Among the Mushrooms Part 9

+Cap+ gray, mouse color, sometimes slate-colored gray, and even brownish, 2 to 4 inches broad. It is thin and fragile, convex, and then nearly flat, with a slight mound or umbo, but sometimes none. It is deeply striate or grooved (sulcate) on the margin. +Stem+ is white and often covered with mealy particles. It is slender, either hollow or stuffed, 3 to 5 inches long, ? to inch thick. It is not bulbous, but is sheathed quite high in a loose, soft wrapper, the remains of the volva. There is no ring. +Gills+ are whitish, free from the stem, and rounded. It is easily broken. There are several varieties (Peck). In one the plant is white, Var. alba. In Var. livida the cap is a leaden brownish color, and in the Var. fulva the cap is tawny yellow and ochraceous. The mouse-colored form is the most common. We found many specimens in July and August.

+CORTINARIUS CORRUGATUS = wrinkled.+ +The Wrinkled Cortinarius.+

+Cap+ gray, with a pinkish-yellowish tint, 2 inches broad, campanulate, sticky, broken up into squamules, pellicle scaling, margin thin. +Stem+ slender, 5 inches long, s.h.i.+ny, mealy at apex, slightly bulbous. +Gills+ gray color, adnexed, distant, ventricose. This is a pretty mushroom. The shade of color of the pileus is delicate. We found it in August in the woods.

+BOLETUS FELLEUS = bitter.+ +The Bitter Boletus.+

This Boletus varies much in color; our plant was a brownish-gray, a dingy color. +Cap+ 3 to 8 inches broad, convex or nearly plane, glabrous, even, flesh white, turning to flesh or pink color when wounded. Taste bitter, tubes adnate, long, depressed around the stem, crowded. +Stem+ variable, 2 to 4 inches long, about to 1 inch thick, equal or tapering, reticulated above, bulbous or enlarged at base, a little paler than the pileus. The Boleti we found grew in great numbers, in different localities, and were of all sizes. The color of the reticulations was a brownish-gray.

+BOLETUS GRISEUS = gray.+ +The Gray Boletus.+

+Cap+ dark gray, 2 to 4 inches broad, broadly convex, smooth, soft, silky, flesh whitish. Tubes adnate, slightly depressed, mouths small.

+Stem+ 2 to 4 inches long, 3 to 6 lines thick, yellowish, much reticulated, sometimes reddish toward the base. Our plant was of a brownish color at base, and grew in the month of September.

+PSALLIOTA CAMPESTRIS = a field.+ +The Common Mushroom.+

There are several edible species of the genus Psalliota, chiefly the Field or Common Mushroom, which is constantly seen on our tables. +Cap+ varies from white and gray to brown. It is 2 to 4 inches broad, fleshy, convex, then flattened, dry, sometimes covered with silky fibrils, and when old smooth. The margin of the cap generally extends beyond the gills. Flesh white. +Stem+ rather short, 1 to 3 inches long, ? to ?

inch thick, white or whitish, slender, stuffed and then hollow, nearly even. +Ring+ distant, simple. +Gills+ free, ventricose, narrowing at both ends, thin, first a pink color, then afterward brown or blackish-brown. It grows in rich pastures or in meadows, and is found in autumn. It has a most delicious flavor.

+AGARICUS PLACOMYCES.+ +The Flat-capped Mushroom.+

+Cap+ a whitish-gray, about 3 inches broad, convex, and then expanded and flat. It is covered with small, distinct, brown, persistent scales, except on the disc, where they are so close together that they appear of a brown color. +Stem+ is long and slender, 3 inches and more, stuffed and then hollow, equal and bulbous at the base. It is whitish, but sometimes has yellowish stains toward the base. +Gills+ are first white, then pink, and lastly a blackish-brown. It grows under trees, and is found in summer and autumn.

+COPRINTUS ATRAMENTARIUS = ink.+ +The Inky Coprinus.+

+Cap+ gray or grayish-brown, smooth, except a slight scaly appearance on the disc. It is silky near the margin, and the margin is irregular. When young it is often egg-shaped. +Gills+ crowded, whitish, soon becoming brown and then deliquescent. +Stem+ smooth, hollow, white. It grows in cl.u.s.ters until late in the autumn. We found our plants on a lawn in great profusion in the month of October.

+PLUTEUS CERVINUS = a deer.+ +The Fawn-colored Pluteus.+

+Cap+ about 3 inches broad, whitish-gray color, at first bell-shaped, then expanded, smooth, even, but afterward broken up into fibrils, margin entire; flesh soft, white. +Stem+ 3 to 6 inches long, nearly equal and solid, whitish, striate with black fibrils. +Gills+ rounded behind, free, crowded, ventricose, white, then flesh color as the spores mature. This is a common species, appearing early in the season--April to November. It usually grows from stumps and old logs. It can be easily known by its gills, being quite free from the stem, where it joins the pileus.

MUSHROOMS WITH A GREEN COLORED CAP.

+RUSSULA VIRESCENS = green.+ +The Greenish Russula.+

+Cap+ of a grayish-green color. It is 2 to 4 inches broad, dry and broken up into small warts, the margin straight, obtuse, even; flesh white. +Stem+ 2 inches long and inch thick, solid, spongy inside, firm, white, sometimes marked with lines (rivulose.) +Gills+ free, whitish, narrowed toward the stem, somewhat crowded, sometimes equal and forked, with a few shorter ones between. It is easily distinguished by the dull green pileus, being without a cuticle, and scaly in the form of patches. It is found in woods in July and September. We have not seen a specimen of R. virescens, so have used Stevenson's description. Edible, taste mild.

+RUSSULA FURCATA = a fork.+ +The Forked Russula.+

+Cap+ from 3 to 5 inches broad, of an olive green color, sometimes greenish umber, covered with a silky bloom, fleshy, gibbous, then plano-depressed and funnel-shaped, cuticle here and there separable; margin at first inflexed, then spreading. Flesh firm, thick, white.

+Stem+ 2 to 3 inches long, solid, firm, stout, white. +Gills+ adnato-decurrent, thick, distant, broad, narrowed at both ends, often forked, white. Our specimen was 5 inches broad, and the margin slightly striate, and when the cuticle was removed it was purplish underneath.

It was found in August, in woods. Poisonous, taste bitter.

MUSHROOMS WITH WHITE COLORED CAP.

+AMANITA VIROSA = poison.+ +The Poisonous Amanita.+

+Cap+ s.h.i.+ning white, from 2 to 4 inches broad, fleshy, at first conical and acute, afterward bell-shaped and expanded, viscous in wet weather, s.h.i.+ning when dry, margin even, sometimes unequal, spreading and inflexed, flesh white. +Stem+ 4 to 6 inches long, wholly stuffed, almost solid, split up into lengthwise fibrils, cylindrical from a bulbous base, surface torn into scales, springing from a loose, thick, wide volva which bursts open at apex. +Ring+ large, loose, silky, splitting into pieces. +Gills+ free, thin, a little broader toward margin, crowded, not decurrent, though the stem is sometimes striate. This is a poisonous species, but striking in appearance from the s.h.i.+ning white of the whole fungus. Found in the woods in August.

+AMANITA PHALLOIDES = appearance, phallus-like.+ +The Death Cup.+

This species is considered the most deadly of all the poisonous mushrooms, and yet it is one of the most beautiful. We place it in the section of white-colored mushrooms, though the cap is sometimes tinged with light yellow and delicate green. +Cap+ 2 to 4 inches broad, ovate, campanulate, then spreading, obtuse, with a cuticle, sticky in moist weather, rarely sprinkled with one or two fragments of the volva, the margin regular, even. +Stem+ 3 to 5 inches long, inch thick, solid, bulbous and tapering upward, smooth, white. +Ring+ superior, reflexed, slightly striate, swollen, white. Volva more or less buried in the ground, bursting open in a torn manner at the apex, with a loose border.

+Gills+ free, ventricose, 4 lines broad, s.h.i.+ning white. This species, as well as A. virosa, has a fetid odor when kept. We found it oftener than any other species of Amanita.

+AMANITA NITIDA = to s.h.i.+ne.+ +The s.h.i.+ning Amanita.+

+Cap+ whitish, 3 to 4 inches broad, somewhat compact, at first hemispherical, covered with angular, adhering warts, which become a dark color (fuscous.) It is dry, s.h.i.+ning, the margin even; flesh white.

+Stem+ 3 inches long, 1 inch thick, solid, firm, with a bulb-shaped base, scaly, white. +Ring+ superior, thin, torn, slightly striate, covered with soft weak hairs beneath, which at length disappear. +Gills+ free, crowded, wide, nearly inch broad, ventricose, s.h.i.+ning white.

This was also found in August. There is nothing more beautiful than these white poisonous Amanitas.

+LEPIOTA NAUCINOIDES = a nut sh.e.l.l.+ +The Smooth Lepiota.+

+Cap+ a clear white, with sometimes a brownish tint on the disc, 2 to 4 inches broad, smooth. +Stem+ 1 to 3 inches long, to ? inch thick, growing thicker toward the base, as if it had a bulb, white, hollow, but stuffed with a cottony pith. +Gills+ white, when old they a.s.sume a pinkish-brownish hue. +Ring+ has a thick, external edge, but its inner edge is so thin that it often breaks from the stem and becomes movable.

It is found in the fields, by roadsides, or in the woods, from August to November. We have not seen a specimen of this mushroom, which is said to be nearly equal to the common mushroom in edible qualities. It is considered to resemble it also in appearance, but Professor Peck says the different color of the gills when the plants are both young will distinguish them, and the thin collar and stuffed stem of L. naucinoides is also different from thick-edged ring and hollow stem of A.

campestris. (Psalliota.)

