency and flavor. (Plate LXXX.) [Illustration: BOLBITIUS FRAGILIS. Two-thirds natural size. ] =B. fra´gilis= Fr. =Pileus= 2 in. broad, _light yellow_, then becoming pale, somewhat membranaceous, almost pellucid, conical then expanded, somewhat umbonate, smooth, viscous, _striate round the margin_ (which is often crenulated). =Stem= 3 in. long, 1 line or little more thick, fistulose, attenuated upward, _naked, smooth_ (and without a manifest veil), yellow. =Gills= attenuato-adnexed, almost free, ventricose, _yellow then pale cinnamon_. =Spores= rust-colored. _Fries._ Thinner than B. Boltoni, etc., very fragile, rapidly withering. On dung. Common. June to October. _Stevenson._ =Spores= subspheroid-ellipsoid, elliptical, 7×3–5µ _Massee_. West Virginia; Pennsylvania. June to frost. On rich grass and dung. Pileus usually not over 1.5 in. across. Often in plenty. Its substance does not cook away as with C. micaceus. It amply repays gathering, being highly flavored. (Plate LXXX_a_.) [Illustration: BOLBITIUS NOBILIS. About two-thirds natural size. ] =B. no´bilis= Pk.—noble. =Pileus= thin, fleshy on the disk, ovate then bell-shaped, smooth, plicate-striate, pale-yellow, the disk tinged with red, the margin at length recurved and splitting. =Gills= subdistant, tapering outwardly, attached, the alternate ones more narrow, pale-yellow with a darker edge. =Stem= long, equal, smooth, striate at the top, hollow, white. =Plant= cespitose, 3–5 in. high. =Pileus= 1 in. broad. =Stem= 1 line thick. Ground in woods. Greig. September. A fine large species, but probably rare. _Peck_, 24th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. I have not seen this species. Figure after Professor Peck. =CREPIDO´TUS= Fr. _Gr_—a slipper. (Plate LXXXI.) [Illustration: CREPIDOTUS MOLLIS. Natural size. ] =Veil= wanting or not manifest. =Pileus= eccentric, lateral or resupinate. =Spores= rust-color. The Crepidoti correspond in shape and habit to the smaller Pleuroti and the Claudopodes, but they are distinguished from both by the rust-color of their spores. These are globose in several species, in others they are elliptical. In some there is a depression on one side which gives them a naviculoid character and causes the spore to appear slightly curved when viewed in a certain position. In consequence of the similarity of several of our species, the character of the spores is of much importance in their identification, and it is unfortunate that European mycologists have so generally neglected to give the spore characters in their descriptions of these fungi. In most of the species the pileus is at first resupinate, but it generally becomes reflexed as it enlarges. It is generally sessile or attached by a mass of white fibrils or tomentum. For this reason it is usually somewhat tomentose or villose about the point of attachment, even in species that are otherwise glabrous. In several species the pileus is moist or hygrophanous and then the thin margin is commonly striatulate. This character is attributed to but one of the dozen or more European species. Their mode of growth is usually gregarious or somewhat loosely imbricated, in consequence of which the pileus, which in most species is white or yellowish, is often stained by the spores, and then it has a rusty, stained or squalid appearance. The species occur especially on old stumps, prostrate trunks and soft much decayed wood in damp, shaded places. _Peck_, 39th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. =C. ful´vo-tomento´sus= Pk.—tawny-tomentose. =Pileus= ¾-2 in. broad, scattered or gregarious, suborbicular, kidney-shaped or dimidiate, sessile or attached by a short, white-villose tubercle or rudimentary stem, hygrophanous, watery-brown and sometimes striatulate on the margin when moist, whitish, yellowish or pale ochraceous when dry, _adorned with small, tawny, hairy or tomentose scales_. =Lamellæ= broad, subventricose, moderately close, rounded behind, radiating from a lateral or eccentric white villose spot, whitish becoming brownish-ferruginous. =Spores= _elliptical_ often uninucleate, 8–10×5–6µ. Decaying wood of poplar, maple, etc. Common. June to October. A pretty species, corresponding in some respects to the European C. calolepis, but much larger and with tawny, instead of reddish scales. The cuticle is separable and is tenacious, though it has a hyaline gelatinous appearance. The pileus is subpersistent, and specimens dried in their place of growth are not rare. _Peck_, 39th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. Haddonfield, N.J.; Angora, West Philadelphia. On decaying hickory. _McIlvaine._ Substance fair. Taste strong but pleasant. [Illustration: Grouped by F.D. Briscoe—Studies by C. McIlvaine. PLATE LXXXII.] FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE.