The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise Part 90

Waxy when moist, becoming rigid when dry, confluent, agglutinate, radiating. Hymenium red or flesh-color, covered with a delicate flesh-colored bloom. Some fine specimens were found on dead chestnut trees in Poke Hollow.

_Corticium sambuc.u.m. Pk._

Effused on elder bark, white, continuous when growing, when dry cracked or flocculose and collapsing. It grows on the bark or the wood of the elder.

_Corticium cinereum. Fr._

Waxy when moist, rigid when dry, agglutinate, lurid. The hymenium is cinereous, with a very delicate bloom. Common on sticks in the woods.

_Thelephora. Fr._

The pileus is without a cuticle, consisting of interwoven fibres.

Hymenium ribbed, of a tough, fleshy substance, rather rigid, then collapsing and flocculent.

_Thelephora Schweinitzii._

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 381.--Thelephora Schweinitzii.]

Schweinitzii is named in honor of the Rev. David Lewis de Schweinitz.

Caespitose, white or pallid. Pilei soft-corinaceous, much branched; the branches flattened, furrowed and somewhat dilated at the apex.

The stems are variable in length, often connate or fused together into a solid base.

The hymenium is even, becoming darker colored when older. _Morgan._

This plant is known as T. pallida. It is very abundant on our hillsides in Ross County, and in fact throughout the state.

_Thelephora laciniata. P._

The pileus is soft, somewhat coriaceous, incrusting, ferruginous-brown.

The pilei are imbricated, fibrous, scaly, margin fimbriated, at first dirty white. The hymenium is inferior and papillose.

_Thelephora palmata. Fr._

The pileus is coriaceous, soft, erect, palmately branched from a common stalk; p.u.b.escent, purplish-brown; branches flat, even, tips fimbriated, whitish. The scent is very noticeable soon after it is picked. They grow on the ground in July and August.

_Thelephora cristata. Fr._

The pileus is incrusting, rather tough, pallid, pa.s.sing into branches, the apices compressed, expanded, and beautifully fringed. The plant is whitish, grayish, or purplish-brown. It is found on moss or stems of weeds. I found beautiful specimens at Bainbridge Caves.

_Thelephora sebacea. Fr._

The pileus is effused, fleshy, waxy, becoming hard, incrusting, variable, tuberculose or stalact.i.tic, whitish, circ.u.mference similar; hymenium flocculose, pruinose, or evanescent.

It is found effused over gra.s.s. One meets with it often.

_Stereum. Fr._

The hymenium is coriaceous, even, rather thick, concrete with the intermediate stratum of the pileus, which has a cuticle even and veinless, remaining unchanged and smooth.

_Stereum versicolor._

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 382.--Stereum versicolor.]

Versicolor means changing color, referring to the different bands of color. The pileus is effused, reflexed, having a number of different zones; in some plants the zones are more marked than in others, the zones appearing very much like those in Polyporus versicolor.

The hymenium is even, smooth and brown.

This is a very common plant, found everywhere on old logs and stumps. It is widely diffused and can be found at any time of the year.

_Stereum spadiceum. Fr._

Pilei coriaceous and spreading, reflexed, villous, somewhat ferruginous; margin rather obtuse, whitish, even beneath; smooth, brownish, and bleeding when scratched or bruised.

_Stereum hirsutum. Fr._

Hirsutum means s.h.a.ggy, hairy. The pilei are coriaceous and spreading, quite hairy, imbricated, more or less zoned, quite tough, often having a greenish tinge from the presence of a minute algae; naked, juiceless, yellowish, unchanged when bruised or scratched. The hymenium is pale-yellow, smooth, margin entire, often lobed. I find it usually on hickory logs.

_Stereum fasciatum. Schw._

Fasciatum means bands or fillets. Pileus is coriaceous, plane, villous, zonate, grayish; hymenium, smooth, pale-red. Growing on decayed trunks.

Common in all of our woods.

_Stereum sericeum. Schw._

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 383.--Stereum sericeum.]

Sericeum means silky or satiny; so called from its satin l.u.s.tre. The plant is very small and easily overlooked, usually growing in a resupinate form; sessile, orbiculate, free, papyraceous, with a bright satin l.u.s.tre, s.h.i.+ning, smooth, pale-grayish color.

The plant grows on both sides of small twigs as is shown in the photograph. I do not find it on large trunks but it is quite common on branches. No one will fail to recognize it from its specific name.

When I first observed it I named it S. sericeum, not knowing that there was a species by that name. I afterwards sent it to Prof. Atkinson and was surprised to find that I had correctly named it.