1892. In woods. September to frost. _McIlvaine._

Both stems and caps are juicy when young and of agreeable flavor. It is among the best edible species of Cortinarius. *** _Gills brownish-white, then ferruginous._ =C. turbina´tus= Fr.—_turbo_, a top. =Pileus= _unicolorous_, dingy-yellow or green, _becoming pale_, hygrophanous, opaque when dry, fleshy, convex then flattened, obtuse, at length depressed, orbicular, even, _smooth_, viscid. =Flesh= soft, _white_. =Stem= commonly curt, 2 in., but varying elongated, yellowish, springing from a globoso-depressed distinctly marginate bulb, otherwise equal, cylindrical, _stuffed then hollow_. =Gills= attenuato-adnate, thin, crowded, broad, _quite entire_, at first pallid light-yellowish, at length somewhat ferruginous. The typical form is _regular_, distinct from its allies in the _hygrophanous pileus, in the gills being isabelline-ferruginous and quite entire, and in being without any dark-purple or purple color_. Easily distinguished by its turbinate bulb. _Fries._ In woods. Uncommon. _Stevenson._ =Spores= rough, 14–16×7µ; rough, _Cooke_. =Cap= 2–4 in. across. =Stem= commonly about 2 in. long, sometimes longer. _Massee._ North Carolina, _Schweinitz_; Pennsylvania, _Schweinitz_; Massachusetts, _Frost_; Minnesota; Nova Scotia. Edible. _Cooke._ MYXA´CIUM. (_Gr_—mucus.) (Plate LXXXIII.) [Illustration: CORTINARIUS COLLINITUS. About natural size. ] =C. collin´itus= Fr.—_collino_, to besmear. =Pileus= convex, obtuse, glabrous, glutinous when moist, shining when dry. =Gills= rather broad, dingy-white or grayish when young. =Stem= cylindrical, solid, viscid or glutinous when moist, transversely cracking when dry, whitish or paler than the pileus. =Spores= subelliptical, 13–15µ. The Smeared cortinarius is much more common than the Violet cortinarius and has a much wider range. Both the cap and stem are covered with a viscid substance or gluten which makes it unpleasant to handle. The cap varies in color from yellow to golden or tawny-yellow and when the gluten on it has dried it is very smooth and shining. The flesh is white or whitish. The young gills have a peculiar bluish-white or dingy-white color which might be called grayish or clay color, but when mature they assume the color of the spores. They are sometimes minutely uneven on the edge. The stem is straight, solid, cylindrical and usually paler than the cap. When the gluten on it dries it cracks transversely, giving to the stem a peculiar scaly appearance. The cap is 1½-3 in. broad, and the stem 2–4 in. long, and ¼-½ in. thick. The plant grows in thin woods, copses and partly cleared lands and may be found from August to September. It is well to peel the caps before cooking, since the gluten causes dirt and rubbish to adhere tenaciously to them. _Peck_, 48th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. In 41st Rep. N.Y. State Mus. Nat. Hist., p. 71, Professor Peck describes a closely allied species, C. muscigenus, n. sp., “separated by its more highly-colored pileus, striate margin and even, not diffracted-squamose stem.” Prof. L.B. Mendel gives the following analysis: “Young specimens gathered in New Haven early in November, 1897, gave: Water 91.13% Total solids 8.87 Total nitrogen of dry 3.63” substance Edible. _Cooke._ In appearance the Smeared cortinarius does not appeal to be eaten. Neither does an eel. But peeled both are inviting. Raw, the caps of this fungus have a strong woody smell and taste. This is somewhat subdued by cooking. I have found the plant in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, often among the leaves in mixed woods, but it prefers a goodly supply of light and the freedom of open places. It is often gregarious, sometimes tufted. =C. io´des= B. and C. =Pileus= 1½-2 in., convex, at length plane, viscid, firm, violet-purple. =Flesh= white, thick. =Veil= fugacious, spider-web. