The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise Part 28

The stem is hollow, minutely velvety, bay, base flocculose.

The caps are light brownish-red in color, fading when dry. When fresh it has a foetid odor quite perceptible for such small plants. It is found on decayed sticks and leaves in woods. During wet weather or after heavy rains it is quite common in the woods about Chillicothe.

Found from July to October.

This is also called Heliomyces foetens (Pat.) and is so cla.s.sified by Prof. Morgan in his very excellent Monogram on North American Species of Marasmius.

_Marasmius velutipes. B. & C._

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 105.--Marasmius velutipes.]

Velutipes means velvet-footed, from the velvety stem. The pileus is thin, submembranaceous, smooth, convex, or expanded, grayish-rufous when moist, cinereous when dry, a half to one and a half inches broad.

The gills are very narrow, crowded, whitish or grayish.

The stem is slender, three to five inches long, equal, hollow, clothed with a dense grayish velvety tomentum. _Peck._

They usually grow in a very crowded condition, many plants growing from one mat of mycelium. It is quite a common plant with us, found in damp woods or around a swampy place. The pileus with us is convex. Some authorities speak of an umbilicate cap. The plant is quite hardy and easily identified because of its long and slender stem, with the grayish tomentum at the base. Found from July to October.

The specimens in Figure 105 were found at Ashville, Ohio.

_Marasmius cohaerens. (Fr.) Bres._

THE STEMMED-Ma.s.sED MARASMIUS. EDIBLE.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 106.--Marasmius cohaerens. Two-thirds natural size, showing how the stems are ma.s.sed together.]

Cohaerens means holding together, referring to the stems being ma.s.sed together.

The pileus is fleshy, thin, convex, campanulate, then expanded, sometimes slightly umbonate, in old specimens the margin upturned or wavy, velvety, reddish tan-color, darker in the center, indistinctly striate.

The gills are rather crowded, narrow, adnate, sometimes becoming free from the stem, connected by slight veins, pale cinnamon-color, becoming somewhat darker with age, the variation of color due to the number of cystidia scattered over the surface of the gills and on their edge.

Spores, oval, white, small, 63.

The stem is hollow, long, rigid, even, smooth, s.h.i.+ning, reddish-brown, growing paler or whitish toward the cap, a number of the stems growing together at the base with a whitish myceloid tomentum present.

The plant grows in dense cl.u.s.ters among leaves and in well rotted wood.

I have found it quite often about Chillicothe. It is called Mycena cohaerens, Fr., Collybia lachnophylla, Berk., Collybia spinulifera, Pk.

The plants in Figure 106 were found near Ashville, Ohio. September to frost.

_Marasmius candidus. Bolt._

THE WHITE MARASMIUS.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 107.--Marasmius candidus. Natural size.]

Candidus means s.h.i.+ning white. This delicate species grows in moist and shady places in the woods. It grows on twigs, its habitat and structure are fully ill.u.s.trated in the Figure 107.

The pileus is rather membranaceous, hemispherical, then plane or depressed, pellucid, wrinkled, naked, entirely white.

The gills are adnexed, ventricose, distant, not entire.

The stem is thin, stuffed, whitish, slightly pruinose, base tinged with brown. Spores are elliptical, 42.

This plant has a wide distribution in this country. The specimens figured were collected by H. H. York near Sandusky, Ohio, and were photographed by Dr. Kellerman. I have found them at various points in Ohio.

_Marasmius rotula. Fr._

THE COLLARED MARASMIUS.

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

Figure 108.--Marasmius rotula. Natural size. Caps white or pale-buff.]

Rotula means a little wheel.

The pileus is one to three lines broad, hemispherical, umbilicate, and minutely umbonate, plaited, smooth, membranaceous, margin crenate, white, or pale buff, with a dark umbilicus.

The gills are broad, distant, few, equal, or occasionally with a few short ones, of the color of the pileus, attached to a free collar behind.

The stem is setiform, slightly flexuous, white above, then tawny, deep s.h.i.+ning brown at the base, striate, hollow, frequently branched and sarmentose, with or without abortive pilei.--M. J. B. This plant is very common in woods on fallen twigs. The plants in Figure 108 were collected near Cincinnati. This plant has a wide distribution. It is in all our Ohio woods.

_Marasmius scorodonius. Fr._

STRONG-SCENTED MARASMIUS. EDIBLE.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 109.--Marasmius scorodonius.]

Scorodonius is from a Greek word meaning like garlic.

The pileus is one-half inch or more broad, reddish when young, but becoming pale, whitish; somewhat fleshy, tough; even, soon plane, rugulose even when young, at length rugulose and crisped.

The gills are attached to the stem, often separating, connected by veins, crisped in drying, whitish.

The stem is at least one inch long, hollow, equal, quite smooth, s.h.i.+ning, reddish. The spores are elliptical, 64.

It is found in woods growing on sticks and decayed wood. It is strong-smelling. It is frequently put with other plants to give a flavor of garlic to the dish. Found from July to October.

_Marasmius calopus. Fr._

Calopus is from two Greek words meaning beautiful and foot, so called because of its beautiful stem.

The pileus is rather fleshy, tough, convex, plane then depressed, even, at length rugose, whitish.