The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise Part 51

_Leptonia. Fr._

Leptonia means slender, thin.

The spores are salmon-color and irregular. The pileus is never truly fleshy, cuticle always torn into scales, disk umbilicate, and often darker than the margin which is at first incurved. The gills are attached to the stem and easily separated in old plants. The stem is rigid, with cartilaginous bark, hollow or stuffed, smooth, s.h.i.+ning, often dark-blue, confluent with the cap.

_Leptonia incana. Fr._

THE h.o.a.rY LEPTONIA.

Incana means h.o.a.ry or grayish-white.

The pileus is about one inch broad, somewhat membranaceous, convex, then plane, depressed in the center, smooth, with a silky l.u.s.tre, margin striate.

The gills are attached to the stem, broad, somewhat distant, white, then greenish.

The stem is hollow, s.h.i.+ning, smooth, brownish-green. The spores are very irregular, dull-yellowish, pink, rough, 8-9.

It is frequently found in pastures after warm rains. They grow in cl.u.s.ters, and have the odor of mice to a marked degree.

_Leptonia serrulata. Pers._

SAW LEPTONIA.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 207.--Leptonia serrulata.]

Serrulata means saw-bearing, so named from the serrulate character of the gills.

The pileus is dark-blue, flesh thin, umbilicate, depressed, without striate, squamulose.

The gills are attached to the stem, with a dark serrulate edge.

The stem is thin, cartilaginous, paler than the pileus.

_Nolanea. Fr._

Nolanea means a little bell, so called from the shape of the pileus.

It is rosy-spored. The stem is cartilaginous and hollow. The pileus is submembranaceous, thin, bell-shaped, papillate, margin straight, pressed close to the stem. The gills are free and not decurrent. They are found growing on the ground in the woods and pastures.

_Nolanea pascua. P._

THE PASTURE NOLANEA.

Pascua means pasture.

The pileus is membranaceous, conical, then expanded, slightly umbonate, smooth, striate, watery; when dry, s.h.i.+ning like silk.

The gills are nearly free, ventricose, crowded, dirty-grayish.

The stem is hollow, fragile, silky-fibrous, striate. The spores are irregular, 9-10. They are found in pastures in summer and fall, after a rain.

_Nolanea conica. Pk._

THE CONE NOLANEA.

The pileus is thin, membranaceous, conical, with a minute umbo or papilla, cinnamon-color, striatulate when moist.

The gills are light flesh-color, nearly free.

The stem is slender, straight, hollow.

Found in moist woods.

_Claudopus. Smith._

Claudopus is from two Greek words: _claudos_, lame; _pus_, foot.

The pileus is eccentric or lateral like the Pleuroti. The species were formerly placed in the Pleuroti and Crepidoti, which they very closely resemble, save in the color of the spores. This genus formerly included those plants which have lilac spores, but Prof. Fries limited it to those which have pink spores. The spores in some species are even and in others, rough and angular. The stem is either wanting or very short, hence its name. All are found on decayed wood.

_Claudopus nidulans. Pers._

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 208.--Claudopus nidulans. One-half natural size.

Cap yellow or buff. Gills orange-yellow.]

Nidulans is from _nidus_, a nest.

The pileus is sessile, sometimes narrowed behind into a short stem-like base, caps often overlapping one another, kidney-shaped, quite downy, the margin involute, hairy toward the margin, a rich yellow or buff color.

The gills are broad, moderately close, orange-yellow.

The spores are even, 3-51, elongated, somewhat curved, delicate pink in ma.s.s. It is quite common in the woods about Chillicothe. A maple log from which I secured the specimen photographed in Figure 208 was completely covered and presented a beautiful sight. It has a rather strong and disagreeable odor. It is edible, but generally tough, and must be chopped very fine and cooked well. It is found in woods, on logs and stumps, from August to November.

_Claudopus variabilis. Pers._

_Variabilis, variable or changeable._ The pileus is white, thin, resupinate--that is the plant seems to be on its back, the gills being turned upward toward the light, quite downy, even, being fastened in the center to a short downy stem.

The gills are at first white, then of the color of the spores.

It is found on decaying limbs and branches in the woods. It is quite common everywhere.