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 1½ in. thick, solid, thickened below. =Gills= violet, at length cinnamon, ventricose, adnate, sub-emarginate, irregular, sometimes forked. _B. and C._ This is a small but beautiful species, the pileus, lamellæ and stem being of a bright-violet or purplish-violet hue. The spores are subelliptical, generally uninucleate, 10×6µ. _Peck_, 32d Rep. N.Y. State Bot. The pileus in this species is sometimes spotted with white. The bulbous white stem is adorned with lilac-colored fibrils. _Peck_, 35th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. Sparingly found among roots at Mt. Gretna, Pa., September, 1897–1898. The caps are fairly good. INOLO´MA. (_Gr_—fiber; _Gr_—a fringe.) * _Gills violaceous then cinnamon._ =C. viola´ceus= Fr. (Plate LXXXII, fig. 2, page 306.) One of our most plentiful and beautiful autumnal fungi. As the American plant differs somewhat from the European, Professor Peck’s description is given. =Pileus= convex, becoming nearly plane, dry, adorned with numerous persistent hairy tufts or scales, dark violet. =Lamellæ= rather thick, distant, rounded or deeply notched at the inner extremity, colored like the pileus in the young plant, brownish-cinnamon in the mature plant. =Stem= solid, fibrillose, bulbous, colored like the pileus. =Spores= subelliptical, 12.5µ long. The Violet cortinarius is a very beautiful mushroom and one easy of recognition. At first the whole plant is uniformly colored, but with age the gills assume a dingy ochraceous or brownish-cinnamon hue. The cap is generally well formed and regular and is beautifully adorned with little hairy scales or tufts. These are rarely shown in figures of the European plant, but they are quite noticeable in the American plant and should not be overlooked. The flesh is more or less tinged with violet. The gills when young are colored like the cap. They are rather broad, notched at the inner extremity and narrowed toward the margin of the cap. When mature they become dusted with the spores whose color they take. The stem also is colored like the cap. It is swollen into a bulb at the base and sometimes a faint ochraceous band may be seen near the top. This is due to the falling spores which lodge on the webby filaments of the veil remaining attached to the stem. =Cap= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 3–5 in. long, about ½ in. thick. _Peck_, 48th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. Minerva, Essex county. A form of this species occurs here, having the pileus merely downy or punctate-hairy under a lens, no squamules being distinguishable by the naked eye. July. _Peck_, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. =Spores= 12–14×10µ _Cooke_. The spider web veil is exquisitely displayed in this species. This, with its strongly bulbous base and violet tinge throughout, easily mark it. Though usually solitary great numbers of it are found in its settlements. The mixed woods of central New Jersey abound with it in July, August and September. Throughout Pennsylvania and West Virginia it is common, and is reported from several other states. In Redman’s woods, near Haddonfield, N.J., a densely clustered form of singular beauty occurs. A dozen individuals of various forms and sizes with swollen stems form a compact mass, rich in color, and cutting crisp and juicy as an apple. They are far better than other Cortinarii I have eaten. I have not seen it elsewhere. C. violaceus is everywhere eaten, and is in my opinion the best of its genus. The American plant is not inodorous, but has a decided mushroom smell and taste. (Plate LXXXIV.) [Illustration: CORTINARIUS ALBO-VIOLACEUS. One-half natural size. ] =C. albo-viola´ceus= Pers. =Pileus= fleshy, rather thin, convex, then expanded, sometimes broadly subumbonate, smooth, silky, whitish, tinged with lilac or pale violet. =Lamellæ= generally serrulate, whitish-violet, then cinnamon-color. =Stem= equal or a little tapering upward, solid, silky, white, stained with violet, especially at the top, slightly bulbous, the bulb gradually tapering into the stipe. Height, 3–4 in.; breadth of pileus, 2–3 in.; stipe, 3–6 lines thick. Ground in thin woods, more frequently under poplars. Center. October. The stem is sometimes subannulate, and being violet above and white below the obscure ring, it appears as if sheathed with a silky-white covering. Inodorous. Sometimes the stem gradually tapers from the base to the top, so that it can scarcely be called bulbous. _Peck_, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot. =Spores= 12×5–6µ _Cooke_; 6–9×4–5µ _K._; pruniform, 10µ _Q._ An allied species C. (Inoloma) lilacinus, _Peck_, with the stem and bulbous part much broader than the cap, is not as common, but of far better flavor. Common in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, in mixed woods. September