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MU5HR00M5

AND THEIR USE

BY CHAKLKS H. PKCK.

STATE BOTANIST OF NEW YORK

PRICE, FIFTY CENTS

Cambridge, Mass.
CAMBRIDGE BOTANICAL SUPPLY COMPANY

MAY, 1897

k

EXHIBITIONS OF MUSHROOMS.

Saturdays during the season, from 12 to 3, our native mush-
rooms, edible and poisonous, will be shown at the regular exhibi-
tions of the Massachusetts Horticultui'al Society.

These exhibitions are one feature of the work of the Boston
Mycological Club, which is using every means to collect and spread
such information as is to be found in Prof. Peck's articles. Mem-
bership in the club is $1.00 a year, and all interested are welcomed.
The Secretary may be addressed at Cambridge, Mass.

l^^^^^^^^^^S

Lombard & Caustic, Printers, Cambridge.

MUSH ROOMS

AND

THKIR USK

BY

CHARLES H. PECK,

STATE BOTANIST OF NEW YORK.

Reprinted by permission from the Cultivator and Country Gentle-
man, of Albany. X. Y., May 31 to Sept. 20, 1894.

ILLUSTRATED BY 32 CUTS

loaned by the publishers of that journal.

Cambridge, Mass.
CAMBRIDGE BOTANICAL SUPPLY COMPANY.

May, 1897.

MUSIIJIOOMS AM) TllKlR USE.

I. AM> IT. TX'I'UOnrCTIOX— GE.XEKAL iSTATKM KXTS.

[Maiiv articles on mii.-li rooms have recently appeared in peri-
odicals in this country, from wliidi it is evident that there is a
desire on the part of many persons to obtain information con-
cerning them. It has, therefore, seemed good to me to tell what
little 1 know ahoiit the subject, even at the risk of taking up
what may appear to some a matter already well discussed. I am
the more strongly inclined to do this because of numerous pri-
vate appeals to me for information of this character, and because
no single periodical can ho}»e to reach all the people in this vast
country who desire information on such an interesting topic.
Be>:i<los, no single writer is likely to exhaust the subject, or to
tell all that should be known concerning it; what one may omit
another may express, and in this way general knowledge may
be increased.

The times seem auspicious for such an undertaking, for with
much depression in financial and business circles, with lack of
employment and the reduction in wages now taking place, anv-
thing that promises to cheapen the cost of living or add to the
means of subsistence of the unemi)loyed or of those employed on
short time or at low wages, must possess a peculiar interest.
"Hard times" may now and then coiiij)cl us to look inio Nature's
bouTitifid storehouse for a sui)pl('nientary sui)j)ly of food. And
Mature, almost always lavish in her gifts, has indeed jn-ovided a
bountiful supply, which in this country has been greatly over-
looked and almost entirely neglected until very recent vears.

^fushrooms have been, and still are, much more largely con-
sumed in Furope than in this country. In China also, where,
with her teeming jiopnlation, the cost of living seems to be re-
duced almost to its minininm, they are extensively used. China
itself does not supply its own denutnd for them, and thereforo

they iia])ort large quantities from Japan and other islands of the
Pacific ocean. In some of the cities of Europe, the consumption
of them is so great that a superintendent of the market is em-
ployed to inspect those offered for sale, and to destroy those that
are unwholesome or unfit for food. In this way it has been as-
certained that more than thirty tons are annually consumed in
Rome alone! They are not used by the jioorer classes of people
exclusively, for the wealthy and the nobility are apparently as
fond of them as any other class. They are served at the tables of
the hotels and on great occasions.

In this country, the high price of the common or cultivated
niushroom (usually fifty cents to a dollar a pound) excludes it
from the tables of the poor who live in cities or where they are
unable to gather it in the wild state; but, fortunately for them,
there are many other species quite as good as this, which it is
possible to have in the season for the trouble of gathering. No
labor is exjDended in their cultivation, no costly hot-houses or
mushroom cellars are occupied by them; nature produces them
at her own expense, and often in great abundance. They afford
palatable and nutritious food; and yet they are generally al-
lowed to decay where they grew. In this state alone, at least
seventy-five species are known to occur that are available for
food. There are here also nearly six hundred other fleshy or
similar fungi, many of which will doubtless yet be found to be
edible. Experimenters are already in the field, and additions
are frequently made to the esculent list. It is true that some are
of small size, or of rare occurrence or limited range; but others
occur with frequency, are of fair size and wide range, and in fa-
^'orable seasons and localities are found in great profusion. Some
occur early in the season, others in midsummer, and many in
late summer and in autumn; so that there is a succession of
crops, which in wet seasons at least make an almost continuous
sup]ily possible.

They constitute a very nutritious and sustaining diet. Chemi-
cal analysis, as well as experience, indicates this. The former
has shown that they contain in their dry matter from 20 to 50
per cent, of protein or nitrogenous material, and they may there-
fore be called a vegetable meat, and be used as a substitute for
animal food.

Like other vegetables, they are largely composed of water,
A\hich generally constitutes 80 or 90 per cent, of the wdiole. So
much water causes them to shrivel greatly in drying, and so
mu.ch nitrogenous material induces rapid decay and loathsome

decomposition, unless quickly dried and kcjtt drv. This should
teach moderation in their use. A hearty meal of mushrooms
alone mijiht he ex])eeted to ])roduce eonseciuences sinuhir to
those lollowing a hirjic repast on iiothinu- hut heefsteak. It also
teaches the necessity of cair in the selection of the specimens to
be utili/.ed. Only sound ami fresh specimens, young or just ma-
ture, should be taken.

Many inserts i\ro fond of mushrooms. Hoth they and tiieir
larvae feed on them and in them. A mushroom may appear fair
on its exterior, which if cut or broken, will show its interior to be
full of small holes and galleries excavated l>y larva-, and perhaps
may reveal a living- colony of the larvjc tliems(dves. It is need-
less to say that such specimens should be rejected at once. The
larva^ most often enter at the base of the stem and mine their
way up thi'ough the stem to the cap. AVhen this is the case, and
they have reached the cap, their presence will be reveal(Ml when
the cap is cut from the stem, for the small holes through which
they have passed will easily be seen. Sometimes the eggs are de-
posited by the parent insect on the surface of the cap, and when
hatched, the larva^ at once eat their way into the flesh beneath.

Strange as it may seem, a colony of larvae in the lower part of
the stem of a mushroom will often affect disastrously the flavor
of the cap or upper part, which they have not yet touched.
Sometimes a part of a cap will show signs of decay while a part
remains apparently sound. Better reject the whole in such
cases. Also discard those that are watersoaked, for this is often
an indication of age and incipient decay.

The fact that most mushrooms are shortdived and decay rap-
idly also teaches the importance of cooking them promptly after
they have been gathered. As a rule, they should be cooked the
same day. If the collector has been fortunate enough to obtain
more than enough for one meal, it is generally better to cook the
whole lot iit once, as they will not spoil as soon in the cooked as
in the raw state.

Tti collecting mushrooms that have stems, it is not advisable
to take the stems except in those cases in which they ai'c suf-
ficiently tender to be utilized; generally, they are too tough.
Care should be taken to keep the mushrooms as clean as possible.
Sometimes soil, sticks and leaves, are carried up in the growth of
the mushroom and remain on the cap. This is especially the case
with those species that have a viscid or sticky surface to the cap.
It is better to clear this rubl»ish carefully away before juitting
the specimens in the collecting basket. If this is not done, such

speciniens should at least be wrapped separately in paper, that
they may not soil others.

In preparing for cooking, all having a dirty, tough or viscid
cuticle, should be thoroughly washed or wiped clean or peeled.
In the case of boleti, it is well to remove the porous part from
the cap, for these pores are apt to form a shiny, unpleasant mass
in cooking. They are easily separable from the flesh of the cap.
In large specimens the cap may be cut in slices.

The mode of cooking will depend on the kind of mushroom,
the tastes of those that are to eat them, and the conveniences at
hand. It is customary to fry, broil or stew them, and in each
case to season or dress them according to taste, or the knowledge
of the cook. The object to be kept in view is to make a palatable
and at the same time a digestible dish. Sometimes mushrooms
are used in small quantity, chiefly to give flavor to meats or
other dishes. Mushrooms of inferior flavor are often made more
agreeable by cooking with them a few specimens of some kind
more highly and agTeeably flavored. Species too tough to be
eaten with pleasure are sometimes utilized by making of them a
kind of soup or broth, which is eaten, while the mushroom itself
is rejected.

The same species is not always equally tender or agreeable.
Its flavor and texture appear to depend to some extent upon the
kind of soil in wdiich it grew, the rapidity of its growth, and the
age at which it was collected. Young specimens and those of
rapid growth are expected to be more tender than old or slowly
developed ones, but they are not always the most highly flavored.
In this way, and because of the differences in the tastes of indi-
A'iduals, we may explain the different estimates placed by differ-
ent writers on the edible qualities of the same species of mush-
room. There are also peculiarities of constitution which make
what is one man's meat, another man's poison.

The same thing is sometimes seen in the use of other foods.
One man is made sick by eating egg or any article of food in the
preparation of which egg enters as an ingredient. Another man
cannot eat strawberries ^\athout being sickened. This individual
peculiarity has possibly, in some instances, been the reason why
one T\Titer has attributed poisonous qualities to the same kind of
mushroom which another writer has declared to be edible. ,

]\Iushrooms have been used for food for many centuries.
They graced the tables of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Ac-
cidents liaA'e sometimes happened from their careless or unintel-
ligent use; yet some jDeople have persisted in using them, and

6

prohalily ^v^ll persist in it as long as they can Le obtained. To
(.liIlliIli^ll the niiiiiber v( siieli aceidentri by cultivating a better
general knowledge of the subject is one of the purposes of the
writer. It is true that tiiere are some poisonous species, dan-
gerous to eat; but the number of such species is often greatly
overestimated. Probably the proportion of dangerously poison-
ous species is no greater among fungi than auioiig tlowering
I'lants. In this State only three or four species have been found
that may be chisscd as actually known to be fatally poisonous.
There are many that are of such a character as toproduce nausea,
vomiting and derangement of the digestive organs, but they are
not to be classed as really dangerous to life. They are unwhole-
some because of their persistently bitter, acid or otherwise dis-
agreeable flavor, or because of toughness of texture, or the pos-
session of some quality rej)ugnant to the stomach, but not neces-
sarily causing death, for if such are eaten, the irritation produced
generally induces their speedy rejection from the system, and
thcTi the normal condition of the victim is soon restored.

On the other hand the dangerously poisonous species appear to
cause no irritation or unpleasant symj)toms until after the lapse
of several Ikmu-s after eating, usually from eight to fifteen. The
poisonous ])ro[)erty, which has received the names amanitine, bul-
bosinc, or muscarine, according to the kind of fungus from which
it was ol)tained, appears to enter into the circulation and to at-
tack the nervous system. Then the symptoms begin to manifest
themselves. The face exhibits an ashy paleness; there is distress
in the region of the stomach; nausea, vomiting and relaxation
of the bowels follow, the extremities become cold, the pulse
feeble, the eyesight is affected, and finally stu]vir and death fol-
low if relief is not obtained. Atro]u'ne has been found to be an
antidote to this kind of poisoning. It has been administered in
doses of l-GO to 1-") of a grain according to the severity of the
case, and the dose may be repeated if necessary. It may b^ ad-
mim'stered in subcutaneous injectious. Tn other cases the symp-
toms appear much sooner, and relief may be hastened by the
administration of some simple emetic.

It is the fear of being poisoned that prevents many from using
mushrooms. They are unable to distinguish the good from the
bad, and therefore wisely avoid both. The erroneous opinion is
often entertained that the poisonous species are about as numer-
ous as the edi])lo. ^Fany also suppose that some simple test may
be employed which Avill reveal the character of the mushrooms
and <how whether thev are hurtful <>r harmless. TTence the oft-

repeated question, "How shall I distinguish the mushroom
from the toadstool?" In the effort to answer this question, many
rules have been given by various writers, some of which are
wholly unreliable; and to the others there are so many excep-
tions that they are practically worthless. The only safe and rea-
sonable way to distinguish between the good and the bad is to
recognize each species by its own specific characters. It is in
this way that we recognize the useful and esculent species among
flowering plants, and it must be in this way that we select our
edible species of mushrooms. A little more care may be neces-
sary in one case than in the other, because of a closer resem-
blance between good and bad fungi than between good and bad
flowering plants. The principle that is to govern in this matter
is the same in both cases. The greater the number of esculent
species clearly and confidently recognizable by any one, the
greater the field from which he may draw his supplies. If but
a single species is known, he can safely eat of that species only,
unless he may be able to avail himself of the wider knowledge of
some other person. In a few cases it is possible to affirm of cer-
tain groups or families of closely related species that no danger-
ous ones are knoTvoi in them. For example, we have six species
of morel in 'New York, and no morel is known to be really
poisonous. It is, therefore, pretty safe to say that he who is able
to distinguish a morel from all other fungi may confidently eat
morels without fear of ill results, though he may not be able to
separate one species of morel from another.

The same thing may be said of puff-balls. Any one able to
discriminate between puff-balls and other fungi, may with con-
siderable assurance make use of puff-balls when in proper condi-
tion, even if he does not Icnow the real distinctive characters of
any one species. The probability is that he will not thereby be
poisoned; but there is not absolute safety. It is possible that
some deleterious puff-ball of gi-eat scarcity exists which has not
yet been discovered, or which, if known, has not yet been tested.
Therefore, it is safer, even in these cases, to partake only of those
which are specifically known, and which have been found by
actual experiment, to be good for food. The rules which say
that all morels, all puff-balls, all fairy-clubs, and all tender hydna
or spine mushrooms are safe eating, would be better if limited by
the words, "so far as known."

Many rules have been published by authors and vTiters for
periodicals which have an extremely limited application, and
are, therefore, misleading, and worse than useless. A writer,

8

•v\ isliing to limit the use of fungi to the common mushroom, say3,
'•reject all which have the gills white." This rule, if ohserved,
W(jnl(l exclude from use many excellent species. Another says,
"discard all that have a hollow stem." This also would prevent
the use of i>Mc}\ valuable species as Ceesar's mushroom, tlie smooth
le))i(»ta. mill ihe delicious lactai'iii-^. Ai:aiii. we are told ti> avoid
all thiit have a viscid cap, and all that when fresh have an acrid
or hot, pejjperv taste. These directions, too, would rule out
SOUK species that have been used and are known to furnish very
good food.

The viscidity ]uay be removed from the cap, the harsh flavor
<iestroyed by cooking, and the flesh of some such has been found
to be palatable and nutritious. Also, if we follow the directions
to take only such species as are found growing in the fields and
open places, we deprive oui-selvcs of many an c-xcellent dish that
can be furnished by the edible species of the woods and groves.

The silver spoon test, which sanctions eating such as do not
tarnish the spoon when placed among the cooking mushrooms,
was long ago exjiloded, for by actual trial it was found to be
deceptive and unreliable. It has been stated that vinegar has the
power to absorl) or neutralize the poison of the dangerous species,
and that sucli, after having been stee]>ed in vinegar, then taken
out and washed in clean water, may be cooked and eaten with
safety. This process is not here recommended. It seems better
to eat only such as are known to be harmless, without any pick-
ling process being necessary to make them so.

Before proceeding to the descriptive part of these articles, it is
jjroper to explain the meaning of a few somewhat technical
terms which it will be necessary or convenient to employ:

Tlie substance of mushrooms is commonly called the fesh,
though it is unlike the flesh of animals.

The seeds or re]u-oductive bodies are termed spores. They are
as fine as dust and singly invisible to the naked eye.

The upper ex]ianded part of the ])lant is commonly known as
the ra/). I'he botanical name is pilens. It varies in shape ac-
cording to age and species.

The spores develop in or on some special part of the cap, in all
species Avhere a cap is formed. The spore-bearing ]iarl of surface
is botaiiically designated by the term hi/nieniinn, and that part
on which the hymenium is borne or rests is the hymenophorc.

The minute threads which proceed from the germinating
spores, and which permeate the soil or other material on which

9

tlie iimsliroom grows, constitute the mycelium. This is com-
rcionlj known as "spa\\Ti."

The best way to acqnire a knowledge of our edible fungi is to
study them in the light of the primary characters employed in
botanical classification, and in their natural relations to each
other. The species will, therefore, be described and arranged in
their respective classes, families and genera. It mil be seen that
they are all included in three great classes, whose names and dis-
tinguishing characters may be stated in the following manner :

GASTEEo:MYCETEiE. — Fuugi wliosc sporcs are produced in the
interior of the plant. Example, puff halls.

Discomycete.t:. — Fungi whose spores are produced in delicate
membranous sacks on the upper or exterior surface of the cap.
Example, morels.

Hymeno:mycete.ic. — Eungi whose spores are produced on the
lower surface of the cap. Example, common mushroom.

In this last class there are a few species in which no regular
cap is developed. In these, the spores are produced on the ex-
terior surface of upright, simple stem-like plants, or of the
branches of upright bush-like plants, or on the upper surface of
gelatinous or jelly-like irregularly expanded plants. ISTone of
the gelatinous plants will be described, and only two or three
species of the other exceptional cases, all of which belong to the
genus Clavaria.

The spore-bearing surface or hymenium is generally recog-
nizable, even to the naked eye, by its smooth, delicate, waxy
ajijH'arance, which is quite unlike that of the sterile surfaces. In
most of the ca]>bearing mushrooms, the lower surface of the cap
is furnished with special organs, on whose surfaces the spores are
produced. These are in the form of gills, pores or spine-like
teeth, and these furnish characters on which the three principal
families of the HvmenomycetefP are founded. These characters
will be more fullv elucidated in their proper place.

10

111. 1M'KK-I;.\I.LS.

riitV-lialls Ix'ldiii;- to a class of i'iiiii;i ti' \\lii<-li l>ni;iiii>ts i^'ivv the
iiaiiic Gaslero)injceicae, "stomach funp'' — a iiatnc suji-^cstcd l>y
the fact tliat their spores are prodiiccil witliin the recci)taclc, or
spore-bearing' part. In most of them, the whoh' interior of tlie
mature ]ilant is tilled Avith a dnstv mass of spores, inlermingled
in manv cases with minute threads or tilanieuts. They are
among' the most easily recognized of our fungi, and the larger
ones in their early state are among the best of our edible species.

Almost every one, whether botanist or not, confidently thinks
he knows a puff-ball Avhen he sees it. Over and over again, the
liltle globular growths consisting of a ]xiperv envelope stuffed
full of brown dust and cottony filaments have been seen lying
singly or in clusters on the ground, or adhering to the decaying
wood of old stumps or prostrate trunks of trees. Often in child-
hood days these have been subjected to sudden pressure between
the thumb and fmgei's, that there might be seen the little cloud
of dust-like s])ores that is thereby ejected, and that quickly van-
ishes in the air like a little puff of smoke.

Xo one would think these good to eat, and indeed they are
not, when in this condition. Xearly all puff-balls are white with-
in when young, and their substance is then of a soft, fleshy con-
sistence, very unlike the dusty filamentous material that fills
ther.i when mature. And it is onli/ irliUe ihey are white within
that therj are fit for food. AVhen they reach maturity, the flesh
at f'rst assumes greenish-yellow or brownish-yellow hues. They
are then spoiled for eating. Soon they become moist within, and
when this moisture dries away, the whole interior (except in
some species a small cellular ])art at the base) is found to be
transformed into the usual dusty brown mass that characterizes
the mature puff-ball.

