The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise Part 53

The stem is stuffed, then hollow, colored as the pileus, nearly smooth, ring thin but entire.

They are a late grower and found on well-decayed logs. They are quite common in our woods. Found in November. The plants in Figure 213 were found on the 24th of November, in Haynes' Hollow.

_Pholiota mutablis. Schaff._

THE CHANGEABLE PHOLIOTA. EDIBLE.

Mutablis means changeable, variable. The pileus two to three inches broad, fleshy; deep cinnamon when moist, paler when dry; margin rather thin, transparent; convex, then expanded, sometimes obtusely umbonate, and sometimes slightly depressed; even, quite smooth, flesh whitish and taste mild.

The gills are broad, adnate, slightly decurrent, close, pale umber, then cinnamon-color.

The stem is two to three inches long, slender, stuffed, becoming hollow, smooth above or minutely pulverulent, and pale, below slightly scaly up to the ring, and darker at the base, ring membranaceous, externally scaly. The spores are ellipsoid, 9-115-6.

I find this specimen growing in a caespitose manner on decayed wood. It is quite common here late in the season. I found some very large specimens on Thanksgiving day, 1905, in Gallia County, Ohio. It is one of the latest edible plants.

_Pholiota heteroc.l.i.ta. Fr._

BULBOUS-STEMMED PHOLIOTA.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 214.--Pholiota heteroc.l.i.ta. Natural size. Caps whitish or yellowish.]

Heteroc.l.i.tus means leaning to one side, out of the center.

The pileus is three to six inches broad, compact, convex, expanded, very obtuse, rather eccentric, marked with scattered, innate, adpressed scales, whitish or yellowish, sometimes smooth when dry, viscid if moist.

The gills are very broad, at first pallid, then ferruginous, rounded, adnexed.

The stem is three to four inches long, solid, hard, bulbous at the base, fibrillose, white or whitish; veil apical, ring fugacious, appendiculate. The spores are subelliptical, 8-105-6.

This species has a strong and pungent odor very much like horse-radish.

It grows on wood and its favorite hosts are the poplar and the birch. It is found at almost any time in the fall. The specimens in the Figure 214 were found in Michigan and photographed by Dr. Fischer, of Detroit.

_Pholiota aurevella. Batsch._

GOLDEN PHOLIOTA.

Aurevella is from _auri-vellus_, a golden fleece.

The pileus is two to three inches in diameter, bell-shaped, convex, gibbous, tawny-yellow, with darker scales, rather viscid.

The gills are crowded, notched behind, fixed, very broad, plane, pallid olive, at length ferruginous.

The stem is stuffed, nearly equal, hard, various in length, curved, with rusty adpressed squamules, ring rather distant. On trunks of trees in the fall, generally solitary. Not very common.

_Pholiota curvipes. Fr._

Curvipes, with a curved foot or stem. Pileus is rather fleshy, convex, then expanded, torn into adpressed floccose scales.

The gills are adnate, broad, white, then yellowish, at length tawny.

The stem is somewhat hollow, thin, incurved (from which it derives its name), fibrillose, yellow, as well as is the floccose ring. Spores 6-73-4. _Cooke._

I found several specimens of this species at different times on one well rotted beech log on Ralston's Run, but was unable to find it on any other log in any woods near Chillicothe. I had trouble to place it till Prof. Atkinson helped me out. I found it from August to November.

_Pholiota spectabilis. Fr._

THE SHOWY PHOLIOTA.

Spectabilis, of notable appearance, worth seeing. The pileus is compact, convex, then plane, dry, torn into silky scales disappearing toward the margin, golden orange color, flesh yellow.

The gills are adnexed, rounded near the stem, slightly decurrent, crowded, narrow, yellow, then ferruginous.

The stem is solid, three to four inches high, quite thick, tough, spongy, thickened toward the base, even, bulbous, somewhat rooting. Ring inferior. I found the specimens in October and November. It may grow earlier. Found on decayed oak stumps.

_Pholiota marginata. Batsch._

THE MARGINATE PHOLIOTA. EDIBLE.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 215.--Pholiota marginata. Two-thirds natural size.

Caps honey-colored and tan-colored.]

Marginata means edged, margined; so called from the peripheral striae of the pileus.

The pileus is rather fleshy, convex, then plane, smooth, moist, watery, striate on the margin, honey-colored when moist, tan-colored when dry.

The gills are firmly attached to the stem, crowded, unequal; when mature, of a dark reddish-brown from the shedding of the spores. Spores 7-84.

The stem is cylindrical, smooth, hollow, of the same color as the pileus, covered with a frost-like bloom above the ring, which is distant from the apex of the stem and frequently disappears entirely.

It is quite common, being found on nearly every rotten log in our woods.

It comes early and lasts till late in the fall. The caps are excellent when well prepared.

_Pholiota aegerita. Fr._

aegerita is the Greek name for the black poplar; so called because it grows on decayed poplar logs. The pileus is fleshy, convex, then plane, more or less checked or rivulose, wrinkled, tawny, edge of the cap rather pale.

The gills are adnate, with a decurrent tooth, rather close, pallid, then growing darker.

The stem is stuffed, equal, silky-white, ring superior, fibrillose, tumid. Spores 105.

Found in October and November, in the woods wherever there are decayed poplar logs.