to frost. _McIlvaine._ A mushroom flavor develops in cooking. The consistency of the flesh is good. It is of medium grade. =C. lilaci´nus= Pk. =Pileus= firm, hemispherical, then convex, minutely silky, lilac-color. =Lamellæ= close, lilac, then cinnamon. =Stem= stout, bulbous, silky-fibrillose, solid, whitish, tinged with lilac. =Spores= nucleate, 10×6µ. =Plant= 4–5 in. high. =Pileus= 3 in. broad. =Stem= 4–6 lines thick. Low mossy ground in woods. Croghan. September. This is a rare but beautiful plant, allied to C. alboviolaceus, from which it may be distinguished by its stouter habit, deeper color and bulbous stem. In the young plant the bulb is much broader than the undeveloped pileus that surmounts it. _Peck_, 26th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. Massachusetts, _Frost_; Minnesota, Nova Scotia. I have found a few specimens in several places: West Virginia, Redman’s woods, Haddonfield, N.J., in which place it is more plentiful than in any locality I have noted. Near lake at Eagle’s Mere, Pa., August, and at Springton, Pa. Excellent. (Plate LXXXV.) [Illustration: CORTINARIUS ASPER. About two-thirds natural size. ] =C. as´per= Pk.—rough. =Pileus= fleshy, firm, hemispherical, then convex, rough with minute, erect, brown scales, ochraceous. =Gills= close, rounded behind and slightly emarginate, dull violaceous, then pale cinnamon. =Stem= equal, bulbous, solid, fibrillose-scaly, colored like the pileus but smooth and violaceous at the top, the bulb white with an abundant mycelium. =Spores= broadly elliptical, with a pellucid nucleus, 8µ long. =Plant= 3–4 in. high. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 3–5 lines thick. Ground in cleared places. Greig. September. A fine species. The flesh of the stem is violaceous. _Peck_, 24th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. This plant sometimes grows in tufts or clusters and bears a very close resemblance to Armillaria mellea, both in color and in the character of the scales of the pileus. _Peck_, 27th Rep. In thin woods and clearings, West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. The whole fungus is edible when young, and ranks high in Cortinarii. When full grown the stem is hard. Cut in thin, transverse slices it cooks tender, but does not equal the cap. Like most of the Cortinarii it is found in the autumn until frost kills it. ** _Gills pinkish-brown then cinnamon._ (Plate LXXXVI.) [Illustration: CORTINARIUS SQUAMULOSUS.] =C. squamulo´sus= Pk. (Plate LXXXII, fig. 1, p. 306). =Pileus= thick, fleshy, convex, densely fibrillose-squamulose, cinnamon-brown, the scales darker. =Lamellæ= not crowded, deeply emarginate, pale pinkish-brown, then cinnamon-colored. =Stipe= thick, solid, shreddy, subsquamulose, concolorous, swollen at the base into a very large tapering or subventricose bulb. Height 4–6 in., breadth of pileus 2–4 in., stipe 6–9 lines thick at the top, 12–18 lines at the bottom. Borders of swamps in woods. Sandlake. August. Related to C. pholideus and C. arenatus, but distinct by the deep emargination of the lamellæ. It gives out a strong odor while drying. The color of the flesh is pinkish-white. _Peck_, 23d Rep. N.Y. This species was discovered in 1869, and had not since been observed by the writer until the past season. It is manifestly a species of rare occurrence. _Peck_, 28th Rep. Massachusetts, _Frost_; Wisconsin, Minnesota. Ranges from New England to Kentucky unchanged. _Morgan._ Specimens from E.B. Sterling, Trenton, N.J., September, 1897. Asylum grounds. Several found at Mt. Gretna, August and September, 1897. Solitary in oak woods, gravelly soil. _McIlvaine._ Sent to Professor Peck and identified. Specimens were much darker than Professor Peck’s plates. C. squamulosus is not attractive in appearance. The caps, only, are edible. Their consistency is very pleasant and flavor fairly good. (Plate LXXXVI_a_.) [Illustration: CORTINARIUS AUTUMNALIS.] =C. autumna´lis= Pk. =Pileus= fleshy, convex or expanded, dull rusty-yellow, variegated or streaked with innate rust-colored fibrils. =Gills= rather broad, with a wide shallow emargination. =Stem= equal, solid, firm, bulbous, a little paler than the pileus. =Height= 3–4 in., breadth of pileus 2–4 in. =Stem= 6 lines thick. Pine woods. Bethlehem. November. The plant is sometimes cespitose. The flesh is white. _Peck_, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot. Mt. Gretna, Pa., 