+LACTARIUS PIPERATUS = peppery.+ +The Peppery Lactarius.+

+Cap+ white, 4 to 9 inches broad, fleshy, rigid, depressed in centre when young, reflexed margin, at first involute, when full grown the surface becomes funnel-shaped and regular, even, smooth, without zones; flesh white. +Stem+ 1 to 2 inches long, 1 to 2 inches thick, solid, obese, equal or obconical, slightly covered with powder (pruinose), white. +Gills+ decurrent, crowded, narrow, scarcely broader than one line, obtuse at edge, regularly dividing by pairs from below upward (dichotomous), curved like a bow (arcuate), then all extended upward in a straight line, white, with occasional yellow spots. The milk white, unchangeable, plentiful, and acrid. This is common in woods. The cap in one of our specimens turned yellow when old, and was slightly striate at the margin; it was dry and thick and had no odor. The flesh had a whitish-brownish tinge where the cuticle was peeled off. Found it _only_ in August.

+LACTARIUS VELLEREUS = fleece.+ +The Fleecy Lactarius.+

+Cap+ white, 5 to 7 inches broad, fleshy, compact, convex, saucer-shaped, the margin for a long time sloping downward, with short, downy hairs (p.u.b.escent), dry, zoneless. +Stem+ 2 to 3 inches long, 1 to 1 inch thick, stout, solid, equal, covered with innate, thin p.u.b.escence. +Gills+ arcuate, adnato-decurrent, rather thick, acute at the edge, somewhat distant, rather broad, connected by branches, pallid, watery, white. Milk scanty, white, very bitter. It is not said to be edible. The cap tends to become a pallid, reddish tan. This description is partially taken from Stevenson. The specimen we found had the margin revolute, it was 2 inches broad, and the stem 2 inches long. The flesh was white and the cap was turning a brownish color. The stem slightly tapered toward the base. The milk was scanty and peppery. Found in the beginning of August in the woods. It resembles L. piperatus.

+BOLETUS ALBUS = white.+ +The White Boletus.+

+Cap+ white, from 1 to 3 inches broad, convex, viscid when moist, flesh white or yellowish, tubes small, nearly round (subrotund), adnate, whitish, becoming ochraceous. +Stem+ 1 to 3 inches long, 3 to 5 lines thick, equal, white, sometimes tinged with pink near the base. We found only one specimen of the white Boletus in August. It grew in the woods.

The flesh became yellow and the stem was 1 inch long, and it slightly tapered toward the base.

+PLEUROTUS ULMARIUS = elm.+ +The Elm Pleurotus.+

The word pleurotus is taken from two Greek words, meaning a side and an ear. It is given on account of the stem growing in a lateral or eccentric manner. The Elm Pleurotus, so called from growing on elm trees, is considered edible. Our specimen had the _cap_ whitish, but stained in the centre with a rusty yellowish color, 3 to 5 inches broad, thick, firm, smooth, convex, then plane. The skin was cracked in a tessellated manner. Flesh was firm and white. +Stem+ white, 2 to 4 inches long, 1 to inch thick, firm, smooth, a little hairy at the base, and attached eccentrically to the cap. +Gills+ white with a yellow hue, broad, rounded near the stem, slightly adnexed and not crowded. It was found in October, and is not common.

+PLEUROTUS SAPIDUS = agreeable to taste.+ +The Palatable Pleurotus.+

This species generally grows in cl.u.s.ters with the stem united at the base. Our specimen grew on a maple tree. The plants protruded from a large crack in the trunk of a tree, about four feet above the ground, and grew one above the other. They had not attained their full growth.

During former seasons they had been seen of a large size. +Pileus+ is from 2 to 5 inches broad, grayish-white, smooth. +Caps+ often overlap one another. Flesh is white. Gills broad, whitish, decurrent, and often slightly connected by oblique branches. +Stem+ is generally short and lateral. It grew in October. Professor Peck says that in edible qualities it resembles the oyster mushroom, P. ostreatus.

MUSHROOMS WITH THE CAP BROWN AND VARIOUS SHADES OF BROWN.

+CORTINARIUS CINNAMOMEUS = cinnamon.+ +The Cinnamon-colored Cortinarius.+

+Cap+ a golden brown or bright cinnamon color, 1 to 4 inches broad, umbonate, silky, s.h.i.+ning, squamulose, with yellowish fibrils, and then smooth. +Stem+ 2 inches long, stuffed and then hollow, thin, equal, tapering toward the base, yellowish color, as also are the flesh and the veil. +Gills+ adnate, broad, crowded, s.h.i.+ning reddish-brown color. Our specimen had beautiful reddish-colored gills, Var. semisanguineus (Peck). It grows in woods from August to November.

+COLLYBIA ACERVATA = a heap.+ +The Tufted Collybia.+