The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise Part 100

Found in May and June.

_Peziza Stevensoni._

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 429.--Peziza Stevensoni.]

This plant is sessile or nearly so, growing on the ground in dense cl.u.s.ters. The specimens in Figure 429 grew in Dr. Chas. Miesse's cellar, in Chillicothe. They grow quite large at times; are ovate, externally grayish-white, covered with a minute down or tomentum, internally reddish-brown, the rim of the cup finely serrated, as will be seen in the figure below. They are found from May to July.

_Peziza semitosta._

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 430.--Peziza semitosta.]

Semitosta, from its scorched appearance, or umber-like color.

The cup is one to one and a half inches across, hemispherical, hirsute-velvety without, date-brown within; margin indexed.

The stem is ribbed or wrinkled. Sporidia are subfusiform, .00117 inch long.

These plants are found on the ground in damp places. It was formerly called Peziza semitosta or Sarcoscypha semitosta. The plants in Figure 430 were found in August or September on the north side of the Edinger Hill, near Chillicothe, and were photographed by Dr. Kellerman. No doubt edible, but the writer has not tried them. This is called Macropodia semitosta.

_Peziza aurantia. Fr._

ORANGE-GROUND PEZIZA. EDIBLE.

Aurantia means orange color.

Subsessile, irregular, oblique, externally somewhat pruinose, whitish.

The sporidia are elliptic, rough.

Found on the ground in damp woods. The cups are often quite large and very irregular. Found in August and September.

_Peziza repanda. Wahl._

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 431.--Peziza repanda.]

Repanda means bent backward. These plants are found in dark moist woods, growing on old, wet logs, or in well wooded earth. The cups are cl.u.s.tered or scattered, subsessile, contracted into a short, stout, stem-like base. When very small they appear like a tiny white knot on the surface of the log. This grows, so that soon a hollow sphere with an opening at the top is produced. The plant now begins to expand and flatten, producing an irregular, flattened disk with small upturned edges. The margin often becomes split and wavy, sometimes drooping and revolute; disk pale or dark brown, more or less wrinkled toward the center; externally the cup is a scurvy-white. The asci are 8-spored, quite large. The paraphyses are few, short, separate, clavate, and brownish at the tips. The spores are elliptical, thin-walled, hyaline, non-nucleate, 149.

Found from May to October. Edible.

_Peziza vesiculosa. Bull._

THE BLADDERY PEZIZA. EDIBLE.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Photo by C. G. Lloyd._

Figure 432.--Peziza vesiculosa.]

Often in thick cl.u.s.ters. Those in the center are frequently distorted by mutual pressure; large, entire, sessile, at first globose; closed at first, then expanding; the margin of the cup more or less incurved, sometimes slightly notched; disk pallid-brown, externally; surface is covered with a coa.r.s.ely granular or warty substance which plainly shows in the photograph. The hymenium is generally separable from the substance of the cap. The spores are smooth, transparent, continuous, elliptical, ends obtuse.

They are found on dung-hills, hot-beds or wherever the ground has been strongly fertilized and contains the necessary moisture. This is an interesting plant and often found in large numbers. Vesicolosa means full of bladders, as the picture will suggest.

I found a very nice cl.u.s.ter on the 25th of April, 1904, in my stable.

_Peziza scutellata. Linn._

THE s.h.i.+ELD-LIKE PEZIZA.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 433.--Peziza scutellata. Very small but will show form under the gla.s.s.]

Becoming plane, vermillion-red, externally paler, hispid towards the margin with straight black hairs. Spores ellipsoid. Found on damp rotten logs from July to October. Very plentiful and very pretty under the magnifying gla.s.s.

_Peziza tuberosa. Bull._

THE TUBEROUS PEZIZA.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 434.--Peziza tuberosa. Natural size.]

Tuberosa, furnished with a tuber or sclerotium. The cup is thin, infundibuliform, bright brown, turning pale.

The stem is elongated, springing from an irregular black tuber, called sclerotium. The stems run deep into the earth and are attached to a sclerotium, which will be seen in the halftone. Many fungus plants have learned to store up fungus starch for the new plant.

The sporidia are oblong-ellipsoid, simple. It is called by some authors Sclerotinia tuberosa. It grows on the ground in the spring and may be known by its bright brown color and its stem running deep into the earth and attached to a tuber.

_Peziza hemispherica. Wigg._

Sessile, hemispherical, waxy, externally brownish, clothed with dense, fasciculate hairs; disk glaucous-white. This is called by Gillet Lachnea hemispherica. The cups are small, varying much in color and the sporidia are ellipsoidal. They are found on the ground in September and October.

Found in Poke Hollow.

_Peziza leporina. Batsch._

Substipitate, elongated on one side, ear-shaped, subferruginous externally, farinose internally; base even. It is sometimes cinereous or yellowish. Sporidia ellipsoidal. This is called frequently Otidea leporina, (Batsch.) Fckl. It is found on the ground in the woods during September and October. Found in Poke Hollow.

_Peziza venosa. P._

This plant is saucer-shaped, sometimes many inches broad; sessile, somewhat twisted, dark umber, white beneath, wrinkled with rib-like veins. Odor often strong. Found growing on the ground in leaf mold.

Found in the spring, about the last of April, in James Dunlap's woods, near Chillicothe. This is also called Discina venosa, Suec.

_Peziza floccosa. Schw._