1899. _McIlvaine._ Quality fair. Caps meaty. =C. ochra´ceus= Pk. (Plate LXXXII, fig. 3, p. 306.) =Pileus= fleshy, convex, at length broadly subumbonate or gibbous, smooth, even or obscurely wrinkled, pale ochraceous. =Stem= solid, fibrillose, ochraceous at the top, white below, gradually enlarged into a thick bulbous base. =Height= 2–4 in., breadth of pileus 2–3 in. =Stem= 4–6 lines thick at the top, 12–18 lines at the base. Under balsam trees in open places. Catskill mountains. October. The stem appears as if sheathed. In some specimens the stem is short and rapidly tapers from the base to the top. _Peck_, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot. Many of the species were found by the writer in mixed woods among leaves at Mt. Gretna, Pa., September, 1898. Specimens were identified by Professor Peck. The gills are bright yellow when young. Cap smooth, innately fibrillose, not viscid. =Spores= light brown. Tasteless; smell faint. Good consistency. A fair flavor develops in cooking. *** _Gills yellow._ (Plate LXXXVI_b_.) [Illustration: CORTINARIUS ANNULATUS. Natural size. ] =C. (Inoloma) annula´tus= Pk. =Pileus= broadly convex, dry, villose-squamulose, yellow. =Flesh= yellowish. =Lamellæ= rather broad, subdistant, adnexed, yellow. =Stem= solid, bulbous, somewhat peronate by the yellow fibrillose annular-terminated veil. =Spores= broadly elliptical or subglobose, 8µ long. =Pileus= 1–3 in. broad. =Stem= 1.5–3 in. long, 3–6 lines thick. Thin woods. Whitehall. August. The whole plant is yellow inclining to ochraceous. It has the odor of radishes. The squamules of the pileus are pointed and erect on the disk, and often darker-colored there. The species is allied to C. tophaceus and C. callisteus, from which it is separated by its persistently annulate stem and more yellow color. _Peck_, 43d Rep. Specimens received from E.B. Sterling, Trenton, N.J., September 5, 1897. Identified by Professor Peck. Mixed woods Kingsessing, near Bartram’s Garden, Philadelphia, September, 1897. Solitary among grass and leaves. The permanent marking of the veil is conspicuous. Eight specimens were found and eaten. The caps cook tender, and have a decided but not unpleasant flavor. DERMO´CYBE. (_Gr_—skin; _Gr_—a head.) =C. cinnabari´nus= Fr.—_cinnabaris_, dragon’s blood. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad, _scarlet-red_, truly fleshy, campanulate, then flattened, obtuse or very obtusely umbonate, silky, then becoming smooth and shining, or obsoletely scaly; the firm flesh paler. =Stem= 1½-2 in. long, 3–4 lines and more thick, solid, equal, sometimes however bulbous, fibrillose or striate, scarlet-red, reddish brick-color internally. Cortina fibrillose, lax, cinnabar. =Gills= wholly adnate, somewhat decurrent, 3 lines broad, somewhat distant, connected by veins, unequal and darker at the edge, dark blood-color when bruised. Odor of radish. Readily distinguished from all others by its _splendid scarlet color_, and from C. sanguineus by its short solid and firm stem, its broad pileus and _somewhat distant gills_. Stem never becoming yellow. _Fries._ =Spores= 7–8×4µ _Cooke_. It is a variable species with us. =Cap= 1½ in. across, convex, broadly umbonate, margin involute, yellowish-brown, silky, innately fibrillose, shining, when young the cap is round, margin involute. =Veil= white, fibrillose, fugacious, leaving no trace on stem. =Flesh= thick in center, solid, close-grained, white, tinged with brown. Tastes strongly as radishes. Skin partially detachable. Gills exceedingly beautiful in their deep claret-color, which is permanent, decurrent. =Stem= 3 in. long, shining, smooth, white near top, brownish below, equal, fibrous, stuffed, skin removable. On ground among pines, near station, Mt. Gretna, Pa. August to frost. Solitary, gregarious and cespitose. Taste and smell like radishes. The caps cook well and are of fair flavor. Makes good patties and croquettes. _C. cinnabarinus_, Var. 1. Mt. Gretna, Pa., August to frost. On decaying chestnut stumps. Cap 1 in. across, shining, convex, orange-brown, white on margin and under minute appressed squamules, but few on margin; apparent remnant of a veil on cap, as a viscid skin. Gills rounded behind, slightly emarginate, like Tricholoma, grayish-brown when young, becoming a brilliant scarlet, unequal. Stem 2 in. high, over ¼ in. thick, white, covered with brownish-orange appressed squamules, often with stained marking of veil or fragments of veil as ring. Cespitose, connate. Taste and smell strong like radishes. Flavor in dish is decided but pleasant. Makes good patties and croquettes. Specimens were identified by Professor Peck as C. cinnabarinus, as were those of the preceding. The variations are so great that I give this place as a variety. =C. sanguin´eus= Fr.