The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise Part 60

_Cortinarius purpurascens. Fr._

THE PURPLISH CORTINARIUS. EDIBLE.

Purpurascens means becoming purple or purplish; so named because the blue gills become purple when bruised.

The pileus is four to five inches broad, bay-brown, viscid, compact, wavy, spotted when old; often depressed at the margin, sometimes bending back; the flesh blue.

The gills are broadly notched, crowded, bluish-tan, then cinnamon-color, becoming purplish when bruised.

The stem is solid, bulbous, clothed with small fibres, blue, very compact, juicy; becoming purplish when rubbed. The spores are elliptical, 10-125-6.

This is one of the delicious mushrooms to eat, the stem cooking tender as readily as the caps. I found it in Tolerton's woods, Salem, Ohio, and in Poke Hollow near Chillicothe. September to November.

_Cortinarius turmalis. Fr._

THE YELLOW-TAN CORTINARIUS. EDIBLE.

Turmalis means of or belonging to a troop or a squadron, turma; so called because occurring in groups, and not solitary.

The pileus is two to four inches broad, viscid when wet, ochraceous-yellow, smooth, discoid, flesh soft; veil extending from the margin of the cap to the stem in delicate arachnoid threads, best seen in young plants.

The gills are emarginate, decurrent, depending upon the age of the plant; crowded, somewhat serrated, whitish at first, then brownish-ochraceous-yellow. The remnants of the veil will usually show above the middle of the stem as a zone of minute striae, darker than the stem.

I found specimens on Cemetery Hill under pine trees. September to November.

_Cortinarius olivaceo-stramineus. Kauff. n. Sp._

Olivaceo-stramineus means an olive straw-color.

Pileus 4-7 cm. broad, viscid from a glutinous cuticle, broadly convex, slightly depressed in the center when expanded; margin incurved for some time; pale-yellow with an olivaceous tinge, slightly rufous-tinged when old; smooth or silky-fibrillose, disk sometimes covered with minute squamules, shreds of the partial veil attached to the margin when expanded. Flesh very thick, becoming abruptly thin toward the margin, white, dingy-yellowish in age, soon soft and spongy. Gills rather narrow, 7 mm. broad, sinuate-adnexed, whitish at first, then pale cinnamon, crowded, edge serratulate and paler. Stem 6-8 cm. long, with a slight bulb when young, from whose margin arises the dense partial veil; white and very pruinate above the veil, which remains as dingy fibrils stained by the spores; spongy and soft within, becoming somewhat hollow. Veil white with an olive tinge. Spores, 10-125.5-6.5, granular within, almost smooth. Odor agreeable.

Kauffman says this resembles C. herpeticus, except that the gills when young are never violet-tinged.

I found this plant in Poke Hollow, near Chillicothe. It was unknown to me and I sent it to Dr. Kauffman of Michigan University to determine. I found it under beech trees, during October and November.

_Cortinarius varius. Fr._

THE VARIABLE CORTINARIUS. EDIBLE.

_Varius--Variable_, so called because it varies in stature, its color and habit are unchangeable. The pileus is about two inches broad; compact, hemispherical, then expanded; regular, slightly viscid, thin margin at first incurved, sometimes with fragments of the web-like veil adhering.

The gills are notched, thin, crowded, quite entire, purplish, at length clay-colored or cinnamon.

The stem is solid, short, covered with threads, whitish, bulbous, from one and a half to two and a half inches long.

The plant is quite variable in size but constant in color. It is found in woods. I found specimens at Salem, Ohio, and at Bowling Green, Ohio.

September to November.

_Cortinarius caerulescens. Fr._

THE AZURE-BLUE CORTINARIUS. EDIBLE.

Caerulescens, azure-blue. Pileus fleshy, convex, expanded, even, viscid, azure-blue, flesh soft, not changing color when bruised.

The gills are attached to the stem, slightly rounded behind, crowded, quite entire, at first of a pure dark blue, then rusty from the spores.

The stem is solid, attenuated upward, firm, bright violet, becoming pale, whitish, bulb growing less with age, fibrillose from vein. Spores elliptical. Neither the flesh nor the gills change color when bruised.

This fact distinguishes it from C. purpurascens. When young the entire plant is more or less blue, or bluish-purple, and the color never entirely leaves the plant. In age it becomes somewhat spotted with yellow. The flesh is a little tough and needs to be stewed for some time. Found in Whinnery's woods, Salem, Ohio. September to October.

TRIBE II. MYXACIUM.

_Cortinarius collinitus. Fr._

THE SMEARED CORTINARIUS. EDIBLE.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 235.--Cortinarius collinitus. One-half natural size. Caps purplish-brown, also showing veil.]

Collinitus means smeared. The pileus is at first hemispherical, convex, then expanded, obtuse; smooth, even, glutinous, s.h.i.+ning when dry; purplish when young, later brownish; at first incurved.

The gills are attached to the stem, rather broad, dingy-white or grayish-tan when young, then cinnamon.

The stem is solid, cylindrical, viscid or glutinous when moist, transversely cracking when dry, whitish or paler than the cap. The spores are elliptical, 126. I found this species in Tolerton's woods, Salem, Ohio, St. John's woods, Bowling Green, Ohio, also on Ralston's Run near Chillicothe, where the specimens in Figure 235 were found. Both cap and stem are covered with a thick gluten. They grow, with us, in woods among leaves. The young plant has a development peculiar to itself. The cap varies greatly in color. The flesh is white or whitish.

The peculiar bluish-white gills of the young plant will attract attention at once. It is found from September to November.

TRIBE III. INOLOMA.

_Cortinarius autumnalis. Pk._

THE FALL CORTINARIUS. EDIBLE.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 236.--Cortinarius autumnalis. Two-thirds natural size. Cap a dull rusty-yellow, also showing bulbous stem.]

Autumnalis pertaining to fall. The pileus is fleshy, convex or expanded, dull rusty-yellow, variegated, or streaked with innate rust-colored fibrils.

The gills are rather broad, with a wide, shallow emargination.

The stem is equal, solid, firm, bulbous, a little paler than the pileus.

The height is three to four inches, breadth of pileus two to four inches. _Peck._

The plant was named by Dr. Peck because it was found late in the fall. I found the plant on several occasions in September, 1905. It grew very sparingly in a mixed woods on a north hillside.