There avc in this coiniti-y many s]-)ecies of the genus Lj/roper-
don, to which most of our ])uff-balls belong; ju'obablv not less
than forty. They may be arranged in two groups. In one group
the plants are commonly small, rarely exceeding an inch and a
half or tw'o inches in <liaiiieter. These, when mature, burst at
the top, in a somewhat circular but rather ragged aperture, to
permit the spores to escape. The other group, to which generic

11

iE'iportance is sometimes given, is composed of larger plants,
■will oil range in diameter from 2 to 12 inches or more, according
to the species. These plants when matnre rupture irregularly,
the commonly thicker rind breaking up in angular and unequal
fragments and falling away, thus permitting the spores to be dis-
sipated and scattered by the winds.

Though no deleterious species of puff-ball is known, the flavor
of the smaller kinds, so far as I have tried them, is much inferior
to that of the larger. Only the latter, therefore, are recom-
mended for food. It is possible, however, that some of the
smaller sorts not yet tried, may be well flavored, and may yet be
introduced by experimenting mycophagists into the list of edible
species.

The Giant puff-ball, Lycoperdon giganteum, is the largest spe-
cies known. Specimens of medium size are 8 to 12 inches in
diameter. Smaller and much larger individuals sometimes oc-
cur. The largest specimen in the State Museum is about 15
inches in diameter in the dry state. When fresh, it was much

larger — probably 20 inches
or more in diameter; they
shrink greatly in drying. In
the larger specimens the ver-
tical diameter is generally
less than the horizontal, so
that the shape is that of a de-
pressed globe, or a round loaf
of bread. The smaller ones
are usually less depressed.

Giant Piiff-Ball. LyroiuTrlon g-israiiteuni
one-sixteenth usual size.

about

and are therefore more nearly
globular. The color is white,
or whitish, until by age it becomes dingy or somewhat yellowish
or brownish. Its surface is nearly or quite smooth, and in grow-
ing it rests upon the ground, as it has no stem or stemlike base to
support it. \Anien approaching maturity, greenish-yellow stains
appear in the ]ireviously snow-wliite flesh. At length the whole
interior becomes a soft cottony, but dusty mass of a dingy yel-
lowish brown hue.

This puff-ball grows in fields, pastures and waste places, and
by roadsides. It is by no means frequent, though it has a wide
range, and has been recorded from iSTew England on the east, to
California on the west, and as far south as Xortli Carolina. I
jknow of no reason why it may not occur in every state of the
Union. AVith us it usually appears in August and September.

12

r'iil)-slia))i'il l'iiff-H;ill, Lycopordon cyiitliiforme
nitlifi less than half usual sl/e.

Its larjje size, Avhitc color and smootlu^^h siirfaf-e are characters
by which it may easily lie distinguislioil tinm every otlier species.

Till' ( 'up-shapotl putl'-hall, Lycoperdou njdfhiformc, is iniKth
smaller and much more frequent. It is commonly three to live
inches in diameter. It is most often ahniptly cotitractcil liclow
into a thick basal [)art, wliicli
gives it a somewhat turbinate
sbape, but this is not always
the case. Its color is some-
what vavial)le, rano-inp: from
grayish-white to brown ni
pinkish-brown. Its surface i-'
smooth, or nearly so, but ii
usually cracks in an areulate
manner, so that the upi)ev
half especially presents a sys-
tem of reticulating chinks en-
closing small, more or less an-
gular, darker areas or patches.
"When mature, the dusty
spore mass of the interior pre-
sents a purple-brown color.
After the upper part of the rind has fallen away, and the spores
have been dispersed, there remains the basal part of the plant,
which is surmounted by the concave or cup-shaped lower portion
of the rind. This condition of the plant was the basis for the
original description of the species and suggested the name of this
puH'-ball.

Its place of growth is in helds and pastures, and its range ex-
tends westward to the ^lissis-
sippi liiver, and south to
South Carijlina. It appenrn
in August and September.
gi'owing singly or in grroups
of several individuals. Some-
times the old flattened cup-
shape base persists till the
folloAAnng spring. It differ-
from the Giant putf-ball in
its smaller size, chinky areo-
late surface, darker color, and
when mature, in its purple-
brown interior. Both species are equally good to eat, and both

Lycoperdou i yalliifornu — liiii-Sliaped Uase
of an olil plant, about half usual size.

13

inaj be prepared for the table iu the same manner, as below:

Select immature specimens whose flesh is yet pure white.
Peel away the rind and cut the flesh in thin slices, say ^
to ^ an inch thick. These slices may simply be fried in butter,
and seasoned to taste, or they may first be dipj)ed in a batter
made of beaten egg and then fried and seasoned. In this way
they make a kind of mushroom omelet or fritters, that is very
agreeable to almost all tastes. If preferred, the beaten egg may
be thickened with a few bread crumbs or with crushed crackers.
Some, who are especially fond of the common mushroom, fry
the plain slices in butter, adding a mushroom or two to them to
heighten the flavor. A group of the cup-shaped puff-ball or a
single large specimen of the Giant puff-ball will furnish sufficient
material for a meal for a large family. One correspondent writes
me that he once found a Giant puff-ball so large that it afforded
a good portion of the dinner of about 50 persons!

There are a few other large species of puff-balls, ranging in di-
ameter from 3 to 8 inches, which grow in some of the southern
and western States, and which are probably edible; but a de-
scription of which T omit because they have not yet been proved
to be good.

There are two puff-balls belonging to the genus Bovista which
have been tested by Prof. William Trelease and pronounced by
him to be delicate and excellent. The difference between a Bo-
vista and a Lycoperdon is very slight and need not be discussed
here.

The Lead-colored puff-ball, Bovista plumhea, is about as round
as a marble and not very much larger. Its diameter usually va-
ries from half an inch to one inch. It is almost as white as snow
when young and in eatable condition. Its thin white coat pres-
ently becomes dingy and scales off in flakes, exposing a tougher,
thicker rind beneath, which has a dull, dark, but perceptibly
leaden hue, that suggests the name. It grows in pastures among
short grass, or on naked ground, appearing with us from mid-
summer to autumn. Old plants, with an apical aperture for the
escape of the spores, may sometimes be found in spring, but they
do not much resemble the young edible plant.

The other species, the Ball-shaped puff-ball, Bovista pila, is
very similar to the one just described, in its shape and in the
color of the young plant, but it is larger, its diameter being one
and a half to two and a half inches. When old, its rind becomes
smooth, browTi, or slightly purplish-brown, and almost shining.

14

It is wry tuiijili, an<l opens by an irrcj^iilar niiiture or lacerated
aperture. It grows on the gnjuiul, citlicr in fields or thin woods,
and often jjersists throuah the winter in it> ln'own mature con-
dition.

AVe liave two or three species of Sdcrodcnna or hard rind
putl"-i)alls, in which the tlesh, even in vounfi" plants, is not white,
but rather of bluish-black or purj)lisli-l)lack. These have not
been recorded as edible, and tliough they are not known to be
]>oisonous, they <lo not come under the rule given for edible
pulMtalls, and sh(»uld be omitted entirely; yet ono corrfspondent
re)iorts liaving eaten them anil liking them.

\\. :MOrvKLS AXD TIKLVELLAS.

These belong to a large class called IJisconn/reteae, "disk
fungi." The spores are produced in thin mendjranous sacks
(usually eight in each), imbedded in the flesh of the upper or ex-
terior surface of the cap. This character is not easily seen with-
out a microscope. ComparatiA'ely few of the species are large
enough and tender enough for food.

^forels are neither like pufl'-l)alls nor like uiushrooms. They
consist of a stem and a cap or head. Tlie cap, which is the spore-
bearing part, is either globose, oblong, conical or cylindrical in
shape, according to the species. But its most marked feature,
and the one by which morels are the most readily distinguished
fi'om nil other fungi, is foimd in the small depressions or cavities
which occupy its whole exterior surface, giving it a somewhat
honey-cond)ed or pitted appearance. The intervening ridges or
dissepiments are rather thick and blunt on the edge. In all our
species the caps are yellowish, butt' or ochraceous when fresh and
growing, but they usually assume darker or brownish hues as
they mature and begin to dry or decay. The stems are rather
stout, hollow, and white or whitish, sometimes tinged with yel-
low. They are not polished, but slightly roughened by numer-
ous minute branny ]iarticles. In some species the stems are often
shorter than the head or ca]).

The species may be gTouped in two sections. In one, the low-
er margin of the head grows fast to the top of the stem; in the
other, it is free from the stem, as in the cap of the common mush-
room. In the former case the head is hollow, in the latter there
is a cavity beneath it, or rather an open space, between its mar-

15

gin and the stern. Of the former group, four species occur in
]S^ew York; of tlie latter, only two, and these are of very rare
occurrence. Their scarcity and their small size make them of
comparatively little importance as an article of food.

JSTo morel is known to be poisonous; they can therefore be
eaten with considerable confidence, even if the specific distinc-
tions are not well understood. Two or three species of stinkhorn
fungi, Phallus impudicus, Phallus duplicaius, &c., have heads
with similar cavities after the spores have been shed, but in these
the stems are porous — that is, full of minute pores or cavities —
and the head has an apical aperture; and, moreover, the plants
have such an intolerable odor that no one would think of eating
them. The species of the first group are more common, and the
plants themselves are generally of larger size, and it is to this
group we must look for our chief supply of morels. To it belong
the Common or Esculent morel (Morchella esculenta), the Coni-
cal morel (M. conica), the l^arrow-cap morel (M. angusticeps),
and the Delicious morel (M. deliciosa ). If any one of these mo-
rels is cut through the middle vertically, it will be seen that the
head is hollow as well as the stem, and that the cavity is con-
tinuous from one to the other.

All the species occur early in the season. Some may be found
as early as April, especially in the States south of ^NTew Jersey
and Pennsylvania. In iSTew York, they are found in IMay and
June. I have never seen one growing here later than June.
They occur mostly under trees or in thin, open woods, or along
the borders of more dense woods. A favorite habitat is under or
near pine trees and ash trees, though it is not impossible to find
them under other trees. They are not averse to sandy soil, pro-
vided rains are frequent and moisture plentiful.

For the benefit of those who may wish to distinguish the spe-
cies, the following synopsis is given :

SPECIES OF MOECHELLA.

Margin of the cap imited to the stem, 1.

Margin of the cap not united to the stem, 3.

1. Cap rounded, oval, or nearly so, M. esculenta

1. Cap conical or oblong-conical, 2.

1. Cap oblong or cylindrical, M- deliciosa

2. Cap distinctly broader than stem, M. conica

16

2. Cap seareely broa^ler than stem, ^f. anrjuaticeps

S. Cap free from stem to middle, M. semiUhera

3. Cap free from stem to top, ,1/. hispora

Tlic Common morel, Munhella esculenia, pjeuerally has the
eap a little longer than hroad, so that it is nearly oval in outline.
Sometimes it is nearly glolnihir. and occasionally it is slightly
narrowed in its upper half,
hut not so much as t<i he
pointed or conical. The pits
or cavities in its surface are
more regularly roumlcd than
in the other species, and re-
semble more the cells of a
honev-comb. The cap !•<
much broader than the ili-
amcter of the stem. Tlic
plants vary from two tn
four inches in height, but
occasionally specimens occur
much larger, and sometimes
even smaller than these di-
mensions. The stem is com-
monly half an inch or more
in diameter.

The Conical morel, J/.
conica, is closely related to
the preceding species, of
which some have considered
it a mere variety. It differs
from it in having the cap
longer in proportion to its
width, and also more point-
ed, so that it is conical or ob-
long-conical in shape. The
principal ridges wdiich se])a-
rate the rows of pits in the
surface appear to run more regularly and distinctly from top to
bottom. They are^connected by intervening transverse ridges,
w^hich are sometimes less elevated that the longitudinal ridges,
and therefore the pits often appear longer than broad, and less
regular in outline. The cap is decidedly broader than its stem.
The ])lants ar(> generally from three to five inches high.

The Narrow-cap morel, J/, angusiiceps, differs from the

IT

Mori'liella esciilcnta, full size.

Conical morel m its ordinarily smaller size, its narrowly conical
and more acutely pointed cap, which is scarcely broader at its

base than the stem which
supports it, and in the small-
er pits of the cap. The
seeming disjirojiortion be-
tween the diameter of the
stem and its cap gives a kind
of deformity to the appear-
ance of the plant, which lack
of symmetry is sometimes
increased by the cap's being
strongly curved. The plant
is generally but two to three
inches high, but sometimes
specimens have been found
five or six inches high.

The Delicious morel, M.
deliciosa, is easily known
by its long, narrow cap,
which is blunt at the top,
and therefore oblong or cyl-
indrical in shape. Occasion*
ally, it is a little more nar-
row in its upper half, but
even then it is not as sharply
pointed as in the ISTarrow-
cap morel, nor is the dispro-
portion between the diame-
ter of the cap and the stem
so great. As in that species,
the pits in the surface of the
cap are small and narrow,
and usually longer than
l:)road. It also is generally
but two or three inches high. In this part of the country it is
less common than either of the preceding sj)ecies.

The Half-free morel, M. semilihera (by some called the Hy-
brid morel, M. hyhrida), and the Two-spored morel, M. hispora,
are of such rare occurrence that it is scarcely worth while to give
here a detailed description of them. Their essential characters
can be learned from the analytical table.

Some writers speak highly of the edible qualities of morels;

Morchella conk";!, full size.

18

others are less enthusiastic, ^fy own experience woukl h-ad me
to say that tluy are not, a:^
a rnh", very highly tlavurcd,
thoiiiili better than some
fuiiui that arc recorih'il as
edihle. The name of tlic
"Delicions" morel inii)lies
excelh'nt Ihivur, ' l)Ut it lias
not been niv fortune to cive
it lair triah One correspond-
ent says: "I «ln not tliink
much of morels; if cooked
like mnslirooms, tlioy ho-
come tough." lier^'in. per-
haps, is one cause of dissat-
isfaction with them — they
may be spoiled by bad cook-
ing. Some fnngi are made
more tough bv too severe
cooking; it is better to let
such kinds simmer slowly
over a gentle lire. One of
the published receipts for
cooking morels says: "Cut
in halves the clean morels,
place in a stewpan with but-
ter, and set over a clear fire.
"When the butter is melted,
add a little lemon juice, salt and pepper. Then cool- slowly for
an hour, adding from time to time small quantities of beef
gravy.

Cordier says that the Common morel is a delicate food, and one
that is in general demand. Cooke speaks of morels in general as
about the safest and most delicious of edible fungi. There is one
thing in their favor — either because they appear so early in the
season or for some other reason, they are seldom infested by the
lai-vse of insects. On this account their natural flavor is unim-
paired, and there is little loss from damaged specimens. The
flesh is rather fragile and not very watery. They are easily
dried, and in this way may be kept for future use.

51. aiigiistlccps.

M. (klUi..sa.

19

Y. THE HELVELLAS.

The Ilelvellas are closely related, botanically, to the morels.
In them the cap is not pitted, as in the morels; yet it is by no
means even or symmetrical. It is more or less lobed, reflexed or
variously folded, and the stem in some species is furrowed longi-
tudinally with continuous or interrupted grooves. The color of
the cap also varies more in the different species, and the plants
themselves are mostly of smaller size, and with few exceptions
are of rarer occurrence. They chiefly occur in woods or on their
borders, and should not be sought in cleared fields.

The largest and most common species with us is the Edible
helvella, or, as it is sometimes called, the Esculent gyromitra, Gy-
romitra escidenta. The original botanical name was Helvella

esculenta. This fungus may
be known by its bay-red, or
chestnut-red irregular cap,
with its brain-like convolu*
tions or irregular foldings,
inflations and depressions.
The general form of the cap
is rounded, and the lower
margin is attached to the
stem in two or three places.
There are sometimes paler
or yellowish tinted patches
on the cap, and with ad-
vanced age, or in dr\dng, it
assumes darker or brownish
hues. The stem is whitish
and scurfy, and often en-
larged or swollen at the
base. When mature it is
hollow. It is frequently de-
formed or irregular. The
plant is commonly two to four inches high, with the cap two to
three inches broad, and the stem one-half to one inch thick.
Specimens are sometimes large enough to weigh a pound each.
They appear in this latitude in May and June. I have never

20

Esculent HelveJla, somewliat reduced.

scon it i.'i'<i\\'in<^' here Inter tliaii .lime. It is cspeciailv fund of
lijilit, sandy soil, under, or in the vicinity of pine trees, but it re-
quires eonsiderable moisture, and it is to he sought in rainy
%veather, or in wet, sj)ringv places.

Tlie French author, Cordier, says that it has an agreeable
taste, and is hiiihly esteemed, and that it is sold in rjcrmany as a
true morel. Tliough I have repeatedly eaten it without experi-
\eneing evil consequences, its Havor to mc is not that of a tirst-
class nuishroom. But then it w'as simply fried in butter and sea-
soned; j^erhaps with more elaborate preparation it might be bet-
ter flavored. Care should be taken by those eating it to use it
with moderation, and not to keep it too long before cooking.
Sickness has bi'cii known to result from eating freely of a quan-
tity of it which had been kept twenty-four hours.

Of the remaining helvellas that have been used for food when
tliey could be procured in suificient quantity, the White helvella,
//. crispa, differs fr(nn all the others in its color, which is white,
both in its cap and stem. It, and all our other species, are small-
er than the Edible helvella, and tliev are more scarce and only
found in the woods. They are also later in the time of their ap-
pearance, occurring from midsummer to autumn. They are re-
puted to he excellent eating, atid all similar in flavor, but from
their scarcity and small size it is haixlly worth while to give a de-
tailed description of each. Tor the benefit of those who may
wish to identify them, should they be fortunate enough to meet
with them, their names and the following analytical table are
given. Their names are — AVhite helvella, 11. crispa; Cinereous
or T>lnck-to]i helvella. H. lacunom ; Sulcate helvella, H. sulcata;
^litre-shaped helvella, IF. infula; and the Elastic helvella, H.
elastica.

AXALYTICAL TABLE.

Stems furrowed lengthwise. 1.

Stems not furrowed. 3.

1 . Plant wholly white, 77. crispa.

1 . Plant not white or only part white. 2.

2. Stem interruptedly furrowed, 77. lacunosa.

2. Furrows of the stem not interrupted, 77. sulcata.

3. Stem short, stout : cap mitre-shaped, H. infula.
3. Stem long, slender; cap not mitre-shaped, TT. elastica.

The irregular mitrula, Mitnila vHclliiin var. irrei/Khiris. and
several of the larger species of Cup-fungi fPczizas), belong to
this class, and are known to be edible, but because of their scar-
city and small size, further notice of them is omitted.

21

YI. THE HYMEXOMYCETE.E.