—_sanguis_, blood. =Pileus= 1–1½ in. broad, _blood-color_, becoming slightly pale when dry, fleshy, thin, convex then plane, obtuse, occasionally depressed, silky or squamulose. =Flesh= reddish, paler. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 2–3 lines thick, stuffed then hollow, equal (rather attenuated than thickened at the base), here and there flexuous, with fibrils of the same color, almost darker than the pileus. Cortina arachnoid, fugacious, red blood-color. =Gills= adnate, crowded, 2–3 lines broad, quite entire, dark blood-color. Wholly _dark blood-color_, the stem when compressed pouring forth bloody juice. Odor of radish. Thinner than species nearest to it. The spores are ochraceous on a white ground, somewhat ferruginous on a black ground. _Fries._ =Spores= 6×4µ _W.G.S._ North Carolina, _Curtis_; Massachusetts, _Sprague_, _Farlow_, _Frost_; Connecticut, _Wright_; New York, _Peck_, 23d Rep. Edible. _Leuba._ (Plate LXXXVII.) [Illustration: CORTINARIUS CINNAMOMEUS. Natural size. ] =C. cinnamo´meus= Fr. =Pileus= 1–2½ in. across. =Flesh= thin, convexo-campanulate, umbonate, somewhat cinnamon color, silky squamulose with yellowish innate fibrils, becoming almost glabrous. =Gills= adnate, broad, crowded, shining, yellowish, then tawny-yellow. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, equal, yellow, as is also the flesh and the veil, hollow. =Spores= 7–8×4–5µ. A very common species, especially in mossy places in pine woods, occurring under many well defined forms, which can not be separated as species. Essential points common to all. (1) Stem everywhere equal, stuffed, then hollow, yellowish, fibrillose from the similarly colored veil. (2) Pileus thin, flattened and obtusely umbonate, silky with yellowish down, often glabrous when adult, and then bright cinnamon, but the color is variable. (3) Flesh splitting, yellowish. (4) Gills adnate, crowded, thin, broad, always shining. (5) Spores dark ochraceous, size and color very variable; pileus from ½-3–4 in. across; color of pileus changeable, depending on the more or less persistence of the down (fundamental color and veil constant in this species and its allies); gills varying through blood-red, reddish cinnamon, tawny saffron, golden and yellow. _Fries._ =Pileus= thin, convex, obtuse or umbonate, dry, fibrillose at least when young. =Flesh= yellowish. =Lamellæ= thin, close, adnate. =Stem= slender, equal, stuffed or hollow. =Spores= elliptical, 8µ long. _Peck_, 48th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. =Spores= 7–8×4µ _Cooke_. The Germans are said to be very fond of this species, which is generally stewed in butter and served with sauce for vegetables. Catalogued by Dr. M.A. Curtis, North Carolina, as edible. Edible. _Cooke._ Var. _semi-sanguin´eus_ received from E.B. Sterling, Trenton, N.J., August, 1897. Juicy and good. The species is common over the United States and plentiful in its numerous varieties from August to frost. It frequents mixed woods, borders and open and mossy places. The pine woods of New Jersey yield it in quantity, as do the hemlock forests of Eagle’s Mere, Pa., and oak woods of West Virginia. It has a smell and taste—mildly of radishes. Its flavor when cooked is decided but pleasant. TELAMO´NIA. (_Gr_—lint.) (Plate LXXXVIII.) [Illustration: CORTINARIUS ARMILLATUS.] =C. armilla´tus= Fr.