The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise Part 70

The stem is three to four inches long, slender, firm, equal, hollow, powdered above, whitish, sometimes tinged with red or yellow, slightly striate at the top, as will be seen in the photograph with a gla.s.s, generally stained with the spores.

The specimens in Figure 279 were found in a garden that had been strongly manured. It is usually found on dung and on gra.s.sy lawns during May and June. Captain McIlvaine in his book speaks of this mushroom producing hilarity or a mild form of intoxication. I should advise against its use.

_Anellaria. Karst._

Anellaria is from _anellus_, a little ring. This genus is so called because of the presence of a ring on the stem.

The pileus is somewhat fleshy, smooth, and even. The gills are adnexed, dark slate-colored, variegated with black spores. The stem is central, smooth, firm, s.h.i.+ning, ring persistent or forming a zone around the stem.

_Anellaria separata. Karst._

Separata means separate or distinct.

The pileus is somewhat fleshy, bell-shaped, obtuse, even, viscid, at first ochraceous, then dingy-white, s.h.i.+ning, smooth, wrinkled when old.

The gills are firmly attached to the stem, broad, ventricose, thin, crowded, clouded, cinereous, margin nearly white, slightly deliquescent.

The stem is long, straight, s.h.i.+ning, white, thickened downward, ring distant, top somewhat striate, bulbous at the base. The spores are broadly elliptic-fusiform, black, opaque, 107.

It is found on dung from May to October. It is not poisonous.

_Bolbitius. Fr._

Bolbitius is from a Greek word meaning cow-dung, referring to its place of growth.

The pileus is membranaceous, yellow, becoming moist; gills moist but not deliquescing, finally losing their color and becoming powdery; stem hollow and confluent with the hymenoph.o.r.e. As the generic name implies the plant usually grows on dung, but sometimes it is found growing on leaves and where the ground had been manured the year before. The spores are of a rusty-red color.

_Bolbitius fragilis. (L.) Fr._

Fragilis means fragile.

The pileus is membranaceous, yellow, then whitish, viscid, margin striate, disk somewhat umbonate.

The gills are attenuated, adnexed, nearly free, ventricose, yellowish, then pale cinnamon.

The stem is two to three inches long, naked, smooth, yellow. The spores are rust-colored, 73.5, Ma.s.see. 14-158-9. Saccardo.

This species is much more delicate and fragile than B. Boltoni. I find it often in dairy pastures. It is well flavored and cooks readily. Found from June to October.

_Bolbitius Boltoni. Fr._

BOLTON'S BOLBITIUS. EDIBLE.

The pileus is somewhat fleshy, viscid, at first smooth, then the margin sulcate, disk darker and slightly depressed.

The gills are nearly adnate, yellowish, then livid-brown.

The stem is attenuated, yellowish, ring fugacious. This is rather common in dairy pastures and is found from May to September.

_Psathyrella. Fr._

Psathyrella is from a Greek word meaning fragile. The members of this genus are mebranaceous, striated, margin straight, at first pressed to the stem, not extending beyond the gills. Gills adnate or free, sooty-black, not variegated. The stem is confluent with, but different in character from, the spore-bearing surface. Veil inconspicuous and generally absent.

_Psathyrella disseminata. Pers._

THE Cl.u.s.tERED PSATHYRELLA. EDIBLE.

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

Figure 280.--Psathyrella disseminata. Natural size.]

Disseminata is from _dissemino_, to scatter. Pileus is about a half inch across, membranaceous, ovate, bell-shaped, at first scurvy, then naked; coa.r.s.ely striated, margin entire; yellowish then gray. Gills adnate, narrow, whitish, then gray, finally blackish. Stem one to one and a half inches long, rather curved, mealy then smooth, fragile, hollow.

_Ma.s.see._

This is a very small plant, growing on gra.s.sy lawns, and very common on old trunks, and about decaying stumps.

A cl.u.s.ter about two yards square shows itself at intervals all summer on the Chillicothe High School lawn. The gra.s.s shows itself to be greener and thriftier there on account of fertilization by the mushroom. The entire plant is very fragile and soon melts away. I have eaten the caps raw many times and they have a rich flavor. They are found from May till frost.

_Psathyrella hirta. Pk._

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 281.--Psathyrella hirta.]

Hirta means hairy, rough or s.h.a.ggy.

Pileus thin, hemispherical or convex, adorned when young with erect or spreading tufts of white, easily determined and quickly evanescent hairs; hygrophanous, brown or reddish-brown and slightly striatulate when moist, pale grayish-brown or dingy-whitish when dry, flesh subconcolorous; lamellae broad, moderately close, adnate and often furnished with a decurrent tooth, at first pallid, becoming blackish-brown or black; stem flexuose, squamose, hollow, s.h.i.+ning, white; spores elliptical, black, .0005 to .00055 inch long, .00025 to .0003 broad.

Subcaespitose; pileus 4 to 6 lines broad; stem 1 to 2 inches long to 1 1-5 lines thick. The specimens in Figure 281 were found in the greenhouse at the State University. When quite young tufts of white hair were very conspicuous. They are scarcely observed in mature specimens.

The plants were photographed by Dr. Kellerman.

_Gomphidius. Fr._

Gomphidius is from a Greek word meaning a wooden bolt or peg.

The hymenoph.o.r.e is decurrent on the stem. The gills are decurrent, distant, soft, somewhat mucilaginous; edge acute, pruinate with the blackish fusiform spores; veil viscoso-floccose, forming an imperfect ring around the stem.

A small, but distinct, genus, with great difference among species; intermediate by its habits between Cortinarius and Hygrophorus.

_Gomphidius viscidus. Fr._