The nmshrooms to be noticed in tltis and succedi)ig articles
belong to a very large class of fungi kno^vn to botarists as Hij-
menomyceteae, a word composed of two parts, signifying "mem-
brane fungi," and indicating that the spores are produced on
thin or membranous parts or surfaces. In the common mush-
rooms, and in all others of similar structure, these spore-produc-
ing membranes are found on the under surface of the cap. They
consist of thin lamellae or leaves, which are attached by their
upper edge to the cap, and which extend in a radiating manner
from the stem to the margin of the cap. That space may not be
wasted, shorter ones usually intervene between the longer, espe-
cially toward the margin of the cap. In a few species in which
the stem is attached to the side of the cap, or in which the stem
is wholly wanting, the cap being attached to its place of growth
by some point or part of its margin, the lamellae, which are often
called "gills," radiate from this point of attachment, or from the
lateral stem to the other parts of the circumference of the cap.
All species of Hymenomycetese that have these radiating la-
mella:^ constitute a great family called Agaricineae.

There is another group of species in which the under sur-
face of the cap is full of small holes or pores — in some large
enough to be easily seen, in others so small as to be scarcely vis-
ible to the naked eye. These pores are closely crowded together,
and in them the spores of the fungus are produced. They take
the place of the lamellae in the Agaricineae, and may be sup-
posed to be formed by radiating lamellae, connected by innumer-
able transverse partitions. All species that have them are
grouped under the general name Polyporeae.

In a third group the under surface of the cap has neither la-
mellae nor pores, but in their place are numerous awl-shaped pen-
dant teeth or spines. The spores are produced on the surface of
these teeth. Theoretically, these teeth may be supposed to be
formed by the regular and fine gnashing of lamellae, but they
are not ai'ranged in radiating rows, as they would be if actually
formed in this way. Those species which have these spine-like
teeth constitute the group Hydneae. In one edible species of

22

this group the cap itself is replaced by iiunierons branches, which
bear the spine-like teeth on their lower surface.

These three subdivisinns or groups inchide by far the greater
part of our edible mushrooms. Familiarity with their distin-
guishing features is therefore very important.

There ar<' rlnce groups remaining, in each of which there are
a few edible sjiccies, but they arc not usually considered of much
importance. In them the spores are produced directly upon
some exposed part of the surface of the fungus, without the in-
ten^ention of lamelhe, pores, or spines. A symmetrical cap ami
stem are often absent. In one group the substance is tremelloid
or gelatinous. By the aid of the following analytical table, our
edible sju'cies may be assigned to their respective gron])s:

FAMILIES OF HYME>;0MYCETE-E.

Cap present, 1.

Cap wanting, 2.

1. Cap with radiating lamellie beneath, Agaricineae.

1 . Cap with pores beneath, Polyporeae.

1. Cap or branches with sj)ine-like teeth beneath, Hydnene.
1. Caj) with under or spore-bearing surface even, Thelephoreae.

2. Plant club-shaped and simple, or bush-like and

branched ; fleshy, Clavarteae.

2. Plant irregularly expanded; gelatinous, Tremellineae.
The Agaricineae, or "'agarics," probably include more edible
species than either of the other families. For the sake of con-
venience in the identitication of the species, systematists have
divided them into smaller groups, depending on the color of the
spores. V^^o cannot do better than to follow this arrangement in
studying the species. Tt is not a difficult matter to ascertain the
color of the spores. Crcnerally they are colored nearly or quite
like the lamelhr of the mature plant, but to this there are many
exceptions, and to be exact, we must see the spores themselves.
To do this witli the naked eye, they shoid<l be collected in
a mass, for they are so minute that singly they are invisible with-
out the aid of a microscope. To do this, cut the cixp of a fresh,
sound, fully-developed mushroom from its stem and place it in
its natural position, gills downward, on a piece of white paper, at
least as broad as the cap. Tn a short time, say two or three houi*s,
it will generally drop enough spores on the paper to show their
color on removing the cap. Tf the spores are white — and we
may infer that they are so if the mature lamella^ are white —
white paper will not be so good for disclosing their color as jiaper
of some darker hue. Sometimes, therefore, the cap is placed on

23

a piece of black jDajDer when the spores are suspected of being
white. Or it may be placed on a piece of glass, and after the
spores have been dropj^ed and the cap removed, the glass may be
placed over a white or a black backgronnd, as the circumstances
may require. To prevent too rapid drying of the cap, and to
shut out currents of air, a goblet or similar vessel luay be inverted
over the cap while it is dropping its spores.

Having ascertained the color of the spores, the following table
will show in which section the species belong:

SECTIONS OF AGARICINE^.

Spores brown, purplish-brown or black, Melanosporae.

Spores ochraceous or rusty-ochraceous, Ochrosporae.

Spores rosy or pinkish, Rhodosporae.

Spores white, whitish or pale yellow, Leucosporae.

Our edible species of the first section, Melanosporae, are found
in three genera — Agaricus, Ilypholoma and Coprinns. In the
genus Agaricus, the gills are not attached to the stem; the stem,
near its top, is surrounded by a meinbranous ring or collar, and
the spores, in our edible species, are brown.

In the genus Hyplioloma, the gills are attached to the stem;
the stem has no collar, and in the single edible species the spores
are purplish-brown.

In the genus Coprinus, the gills, when matiu-e, dissolve into
an inky fluid, and in our edible species the stem has no collar at
all, or only an evanescent one, and the spores are black, or nearly
so. Because of the melting of the gills into a black fluid, these
plants are called ''inky fungi." As in the case of pufl-balls, they
are fit for food only in the young or immature state, and as they
mature rapidly, great promptness is necessary if we would utilize
them.

In the early days of mycology nearly all fungi having gills
were included in the genus Agaricus. At present, however, it is
limited to those species that have brown spores, free gills and a
stem bearing a ring or collar. These characters are found in the
common mushroom whose botanical name is Agaricus campester.
(This is commonly written Agaricus campestris, but the more
classical and more grammatical form is used in Saccardo's
Sylloge, and it is adopted here.) There are several edible species
belonging to this genus, and indeed no dangerously poisonous
species is known in it. These species are very closely related to
each other, and perhaps there is no simpler way of expressing
their distinctive characters than by an analytical table. They
may be arranged in two groups depending on their place of

24

growth. Iliis ;irr:iiii;ciii(-'nt is not as rigidlv exact as would be
dcsiraMc. Imt it throws those s])e<'ies together that are most
closelv I'chited to each othei", and i^ therefore natural.

The e.-iseiitial characters to be noted in all the species in this
geiitts are, gills free from the stem, pink colored before maturity,
blackishd)ro\vn or black when fully mature, sjtores brown, and a
stem bearint>- a rinc.' or c<^llar. There are manv similar mush-
rooms which ai-e not known to be edible but wdiich have pink
gills. Their gills, however, never become brown or blackish-
brown; their s])ores are pink, and their stom never has a collar.

25

YII. THE COMMOI^^ MUSHEOOM— ITS EELATIVES.

ANALYTICAL TABLE OF AGAEICUS.

Plants growing in pastures or open places,

1.

4.
2.
3.

Plants groAving in woods and groves or their borders,
1. Stem stuffed or solid,
1. Stem liollow,
2. Gills at first pinkish, about as wide as the thickness

of the cap, A. campester.

2. Gills at first whitish, narrower than the thickness of

the cap, A. rodmani.

3. The collar radiately tomentose on the lower sur-
face, A. arvensis.
3, The collar evenly flocculose on the lower sur-
face, A. suhrufescens.
4. The flesh quickly changing to dull red where cut or

broken, A. liemorrlioidarius.

4. The flesh not changing to red where cut or brokpn, 5.

5. Cap white, silky or smooth, A. silvicola.

5. Cap brownish, or if white not smooth, 6.

6. Cap with numerous minute persistent brown scales,

A. placomyces,
6. Cap merely fibrillose, or with few evanescent scales,

A. silvaticus.
The Common mushroom, sometimes called the Edible mush-
room, as if it were the only edible species, is perhaps more gen-
erally and better known than
anv other. It is the one com-
monly cultivated and most
often seen on the tables of the
wealthy and of public houses.
It is so eagerly sought in some
of our cities that it is difficult
to find wild specimens in the
vicinity of these toAvns. They
are gathered almost as soon as
they appear.

In very young plants the
cap is somewhat globular or
hemispherical, and the gills are
concealed by the membrane or

26

Common Mushroom, AKarknis eampester.

veil wliicli stretches across from the stem to tlie inarf^in of the
cap. These young- phaiits are called "button iun.shrM()m.s." As
the phiut <h-velupd and the ca}) expands, the edge of the veil sepa-
rates from the margin of the cap, but still adheres to the stem,
and forms the ring or collar. The eaj), when fully expanded, is
broadly convex, or nearly flat above. It is generally adorned
■with silky fibrils, but sometimes these arc collected in such a way
as to form little bundles or scales, which, however, arc usually
scarcely noticeable. In old age they liave often vanished, and
the cap appears quite smooth. Its margin generally extends
slightly beyond the outer extremity of the gills.

The color of the cap varies from pure white to ])rown or
tnwnv brown. The flesh is white. The gills, when first revealed
by the separation of the veil, are of a delicate pale pink hue, but
with advancing age this gradually deepens, and finally turas to
a dark brown or blackish-brown color. In dried specimens the
color might easily be called black.

The stem is rather short — scarcely as long as the cap is broad.
It is nearly cylindrieal, i. e., about as thick at the top as at the
bottom, and its color is white or whitish. The substance in the
centre is a little softer or more spongy than toward the exterior,
and for this reason the stem is descriljed as "stuffed," as if it were
filled with a pith. Sometimes the collar shrivels so much that it
is scarcely perceptible in old plants, or it may even disappear en-
tirely. The s})ores are brown in the mass. They are sometimes
described as purplish-brown, but I never could detect any pur-
plish tint in them or in the gills.

This mushroom, like many other plants that have been long
and extensively cultivated, has developed into several varieties,
whieli exhibit quite well marked distinctive features.

The AYhite variety, var. alhus, has the cap and stem white, the
ca]> silky and the stem short. This is our most common wild
form, and it is also cultivate I.

The Gray variety, var. griseus, has the cap gray, silky and
shining. T ha^'o seen this from Virginia only.

The Garden variety, var. hortensis, has the cap brownish, or
almost tawnv brown, and fibrillose, or marked with obscure
scales. This variety is often cidtivated, but rarely found Avild.

Several other varieties are recorded as European, but I have
seen none of them in this country.

Generally the cap of the Common mushroom is two to four
inches broad, the stem one to three inches long, and one-third to
two-thirds of an inch thick. Its most frequent place of growth is

27

in rich pastures, where the grass is kept short, or in similar waste
places. Its time of appearance is late summer and autumn. It
will scarcely be found in this latitude before the middle of Aug-
ust, though it is said sometimes to appear in spring. I suspect
that in such cases the next species has been mistaken for it. I
have never found it growing in thick woods.

Almost every cook knows how to prepare this mushroom for
the table, and many receipts for cooking it are given in cook
books. 'No extended directions are therefore necessary here.
One of the simplest methods, and one which may be employed
in cooking this and many other tender species, is to fry gently
in butter, seasoning according to taste. They may be stewed in
milk or cream, or broiled on a gridiron, or baked in an oven, as
preferred. To some tastes they are very acceptable when eaten
raw. Dr. Cooke says: "Wben abroad on a day's excursion, one
or two of these raw specimens are an excellent substitute for
sandwiches, as they satisfy himger, are nutritive and digestible,
and very pleasant and grateful to the palate."

Rodman's mushroom, Agaricus rorhnani, may easily be mis-
taken for the Common mushroom unless attention is given to its
distinctive features. Its cap is more firm, and somewhat oclira-

eeous or rusty yellow on the
disk or centre; the very
young gills are whitish, but
they soon assume the ordi-
nary pinkish hue, and they
are narrower in proportion to
thickness of the flesh of the
cap. The stem is very short
and solid, and the collar,
when well developed, exhib-
its a striking character. It
appears as if there were two
collars, or a double collar,
with a space or groove be-
tween them. This character
is not always clearly shown, but in its absence the other distinc-
tive features will serve to distinguish the species.

It STOWS in arassv grounds, and even in crevices of unused
pavements or paved gutters in cities. It appears from May to
July. I have not found it in autumn, when the Common mush-
room is to be found, nor have I ever been able to get it in suf-
ficient quantity to prove its edible qualities; but Mr. G. Rod-

Kodiiian's Miislirooni.

28

iiiaii, who Hrst ('(jllectcd it, and t'tiniished the first specimens seen
liv mo, testftl it. mid on Ids cxperiincnt it is classed as edible. I
would not lu'sitaif (<> cat it if 1 cnidd <;ct fresh specimens.

I "ho I'ioKl niushruoiu, also ealiod the llorso mnshroom and
^Miadow niiishnxiui, Ayaricus urveiisis, has by sonio i)oon consid-
ered a mere variety of the Common mushroom, liut it difi'ers in
some respects, and is generally kept as a distinct species in the de-
scriptive niaiinals. It i^i ncrally exceeds the Common mushroom
in size, and when old or in drying', the cap, which is usually
Avhito, is ai)t t<> assume yellowish hues which do not jxn'tain to
the otiier species. The gills, when tirst exposed, arc often whit-
ish, the stem is hollow, and frequently somewhat tlnckened at
the base, and the collar is thicker and appears as if composed of
two parts closely applied to each other and making a double
meml)rano, the lower of which is radiatoly or stollatcly split and
tinned with vol low. The llavor is bv some considered inferior to
that of the Common mushroom, but on this point tastes seem to
differ. Persoon considered it superior to the Common mush-
room both in ihivov and digestibility, and ^'ittadini says it is very
delicate and easy of digestion, but has a stronger odor than the
Common mushroom. "Very sapid and very nutritious;" "flavor
anise-like and very agreeable;" "edible and of exquisite flavor;"
"delicious when young, but tough when old," are some of the
opinions concerning it as expressed by various writers.
It grows in cidtivated fields,

grassy pastures, and waste

phiees. Occasionally it is

found under trees, and even

within the borders of woods.

It has been asserted that its

spores must pass through

tbe alimentary canal of some

animal, or else they will not

germinate. However much

or little of truth there may be

in such a statement, it is com-
mon enough to find this

mushroom growing in jdaces

where no trace of the dung of

animals can be seen. It may

be found here from July to

Septend)er.

A beautiful wliite niu^lirooni

Kifltl Mushroom.

closelv resend)ling the Field

29

mnshroom, occnrs in the borders of woods or in open places in
thin woods. It differs from the Field mushroom in its thinner
cap, its longer stem, and in having an abrupt flattened bulb at the
base of the stem. Its collar generally resembles exactly the collar
of the Field mushroom, but plants sometimes occur in which it ap-
pears to be a single lacerated membrane. For this reason the
plant has sometimes been referred to the Wood-Inhabiting mush-
room, Agaricus silvicola. But its affinities appear to me to con-
nect it more closely Avith the Field mushroom, and I prefer to
regard it as a variety of that species, and give it the name Abrupt
variety, var. abruptiis, in alhision to the joeculiar character of
the bulb. It occurs in summer and autumn. I have eaten it and
know it to be edible.

The Slightly Heddish mushroom, Agaricus suhrufescens,
when compared with the Common mushroom, will be found to
differ in its thiimer cap, in the very young gills being whitish, in
its longer hollow stem, which is frequently thickened or some-
what bulbous at the base, in its collar which is sprinkled with
minute flocculent tufts beneath, and in the slender branching
strings of its mycelium. It is quite as large as the Common
mushroom. The color of the cap varies from whitish to gray or
dull reddish-brown, and the color of the gills passes from whitish
to pinkish, and finally to blackish-brown. It has been success-
fullv cultivated, and was found bv Mr. AV. Falconer in a wild
state, growing on a compost heap composed chiefly of leaf mold.
It is manifestly a rare species, but jDrobably a valuable one, be-
cause of its capabilities as a cultivated species. It may be culti-
vated through the summer months, when the cultivation of the
Common mushroom often ceases to be profitable because of high
temperature and the attacks of insects. It was found wild in
antmnn.

Wliile approaching slightly the European Reddish variety of
the Common mushroom, A. campester var. rufescens, in the
slight reddish tints sometimes seen on its cap, it at once and de-
cidedly differs from that plant in its flesh, which does not assume
a red color when cut or broken.

The Bleeding mushroom, Agaricus liemorrlwidarius, is easily
known by the character which has suggested its name. When
its flesh is cut or broken, the part thns exposed promptly as-
sumes a dull red color, as if blood were about to issue from the
wound. Mere bruises of the cap, stem, or gills often cause this
change of color. This also is a very rare species. In all my col-
lecting, I have met with it but once. It is also a very uninviting

30

niiislirooni, of a clingy brown color, by reason of which it is easily
overlooked. Its gills have at first the pink hue of the other spe-
cies of this group, changing to blackish-brown with age. It
grows under trees in woods, and like other species with a similar
habitat, its stem is rather long and often swollen or sub-bulbous
at the base. 1 lia\ c not eaten it, but it is said to be of excellent
quality.

The AVood-inhabiting mushroom, Agaricus silrirola, is so
closely related to the Common mushroom that it has been con-
sidered by some good mycologists to be a mere variety of it. Its
chief differences arc in its place of growth, its longer and com-
paratively more slender stuffed or hollow and somewhat bulbous
stem. In other respects it agrees closely with the white or whit-
ish forms of that species. For edible purposes, it is not very im-
j)ortant whether it is considered a species or a variety. But
growing in the woods, it is of the utmost importance that it
^ihould not be confused with white forms of the poisonous Aman-
itas which grow in similar localities, and which are easily sepa-
rated by reason of the persistently white color of their gills.

The riat-cap mushroom, Agaricus placomyces, is one of our
prettiest species. Its cap is rather thin, at first convex, but when
fully expanded, it is quite flat. Its ground color is whitish or
grayish, but it is everywhere

adorned with verv small dis-

old age or in diied specimens,
the whole cap is apt to be-
come brown. The gills, as in
several other species of this
genus, are at first white, then
pink, and finally blackish-
brown. Its stem is rather
long and slender, stuffed with
a cottony pith and bulbous at
the base. It is commonly
whitish, Iiut sometimes bears
yellowish stains towm-il the
base.

It grows under trees or in
the borders of woods, and ie
found in sumnu^r and aut-

Flat-Ca]) Miir-hri>oiii. Two-thirds: size.

31

umn. It is not plentiful here and I have never eaten it, but a
correspondent who has been more fortunate in finding it pro-
nounces it "very good eating."

The Wood mushroom, or Silvan mushroom, Agaricus silvati-
cus, is also a scarce species with us. It is similar in size
and shape to the Flat cap mushroom, but it is of a more brownish
color, with the cap more prominent in the centre, and adorned
merely with fibrils or with a few obscure scales, which at length
disappear. Its gills also are pinkish at first, and then blackish-
brown as in the other species.

It occurs in summer and autumn in woods as its name in-
dicates, but it is neither frequent nor abundant, and of but little
importance as an edible species.

The term "Brown mushrooms" has been applied indiscrimi-
nately by one writer to such species as the Bleeding mushroom,
the Flat-cap mushroom and the Silvan mushroom.

VIII. PURPLISII-BKOWN AND BLACK SPOKES.

The genus Hypholoma differs from Agaricus in having the

gills attached or grown fast to
the stem at their inner ex-
tremity and in having a stem
destitute of a collar. Its spe-
cies have not, previous to this
time, been regarded as edible.
But one of my correspondents
has eaten freely and repeated-
ly of the Perplexing mush-
room, H. perplexum, and he
reports it has no bad taste
and produces no ill effects,
and on the strength of this it
is here admitted among the
edible species.