—_armilla_, a ring. (Plate LXXXII, fig. 5, p. 306.) =Pileus= 3–5 in. broad, _red-brick color_, truly fleshy, but not very compact, at first cylindrical, soon campanulate, at length flattened, dry, at first smooth, soon innately fibrillose or squamulose, flesh dingy pallid. =Stem= 3–6 in. long, ½ in. thick, solid, firm, remarkably bulbous (bulb 1 in. thick, villous, whitish) and fibrillose at the base, when old striate and reddish-pallid, internally dirty yellow. Exterior veil woven, red, arranged _in 2–4 distant cinnabar zones encircling the stem_; partial veil continuous with the upper zone, arachnoid, reddish-white. =Gills= adnate, slightly rounded, distant, at first pallid cinnamon, at length very broad (½ in.), dark ferruginous, almost bay-brown. Odor of radish. A very striking species. From the pileus not being hygrophanous, _at the first smooth_ and at length torn into fibrils or squamulose, it might easily be taken for a species of Inoloma. The cortina itself is paler than the zones. It differs from all others in these zones. The rings are usually somewhat oblique. _Fries._ Professor Peck in the 23d Rep. N.Y. State Cab. Nat. Hist., describes the American species as follows: “=Pileus= fleshy, thick, convex or subcampanulate, then expanded, minutely squamulose, yellowish-red. =Lamellæ= not close, broad, slightly emarginate, whitish-ochraceous, then cinnamon. =Stipe= stout, solid, fibrillose, whitish, girt with one to four red bands, bulbous. “Height 4–6 in., breadth of pileus 2–4 in., stipe 4–8 in. thick. “Woods. North Elba. August. “A large and noble species. The margin of the pileus is thin and sometimes uneven; the upper band on the stem is usually the brightest and most regular. The pileus is not distinctly hygrophanous.” =Spores= 10×6µ _Cooke_. Edible. _Cooke._ September 8, 1897, Mr. E.B. Sterling, Trenton, N.J., sent me several specimens new to me and remarkable in having two well-defined veils, the lower and thicker one of which left a dark zone upon the stem, the upper, fibrillose, was more persistent, but left a fainter impression. These veils are not mentioned in Professor Peck’s description of the American species, but are prominently noted in that of Fries, as above. In a very young specimen both veils were present. Cap light brown, minutely squamulose, with a few small red spots; margin thin, involute, flesh thick, yellowish, firm; gills distant, rounded behind, slightly emarginate, alternate ones short, light brown inclined to cinereous on edge. Spores brown. Small young specimens did not show bulbous stem as distinct as larger and older ones. I afterward found several specimens at Mt. Gretna, Pa., September and October, 1897. The flesh is excellent, closely resembling Pholiota subsquarrosa. The species seems to be rare. If found in quantity it will prove one of our very best edibles. =C. dis´tans= Pk. =Pileus= thin except the disk, convex, squamulose, bay-brown when moist, tawny when dry. =Lamellæ= broad, distant, thick, dark cinnamon-color. =Stipe= subequal, often a little tapering upward, solid, slightly fibrillose-scaly, concolorous. Height 2–3 in., breadth of pileus 1–2 in., stipe 4–6 in. thick. Grassy ground in pine woods. Greenbush. June. The flesh is dull-yellowish. The pileus, when drying, has for a time a brown-marginal zone. _Peck_, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot. New Jersey pines. Eagle’s Mere, Pa., coniferous woods. August. Mt. Gretna, Pa., pines. August, September. _McIlvaine._ Like most of the hygrophanous Cortinarii, the taste is more or less that of rotten wood. The flavor is flat and undesirable. =C. furfurel´lus= Pk. =Pileus= thin, convex, furfuraceous with minute squamules, hygrophanous, watery-tawny when moist, pale ochraceous when dry. =Lamellæ= broad, thick, distant, adnate or slightly emarginate, tawny-yellow, then cinnamon. =Stem= equal, peronate, colored like the pileus, with a slight annulus near the top. =Spores= subelliptical, minutely rough, 8–10×6µ. =Plant= 1–2 in. high. =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 lines thick. Moist ground in open places. Gansevoort. August. _Peck_, 32d Rep. N.Y. State Bot. Haddonfield, N.J., Mt. Gretna, Pa. _McIlvaine._ Strong woody flavor—like rotten wood. Not poisonous, but not desirable. HYGROCYBE. =C. casta´neus= Bull.