The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise Part 16

UNITED TRICHOLOMA. EDIBLE.

Unifactum means united or made into one, referring to the stems united in one base root or stem.

The pileus is fleshy but thin, convex; often irregular, sometimes eccentric from its mode of growth; whitish, flesh whitish, taste mild.

The gills are thin, narrow, close, rounded behind, slightly adnexed, sometimes forked near the base, white.

The stems are equal or thicker at the base, solid, fibrous, white, united at the base in a large fleshy ma.s.s.

Spores are white, subglobose, .00016 to .0002 of an inch broad. _Peck._

I found a beautiful specimen in Poke Hollow, in a beech woods with some oak and chestnut. There was but one cl.u.s.ter growing from a large whitish fleshy ma.s.s. There were fifteen caps growing from this fleshy ma.s.s. I could not identify species until too late to photograph.

_Tricholoma albellum. Fr._

THE WHITISH TRICHOLOMA. EDIBLE.

The pileus is two to three inches broad, becoming pale-white, pa.s.sing into gray when dry, fleshy, thick at the disk, thinner at the sides, conical then convex, gibbous when expanded, when in vigor moist on the surface, spotted as with scales, the thin margin naked, flesh soft, floccose, white, unchangeable.

The gills are very much attenuated behind, not emarginate, becoming broad in front; very crowded, quite entire, white.

The stem is one to two inches long, solid, fleshy-compact, ovate-bulbous (conical to the middle, cylindrical above), fibrillose-striate, white.

Spores elliptical, 6-74.

_Tricholoma personatum. Fr._

THE MASKED TRICHOLOMA. EDIBLE.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 61.--Tricholoma personatum. One-third natural size. Caps usually tinged with lilac or violet. Stems bulbous.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 62.--Tricholoma personatum. Two-thirds natural size. The entire plant white.]

Personatum means wearing a mask; so called because of the variety of colors it undergoes. This is a beautiful mushroom, and is excellently flavored; it has a wide range and is frequently found, in great abundance. I have often seen it growing in almost a straight line for over twenty feet, the caps so thoroughly crowded that they had lost their form. When young the cap is convex and quite firm, with the margin minutely downy or adorned with mealy particles, and incurved. In the mature plant it is softer, broadly convex, or nearly plane, with the thin margin spreading and more or less turned upward and wavy. When young it is pale lilac in color, but with advancing age it changes to a tawny or rusty hue, especially in the center. Sometimes the cap is white, whitish or gray, or of a pale violaceous color.

The gills are crowded, rounded next to the stem, and nearly free but approaching close to the stem, more narrow toward the margin, with a faint tinge of lilac or violet tint when young, but often white.

The stem is short, solid, adorned with very minute fibers, downy or mealy particles when young and fresh, but becoming smooth with advancing age. The color of the stem is much like the cap but perhaps a shade lighter.

The cap is from one to five inches broad, and the stem from one to three inches high. It grows singly or in groups. It is found in thin woods and thickets. It delights to grow where an old saw mill has stood.

The finest specimens of this species that I ever saw grew on a pile of compost of what had been green cobs from the canning factory. They had lain in the pile for about three years and late in November the compost was literally covered with this species, many of whose caps exceeded five inches while the color and figuration of the plants were quite typical.

In English books this plant is spoken of as Blewits and in France as Blue-stems, but the stems in this country are inclined to be lilac or violet, and then only in the younger plants.

The spores are nearly elliptical and dingy white, but in ma.s.ses on white paper they have a salmon tint. Its smooth, almost s.h.i.+ning, unbroken epidermis and its peculiar peach-blossom tint distinguish it from all other species of the Tricholoma. There is a white variety, very plentiful in our woods, which is ill.u.s.trated in Figure 62. They are found only in leaf-mould in the woods. September to freezing weather.

_Tricholoma nudum. Bull._

THE NAKED TRICHOLOMA. EDIBLE.

Nudum, naked, bare; from the character of the margin. The pileus is two to three inches broad, fleshy, rather thin, convex, then expanded, slightly depressed; smooth, moist, the whole plant violet at first, changing color, margin involute, thin, naked, often wavy.

The gills are narrow, rounded behind, slightly decurrent when the plant becomes depressed, crowded, violet at first, changing to a reddish-brown without any tinge of violet.

The stem is two to three inches long, stuffed, elastic, equal, at first violaceous, then becoming pale, more or less mealy. Spores 73.5

I found some very fine specimens among the leaves in the woods in Haynes' Hollow, near Chillicothe. October and November.

_Tricholoma gambosum. Fr._

ST. GEORGE'S MUSHROOM. EDIBLE.

Gambosum, with a swelling of the hoof, _gamba_. The pileus is three to six inches broad, sometimes even larger; very thick, convex, expanded, depressed, commonly cracked here and there; smooth, suggesting soft kid leather; margin involute at first, pale ochre or yellowish white.

The gills are notched, with an adnexed tooth, densely crowded, ventricose, moist, various lengths, yellowish white.

The stem is short, solid, flocculose at apex, substance creamy white; swollen slightly at the base. The spores are white.

It is called St. George's mushroom in England because it appears about the time of St. George's day, April 23d. It frequently grows in rings or crescents. It has a very strong odor. Its season is May and June.

_Tricholoma portentosum. Fr._

THE STRANGE TRICHOLOMA. EDIBLE.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 63.--Tricholoma portentosum.]

Portentosum means strange or monstrous.

The pileus is three to five inches broad, fleshy, convex, then expanded, sub.u.mbonate, viscid, sooty, often with purple tinge, frequently unequal and turned up, streaked with dark lines, the thin margin naked, flesh not compact, white, fragile, and mild.

The gills are white, very broad, rounded, almost free, distant, often becoming pale-gray or yellowish.

The stem is three to six inches long, solid, quite fibrous, sometimes equal, often tapering toward the base, white, stout, striate, villous at base. The spores are subglobose, 4-54.

The plants grow in pine woods and along the margins of mixed woods, frequently by roadsides. It is usually found in October and November.

The plants in Figure 63 were found near Waltham, Ma.s.s., and were sent to me by Mrs. E. B. Blackford. This is said to even excel T. personatum in edible qualities.

_c.l.i.tocybe. Fr._

c.l.i.tocybe is from two Greek words, a hillside, or declivity, and a head; so called from the central depression of the pileus.

The genus c.l.i.tocybe differs from Tricholoma in the character of the gills. They are attached to the stem by the whole width and usually are prolonged down the stem or decurrent. This is the first genus with decurrent gills. The genus has neither a volva nor a ring and the spores are white. The stem is elastic, spongy within, frequently hollow and extremely fibrous, continuous with the pileus.