It usually grows in clusters
of few or many individuals,

Hypholoma perplexum, slightly reduced. On Or about StUmpS, Or at the

base of trees in woods or in
open places. It is found in autumn. The cap is from one to-

three iiielies broad, yellowish on the margin, and red or brown-
ish-red in the centre. The flesh is white, and has a mild taste.
The gills are at first pale yellow, Itut soon this color is tinged
with green, and when matnre they are i)nr[)lish-l)rown. The
stem is rather slender, commonly two to three (;r three and a half
inches long, and two to lour lines thick. it is yellow above, but
more or less reddish or nisty-red toward the base. It is distinctly
hollow, even in young specimens. The pores are j»nrplish-brown,
and often they are produced in such quantity that the caps of the
lower sj)ecimens in a cluster are Itadly soiled and st^iined by
them.

This species is so closely related to the J5rick-red mushroom,
//. sublaterifhim, that by its external characters it is not easily
separated from it. Indeed, it is so closely allied to it that it may
easily be regarded as a mere variety of it. The typical form of
the Brick-red mushroom mav be known bv its bitter taste and its
stufled stem. In color it is almost the same as the Perj)lexing
mushroom, except in its gills. Our species is also closely related
to the Gray-gilled mushroom, H. epixantlium, and to the Tufted
Yellow mushroom, //. fasciculare. The perplexing thing about
it is that it combines the characters of these three species. It has
the cap colored like the Brick-red mushroom, it has the mild
taste of the Gray-gilled mushroom and the gi-eenish tint to the
immature gills, which is seen in the Tufted Yellow mushroom.
It is very abundant in some hilly and mountainous districts, and
it continues to appear until its growth is stopped by cold, freez-
ing weather.

The genus Coprinus is one easily recognized. Many of the
species grow on dung, as the name implies, but some grow on
the ground, nnd others on decaying wood. Most of the plants
are very short-lived, and some of them literally grow up in a
night and decay in a day. The gills in all of them deliquesce
when mature and form a black ink-like liquid which has sug-
gested for these plants the name ''Inky fungi." The spores are
black, with few exceptions, and consequently the color of the
mature gills as well as of the liipiid they form is black. ^lost of
the plants are of such small size, and of such an ephemeral exist-
ence, that they are of little value as food. Even the larger and
more durable kinds have very thin caps, and must be gathered
and cooked wnth promptitude. They should be used before the
gills turn black, or they will make a repulsive looking dish.
They are not generally credited with possessing a high flavor,
but they are among the most tender dtuI dia'cstible of nil mush-

33

rooms, and one correspondent affirms that their flavor mav be
greatly improved by cooking one or tAvo caps of the common
mushroom with them. They are often utilized in the maniifac-
tm-e of catsup.

Three species may be classed as ediblte. They are recogniza-
ble by the color of the caps.

Cap white or whitish, C. comatus.

Cap gray or grayish-broAvn, C atramentarius.

Cap ochraceous or reddish-ochraceous, C. micaceus.

The Shaggy coprinus or "Maned agaric," Coprinus comatus,
has the cap, when young, oblong or cylindrical. It is then much
longer than broad, but it expands with age. Its general color is

white or whitish, but it is
adorned with fibrillose scales
which are slightly colored,
usually of a yellowish hue,
and at the top is a yellowish,
smooth surface, as if covered
with a cuticle. The gills are
at first very closely packed
side by side and white, but
with advancing age they sep-
arate and pinkish or pur-
plish tints appear, soon to
change to black. The stem is
white and hollow. In the
young plant, it has a collar
close to the appressed margin
of the cap. It is slightly ad-
herent or movable, and has
generally disappeared by the
time the plant is mature.
The cap is one and a half to
three inches long before ex-
pansion, and the stem is three
to five inches long. The
plant is fragile and easily
broken. It grows in rich,
loose earth by roadsides, in
pastures or waste places, and
on dumping grounds about
cities. It appears in autumn and may sometimes be found quite
late in the season.

"When young, it is very sapid and delicate;" "cooked quickly

34

Coprinus coiiiatiis, two-thinls size.

in liuttcr with pcpjKi- ;iinl salt it is excellent;" "edible, tender
and delicious;'' "in llavor it resembles the Common mushroom,
to which it is quite equal, if not superior; it is clearly more di-
gestible and less likely to disaiifee with ])ei-S()ns of delicate cnii-
stitutions,'' are oj>inii)Us recorded in its favor.

The Inky coj)rinus, C. atraincntarius, has a gray or grayish-
brown smooth cap, except that sometimes there is a slight scaly
appearance on its centre or disk. It is often irregular on the
margin. When young it is somewhat egg-shaped. The gills are
at first crowded and whitish, or grayish, but they soon become
brown aiul begin to deliquesce. The stem is smooth, hollow and
white. It Sometimes has a slight vestige of a collar near its base
when young. b]it all traces of it soon disappear. It grows in clus-
ters in gardens and waste places, appearing in autumn. The
black fluid of its dissolving gills has soinetinies been einj>]oyed as
a 2)oor substitute for ink.

A form is often found in woods in the latter part of summer,
which is suudler, but more regular and beautiful than that grow-
ing in the open eountry. It is the Wood variety, var. silvestris.

The Glistening coprinus,
C. micaceits, is a small, Init
common and pretty species.
Its cap is thin, generally con-
ical or bell-shaped, and
marked with numerous stri-
ations, or parallel longitudi-
nal impressed lines which
extend from the margin half
way or more toward the top
or centre. The centre is even,
and often a little more highly
colored than the rest. In the
young plant, especially, the
cap is often sprinkled with
shining atoms, which have
suggested the name, but these
are not very noticeable, and
they are frequently absent.
The color is variable, and
ranges from buff to ochra-
ceous, reddish ochraceous, or
tawny yellow. It often be-
comes sordid or brownish in
old age, or in wet weather.
35

Coprlnii- iiiir;ii(u>, nntiinil size.

The gills are at first whitish, but thep become brown or black
with age. The stem is slender, hollow and white. The spores
are dark-brown, bnt not truly black, as in the other species
mentioned above. The cap is commonly about one inch
broad — sometmies two; the stem is one to three inches long,
and scarcely thicker than a common pijDestem. The plants
grow in clusters from decaying wood, or on the ground. When
they appear to grow from the ground, it is probable that some
decaying root or piece of wood lies buried beneath them. It may
often be found growing from the margin of sidewalks in our cit-
ies, where shade trees have been cut down. The decaying roots
or stumps of these trees afford a suitable habitat for this fungus,
and often successive crops appear at intervals in the same spot
from May to November. Whenever the temperature and the de-
gree of moisture is suitable, they gTow. Indeed, they are a kind
of barometer, and sometimes presage rain. I have repeatedly no-
ticed their yello^vish clusters beginning to appear a day or two
before a rain-storm. If the weather is very warm and the air
dry, a cluster may be young and fresh in the morning, and old
and withered in the afternoon.

European writers do not class this among the edible species,
probably because of its small size. But it compensates in num-
bers for its lack of size, and it has the advantage of being easily
and frequently procurable. In tenderness and delicacy it does
not seem to me inferior to the shaggy coprinus, and it certainly
is harmless, for I have repeatedly eaten it with no ill results.

36

IX.— OCIlKACKOrs AM) IMNK' Sl'OlMlS.

Of the species belonging to the section Ochrosporae, only two
or three have been tetited by myself or my correspondents, and
altliough several others have been recorded as cdibh-, it is my
puri)osL' to descril)e those only that have been proved by us.
Edible species behinging' to the genera PhoViota, Paxillns and
Cortinarius have been recorded. The lew which we will notice
belong to Cortinarius.

'iliis is a genus containing many species, of which several will
probably be found upon trial to be esculent. Eight have been
cl;issod as edible in Europe, and three in the United States. The
species of Cortinarius are distinguished from other Agaricinese
by thoir rusty-ochraceous spores, and by the webby filaments
that stretch from the stern to the margin of the cap in the young
plarit. These filameuts disappear in the mature plant, and there-
fore the collar is absent from the stem in species of Cortinarius,
though sonu'tinioB a few filaments adhere to the stem, and by the
lodgment of the falling spores upon them, a rusty-brownish
stain is occasionally seen about the stem instead of a collar. The
mature gills in nearly or quite all the species are dusted by, and
correspond to the spores in color, l)Ut in the young plants the
color is almost always quite dilferent. Tt is, therefore, very im-
poitant to know the color of the gills in the young plant in order
to identify the species of this genus. The gills are attached to
the stem in all the species.

The Violet cortinarius, C. riolnreus, is a beautiful mushroom,
and one of the most easily recognizerl species of the genus. The
whole plant, when young, is of a dark violaceous color without
and Avirhiii. The cap is usually
well formed and beautifully

adorned with numerous minute

hairy tufts or scales. The gills

are at first of the same color, but

■when old they become dusted

with the spores, and have their

color iiHMliticd accordingly. The

stem is rather long and more or

less bulbous or thickened at the

base, riie cap is generally two

to four inches broad, and TJie

37

Cortlnanis vlolaocu.s, ('. rnllJiiitiiH.

stem three to five inches long, and a half inch or more thick. It
grows in woods in hilly or mountainous districts, and may be
found from July to September. It is solitary or scattered in its
mode of growth, and not very plentiful. It retains its color
somewhat when cooked, and in consequence, the dish of Violet
mushrooms is scarcely as attractive to the eyes as it is to the
palate.

The Smeared cortinarius, C. collinitus, is much more common
than the preceding species, and has a much wider range. As its
name indicates, both cap and stem are covered with a viscid slime
or gluten, which makes it disagreeable, or at least unpleasant, to
handle. The cap is yellow, tawny-yellow, or somewhat ochra-
ceous in color, and when the gluten on it has dried, it is very
smooth and shining. The flesli is white or whitish. The gills
are at first of a grayish or bluish-white hue, sometimes called
clay-colored, but when mature they are rusty-ochraceous or cin-
namon color. Tlie stem is straight, solid, cylindrical, and gen-
erally a little paler than the cap. When the gluten on it dries, it
cracks transversely, giving the stem a peculiar, scaly appearance.
The plant is two to five inches high, with a cap commonly one
and a half to three inches broad. The stem is one-fourth to one-
half an inch thick. It grows in thin woods, copses and partly-
cleared lands, and may be found here from August to October.
It is well to peel the caps before cooking them. The gluten
often causes dirt and rubbish to adhere to them very tenaciously.
The Cinnamon cortinarius, C. cinnamomeus, is a smaller spe-
cies than either of the preceding, but much more plentiful. Its
cap is usually one to two inches broad, its stem one to three ,

inches long and about one-
fourth of an inch thick, or a
little less. Its cap may be con-
vex, plane, or furnished with
a central prominence or umbo.
"When young, at least, it is
coated with silky or hairy
fibrils, and these sometimes
are distinctly visible even in
the mature plant. Its color is
quite variable, but always
ciitopiiuspiuuuug. g^^^^p shade of yellowish brown

or cinnamon. This has suggested the name. The flesh is yellow-
ish. The gills also are very variable in color, but in the young
plant they are some shade of yellow, tawny, or ochraceous, ex-

38

Cortinarius i-iiinaiiii>nunis.

cept ill till- ll;ilf i<m1 variety, Coi'tinarius cinnainomeun var.
sernisanguiiicus, in which they are of a dark blood-red color be-
fore the spores are developed. The stem is rather slender,
stiiiied or hollow, iibrillose, and similar in eolor to the cap.

The plant grows in woods or along their borders, under trees,
or in mossy swamps. Like many flowering plants which have
a wide range and are not particular as to their habitat, this mush-
room is perplexing because of its varial)ility; but the characters
given above will enable it to be rcc(>gni/.c(l. It often emits a
slight odor of radishes.

The Red-zoned cortiiuiriiis, Corlinariiis urmilhilus, an<l the
Chestnut cortinarius, Cortinarius castaneus, are both considered
edible, auil bdili (.eciir in this country, but not having proved
them, descriptions will be omitted. For the same reason the In-
volute jiaxillus, PaxiUus inrohifiis, is omitted. To these we
might add also the Early or Spring pholiota, Pholiota praecox,
the Scaly pholiota, Pholiota squamosa, and the Changeable pho-
liota, Pholiota nivtahilis.

In the section Bliodosporae, sometimes called Ilyporhodii, the
spores and the mature gills are rosy or pinkish-colored. Only a
few s])ecies arc known to be edible, and some are thought to be
injurious or unwholesome. Two species, belonging to the genus
Chtopilus, are here introdiieed. This genus is separated from
all others of this section by its fleshy stem, and by the peculiar
attachment of tlie gills to the stem. They are gradually nar-
rowed at their inner extremity and run down upon it.

The Plum clitopilus or Plum mushroom, Clitopilus prumdus,
has a fleshy, compact, broadly convex, or nearly plane cap,
which is white or whitish, but sometimes a little clouded in the
centre, and often suffused with a kind of bloom which, from its
resemblance to the ])loom of a plum, is supjwsed to have sug-
gested the name of the fungus. The margin of the cap is some-
times waA-y or irregular. The gills are white when quite young,
but they soon assume a pinkish or salmon color, like that of the
spores. The stem is solid, white, and usually rather short. The
flesh is white, and the plant has a distinct farinaceous or meal-
like odor and tasfe. Tlie cap is commonly two to three iiiches
broad, the stem one to three inches long, and a half inch or less
in thickness.

I he plant is found in woods and open jdaces in warm, wet
weather in July and August. 'MoM writers speak very hiffhly of
it as an esculent, and class it as one of the best and most delicious

39

of niiislirooms. Unfortunately it is not very common with us.

The Sweetbread mushroom, C. orcella, is so closely related to
the Plum that some have thought it to be a mere variety of it.
It is similar in color, though generally of purer white, a little
smaller and more irregular, and the flesh softer. In flavor and
odor they are the same. The Sweetbread mushroom often grows
in pastures and open places, and is to be sought in warm wet
weather in midsummer.

Rev, M. A. Curtis has recorded the Silky volvaria, V. homhy-
cina, as edible; also the Showy volvaria, T". speciosa. Both of
them are extremely rare in our country, and having had no op-
portunity to prove them, description will be omitted.

I have eaten moderately of the Abortive mushroom, Clitopilus
ahortivus, without any ill results; but its flavor was not very
agreeable to me, and for this reason I forbear to recommend it to
others. When fresh, it has the farinaceous odor characteristic
of many edible species, and perhaps greater care in the selection
of specimens and better cooking may make it more agreeable.

The Fawn-colored pluteus, P. cervinus, is said in the notes of
an enthusiastic mycophagist to be, when cooked "juicy, mild in
taste and as tender as egg-plant." This is a common species,
cleanly in its habits, growing on stumps and decaying wood
throughout the season and in many parts of the country. If it
shall prove to be a good mushroom, it will be a valuable addition
to the list of pink-gilled edibles.

40

X. i:i)1i;l1': amamtas axd amamtoi'sis.

The Leucosporae, or wliite-sporcd agarics, indiKlc many gen-
era and many species that are (;dil)le. In a few instiinees the
sjiores have a dirty white or a pale yellow color, and in one case
a green color, hut this is nut an edible species. In anutlier they
(piickly assnme a pale lilac tint upon exposure to the air and light.

The esculent species are distributed in alxjut a dozen genera,
and the following table may be of service in assigning each spe-
cies to its proper genus :

GENKKA OF hKUCOSPOR-K.

riant with a inend)ranous sheath at the base of the

stem, or with superficial warts on the cap, 1.

Plant destitute of sheath and superficial warts, 2.

1. Stem furnished "with a collar, Amanita.

1. Stem destitute of a collar, Amanitopsis.

2. (Jills narrow, with a blunt eilge, _ Cantharellus.

2. Gills with an acute edge, 3.

']. dills somewhat waxy in texture, HygropJwrus.

o. Gills not waxy in texture, 4.

4. Cap eccentrically or laterally attadieil to the stem, or

steudess, Pleurofus.

4. Cap centrally attached to the stem, 5.

5. Gills free from the stem, Lepiota.

5. Gills attached to the stem, 6.

6. Stem furnished with a collar, ArmiUaria.

G. Stem destitute of a collar, 7.

7. Stem firm but brittle (breaking squarely), 8.

7. Stem not lu-ittle, 9.

8. Gills exuding a white or colored juice where

wounded, Ladarius.

8. Gills exuding 7io juice where wounded, RiisfiuJa.

0. r)ry plant reviving on the n]i|'i1icntion of

moisttir(% J/ara.s'») /;/.5.

0. Plant putrescent, not reviving, 10.

10. Edge of the gills notched or excavated at the

stem. Triclwloma.

10. TAixo of the gills even, gills mostly decurrent, Clifori/hr.

In the cenus Atuntiifa the young plant i> enveloped in n mem-

41

branons or tomentose wrapper, which is ruptured by the groAvth
of the plant. In some species the remains of the mptiired
wrapper or volva form a kind of cnp or sheath about the base of
the stem of the extruded plant; in others a part of the wrapper is
carried up on the surface of the cap, and remains on it in small
irregular patches, or in the shape of numerous small warts or
prominences, which are easily separable from it. It thus some-
times hajjpens that the warts arewashed off bv heavy rains. The
cap is regular, convex or quite flat when mature, and often a
little sticky when moist. The gills are free from the stem, and
the stem is furnished with a collar.

Inasmuch as some of the most dangerously poisonous species
known belong to this genus, it is very important that the specific
characters of the edible ones should be clearly understood by
those who would use them for food. Mistakes here are attended
with too much risk to be lightly made. And yet some of our
best mushrooms belong to this genus, and it is therefore unwise
to de])rive ourselves of their use through lack of confidence in
our aljility to recognize a good thing when we see it.

The Orange Amanita or Orange mushroom, Amanita caesarea,
is a large and attractive species. Its cap is at first commonly
bright-red or brownish-red, but with advancing age it fades to
yellow on the margin, and sometimes becomes entirely yellow.

The margin even in the
young plant, is marked by
distinct impressed parallel,
radiating lines or striations.
The flesh is white, tinged
with yellow just beneath
the separable epidermis,
and also close to the gills.
The gills are yellow, a very
good mark of distinction in
this species. The spores,
A.ruTescens. A. virKinata- howcver, arc whltc. The

Amanita cjesarea.

stem is also yellow, as well
as its collar, but the distinctly membranous wrapper at its base is
Avhite. The stem is either stuffed with a soft cottony pith or
hollow. The expanded cap is 3 to 6 inches or more broad, and
the stem 4 to 6 inches long and -J inch or more thick. The plant
grows in woods and groves, or their borders, and may be found
during warm, showery weather from July to September. Some-
times it grows in arcs of large circles.

42

This muslirooni has long been held in high estimation. ITav-
ing once graced the table of a lionian eniperur, it received the
name Ca3sar's mushroom. One ancient writer terms it "Cibud
Deorum," the food of the gods. It has also received such names
as Imperial mushroom, True Orange, Yellow Egg andKaiserling.
All authors who have written of its esculent qualities agi'ee in
calling it "delicious." Cordier says it is an exception to the
general rule uliich makes young plants better than mature ones,
implying that it is just as tender and good when old as it is when

voung.

There is a poisonous species witlnvhich a careless person might
confuse it. I refer to the Fly aniauita, Amanita muscar'ia,
which is sometimes called the False Orange. In size, shape and
color of the cap there is a similarity between them, but in other
respects the two are very different. They may be contrasted as
follows:

Orange Amanita, Edible. — Cap smoofJt, gills yellow, stem yel-
low, wra]>per persistent, membranous white.
Fly AMANITA, Poisonous. — Cap warty, gills white, stem white or
slightly yellowish, Avrapper soon hreahing into fragments or
scales, white or yellowish.
'\Miile the Orange amanita is a king among mushrooms, and,
from its symmetrical form and briaht colors is beautiful to be-
hold, the Iteddish amanita, .4. rubescens, has a peculiarly sordid
and uninviting appearance because of its dingy colors. The
color of the cap is quite variable. It may be whitish tinged with
dull pink, or it may be grayish-red, or even brownish-red.
Sometimes the margin is paler than the centre, and again there
[may l)e darker reddish stains in various places on it or on the
stem. The cap is usually warty, but the warts are easily remov-
able, and are sometimes washed off by heavy rains. The mar-
gin is generally even, but in mature plants it is sometimes marked
with slight striations. The flesh is white or slightly tinged with
red. "Wounds on any part of the plant sometimes slowly assume
a reddish color, luit this is not a constant character.

The gills are whitish, sometimes marked with reddish stains or
spots in mature plants. They are mostly narrower toward the
stem than toward the margin. The stem is of a pale or whitish
color, and often liears dull, reddish stains or marks, especially
toward the base. It has a bulbous base, the bull) being some-
times abruj)t and sometimes pointed below. It is commonly a
little scaly, branny or mealy in young and fresh plants, but fre-
quently smooth in mature or old ones. It is either stuffed or

43

hollow. The collar is flabby, and often lacerated and imperfect.
The wrapper is very friable, and its remains at the base of the
stem are so evanescent that frequently no traces of it are seen.
Were there no warts on the cap, such specimens would scarcely
be thought to belong to the genus Amanita.

The cap is commonly three to five inches broad, and the stem
three to six inches long. This mushroom grows either in woods
or in open, grassy places, and occurs here from July to Septem-
ber. It has been regarded by some of the old \vriters as poison-
ous, suspected, or of doubtful quality, but more recent authors
agree in classing it among the edible species. Cordier says it is
one of the most delicate mushrooms: Cooke savs it is a verv com-
mon, safe and useful species, and Stevenson pronounces it de-
licious and perfectly wholesome and valuable on account of its
abundance.

In this country it is much more common than the Orange
mushroom.

If attention is given to its sordid colors, its reddish stains, and
the almost total absence of remains of the wrapper at the base of
the stem, there need be no fear of confusing it with any poison-
ous species.

The Fir cone amanita, Amanita sirohiUformis, sometimes
called the "Warted mushroom," is a very large, heavy species,
whose cap is adorned with firm, persistent warts. It is some-
times found in the more southern States, and is considered an
excellent esculent species; but not having any acquaintance with
its edible qualities, it is dismissed from further consideration
here.

The genus Amanitopsis differs from Amanita, to which it was
formerly joined, chiefly in the absence of the collar from the
stem. We have a single edible species which is so variable in
color that its different forms have received several different
names. It is the Sheathed amanitopsis or Sheathed mushroom,
Amanitopsis vaginatus.

The cap is rather thin and fragile, convex or nearly flat when
mature, perfectly smooth, or rarely with one or two patches of
the ru])tured ^vrapper still adhering to it, and distinctly marked
on the margin with deep striations, as in the Orange mushroom.
Its gills are narrowed toward the stem, but not attached to it.
They are white or wliitish, generally a little luore dingy in the
dark-colored variety. The stem also is white or dingy white,
and commonly sprinkled with minute mealy or branny particles
or flocculent scales, especially in the young, vigorous plant. It

44

is either hollow or stuft'ed with a eottouy pith. It is not bulljous,
but its base is sheathed with a soft, liabby memljrane, the re-
mains of the wrapper. This is such a marked feature that it has
given name to the plant. Iliif this sheaili adlMi-cs very slightly
to the base of tJie stem, and if the ])lant is carelessly pulled up,
it is left in the grotnui. The cap is 2 to 4 inches broad, and
sometimes has a small jnoiuinence or umbo in its centre. The
stem is J? to o inches lou"- and 1-3 to 1-2 an inch thick.

Tlic plant grows singly or scattered either in woods or in open
places. A favorite place of growth is in the deep vegetable
mold or humus of dense damp evergreen woods of hilly and
mountainous districts. It sometimes grows on much decayed
wood. It occurs from June to October.

]ii I lie white A'ariety, var. alba, the whole plant is white. This
is A. nivalis Grev., and A. fungites, Batsch.

In the Livid variety, var. livida, the cap is of a livid or leaden-
hrown color, and the gills and stem have a slightly dingy or
smoky tint. This is .1. livida and A. spadicea Pers.

In the Tawny variety, var. fidva, the cap is tawny-yellow or
pale-ochraceous. This is A. fulva Schaeif.

The Sheathed mushroom is at once distinguished from the
known jioisonous species of amanitas by the absence of a collar
and of a bulbous base from its stem.

Some of the older authors classed it among the doubtful or
suspected species, but it is now regarded as not only harndess
but edible. Stevenson says it is edible and of excellent flavor.
Cordier says of it, "A delicate food;" Plancheon, "Truly deli-
cate;'' T)e Candolle, "^lost delicious." Cooke gives preference
to the white forms, but says the mouse-colored forms are most
common. In our country also the white forms are scarce. My
own experience indicates that it is a fairly good mushroom, but
there are mauv others that I like better.

45

XT. LEPIOTAS AXD ARMILLAEIA.

The genus Lepiota agrees with the geneva. Amanita and A}nan-
itopsis in having the gills free from the stem, bnt it differs from
them in having no distinct enveloping wrapper in the very young
plant, and consequently no warts on the cap and no sheathing
membrane or scales at the base of the stem. In some of the
species the epidermis of the cap breaks up into small fibrillose
fragments, so that the cap is scaly but not warty.

The Parasol mushroom or Tall lepiota, Lepiota procera, is a
conspicuous fungus, which grows in fields, pastures, waysides or
thin woods. Its cap, when ver\' young, resembles an egg in
shape. It is covered with a reddish-brown epidermis, which
breaks up, with its expansion, into brownish spot-like scales.

These are closer to each other
near the centre, more distant
and sometimes wanting near
the margin of the cap.
The centre of the cap rises in
a prominent umbo, which re-
mains covered with the un-
broken epidermis, and is
therefore darker colored than
the rest of the cap, for the
space between the scales is
white or whitish, and of a
silky or fibrillose texture.
Generallv the mature cai- is
broadly convex like an o])ou

Lepiota prooera. L. n.-incinoidCN. Arniillaria mellea. JiaraSol, aud tllis witll tllC

]>rominent umbo and the long slender stem so simulates an out-
spread parasol that it has given rise to the common name of the
fungus. The flesh is rather dry and somewhat tough, and of a
white color. The gills are also white or yellowish white, and
gradually narrowed toward the stem. They do not reach the
stem but leave an open space around it, so that it appears to be
inserted in a cavity or shallow basin in the lower surface of the
cap. The stem is very tall, straight or a little flexuous, swollen
or somewhat bulbous at the base, and often variegated by brown-

40

ish spots ov sciik's, l)Ul this i> nut a coiistant Icatiire. It is cither
hollow or stuffed with a webby pith, li- <olhir is thick and tiriii,
and soon becomes loose and movable on the stem. The stem ia
5 to 10 inches long and only ^ an incii, or even less, in thickness.
The cap is commonly ;} to l> inches broad. Tiie plants usually
grow singly, but sometimes clusters of several are found.

The Parasol mushroom has been highly commended, and be-
longs among mushrooms of the first-class, both in size and qual-
ity. "One of the most delicate species, although the flesh is
sh"glitly tough;" ''almost the greatest, if not the greatest favorite
with tlie fungus-eaters;" "very delicate, of easy digestion and in
great denuuul'' are some of tlie recorded utterances in its favor.
Unfortunately it is not very abundant.

There is no poisonous species with which if can be confused by
any intelligent observer.

There is a rare fonn in whicli the umbo and spots are much
plainer than usual, and the whole plant, cxcei)t these, is white.

In some places a mushroom occurs which closely resembles the
Parasol mushroom, but it has no imibo and the cap has a more
shaggy appearance. This is probably the American form of the
Eagged mushroom, Lepiota rhacodes, a European species which
is also classed as edible, and whicli some recent authors regard as
a mere varietv of the Parasol mushroom.

The smooth lepiota, Lepiota naucinoides, is about as large as
the common mushroom, generally very regular in shape and of a
clear white color, but sometimes there is a yellowish or even a
smoky or brownish tint on the disk of the cap. The cap is usu-
ally so smooth and even that the plant is appropriately called
the Smooth mushroom. Occasionally a slight mealiness or gran-
ular roughness develops in the centre of the cap, and still more
rarely the epidermis cracks in such a manner as to give the ap-
pearance of thick imbricating scales. The gills are white until
old age or dr\Tiess causes them to assume a smoky 1)rownis]i hue,
with a slight pinkish tint added. In this condition the plant is
likely to be mistaken for the Chalky mushroom, Agariciis cre-
taceus, hut if the color of the spores is noticed, there need be no
such mistake, for they are ivhite in the Smooth mushroom, brown
in the Chalky mushroom. But both specie? are edible, so that
such a mistake would not be serious in a physical point of view.
The stem is white, and generally it gradually becomes thicker
toward the base so that it may be said to have a bulbous base
gradually tapering into the stem above. It is hollow, but the
cavity often contains a delicate wcbl)y or cottciiy pitli. The (^ol-

47

lar has a thick external edge, but its inner edge is so thin that it
sometimes breaks loose from the stem and becomes a movable
collar like that of the Parasol mushroom.

This species grows especially in grassy places, such as lawns
and pastures, but it is also found in fields, by roadsides and even
in thin woods. It occurs from August to jSTovember.

The Smooth mushroom has a white and generally tender
flesh, and is scarcely inferior to the Common mushroom in edible
qualities. Some have thought its flavor less agreeable, but
others esteem it quite as good. One correspondent writes that
"it grows abundantly here, and is one of our finest edible mush-
rooms. T have taught our people to eat it, and it is now highly
prized in this region." It is sometimes mistaken for the com-
mon mushroom, so close is the resemblance between the two in
hfil)it, size and color, but the white gills of the one and the pink
gills of the other should be sufficient to distinguish them before
maturity, and the hollow stem and thick-edged collar of the one
and the stuffed stem and thin collar of the other after
maturity. The dangerous Vernal amanita, Amanita verna,
need never be mistaken for either of these, if the fact is borne in
mind that its gills are always ivlvUe, that it has a tall dem with a
large ahrupt hulh at its base margined above with the membranous
remains of its wtapper. The Smooth mushroom lecarcely differs
from the European Lepiota naucina, except in its smoother cap
and siibelliptical spores ; the European plant is described as having
globose sjiores.

The "Flaky lepiota," Lepiota excoriata, and the "Bossed
lepiota," Lepiota mastoides, have been recorded by Dr. Curtis
among the edible mushrooms of ]^orth Carolina. I have seen
neither of these species.

Morgan's lepiota, Ijepiota morgani, a species which occurs in
some of the western States, which is very remarkable because of
its green spores, is to be regarded as an unwholesome species.
Eating it has been followed by severe sickness and vomiting. It&
gills, which became green in the mature plant, separate it from
all other known species in this counti'y.

The genus Armillaria commences a series of white-spored
agarics, in which the gills are attached to the stem. In this
respect it differs from the preceding genera, and in its collar-
bearing stem it differs from those which follow.

We have a single very common and very variable edible spe-
cies. It is the Honey-colored mushroom, Armillaria mellea.
Because of its variabilitv, it is not so easv to describe it as it is

48

to rccogni/X' it after its peculiar appearance is once known. The
typical lonii has tlic cap adorncil with iiuinerons minute tufts of
brown or hlackish hairri or librils, which are often so crowded on
and near the centre as to g:ive that part a darker hue than the
rest. Sometimes these tihrils are so dense and nmttcd that they
give a woolly appearance to the surface of the cap, and in other
cases they are entirely wanting', and the cap is smooth. An
nmho is occasionally present in the centre of the cap, and fjen-
erally mature plants have the margin more or less striated. The
color varies from a pallid or whitish hue to a dark reddish-lu-owri,
but the most common color is a brownish-yellow, that suggests
the name "honey-colored." The flesh is white or whitish, and
the taste in the raw state is rather harsh, acrid or unpleasant.
The gills are at first whitish, but they become more dingy with
age, and are then often spotted or stained with it ddish-brown.
Sometimes they are slightly excavated or notched on the edge
just before reaching the stem; again they run evenly to it, and
often extend downwards a little on it — that is, they are
decurrent. They are sometimes dusted by the abundant
white spores. The stem also varies from pallid to brown.
It is usually more or less fibrillose or floeose, and often
shows a Avhite or even an olive-green tomentum at its base. It
is stufl'ed or hollow. Its collar is either of a thick cottony tex-
ture or thin and membranous. Soiiiotinies it is so thin, and even
webliy, that it soon disappears.

The plants grow scattere<l or in gregarious groups or in clus-
ters. The latter is the most common method, and these clusters
are sometimes so large that a single tuft would nearly fill an
ordinary water-pail. Generally the cap is 1 to 6 inches broad,
and the stem 1 to 6 inches long and one-fourth to three-fourths
of an inch thick. This mushroom does not often appear in
abundance until near the end of summer or the beginning of
autumn, but specimens have occasionally been seen in June.
The tufted forms grow especially about stumps or on old decay-
ing prostrate trunks of trees. It seems to grow equally well in
Avoods and in open places. Monstrous forms sometimes occur,
and an abortive form, not distinguishable from the abortive form
of Clifopihis nhortivns, is sometimes found growing with ''^'oll-
developcd form3. These are whitish, somewhat globular, tuie
ir.ch or more in diaTf.e'er, with no definite dintinclion of cjij) nnd
stem. The taste is farinaceous, and the edible qualitii^s arc quite
as iiood as in the normal form.

The following varieties may be noticed :

49

Variety bulbosa has the stem bulbous.

Variety radicata has a root-like prolongation to the stem which

j)enetrates the ground deeply.
Variety albida has the cap nearly white.
Variety obscura has the cap covered with numerous small black

scales.
Variety fiava has the cap pale yellow.
Variety glabra has the cap smooth.

Variety exannulata has the collar obsolete or wanting, and the
clustered stems generally tapering toward the base.

Authors do not agree concerning the edible qualities of this
mushroom. Formerly it was considered poisonous, but recent
writers admit it to be harmless, although some assert that it is of
inferior quality and flavor.

Cordier says that it is edible, and loses its acridity in cooking.
Others affirm that it is harmless, but that it does not entirely lose
its acridity in cooking. Vittadini says that it is preserved in
vinegar, salt and oil for winter use. Both he and Gillet say that
its disagreeable flavor disappears in cooking. Stevenson says it
is edible but tough. Having eaten it repeatedly, and prepared
in different ways, without suffering any ill effects, save occasion-
ally a slight burning sensation in the throat, I have no hesitation
in classing it as a harmless and an edible species, but not of the
first quality. Only the caps of young and tender plants should
be used. I do not know of any deleterious species for which it
is likely to be mistaken.

50

Xll. 'i'lIK lUh llol.oMAS.

1 lit- ^tiius Tricholoma is known l»y its stout, fleshy stem, des-
titute of a cdlhir, ami l>y its gills being attached to the stem, and
having a shallow excavation i>r iiotdi in tiie i\\^Ki at or near the
inner extremity. The species are nnmerous, and grow in woods
and in tields or open places. Opjxtrtnnity has been atiorded for
the trial of only a few of them. 'I lu* following tal)h' may aid in
finding the description of the species here discussed:

Cap viscid, 1.

Cap not viscid, dry or moist, 2.

1. Cap yellowish, gills yellow, T. cqiiestre

1. Cap reddish-brown, gills not yellow, J', tiaiisinutans

2. Cap reddish-brown, gills when old more or

less spotted with dull red, T. imhricatum

2. Cap gTayish-brown or blackisli-brown, cov-
ered with hairy fibrils or scaly, T. terreum

2. Cap smooth, commoidy grayish-violaceotts,

T. personatum
The Equestrian tricholoma, Tricholoma equestre, is easily
recognized by its sticky viscid cap of a yellowish color, ami 1)V its
bright sulphur-colored or canary -yellow gills. The cap is firm
and smooth, or sometimes with a slightly scaly a|)iiearnnce in the
centre, where it is also ustuilly tinged with dingy reddish or red-
dish-brown hues, the yellow being more clear and distinct to-
ward the margin. The flesh is white, and has a farinaceous
taste, though no marked odor. The gills are a beautiful pale
yellow, and on this accoimt they have suggested to an esteemed
coiTcspondent the name "Canary mushroom," which he applies
to this species. They are closely ])laced side by side, and deeply
notched or rounded at the extremity next the stem. The stem
is short, stout and soli<l, ami is either white or yellowish.

The cap is two to four inches broad and is sometimes irregu-
lar, the margin being wavy or some parts more elevated than
others. The stem is commonly one to two inches long and one-
third to two-thirds of an inch thick. AVith us it is more often
white than yellow. The Ecpiestrian mushroom or ''Fir-tree
tricholoma," as it has been called by one writer, grows in or near
pine woods and groves. Tt is especially to l)o found among

51

scattered young pines, often called "second growth" pine, or
"pine thickets," where it has a fair supply of sunlight. It ap-
pears in autumn, and in the more southern States continues
through December.

It has not before been classed among the edible species, but at
least two of my correspondents have eaten it freely, and one of
them says that he and his family regard it as the best of two or
three kinds that they have been in the habit of eating. I there-
fore confidently add it to the list of edible species.

From the Sulphur tricholoma, Tricholoma sulpJiureum,
which has been suspected of being dangerous or unwholesome,
and which is wholly of a sulphury yellow color, our plant is

easily separated by its viscid
cap, closer gills and paler
solid stem, for the cap of the
sulphury mushroom is not vis-
*^^^^ cid, its gills are wide apart, its
stem is stuffed or hollow, and
of a sulphur - yellow color,
and besides, the plant has a
strong disagreeable odor.

The Changing tricholoma,
Tricholoma transmutans, has
the cap viscid or sticky on
the surface when moist. It
is at first tawny-red, but be-
comes reddish-brown with ad-
vancing age, sometimes retaining the paler hue on the margin
longer than in the centre. The flesh is white and has a decided
farinaceous odor and taste. The gills are closely placed, notched
at their inner extremity, as is usual in all species of this genus, at
first whitish or yellowish white, but becoming dingy with age
and usually exhibiting reddish-brown spots or stains. The stem
is almost as long as the diameter of the cap, but in exceptional
cases it may be much shorter. It is paler than the cap, becom-
ing darker when old than it was when young. It is stuffed or
hollow. The cap is two to four inches broad, the stem two to
four inches long and usually about half an inch thick.

The Changing mushroom grows in woods and in open places,
either singly or in tufts. When it grows in tufts the caps are
often irregular because of crowding upon or against each other.
It is a rather late growing species, appearing in wet weather
from August to October in this latitude. It is a good acquisition
to our food supplv.

52

Tricholoma eqncstre. T. triinsmutans.

I'lic Jiiil)ri(':it('tl trirlioloiua, Tricholoma hnhricatum, closely
rcseiuMcs the (,'liaiiijiii<z," tricholoma in si/.e, c-olur and t^isto. It
in, huwever, easily scparatctl l»y its dry cap and aulid stem. Its
cap is reddishd)n)\vn or cinnamon-hrown and its surface often
presents a somewhat scaly ai)pearancc hecaiise the epidermis be-
comes lacerated or t^ni into small iircunlar fVa^ments which ad-
here and seem to overlap like sliiri_i;les on a roof. Tlie flesh is
firm, wliitc or wliitisli and lias a tarinaceons taste and odor.

Tiic gills scarcely diiler in color and character from those of
the preceding species, and the stem is colored nearly like the cap
but usually is a little palei'. When old it is sometimes hollow
from the erosion of insects whose larva? are fond of the ilesh.

The Ind)ricated mnshrooni grows under or near coniferous
trees and appears in autumn. It is sometimes associated with
the Changing mushroom, ;in<l also with the very similar Vaccine
tricholoma, Tricholoma vaccinuriu atui it li;i- the same habit of
growth as these. All of tlicm often grow in close clusters or
tufts. The Vaccine mushroom is separated from the Imbricated
mushroom in having the margin of the cap, when young, cov-
ered \\ith a soft downy or cottony coat, the stem hollow and the
taste bitter and unpleasant. Still it is recorded as edible by Gil-
let, so that if it should be confused with either of the two forego-
ing species probably no serious harm would result. The good
flavor of the others might be impaired by the inferior flavor of
this one.

The (irav trichuluma, Tricholoma teririait, is an exceediuiilv
variable species, both in size and color. The cap is dry and
clothed with hairs or fibrils which are often collected in small
tufts or scales. A\'li(ii ex]xinded it is nearly flat, but in many
cases it has a small central proTninence or umbo. Its color va-
ries in different plants from gray to blackish-brown. In one lo-
cality the dark colored forms have received the name "black-
cap" mushroom. The flesh is thin toward the margin and usual-
ly dingy or grayish-white. Its taste in most cases is farinaceous,
but this is not a uniform character in all the forms. The gills
are broad, rather wide apart, usually rounded behind, that is,
next the stem, of a dingy white or grayish cohn-, and often
eroded or uneven on the edge. The stem is whitish, or at least
paler than the cap, and is stuffed or hollow.

The cap is one to three inches broad, and the stem one to
three inches long and one-sixth to one-half an inch thick. The
plant appears in autumn, and in some of the southern States
may be found as late as December or even January. It grows in

53

woods, and especially pine woods, also in open places. It has
not been classed among the edible species by European writers,
bnt it has been repeatedly eaten in this country, and I myself
have partaken of it. It is not very attractive in flavor, and prob-
ably should be classed as a second or third rate mushroom, but it
'is better than none and is described here for the benefit of those
who are not particular about the flavor, and who may not always
be able to get better ones.

The Ifasked tricholoma, Tricholoma personatum, on the other
hand, is one of the best flavored mushrooms, and fortunately
has a Avide range, and is sometimes found in considerable abun-
dance. When young the cap is very convex and firm with the
margin minutely downy or sprinkled with a slight mealiness and
incurved. In the mature phmt it is softer, broadly convex or
nearly plane with the thin margin spreading and naked. In

very wet weather it is apt to
be water-soaked and to have
the margin wavy, or even
turned upwards, giving the
cap a sort of cup-shape.
Usually it is pale lilac when
young, changing with age to
taAvuy or rusty hues, especial-
ly in the centre. Sometimes

Tricholoma personatum. Clitoiybe media. ^}ie (>ap jg wllitish Or gray Or

pale violaceous. Its flesh when dry is whitish, and has an agree-
able, pleasant flavor.

The gills are closely placed, rounded next the stem, more nar-
row toward the margin of the cap, and of a, pale but undecided
color,, often with a faint shade of lilac or violet, especially when
young.

The stem is rather short and stout, solid, adorned with incon-
spicuous fibrils and downy or mealy particles when young and
fresh, but becoming smooth with maturity. It is often slightly
thickened at the base, and in variety hulhosum it is distinctly
bulbous. Its color is similar to that of the cap, but usually a
little paler.

'. The cap is 2 to 5 inches broad, and the stem 1 to 3 inches
long and generally -J to f of an inch thick. Usually it grows
singly or in groups, but occasionally in clusters of several indi-
viduals. It occurs in autumn, sometimes continuing very late in
the season, and should be sought in thin woods and open bushy
places.

I^earlv all writers on this subject speak well of its edible qual-

54

ities, and mv own cxixrii'iice confirms their estimate, and leads
me to consider ir a lirst-class inuslirooni.

T ill' nut kiiuw of any daM<;('rous species with wliicli it can he
coni|iarc(l, luit there arc other species that resemhh' it soitiewliat
in color. Its spores are not a pure white, but rather whitish or
dirty wliite in color. The <;ills are se])aral)le from the cap, espe-
cially toward tile siciii. In I'hiiiiand ilie plani has recei\cd the
eonmioti name "I Hew it>/" and in I' ram-e, " I Uue-steni," though
its coh)r can scarcely he calleii iilne.

Its smooth, almost >liinini:', uidirokeii and unadorned e])i(ler-
mis, and its pecidiar lilae tints distiiuiui>li it from all other spe-
(•ies of the T ncholiinin liel'e de-~ri'll)ed .

55

XIII. THE CLITOCYBES AXD COLLYBIA.

The genus Clitocyhe has the gills attached to the stem, as in
TricJioloma, but they are not rounded or notched on the edge
next the stem. They are united to the stem by their whole
width, and usually they are prolonged downward on the stem, or
in other words are decurrent. This is the principal character by
which they are separated from the genus Triclioloma.

More than twenty species of this genus have been classed as
edible, but it has been permitted us to test but a few of them.
Those here noticed may be tabulated as follows :

Cap thick-fleshed or broadly obconic, 1.

Cap not thick-tleshed or not obconic, 2.

1. Cap grayish, gills close together, C. nehularis.

1. Cap brown or blackish-brown, gills not close, C. media.

2. Cap rather thin, funnel-shaped when ma-
ture, C. infundibuliformis.
2. Cap thin, convex or plane, C. laccata.

The Clouded clitocybe, Clitocyhe nehular-is, takes its name
from the clouded-gray appearance of its thick cap, which is at
"first convex, but when mature, either flat or a little depressed.
Its flesh is white, thickest in the middle, and in a vertical section
is seen to taper rapidly downward into the stem. The gills are
close together and rather narrow for the size of the plant. They
are white or yellowish-white. The stout solid stem usually ta-
pers upward from the base and is whitish.

The cap is two to four inches or more broad, the stem one to
two inches long and about half an inch thick. The Clouded
mushroom grows in woods, and sometimes forms large tufts or
clusters among fallen leaves. It is found in autumn, but is not
very common in this country. Authors differ in their estimate
of the edible qualities of this mushroom, but the more recent
ones generally agree in classing it as edible.

Still more rare is the intermediate clitocybe, Clitocyhe Media.
This species grows among moss in dense woods in cool mountain-
ous places. Its cap is grayish-brown or blackish-brown, being
generally darker-colored than that of the Clouded mushroom.
Its flesh is white and mild in taste. The gills are whitish, wide
apart, and have little transverse ridges or veins in the sj)aces be-

66

tween them. The stem is shortaiid not iit all or but slightly thick-
ened at the hase. It is a little paler than the cap. The species
may be distinguished from the Cloude<^l mushroom by its darker
cap, its less tapering stem, and especially by its gills having wider
and veiny interspaces between them. From the Club foot clito-
cybe, Clitocyhe clavipes, it ditlers but slightly. Its flesh is less
soft and s[)ongy, its cap less narrowly obconic, and its stem
shorter and more cylintlrical. To my taste it has an excellent
flavor, and I could wish it more abundant. It has been found
in autumn <>idy.

The Funnel-form ditocybe, Clitocyhe infuncUbulifonnis, is a
neat and pretty sjtecies easily recognized by tlie funnel shape of
its mature cap and by its pale red colnr. AVhcu very young the
cap is slightly convex aui,! of-
ten adorned with a slight um-
bo in its centre. As it ma
tures the margin becomes el-
evated so that the cap assumes
a shape somewhat resembling
that of a mne glass. The
margin is sometimes wavy.
'J'he flesh is thin and white.
The gills are close, thin white
or whitish and decurrent.
The stem is suiooth, colored
like or a little paler than the
cap and mostly tapering from
the base upward.

The cap is two to three
iiu'hcs broad, the stem one and a half to three inches long and
one-fourth to one-half an inch thick.

The Funnel-shaped mushroom gTOWs in woods or copses in
snmmer and autumn, especially in wet seasons. It is somewhat
variable in color, Init is usually a pale red, tinged with buif, and
sometimes becoming more pale with age. It delights to grow
among fallen leaves, and often there is an abundant white cot-
tony mycelium at the base of the stem. "When it grows in clus-
ters the caps are apt to be irregular because of nnitiial pressure.

The Laccate or Waxy clitocyhe, CUfoq/he laccota, is a small
species, one of our most common and vanable,yet one most easily
recognized when its distinguishing characters are known. It is
a second or third-rate mushroom, thin in flesh, not higidy fla-
vored, and apt to be tough, but because it is classed as edible and

Clitocylji' iiifiiiKliliiilifonnU. C. lai'rala.

57

because it is common and often even abundant it is described for
the benefit of those wlio may desii'e to use it.

Its cap is very thin, convex or nearly plain, smooth or Avith a
slight scurfy roughness, sometimes with a small central depres-
sion or umbilicus, and when moist with a water-soaked appear-
ance, by the drying out of which moisture the color fades very
decidedly. When moist the color is a peculiar buff-red, dull red
or flesh-red, but when dry it assumes a kind of grayish or pale
ochraceous hue. The gills are broad, rather wide apart and at-
tached to the stem by their entire width. Sometimes they run
downwards a little on the stem and occasionally they have the
edge slightly excavated next the stem, contrary to the rule in this
genus. They have a peculiar pale flesh-color which is more per-
sistent than the color of the cap, and Avhich is one of the most
characteristic features of the species. They are apt to become
dusted with the white spores when mature. The stem is rather
long and slender, having a fibrous appearance externally and be-
ing stuffed or almost hollow within. There are many varieties.
In one, the moist cap is much darker than in the typical form,
and when dry much paler, but the gills have a beautiful deep
violaceous and quite persistent color. This has been called va-
riety amethystina. In another the gills are unusually pale, fad-
ing almost to whitish. This is variety paUidifolia. In a small
form growing in wet or damp places the moist cap is smooth and
so thin that it shows shadowy radiating lines extending from near
the centre to the margin. This is variety striatula.

As usual, such a variable species is not at all particular as to
its place of growth, but may be found in woods, swamps or fields,
growing on naked soil or among grass, mosses or fallen leaves.
It is especially fond of growing in pine woods or groves. It may
be found from the beginning to the end of the season if the
weather is not too dry. It usually grows in groups or flocks and
makes up in numbers Avhat it lacks in size. The cap varies from
half an inch to two inches broad, the stem from one to three
inches long and one to three lines thick.

There is a closely related but much larger mushroom, Clytocyhe
ochropurpurea, in which the cap is generally paler and the gills
brighter in color, having a purplish tint. It has a comparatively
shorter and thicker stem and the whole plant is apt to bo more
irregular and deformed and the gills transversely torn. This is
not known to be edible.

The Rooting mushroom, Co7/i/&!*a rcrcZ^Vo /a, belongs to a closely
related genus of white-spored agarics and is recorded as edible,

58

but I liavo not tried it. It is Oiusily known l)y the root-like pro-
longation of the stem which ])enetrates the earth deeply like a
tap-root, and which suii-gests the name of the fun*j;us. The cap
is thin, viscid when moist, grayish-hrown, and often ;i little
Avrinklcd or corrugated on its surface. Its pills are white, i)road,
not close and have the edge e.xeavated near the stxMu as in Trirho-
loma. The stem is slender, taiK'ring n])ward, and hollow. The
plant is common in thin woods ;ind nmh-r trees in summer and
autumn.

XIV. rLKL'iiurrs— iivdUupjioKL'S—

LACTAKIUS.

The genus Pleurotus differs from all tliat have preceded in
lia\ ing the cap attached to the stem eccentrically or laterally, or
in being entirely destitute of a stem. In the other genera no-
ticed, the cap is attached to the stem by the central part of the
lower surface. In this genus the gills in some species are notched
as in Trichohma, in others they are adnate or decurrent as in
Clitocybe. Besides, nearly all the species (all here discussed)
grow on dead or decaying wood. They are more tough in tex-
ture than those growing on the gTound. and are therefore less
desirable for food. Still they may be utilized in making soups,
or in giving flavor to other more tender but less sapid species.

The Elm pleurotus, Pleurotus idmarius, takes its name from
its habit of growing on elm trees. It appears in autumn, and
often may be found, even in the beginning of winter, standing

out as a conspicuous white olv
ject from dead places in the
trunks of elm trees or from
the cut surface of their
branches. Even the shade
trees of the streetsof ourcities
sometimes produce a crop of
the elm-tree mushroom. Its
cap is large, thick and firm,
smooth, broadlv convex or

I', sapidiis in i ' i • ^ •

nearly flat, and white or whit-
ish with the centre generally stained with rusty or dull yellowish
hues. Sometimes the ej)idermis <-racks in areas, giving the sur-

59

Pleurotus uluiarius

face a tessellated apj)earance or in longitudinal cracks extending
from the centre toward the margin. The flesh is firm and white.
The gills are white or yellowish- white, broad, rounded or notched
next the stem, and not very closely placed. The stem is firm, sol-
id, smooth or a little haii-y at the base, white or whitish, and at-
tached eccentrically to the cap. It is often curved, especially
when growing from the side of a trunk or branch.

The cap is three to five inches broad, the stem two to four
inches long and one-half to three-fourths of an inch thick. It is
not limited in its place of gTowth to elm trees, but sometimes oc-
curs on maple and jioplar trees also. It is sometimes difficult to
collect because of its growing high above the gTOund. Its late
growth seems to make it comparatively free from the attacks of
insects. Most tree-inhabiting species are quite sIoav in their
growth, and the longer they are in developing, the tougher their
substance and the slower their decay as a rule. Such species may
be easily dried and preserved for winter use. Dr. Cooke men-
tions this mushroom as an old favorite and the best of all this
group of tree inhabiting species. He mentions one specimen
which was so large that it furnished a meal for three or four per-
sons. Quelat says it is sapid, but should be eaten while young.
This seems to me to be good advice in regard to all the tree-inhab-
iting mushrooms.

The Sapid pleurotus, Pleurotus sapidus, generally grows in
clusters whose stems are more or less united at the base. The
caps crowd and overlap each other, and are often very irregular.
They are smooth and vary much in color, being whitish, yellow-
ish, ash-gray, dull-lilac or brownish. The flesh is white. The
gills are white or whitish, rather broad, and run down on the
stem, and there are slightly connected with each other by a few
oblique or transverse l)ranches. The stem is generally short, sol-
id and white or whitish, and either laterally or eccentrically con-
nected with the cap. Very rarely specimens of this and of the
£lm-tree mushroom may be found having a central stem.

Although this belongs to the white-spored species in a syste-
matic classification, its spores really exhibit a pale lilac tint after
a short exposure to the air. In size it varies, the cap being com-
monly two to five inches broad, and the stem one to two inches
long. It grows in woods and open places as well, and may be
found in ^vet "sveather from June to November. It grows on
trunks and stumps of various kinds of deciduous trees, such as
elm, oak, beech, birch, maple and horsechestnut. In edible qual-
ities it appears to me to rank with the Oyster mushroom. Ac-

60

Pleunitii-ostri'iitiis. Il\>rr<'pl>'>'"'i^ niiiiiatus.

cording to Kalchhrenner, it is eagerly sought for food in the
woods of Hungary, and is also cultivated on pieces of elm trunks
in gardens.

Tlir Oyster mushroom, or Oyster jdeurotus, rieiirutu.s os-
tyc'iiUifi, [)r()i)al)ly takes its name from some fancied resend>lance
between the shape of its cap and that of an oyster shell, rather

than from any similarity be-
tween its flavor and that of
an oyster. It is closely al-
lied to the Sapid mushroom,
has the same colors, though
^vitll us it is usually white or
merely shaded with yellow,
and al)out the same size and
taste. It differs prinei pally
in having no stem at all, or
only a very short lateral or
ecceiitiic one. It gi'ows in
clusters, one plant arranged
above another on the sides of dead trunks of standing trees. Its
gills are white or yellowish-white and retieulately connected
where they run down on the short stem, or at their inner extremi-
ty. It is commonly found in autumn, but it may occur also in
summer during wet or showery weather. It has long been classed
as esculent, but on account of the toughness of the flesh and lack
of flavor, it can scarcely be placed among the mushrooms of first
quality. Cooke says it sliould be slowly and carefully cooked,
and French writers recommend it only while yet young and ten-
der. For culinary use it is scarcely worth while to keep the Oys-
ter mushroom and the Sapid mushroom apart.

Tlie genus Ilygrophorus is chiefly distinguished by the charac-
ter of the gills. These are usually rather thick, wide apart and
of a somewhat soft waxy texture. In some species they are simi-
lar to the gills of Triclioloma in their attachment to the stem; in
others, they nm down on the stem as in the genus Clitocyhe, and
such sjiecies bear so close a resemblance to species of CUtorybe
that they were formerly associatwl with tliem. ^Fauy of them
have both cap and stem very viscid or glutinous, a character not
found in any of our clitocybes. Xo dangerous species are kno^\Ti,
but one or two have been suspected of being at least unwhole-
some. AVe have several species that have been jdaced in the
edible list; for example, the Ivory hygrophorus, Ilygrophoi^^is
eburneiis, the ^feadow hygrophorus, Tfygroplionis prafensis, and

61

tlie Yirgin hygroplioriis, Hygrophorus virgineus, but inasmuch
as I have not tried them, a single species, the Vermilion hygro-
phorus, Hygrophorus miniatus, will here be described.

It is a small but common species, highly colored and very at-
tractive. The cap is at first convex, but when fully expanded, it
is nearly or quite flat, and in wet weather it even becomes concave
by the elevation of the margin. It is thin and fragile and its sur-
face is sometimes smooth and shining and in other cases it is
roughened as if bv numerous scurfv erect scales as in the Laccate
mushroom. Its color ^'aries from bright vermilion or blood-red to
paler orange hues, and in variety lutescens it is wholly yellow.

The gills are yellow, but often shaded with red. They are gen-
erally attached to the stem bv their entire width at the inner ex-
tremity, but specimens sometimes occiu' in which they are
notched near the stem or even slightly decurrent on it.

The stem is usually short and slender, colored like or a little
paler than the cap and solid when young, but becoming stuffed or
hollow Avith age.