—chestnut. =Pileus= fleshy, thin, campanulate or convex, then expanded, dark chestnut-color when moist, paler when dry. =Lamellæ= rather broad, violet-tinged, then cinnamon. =Stipe= fibrillose, stuffed or hollow, lilac tinged at the top, white below. Height 2–3 in., breadth of pileus 1–2 in., stipe 3–4 lines thick. Ground under spruce or balsam trees. Catskill mountains. October. Edible. _Peck_, 23d Rep. N.Y. State Bot. =Spores= 8×5µ. It is certainly a wholesome, esculent species, but a great number would be required to make a good dish. _M.C. Cooke._ Catalogued by Rev. M.A. Curtis, North Carolina, as edible. Eaten in Italy. Inodorous, edible and agreeable. _Cordier._ More than fair. I have often eaten it. _R.K. Macadam._ [Illustration] =PAXIL´LUS= Fr. _Paxillus_, a small stake. =Hymenophore= continuous with the stem, decurrent. =Gills= membranaceous, somewhat branched, frequently anastomosing behind, _distinct from the hymenophore and easily separable from it_. =Spores= dingy-white or ferruginous. _Fleshy putrescent fungi, margin of pileus at first involute, then continually and gradually unfolding and expanding._ _Fries._ =Pileus= symmetrical or eccentric. =Stem= central, eccentric or wanting. Edge of gills entire, sharp. The marked features of this genus are the strongly involute margin, the soft, tough, decurrent gills, separating readily from the flesh, and the color of the spores. The members of this genus possess some of the characters of Boletus. The gills separate easily from the hymenophore as do the tubes of the latter, and their anastomosing tendency is in P. porosus so marked that the hymenium consists of large angular tubes. The gills of P. solidus B. and C. form pores at the base, and its spores are elongated, both features indicating an affinity with Boletus. ANALYSIS OF TRIBES. LEPISTA (a pan). Page 327. Pileus entire, central. Spores dingy-white, in P. panæolus somewhat rust-color. On the ground. TAPINIA (to depress). Page —--. Pileus generally eccentric or resupinate. Spores rust-color. On the ground or on stumps. So far as known the species of this genus are harmless. Many of them are large, fleshy and inviting in appearance, but their flesh is usually dry and coarse, and, though absorbent, is hard to cook tender. P. atrotomentosus, which seems to be rare, is an exception. The flesh of this species being firm in texture and readily made into a first-class dish. LEPIS´TA. =P. lepis´ta= Fr.—_lepista_, a pan. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad, flat or depressed, dirty-white, smooth, sometimes minutely cracked near the margin which is thin, involute and often undulate. =Stem= very variable in length, 1–4 in., ½-¾ in. thick, dingy white or cream, solid, white inside, equal, with a cartilaginous cuticle passing between the gills and the flesh of the pileus, base blunt, villous, white. =Gills= very decurrent, crowded, 2–3 lines broad, slightly branched but not at the base, dingy-white becoming darker. =Spores= reddish, becoming dingy brown. Broadly pyriforme 6×8µ _Massee_. Pennsylvania. September, 1894. _McIlvaine._ Albion, N.Y., _Dr. Cushing_, 1898. On ground in woods and margins of woods. =Flesh= white. =Gills= narrow, crowded, brittle, decurrent, dingy-white or pale-buff, easily separating from cap. =Stem= solid, elastic, at length hollow, often short, an inch long, tapering downward, frequently up to four inches in length and equal, base villose. Resembling Lactarius piperatus and some forms of Clitocybe. It is separated from the former by the absence of milk and from the latter by its involute margin. The Clitocybe resembling it are all edible. =Smell= strong, like old oily nuts. Edible but coarse. =P. li´vidus= Cke. =Pileus= 1–2 in. across, convex, at length slightly depressed at the disk, margin slightly arched and incurved, dingy-white, or livid ochraceous, opaque. =Gills= decurrent, arcuate, almost crowded, 1½ line broad, white. =Stem= 3–4 in. long, ½ in. thick at the apex, attenuated downward, white, fibrillose, stuffed then hollow, usually rather flexuous. =Flesh= nearly white. =Spores= globose, 3–3.5µ diameter, nearly white. In woods. Usually in small clusters. Closely allied to Paxillus revolutus, but distinguished by the absence of any tinge of violet on the pileus or stem, and by the persistently white gills. _Massee._ Received from Katherine A. Hall, Danville, N.Y. October, 1898. Raw it tastes like a drug-store smell. Edible, pleasant. TAPI´NIA. (Plate XC.) [Illustration: PAXILLUS INVOLUTUS. One-half natural size. ] =P. involu´tus= (Batsch) Fr.