The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise Part 57

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 224.--Galera Kellermani. Showing young plants.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 225.--Galera Kellermani. Showing older plants.]

Kellermani is named in honor of Dr. W. A. Kellerman, Ohio State University.

The pileus is very thin, subovate or subconic, soon becoming plane or nearly so; striatulate nearly to the center when moist, more or less wavy and persistently striate on the margin when dry, minutely granulose or mealy when young, unpolished when mature, often with a few scattered floccose squamules when young, and sometimes with a few slight fragments of a veil adhering to the margin which appears as if finely notched by the projecting ends of the gills; watery-brown when moist, grayish-brown when dry, a little darker in the center; taste slight, odor faint, like that of decaying wood.

The gills are thin, close, adnate, a delicate cinnamon-brown becoming darker with age. The stem is two and a half to four cm. long, slender, equal, or slightly tapering upward; finely striate, minutely scurvy or mealy, at least when young; hollow, white. The spores are brownish ferruginous with a faint pinkish tint in ma.s.s, elliptic, 8-126-7.

_Peck._

Dr. Peck says the distinguis.h.i.+ng features of this species are its broadly expanded or plane grayish-brown pileus, with its granulose or mealy surface, its persistently striate margin, and its very narrow gills becoming brownish with age. I have seen the plant growing in the culture beds in the greenhouse of the Ohio State University. It is a beautiful plant. Plants of all ages are shown in Figures 224 and 225.

_Galera crispa. Longyear._

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 226.--Galera crispa. Natural size. Cap ochraceous-brown.]

Crispa means crisped; the specific name is based on the peculiar character of the gills which are always crisped as soon as the pileus is expanded.

The pileus is 1.5 to 3.5 cm. broad, membranaceous, persistently conico-campanulate, subacute, uneven and somewhat rivulose, ochraceous-brown on disk, lighter toward the margin which becomes crenulate and upturned in older specimens; slightly pruinose at first, rugulose and a little paler when dry.

The gills are adnexed, not crowded, rather narrow, interspersed with anastomosing veins; much crisped; at first nearly white, then becoming ferruginous from the spores.

The stem is 7 to 10 cm. long, tapering from a somewhat bulbous base, yellowish-white, pruinose at base, hollow, fragile. The spores are 8-10 broad, 12-16 long. _Longyear._

They are found in gra.s.s on lawns and in pastures, June and July.

Dr. Peck, to whom specimens were referred, suggested that they may be a variety of G. lateritia, unless the peculiar character of the gills proved to be constant. Prof. Longyear has found the plant frequently in Michigan and it was found by him in the City Park, Denver, Col., in July, 1905.

Its distinguis.h.i.+ng characteristic is sufficiently constant to make the recognition of the species a matter of ease. The plants in Figure 226 were photographed by Prof. B. O. Longyear.

_Galera ovalis. Fr._

THE OVAL GALERA.

The pileus is somewhat membranaceous, oval or bell-shaped, even, watery, dusky-rust color, somewhat larger than G. tenera.

The gills are almost free, ventricose, very broad, rust-colored.

The stem is straight, equal, slightly striate, nearly of the same color as the cap, about three inches long. Found in pastures where stock has been. I have found it in the Dunn pasture, on the Columbus pike, Ross County, O.

_Crepidotus. Fr._

_Crepidotus_ is from a Greek word meaning a slipper. The spores are dark or yellowish-brown. There is no veil. The pileus is excentric, dimidiate or resupinate. The flesh is soft. The stem is lateral or wanting, when present it is continuous with the cap. They generally grow on wood.

_Crepidotus versutus. Pk._

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 227.--Crepidotus versutus. Natural size. Caps pure white.]

This is a very modest little plant growing on the underside of rotten logs or bark, thus, no doubt, escaping the attention of many. Sometimes it may be found growing from the side of a log, in which case it grows in a shelving form. When growing under the log the upper side of the cap is against the wood and it is said to be resupinate.

The pileus is kidney-form, quite small, thin, pure white, covered with a soft whitish down.

The gills are radiate from the point of attachment of the cap, not crowded, whitish, then ferruginous from the spores.

_Crepidotus mollis. Schaeff._

SOFT CREPIDOTUS.

The pileus is between subgelatinous and fleshy; one to two inches broad; sometimes solitary, sometimes imbricated; flaccid, even, smooth, reniform, subsessile, pallid, then grayish.

The gills are decurrent from base, crowded, linear, whitish then watery cinnamon. The spores are elliptical, ferruginous, 8-95-6.

This species is widely distributed and quite common on decayed logs and stumps, from July to October.

_Naucoria. Fr._

Naucoria, a nut sh.e.l.l. The pileus is some shade of yellow, convex, inflexed, smooth, flocculent or scaly. The gills are attached to the stem, sometimes nearly free, never decurrent. The stem is cartilaginous, confluent with the cap but of a different texture, hollow or stuffed.

The veil is absent or sometimes small traces may be seen attached to the rim of the pileus, in young plants in the form of flakes. The spores are of various shades of brown, dull or bright. They grow on the ground on lawns and rich pastures. Some on wood.

_Naucoria hamadryas. Fr._

THE NYMPH NAUCORIA. EDIBLE.

Hamadryas, one of the nymphs whose life depended upon the tree to which she was attached.

The pileus is one to two inches broad, rather fleshy, convex, expanded, gibbous, even, bay-ferruginous when young and moist, pale yellowish when old.

The gills are attenuated, adnexed, almost free, rusty, slightly ventricose, somewhat crowded.

The stem is hollow, equal, fragile, smooth, pallid, two to three inches long. The spores are elliptical, rust-color, 13-147.

This is quite a common species, often growing alone along pavements, under shade trees, and in the woods. The caps only are good. Found from June to November.

_Naucoria pediades. Fr._

THE TAN-COLORED NAUCORIA. EDIBLE.

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

Figure 228.--Naucoria pediades. Natural size.]