The cap varies from half an inch to three inches broad; the
stem is one to two inches long and commonlv one to two lines
thick.

The Vermilion mushroom grows both in woods and in the
open country, on naked soil or among mosses and fallen leaves.
It is sometimes found growing in the sphagnum of peat marshes,
and as a rule it is more plentiful in wet weather than in dry. It
especially delights in cool mountainous or hilly districts, and in
recently burned clearings in such localities. A favorite place of
gro'ui;!! also is under a dense luxuriant growth of brakes in the
vicinity of mountain forests. In such places it often attains a
luuch larger size than elsewhere. It grows either singly or in
groups, occasionally in clusters, and may be found through sum-
mer and autumn. In favorable localities it is not difficult to find
it sufficiently abundant to furnish a generous supply for the table
notwithstanding its small size. It is scarcely surpassed by any
mushroom in tenderness of substance and agreeableness of flavor.
Two or three other species of Hygrophorus have red caps, but
tAvo of them, Hygrophorus coccineus and H. puniceus, are classed
as edible, and no harm would come of confusing them with the
Vermilion mushroom. Their viscid caps, however, would dis-
tinguish them. The Chantarelle hygrophorus, Hygrophorus
ccmthareTlus, is colored almost exactly like the Vermilion liygTO-
jDhorus, Imt il is a smaller plant Avith a longer stem and gills that
run doAvn on the stem A'ery decidedly. Its taste to me is very
disaareeable.

62

In species that belong to the genus Lartariu.s, the gills exude
drops of a milky or colored juice where cut or hrokcii. in most
species this juice exudes from any j)art of the j)hint, hut most
freelv, ])erhai»s, from the gills. This character, coml)inc<l with
the brittle vcscicular substance, is sutlicicnt to sej)arate these fun-
gi from all others. 'I'he stems, though thick ;iih1 -tout, arc easily
broken, and tlic tVacturc is even, not ragged ami shreddy, as in a
more fibrous substiince. In shape and size the species i)ear con-
siderable resend)lance to s]ieci(>s of ('lUonjhc, but the Hesh, juice,
and often the markings of the cap, easily distinguish them.

Many sjiecies have a very acrid or hot and burning flavor like
that of cayenne jiepper. Some writers have recommended the re-
jection of all such species, and it is a very good rule to observe.
The only objection to it is that its observance would dej)i-ive us
of the use of a few of these sjiecies in which the acrid taste is de-
stroyed by cookins;-. Dr. Curtis records the (/nsavorv lactarius,
Lactarius insulstis, and the Peppery lactarius, Lactarius pipera-
tus, as edible, thougii bntli, when fresh, June a veiy acrid taste.

The two species here described have been long and well kno^^^l
as safe and edible. One has an orange-colored juice, the other a
white or nnlky juice.

The Delicious lactarius, Lactarius cleliciosus, is well marked
by its peculiar colors, and easily distinginshed from all others by
its orange-colored juice. The cap is broadly convex in the young

plant, but in maturity it is
centrally depressed, or, by
the elevation of the margin,
it becomes funnel-shaped. It
is smooth and moist, or verv
sliahtlv viscid, and of a vel-
lowish or pale orange hue,
and adorned with circles or
mottled zones of deeper
hues. These zones or bands
appear to be made of conflu-
ent s})ots. In old plants they
are less distinct, and the general color becomes faded, and often
varied with greenish stains. Such plants are uiuittractive, often
wormy and unfit for food. The flesh is whitish, stained with or-
ange, especially in the part next the gill>. Its taste is often very
slightly acrid.

The gills are oranoe-eolored, but clearer than the cap. The
orange juice exudes freely from them w1hm-(> cut or broken. It

I^actarlus dellclosiis.

L. voleimis.

63

also exists in other parts of the plant. Wounded places slowly as-
sume a greenish hue.

The stem is colored like, or a little paler, than the cap. It is
usually adorned with a few spots of a deeper orange. It is short
when the j^lant grows on naked ground, longer if among moss or
leaves. It is generally hollow, especially in mature plants.

The cap is two to five inches broad, the stem one to four
inches long, and one-third to two-thirds of an inch thick.

The Delicious lactarius groAvs in woods, groves and mossy
SAvamps. It is especially fond of pine woods and wet, mossy
swamps. It may sometimes be found in swamps when dry
weather prevents its growth elsewhere. It occurs from July to
October.

It has been abundantly praised by writers on edible mush-
rooms, most of whom jilace it among the best. Gillet says, "it is
edible, but not as good as its name seems to indicate." Smith
says, "it is the most delicious mushroom known." My own expe-
rience with it leads me to class it as a very good mushroom, but
not equal to the best. It is thought by some that too long and
rapid cooking spoils its delicacy and makes it tough. From the
color of its juice it is sometimes called the Orange-milk mush-
room.

The Orange-brown lactarius, Lactarius volenius, is about the
same in size and shape as the preceding species, but in other re-
spects, it is very different. Its cap is smooth and uniformly col-
ored, but its color is a peculiar one, apparently a mixture of red,
brown and yellow, which has been described as reddish-tawny,
golden-tawny, brownish-orange, and orange-brown. The color
varies slightly in shade, but not in character. Sometimes the cap
has a slight umbo in the centre, and occasionally the epidermis
cracks in areas, showing the whitish flesh in chinks. In variety
snhrugosus, the margin of the cap is rough, with reticulating
v;rinkles or corrugations.

The gills are white or yellowish white, and where cut or brok-
en, exude drops of a white, milky juice. Bruises on them soon
assume a broAvnish hue.

The stem is colored like the cap, but usually a little paler. It
is smooth, firm, and commonly solid.

The Orange-brown mushroom groAvs in Avoods and in open
places. It is especially abundant in thin Avoods of oak and chest-
nut, in Avarm, Avet weather, and may be found from -July to Sep-
tember. It is quite free from the attacks of insects, but if kept
too long before cooking, it is apt to emit a strong, unpleasant

64

odor. In the raw state it has a sliglitly harsh or astringent flavor^
but all writers agree in classing it among the e<lil)le species. It
has not the liot, biting tlavor ot tiic truly acrid species, and cannot
be easily mistaken for any objectionable species. To my taste it
is not high-tiavorcd, Imt i'airly good.

XV. RUSSrLAS, FAIKY-KING :Mrslll{(K)MS, CllAX-
TAin'.LLKS AM) ViSUiD LUM'.TI.

Jn the genus Russula, the species are similar in size, shape and
substance to those of the genus Ladarius, bur the i)lanta exude
no milky or colored juice from wounds. The cap is often red,
purple or rosy lined, a circumstance that seems to have suggested
the generic name. The colored zones often seen on the cap in
species of Lactarius are strangely absent in this genus. The ac-
rid and mild flavors observed there are present here, and may be
employed as a test of desirability. The species in many instances

are difficult of separation in
consequence of similarity and
varial)ility in coloring. We
will introduce but a single ed-
ible species, although several
occur within our territory.

The Greenish russula, Rus-
f<iila riresrenSj is easily known
from all others by its greenish
or grayish-green warty cap.
Green is a rare color among
mushrooms, and when it does
occur, it is not the clear green of flowering plants, but a dull, me-
tallic green or grayish-green. In our plant the surface of the cap
is dry, not viscid as in some related species, and is broken up into
small warts. The gills are white or whitish, and gradually nar-
rowed toward the stem. This is commonly shorter than the
diameter of the cap, white and solid, or merely spongy in texture
in the centre. The flesh is white and taste mild. The cap is two
to four inches broad, the stem one to two inches long and half an
inch or more thick.

The Greenish mushroom groAvs in thin Avoods or groves, or in

65

Russula vlresoeiis. Marastnins oreades.

grassy grounds, and is cliieflY found in wet or showery weather
during July and August.

It is highly praised as an edible mushroom l)y some writers,
but to me it is scarcely more than second quality.

The genus Marasmius is known from all preceding genera of
white-si:)ored Agaricineae by the tough texture of the small, thin
plants that compose it. They quickly dry or wither, but revive
again on the renewal of wet weather, or on the application of
moisture. The gills also are thin, and rather tough and flexible
like the cap. The stem is slender, tough, and often cartilaginous.
It may be clothed with a downy or velvety coat, or be perfectly
smooth, glossy or shining. Most of the species are too thin and
tough to be of value for eating, but the Fairy-ring mushroom,
Marasmius oreades, has long been classed among the edible spe-
cies, and long been held in high estimation. Its name has been
suggested from its tendency to gTow in circles or arcs of circles,
"fairy rings" as they are called. In England the plants have
been kno^m as Scotch bonnets. When young and moist the cap
is pale yellowish-red or ta^vny-red, but as the moisture disappears,
the color fades to pale yellow or buff.

The gills are broad and wide apart, rounded or deeply notched
at the inner extremity and slightly attached to the stem. They
are whitish or creamv vellow.

The stem is rather slender, solid, tough, and covered with a
whitish or gra^dsh close and compact tomentum or villosity which
can be scraped away, revealing the surface of the stem beneath.

The cap is generally about an inch across, sometimes more, and
the stem is one or two inches long and generally less than a quar-
ter of an inch thick.

The Fairy Ring mushroom loves open gTassy places, and grows
especially in lawns, pastures and by the roadsides. It may be
found from May to October if sufficiently warm and moist
weather should pre^'ail. The following are some of the recorded
notices of it: It is very good while young; when young, it may be
eaten as an omelet; it has a very agreeable taste and odor and
gives a delicious flavor to sauces, but it needs cooking a long time;
it is recommended especially as a condiment ; it is delicious when
broiled with butter; it may be pickled or dried for future use;
it is a very delicious mushroom, and the abundance in which it
evervAvhere .grows, makes it a very valuable one; its tendency to
toughness is easily overcome by proper cooking.

One correspondent says that it is excellent for flavoring, but

66

riitlicr tou^li if ii>ci| alnnc. Aiiuthcr writes that the steins are
very tough, l)Ut nut tlie nip^.

The f(»ll()\viii<;' uicthod <>t" coukiiig- this mushroom is <j;ivon: Put
the clean caps into sutfieieiif l)niliiiii- water to make a nice gravy
when (lone, and cook lliciii liail an liuiii-. Then iiil) together a
snuill (iiiantity (tf llour and water, with ^ah and pepijcr, and ad<l
to tlie mushrooms, stirring tnr a moment. I'unr on hot toast ainl
serve in a hot dish.

.Vnotlier method is to ])nt the caps in water with hntter and
seasoning, and h't tlioni simmer slowly ten or fitu^en minutes.
Tlien thicken with llnnr and serve.

Tlie genus ( '(inHiarellu.s, tlie last of the white-sj)ored agarics
to he discussed, is at once distinguished From all the others l>y the
character of the gills. These are narrow and hlunt, or rounded
on the vAjzi'. :ind in most of tlie species they are more or less
forked or hranched. In some species they are connected with
each other in a reticulate manner hy numerous transverse
hrancdies.

()jie species, the Chantarelle, CanfhnreJIiis rlJxirhis. lias long
been known and celehrated for its edible qualities. Ir is easily
recognized by its uniform yellow color, all parts of the ])lant ex-

cej)t the inner Hesh being of
one color. The cap is
smooth, but often very ir-
regidar or unsymmetrical,its
margin being wavy or lobed,
and its centre being promi-
nent, plane or depressed. Its
flesh is often very thick and
gradiuilly narrowed down-
wards, so that the cap has
somewhat the appearance of
an inverted cone. Tt is white within. Tlie narrow, blunt-edged
gills run dowm on the stem, and are more or less branched and
connected with each other. The stem also is often iiT(\aular,
short or long, crooked or straight, cylindrical or ta]>ering down-
ward. It is smooth and solid.

The cap is one to three inches broad; stem one to two inches
long, and one-fourth to one-half an inch thick.

The riiantarelle grows in woods or in ojien places, and may be
found from June to Sejitember. It is rather common. It usually
grows in groups, Init sometimes in arcs of circles, as if attempt-
ing to form a fairy ring. A favorite habitat is the deep shade of
dense evergreen thickets.

Cuntliarullii> i.'il>ariiis. liuUiii.^ Iiituiis.

'I I

Tlie following remarks by various authors show how it has
been regarded: "It is justly enumerated among the most sapid
fungi;" "no fungus is more fjopular;" "it is an excellent plant,
whether used as a condiment or a food;" "it is edible and de-
licious;" "by a confirmed fungus-eater it would be pronounced
most charming." My own trials of it would lead me to place it
among the best and most important of our mushrooms.

The Orange chantarelJe, Cmitharellus aurantiacus, which is
not deemed edible, and which has a slight superficial resemblance
tc this species, may be known by its more dingy-colored cap, and
by its orange-colored gills, which branch by a regular bifurcation,
not by an irregular ramification. It is much more rare than the
Chantarelle.

We now come to a family of fungi called Polyporeae, in
which the cap has no gills, but instead of them, the lower surface
is full of minute pores, holes, or cells. The spores of the fungus
are Tjroduced in these pores and may be caught as they drop from
them, just as in agarics when they are dropped from the gills.
Their color, however, is not of the same importance in classifica-
tion and identification of this family as it is in the preceding ones.

The edible species here noticed belong to three genera. Boletus,
Polyporus and Fistulina. Their essential characters may be
learned from the following comparative table:

Pores compacted together and forming a con-
tinuous stratum, 1.
Pores each in a distinct tube, Fistulina.
1. Stratum of pores easily separable from the cap, Boletus.
1. Stratum of pores not separable from the cap, Polyporus.

In the genus Boletus the mass of cells or the porous substance
on the lower surface of the cap may be easily and smoothly re-
moved from the cap by pressing it outwardly from the stem to-
ward the margin. This is the chief character by which to sepa-
rate species of Boletus from species of Polyporus. ISTearly all bo-
leti grow on the ground, have the stem centrally attached to the
cap, and have a soft or fleshy substance. Most of the edible spe-
cies are well-flavored and of a fairly large size. Some have a nut-
ty flavor that is very agreeable to most people. Unfortunately
for fungus eaters many of them grow only in warm and wet or
showery weather when insects are numerous, and therefore they
are ver^^ likely to be infested by larvae. Care must be taken to
reject all such specimens. The stems also must be discarded be-
cause of toughness, and the pores removed before cooking, for
they are apt to form a very disagreeable mucilaginous or slimy

68

mass in cooking. Some species also have a viscid or slimy surface
to the cap, and this causes earth, sticks and leaves to adhere tena-
ciously to it. Ir is rhcreforc well to peel such caps hoforc cocjking
them.

ANALYTICAL TABLE OF SPECIES OF BOLETUS.

Cap viscid when moist, 1.

Cap not viscid, 3.

1. Stem luniug n collar, 2.

1. Stem destitute of a collar, JJ. ijiaiiulatus,

2. Stem dotted above the collar, Ji. luteus.

2. Stem dotted both above and below the collar,

B. .suhluteus.
3. Stem rouii'honed with prominent colored dots or

scales, 4.

3. Stem with no dots or scales, 5.

4. Margin of the cap with adhering fragments

of a nieudiranous veil, B. versipellis.

^Fargin of the cap naked, B. scaher.

5. Stem solid, B. edulis.

5. Stem hollow, B. casfaneus.

'J'he yellow-brown boletus. Boletus luteus, is one of our rarest
species. I have seen it in but one locality in New York. Its cap
is broadly convex or nearly flat, viscid when moist and of a pecu-
liar yellowisli-l)rown color, with a slight reddish tint and com-
monly varied with very obscure streaks or stains of a deeper hue.
The llesh is white, often tinged with yellow in old plants. The
mass of pores is at first concealed by the membranous veil,
wliich stretches from the stem to the margin of the cap; but
when this is ruptured by the expansion of the cap, they are seen
to he yellow, but with advancing age they assume dingy ochra-
ceous hues. The stem is shorter than the diameter of the ex-
panded cap, solid, and furnished with a membranous collar which
often seems to extend dowmwards on the stem somewhat like a
sheath. It is marked Mitli brown dots above the collar. It is
found under pine trees in autumn.

"Edible and highly esteemed;" "its flesh is very tender;" it
is excellent," are some of the estimates made of this fungus by
European writers.

The small yellowish boletus, Boletus ffuhhttevs, is a much more
conmion species, but one so closely related to the Yellow-bro^v^l
boletus that jiossibly it has often been mistaken for it. It differs
from it in having a more slender stem, which is marked with
brown or blackish dots both above and below the collar. The

69

Boletus siihlutoiis. B g^iaimlatus.

collar, which is formed bj
the collapsing of the glutin-
ous veil, is in the form of a
thick glutinous band rather
than a membrane, and the
cap is generally smaller than
in that species. In other re-
spects the two species are so
much alike that a more ex-
tended description of this
one is scarcely necessary.
Its cap is two to four
inches broad, its stem two to three inches long, and one-fourth to
one-third of an inch thick. It occurs in places where pine trees
grow or have grown, and is especially fond of a light sandy soil
shaded by a thin or scattering growth of young pines. It appears
in late summer and in autumn.

The Granulated boletus, Boletus granidatus, is another viscid-
cap species that delights especially in the company of pine trees
and groves. These species are scarcely found at all in regions
destitute of pines. The cap of this one is very variable in color,
pinkish-gray, grayish-yellow, reddish, reddish-brown and tawny
hues prevailing. A spotted appearance is sometimes produced by
the dr^•ing gluten. The flesh is thick and white except near the
stratum of pores, where it is tinted yellow.

The mass of pores is at first pale yellow, but with advancing
age it assumes the dingy ochraceous hues common to many
species.

The stem is short, solid, whitish, with no collar, but adorned
either in its entire length, or on the u])per part only with un-
equal brown dots or granules. These first appear like drops of
a thick, turbid juice oozing from the stem, but in a short time
they harden and form the brow granules that give origin to the
name of the fungus. They also occur on the edges of the par-
titions between the pores.

The cap varies in size from one and a half to four inches broad,
and the stem from one to two inches long, and from one-third to
two-thirds of an inch thick.

The Granulated boletus is common in sandy regions where
pine trees and thickets are frequent, and occurs from July till
cold weather in autumn stops its growth. It gTOWs in groups and
sometimes in circles. It is often found in company vnth the
American boletus. Boletus americanus, a smaller species with a

70

briiiht iioldt'ii vcllow cat), vcllowisli flesli, jiiid a more sleiulor Uut
similarly dcttted stem.

Dr. Cooke says that the < Iranulatcd Itolctiis has fiivi-ii him the
greatest satisfactimi as an cdililc species, and that he })refers it to
the Edihle boletus, or indeed to any other speeics that he has
eaten.

X\l. \>\l\ IIOLKTI, i'OLVl'OUl A.\l) KISIT LI X A.

The Rouijh stem or Seabroiis-stein boletus, Boletus scaher, is
our most common species. Its cap varies in color from white to
a dark brown or almost black. It is most often some shade of
^ray, varying- to brick-red or pale orange. Its shape also varies
from broadlv and blnntlv conical to convex or flat above, while
its surface may be smooth or minutely downy or even obscurely
scaly. Tts {Icsh is wliite or whitish. Loth it and tlie mass of

pores sometimes assuming
)iiikish or blackish hues where
bruised or wounded. The
)ore stratum is at first whit-
ish, becoming dingy brown
with age. The pores are
(ptite long, and the mass is
convex below and muchshort-

Boh'tiiH scaltiT.

U. crllllis.

ened or depressed around the
top of the stem. The stem is
rather long, often narrowed
at or toward the top, solid,
whitish, and dotted with nu-
merous snudl fibrous scales or
points whifdi are reddish or
blackish, and which are so
small as to give a rough, dotted appearance to the stem. Some-
tiii'c- scales of both c(dors are seen on the same stem. This
character is a peculiar one, and easily separates this species and
the next from all their fellows.

The ])lant having a white cap was first considered a distinct
species and named Boletus iiivcus, hut was aftenvards made a va-
riety of the Kough-stem boletus. It is sometimes still regarded as
distinct. It is rare in this State.

71

The cap is one to five inches broad and the stem two to five
inches long and one-third to two-thirds of an inch thick.

The plant grows everywhere in woods, swamps and open nn-
cultivated places, and on all kinds of soil. It may be found from
June to jSTovember.

It is not often that a fungus as plentiful as this is as good. My
own experiments in eating it were most satisfactory, and it seems
to me to be one of the very best of our edible boleti. But some
writers do not esteem it so highly, merely pronouncing it edible,
oi saying that it is less agreeable than the Edible boletus. Gillet
says that it can be eaten without the least fear, but that young
plants should be selected, as old ones are generally more difficult
of digestion.

The Orange-cap boletus. Boletus versipellis, takes its name
from the color of the cap, which is yellowish-red or orange. It
agrees so closely with forms of the Rough-stem boletus, which
have reddish or orange-colored caps, that it is scarcely possible to
separate them except by the appendicular fragments of the mem-
branous veil, which adhere persistently to the margin of the cap
in this species. These strips of membrane are generally inflexed,
and cover the mouths of the marginal pores. They are not,
therefore, noticed unless they are sought by looking at the lower
surface of the cap. In consequence of the close resemblance be-
tween the two species, any more extended description of thia one
is unnecessary. It has the same size, the same color of the pores
and the same color ornamentation and character of the stem that
belong to the Rough-stem boletus. It is less common with us,
and to my taste its flavor is less agreeable.

The Edible boletus. Boletus edulis, is a large but not very com-
mon species. W^hen young, the cap is firm and the jDores are
whitish and indistinct, their mouths appearing as if stuffed with
a whitish substance; but in older plants the flesh becomes more
soft and the pore mouths distinct. The cap varies some in color
but is generallv reddish-brown or tannv-brown in the centre with
paler or yellowish hues toward the margin. The flesh is white,
or barely tinged with yellow and of an agreeable nutty flavor.
The pore mass, which is whitish in young plants, soon changes to
yellowish or greenish-yellow. It is depressed around the stem.

The stem is stout, solid, often alittle thickened toward the base,
generally even, except toward the top, where it is roughened mth
minute elevated lines which are connected in a reticulated man-
ner, forming a kind of network style of ornamentation. Its color ,
is usuallv whitish, buff or vellowish-brown.

i-z

The cap is tliree to six inches broad, the stem two to five inches
long and oiic-lialf to one and a half inches thick.

The Kdil)h' boletus may be found growing in thin wuuds,
grovt's, bushy or open i)laces in warm wet weather in July and
August. .

It has long been known as an edilde species and hcdds a jilace
among boleti similar to that held by the Commnn mushrMoni
among agarics. JJadham recommends especially this and the
Ivuugh-stem boletus. Ciillet says it is an excellent sjjccies with an
agreeable flavor, and that it is extensively used in France. It is
sometimes sliced and dried for future use. In tins condition it
is chiefly used in the preparation of, and to give flavor to soups
and stews.

It is quite good fried in butter. The following simple method
of preparation has been published. Kemove the stems and pores,
cut the cap in small pieces, which place in a dish with butter, salt
and pep])er; cover and l)ake an hour.

The Chestnut boletus, Boletus castancus, is unlike any other
species here described, in having a hollow stem. This character
is not common among boleti.

The cap is convex in the young plant, but it expands with age
and sometimes becomes concave above the elevation of its
margin. Its surface is commonly covered by a minute, scarcely
noticeable velvety down, and its color is tawny or reddisli-tawny,
approaching bay-red. It is not usually as dark a color as the
name would indicate. The stratum of pores is rather thin, at first
white or whitish, but yellowish when mature.

The stem is short, often tapering upward, colored and clothed
like the cap, soft or spongy within when young, but cavernous or
hollow when mature.

The cap is one to three inches broad, the stem one to two
inches long and one-fourth to one-half an inch thick. The plant
grows in thin woods and in open grassy places, and may be found
from July to September. It is not abundant, nor is it generally
considered first quality.

Some other species of Boletus are classed as edible, but not
having tested them it seems better to omit thera. Some species
of this genus quickly assume blue tints where l^ruised or
wounded. The rule is sometimes given to avoid all such species
as poisonous. And yet one correspondent, an enthusiastic fungus-
eater, informs me that he eats such species, and has done so re-
peatedly without harm. Indeed, he says he eats all kinds that he
can get except the Bitter boletus, Boletus feUeus, of which no

73

kind of preparation seems to destroy the bitter taste. But in one
instance which was brought to my notice, sickness and vomiting
followed the eating of the Sensitive boletus, Boletus sensibilis, a
species which assumes blue colors in a remarkable degree where
bruised or broken. All the family partaking of it were made
sick, but all recovered.

In the genus Polyporus, the stratum of ]3ores is not separable
from the cap. Most of the species grow on wood, and are too
tough to be of any use as food. A few grow on the ground, but
even these are inclined to be tough, and though the species are
numerous, very few are iit to be classed as edible, and these are
not very good except when young and tender. A single example
will be given.

The Sulphury polyporus, Polyporus sulphureus, is so named
because of the bright sulphur yellow color of its stratum of pores.
The caps have no well developed stems. They are side growers,

and are attached to their place
of growth by one side or a
part of the margin of the cap.
They commonly grow in large
clusters, one above another^
and side by side, and variously
grown together where they
come in contact with each
other. AVhen fresh, the up-
per surface of the caps, which
is more or less irregular and
uneven, is of a j^ale reddish or orange color, often tinged with
yellow and easily fading with age or in drying. The pores are
rather short and so small as to be easily overlooked, but their
beautiful clear pale yellow color is much more durable than the
color of the upper surface of the cap. The caps are commonly
four to six inches broad, and about half an inch thick.

They grow on dead wood of various kinds of trees, and the
species has a wide range. The showy clusters are often seen
growing from dead spots in the trunks or branches of living trees.
Even the fruit trees of our gardens and orchards are sometimes
attacked by it. It occurs during summer.

Only young and tender caps should be used for food. Just
before or about the time the pores begin to develop, the caps are
in the best condition for eating.

In the genus Fistulina, the under surface of the cap is covered
with minute hollow tubes, which stand verticallv and closelv side

Boletus oastaneu!~. Polyporus sulphureus.

Klstiilliiii lu-|i:ttli'ii.

bv ^itlc, liur they arc st'j)arate fnmi oacli othfr, and do not form
a coiitinnous conipaet mass, as in the genera Boletus ami Polypo-
riis. They arc at first very sliort, and reseml)lc minute warts or
pnuiihe, bnt they become lon<icr, cylinih-ical and Imlldw with a^e.
AVc liavc f)nc species, the T.ivcr fistulina, Fishiliiui hepnlica.
This name was jn-ol)ably suggested l)v its (hirk-rcil ciilor. It has

other common names, such as
"Oak tongue," "Chestnut
tongue,'' **J>eef tongue," and
"15c('t"stcak fungus," given in
allusion to its place of growtli,
its sliaj)e or its texture. Like
many other wood-inliabiting
fiiiiLii, it is a "side grower."

its caj) is rougli, especially
wlicn young, with minute
pajiillie on the upper surface, and this, with its shape and color,
may have suggested the name Beef tongue. Its stem is short,
and often quite thick. The flesh is soft and juicy, but tough and
fibrous when old and dry. The juice is reddish, and the flesh is
streaked with red. The pores or tubes are ])inkish or yellowish-
pink when young, but they become dingy or brownish-ochraceous
when old. The cap is commonly two to six inches broad, but it
sometimes attains a much greater size. It grows in warm, wet
weather from the base or from stumps of oak and chestnut trees,
and may be found from July to Septend)er.

I'liis vegetable beefsteak has been highly j)raised by some Eu-
ropean writers, as the following quotiitions show: "The taste re-
sembles meat in a remarkal)le manner;" "It is good broiled with
a steak and properly seasoned;" "If it is not beef itself, it is the
sauce for it;" "Xo fungus yields a richer gravy, and though rather
totic:h when broiled, it is scarcelv to be distincuished from broiled
meat." It sometimes has a slightly acid flavor, but this is by no
means disagreeable.

i o

XVIL SPINE-TOOTHED MUSHROOMS, CORNUCO-
PIAS AND EAIRY CLUBS.

In the genus Hydnum, whicli belongs to the family Hydneae,
the lower surface of the cap is thickly set with slender pointed
spine-like teeth or needles. These take the place of gills in the
family Agaricinese and of pores in the family Polyporte. Our
species of Hydnum are mostly rather tough, and the edible ones
are few. Only two are here described:

Teeth on the lower surface of a cap, H. repanduin.

Teeth on the lower side of flattened branches, H. coralloides.

The spreading hydnum or Hedgehog mushroom, Hydnum re-
pandinn, is one of our common species. Its cap is more or less
irregular, often eccentrically attached to the stem and lobed or
wavy on the margin. Its color may be pale-buff, rusty-yellow,
pale-red or sienna color. The flesh is compact but rather fragile,
whitish and somewhat dry. The spines or teeth are about one-
fourth of an inch long, whitish, tinged with yellow or pinkish-
yellow. The stem is thick but short and often irregular. It is
whitish or at least paler than the cap, which is one to four inches
broad, the stem varying from one to three inches long.

This fungus gTOws in woods or open places, on naked soil or
among leaves and moss singly, in groups, or in clusters. It may,
be found in July to October.

The Reddish variety, var. rufescens, sometimes considered a
good species, having the name Hydnum rufescens, is smaller,
thinner and more regular in shape and more uniformly reddish in
color. It grows chiefly in woods, and nearly always has the stem
central.

Badham says that the Spreading hydnum is as good as oysters,
which it somewhat resembles in taste. Stevenson says it is a
most delicious fungus, but requires about four hours of slow cook-
ing. Berkeley pronounces it a most excellent fungus, but one
which requires a little caution in its preparation for the table.
It is easily dried and preserved for winter use.

One method of cooking it consists in first slicing the caps and
steeping them twenty minutes in warm water, then placing in a

76

stew-pan witli butter, salt, pepper and beef gravy, and simmering
slowly for an hour.

The ('oral-like iiydnuni, 11 ijdnum curalluidcs, is (juite uidike
the spreading- hydnuju in general appearance, and might easily be
thought to belong to a distinct genus. Instead of having a cap
it is di\i(lcd into several rather lnoiid, angular or llattencd,
spreading l)ran('hes, from whose lower surface the spine-like teeth
project. The wlntlc j)lant is white, and the branches and spines
are so numerous and dense that it has been compared to a cauli-
flower and called the "caulitlower spiny cap." It is often men-
tioned as "a fungus that looks like coral." The stem is short or
almost none, the branches sometimes starting from the very base.
The terminal nnes frequently cnrve upwards at their tips and end
in a S[)reading mass of teeth. The teeth vary in length from one-
sixth to one-third of an inch, and single plants are generally two
to four inches high and nearly as broad, but sometimes they are
considerablv larger.

It gTOWs on prostrate trunks and decaying wood of various
trees, but chiefly on beech. It is found in woods, especially in
hilly and mountainous districts, and occurs during rainy or show-
erv weather from August to October.

It is a i^retty fungus, and very attractive to tlujse who are
neither botanists nor fungus-eaters. And it is as good as it is
beautiful. 1 n our botanical expeditions in the vast wilderness of
the Adirondack region we were often obliged to camp in the
woods several nights in succession. On such occasions this fun-
gus sometimes formed a luxurious addition to our ordinarily sim-
ple and sometimes very limited bill of fare.

Two or three other species of llydnum belonging to our flora
are classed as edible by some writers, but they have appeared to
me to be so dry and tough that trial of them has not been made.

The Gelatinous hydnum or "jelly hedgehog," Hydnum gela-
ti7iosui)i of some authors, Tremellodon gelatinofunn of others, is
sometiuu'S eaten raw like a jelly. It is sometimes sweetened
with sugar.

In the family TheJephoreae, the lower surface of the cap has
neither gills, pores nor teeth, but is even or slightly wrinkled,
occasionally obscurely papillose. A single species belonging to
the genus Craterellns will be described as the representative of
this family.

The Cornucopia craterellus, sometimes called the Horn of
Plenty, Craterellus cornucopioides, is not attractive in appear-

77

ance. Its cap is very narroAv and mucli elongated so that it is
trumpet-sliaped, or it may be compared to a cornucopia or horn
of plenty. It is very thin, dry, hollow, flexible and slightly
tough. It is grayish-brown, ash color, dark, smoky brown, or
sometimes almost black. The margin is erect or spreading like
the margin of a trumpet's mouth, and it may be regular or wavy,
folded, lobed or split. The surface is usually slightly marked
or rouohened bv a few fibrous tufts or scales. The cavitv of the
cap extends to its base. The lower or spore-bearing surface,
which, from the shape of the cap, becomes rather the outer or

external surface, is a little
uneven or wrinkled and is
colored similar to but often
a little paler than the up-
per surface. The stem is
extremely short or almost
wanting.

The plant is two to four
inches high and one to two
inches broad at the top.
It grows gregariously or in
clusters in woods and shady
places, on naked earth and
banks or among moss and fallen leaves. A favorite place of
growth is in or along old aband'^ned or unused roads in woods
Xt may be found from July to September, and probably later in
the season in more southern localities.

Several French VTiters record this as edible, but admit that it
is not very popular because of its thin flesh and dark color. Dr.
Cooke says that his first trial was so satisfactory that he never
missed an opportunity afterwards of gathering it for the table,
and he savs that a friend, who learned from him of its edible
qualities, now thinks nothing of walking six or eight miles to
procure a dish of it.

The last familv to be here noticed is the Clararieae, and the
genus to which our edible species belong is Clavaria. This
name is derived from the Latin word clava, which means a club.
It has reference to the shape of some of the plants belongmg to
this genus. The plants are sometimes called "fairy clubs." !N"o
cap is present in these plants. They are more like simple or
branched stems without caps. The simple ones are sometimes
gradually thickened toward the top, and therefore club-shaped;
the branching plants are often so abundantly supplied with

Hydnuni repaiuUiiii. Craterelliis cornucopioides.

78

Lranclu's that tlicy art- hush-like in lonu. lii nAnv thi'V vary
from white to yclluw, ochraccDiis, tan (•()h)r, rcU or i)\irpl(', but
no hhick species are knnwn, althonnh siniihirly shapccl species of
a l)hick coh>r liclong to sonic otlicr tamilics of fnn<i:i. Several
species of this genus are reconh-tl ;i> ciliMc, and no species is
known to l)e (hinacroiisly lianiiful, yet iiiniiy ;iit too small or too
insipid or disagreeahle to he ot \aliie as ludd. Three species will
liere he deserihed :

IMaiit siiii|ih', chih-.-.hapeil, C. 2^' (*'/'//" '■'•'<■.

Phint hi-anched, hush-sha]»e(l, 1.

I. Ti|)s ot' tlie l)ranchcs red, C. hotryfes.

1. Tips of the hratiches yellow, C. flava.

The Pistil clavaria or Large Club, Clavaria i)lstlllaris, is the
largest of our nnlnaiii lied species. It is commonly three to five
inches liigh, ami <>ne-lialf to two-tliirds of an iiuli tluck at the
top, wlicre it is rounded or very blunt. It gradually ta])ers down-
ward to the base. Its surface is smooth, and its color yellowish
or ochraceons, sometimes with a reddish tint. The flesh is soft
and while. Sometimes irregular or very short, thick forms oc-
cur, ami in I']iii<i|ic it is said to reach the height of twelve inches,
But 1 have seen no American plants so tall. It grows in grassy,
open jdaccs, or in thin woods and groves, in wet weather in sum-
mer. I have not eaten it, and introduce it on the recommenda-
tion of others, and as a reiirescntative of the simide forms of the
genus.

The Ke(]-tippe(] ('lavai'ia Clavaria botrytes, has a very short,
thick, tieshy white stem, which snddenly divides above into a very
dense or comjiact mass of erect or ascending brandies, the tips of
which are of a red color, at least while yonng and fresh. This is
a good mark by which to recognize this species. The branches are
elsewhere whitish or pale yellow, and when old, even the tips fade
and lose their primary color. The plants are commonly three to
five inches high, and two to fonr inches broad, the stem l)eing
about an inch thick. It grows in thin woods and in open ]ilaces,
in wet or showery weather, from July to Septcndiei-.

Mycologists agree in ascribing to this fungns delicious qualities
nud ;iii agreeable flavor. ITnfortnnately, it is not common with
ns.

The Pale yellow clavaria, Clavaria fava, is very similar to the
I\ed-tip]>ed clavaria, but is at once distinguished by its having
yellow-tipped brandies. Its stem is short and thick, and is ab-
rnj)tly dissohed above into a dense mass of nearly parallel erect

Y9

Cluvariu pistillaris. C. flava.

brauclies. The yellow tips
of these fade with age, and
then it becomes difficult to
distinguish this species
from old plants of the pre-
ceding one. The brancheg
below the tips are whitish,
or a paler yellow than the
tips; the stem also is white
or whitish, and the flesh is
white and of a pleasant
flavor. The flavor is gTeat-
ly afl'ected by the attacks
of insects. A few larvsa
burrowing in the base of
the stem will impart to the
untouched branches above
a very disagreeable and al-
most nauseating taste. It
is therefore important in selecting plants for the table, not only
of this species, but of others also, to exercise care and to discard
all that have been invaded by larvae.

This Clavaria grows in thin woods and open places in warm,
wet weather in summer and early autumn and is more common
than either of the preceding species. My experiments in eating
it lead me to recommend it highly. Its flesh is tender and well-
flavored, and nothing better could be desired by the mycophagist.
Roques says it furnishes a healthful food and is easy of digestion.
The Golden clavaria, Clavaria aurea, bears a general resem-
blance to it, but its stem is thinner, its branches are more highly
colored and often longitudinally wrinkled, and their tips are not
different in color from the rest of the branch. Still no great
harm could come from mistaking it for the Pale yellow clavaria,
for it also is deemed edible. Several other edible species not
having been proved by us are omitted.

In the family Tremellinese the substance of the fungus is
tremelloid or gelatinous, and the plants are mostly stemless irreg-
ular masses or expansions. The most important edible species
is one called the "Jew's ear," Hirneola auricula- judae, which is
extensivelv used in China, but which is not abundant here, and
which is probably of but little value.

XoTE. — The cuts illustrating this work are loaned by the
Country Gentleman of Albany, ]^. Y.

80

ij

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ANY (jrANTITV AT ANY TIMi;.

FU IT ITS AM> I i: a /; ta /i l /; ,s .

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5 Shreiiili'il Wlieiit IMscuit. Salt to taste.

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published in February, 1897, a list of Edible P'ungi
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