—_involutus_, rolled inward. =Pileus= 2–5 in. broad, fleshy, compact, convexo-plane then depressed, smooth, viscid when moist, shining when dry, yellowish or tawny-ochraceous, _strongly involute_, _margin densely downy_, flesh pallid. =Stem= 2–4 in. high, about ½ in. thick, solid, firm, paler than the pileus, central or eccentric. =Gills= 2–3 lines broad, crowded, branched, anastomosing, _forming pores behind_, whitish then yellowish or rusty, _spotting when bruised_. =Spores= rust-color, ellipsoid or oblong-ellipsoid 8–16×6µ _K._; 5×6µ _W.G.S._ Elliptical, 8–10µ _Peck_. It grows singly or in groups and likes damp mossy soil. Common in cool hemlock or spruce woods in the Adirondack mountains; not rare in the mixed woods of all our hilly districts. When growing on decayed stumps the stem is sometimes eccentric. August, November. _C.H. Peck._ In open woods near Haddonfield, N.J., it grows to a large size and in quantity. In Angora woods near Philadelphia a complete ring of it 20 ft. in diameter was seen. Considered edible throughout Europe and said to be highly esteemed in Russia. The flesh of the American plant is dry and coarse, does not cook tender and is rather tasteless. =P. a´tro-tomento´sus= (Batsch.) Fr.—_ater_, black; _tomentum_, down. =Pileus= 3–6 in. broad, rust-color or reddish-brown, compactly fleshy, eccentric, convex then plane or depressed, margin thin, frequently minutely rivulose, sometimes tomentose in the center. =Flesh= white. =Stem= 3–6 in. high, ½-1 in. thick, stout, solid, elastic, eccentric or lateral, unequal rooting, _covered with dense velvety down, very dark brown_. =Gills= adnate, 3 lines broad, close, anastomosing at the base, yellowish, interspaces venose. =Spores= subhyaline 4–6×3–4µ _K._ Elliptical, pale-yellowish, 5×2.5–3µ _Massee_. Elliptical 5–6×4µ _Peck_. Found near Philadelphia, gregarious in old woods. September. In New Jersey in pine woods on stumps and on the ground, probably growing from roots. _McIlvaine._ Grows singly or cespitose, sometimes in large tufts, when the pileus is frequently irregular from compression. In wet weather the pileus is moist and sometimes obscurely mottled with dark spots. Occasionally it has an unpleasant dirt-like odor. _Peck._ Cordier considers this species suspicious and Paulet inutile on account of its bad taste. The flesh differs from most Paxilli in being very fine grained and cooked is of the consistency of a marshmallow. The taste is marked but pleasant. _Series IV._ =PORPHYRO´SPORÆ= (Pratelli). _Gr_—purple. Spores typically black-purple or brownish-purple, more rarely dusky brown. (It is to be observed that the spores vary in color according to the color of the ground on which they are deposited.) There are sterile forms with the gills persistently white (A. obturatus, A. udus). Those species are more deceptive in which the gills continue for a long time white, and even begin to decay before they are discolored by the spores; these may be easily mistaken for Leucospori. _Fries._ Pratelli is the name given by the early authors to this series, based upon the spore color; Porphyrosporæ is the name now used. The species within the group are closely allied to those having black spores without a tinge of purple or violet (Melanosporæ), but in none of the species do the gills deliquesce as in Coprinus, neither are there resupinate or lateral stemmed species. There is a present tendency to do away with this series and include all dark-spored species in the Melanosporæ. Professor Atkinson and Bertha Stoneman, in their “Provisional Key to the Genera of Hymenomycetes,” omit the series and give “Melanosporæ, Gill and Butz (Pratellæ and Coprinariæ in broadest sense). Spores dark brown, purplish-brown or black.” [Illustration: PORPHYROSPORAE. _Hymenophore distinct from fleshy stem._ PILOSACE. AGARICUS. (PSALLIOTA.) CHITONIA. _Hymenophore confluent and homogeneous with fleshy stem._ STROPHARIA. HYPHOLOMA. _Hymenophore confluent with, but heterogeneous from cartilaginous stem._ PSILOCYBE. PSATHYRA. DECONICA. PLATE XCII. CHART OF GENERA IN PURPLE-SPORED SERIES—PORPHYROSPORAE, PAGE 330. ] (Plate XCIII.) [Illustration: CHITONIA RUBRICEPS. Two-thirds natural size. ] It is frequently difficult to determine by the spore-color of this series even to which series a specimen belongs. Many of our best edibles belong in this series. I know of none noxious. =CHITON´IA= Fr. Universal veil distinct from the pileus, at maturity forming a distinct volva round the base of the ringless central stem. =Gills= free from the stem. =Spores= brownish-purple. Analogous in structure with Volvaria and Amanitopsis. An exotic genus imported into this country. No American species reported. [Illustration: Grouped by F.D. Briscoe—Studies by C. McIlvaine. PLATE XCI.] FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE.