P. granula´ris Pk.—sprinkled with grains. Pileus convex or nearly plane, subumbonate, rugose-wrinkled, granulose or granulose-villose, varying in color from yellow to brown. Lamellæ rather broad, crowded, ventricose, whitish, then flesh colored. Stem equal, solid, colored like the pileus, often paler at the top, velvety-pubescent, rarely scaly. Spores subglobose or broadly elliptical, 6.5–8×5–6.5µ.
Plant 1.5–3 in. high. Pileus 1–2 in. broad. Stem 1–2 lines thick.
Decaying wood and prostrate trunks in woods. Hilly and mountainous districts. June to September.
The species is closely related to P. cervinus and P. umbrosus, but is readily distinguished from them by the peculiar vesture of the pileus and stem. The granules are so minute and so close that they form a sort of plush on the pileus, more dense on the disk and radiating wrinkles than elsewhere. The clothing of the stem is finer, and has a velvety-pubescent appearance, but in some instances it breaks up into small scales or squamules. The color of the pileus and stem is usually some shade of yellow or brown, but occasionally a grayish hue predominates. The darker color of the granules imparts a dingy or smoky tinge to the general color. The disk is often darker than the rest of the pileus. Peck, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
West Virginia mountains. Eagle’s Mere and Springton Hills, Pa.
Frequent. July to October, on decaying wood. McIlvaine.
P. granularis is a much smaller species than P. cervinus and its allies. At Eagle’s Mere, Pa., August, 1898, it was quite plentiful in mixed woods. Its caps are excellent.
P. admira´bilis Pk.—admirable. Pileus thin, convex or expanded, generally broadly umbonate, glabrous, rugose-reticulated, moist or hygrophanous, striatulate on the margin when moist, often obscurely striate when dry, yellow or brown. Lamellæ close, broad, rounded behind, ventricose, whitish or yellowish, then flesh-colored. Stem slender, glabrous, hollow, equal or slightly thickened at the base, yellow or yellowish white, with a white mycelium. Spores subglobose or broadly elliptical, 6.5–8×6.5µ.
Var. fus´cus. Pileus brown or yellowish-brown.
Plant 1–2 in. high. Pileus 6–10 lines broad. Stem .5–1 line thick.
Decaying wood and prostrate trunks in forests. Common in hilly and mountainous districts. July to September.
This beautiful Pluteus is closely related to P. chrysophlebius B. and R., a southern species, which, according to the description, has the veins of the pileus darker colored than the rest of the surface and the stem enlarged above and hairy at the base, characters not shown by our plant.
In our plant small young specimens sometimes have the stem solid, but when fully developed it is hollow, though the cavity is small. This character, with its small size, distinguishes it from P. leoninus. Peck, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Springton Hills, Chester county, Pa., Mt. Gretna, Pa. Frequent. June to frost. McIlvaine.
Possesses the same rare edible qualities as P. cervinus, P. umbrosus. The caps, only, are tender.
P. chrysophæ´us Schaeff. Gr—gold. Pileus 1–2½ in. across. Flesh very thin except at the disk, bell-shaped then expanded, glabrous, naked, slightly wrinkled, margin striate, cinnamon-color. Gills free, 2–3 lines broad, whitish then pale salmon-color. Stem 2–3 in. long, 2–3 lines thick, whitish, glabrous, equal, more or less hollow.
On beech trunks, etc.
Resembling P. leoninus in size, but differing in the cinnamon color of the pileus, which is often obtusely umbonate. Massee.
Spores 5µ W.P.
Haddonfield, N.J. June to October, beech roots and trunks. McIlvaine.
Excellent.
Pileus rather fleshy, margin incurved, without a distinct veil. Stem fleshy or fibrous, soft, sometimes waxy, continuous with the flesh of the pileus. Gills sinuate, adnexed, often separating from the stem. Spores rosy, elliptical, smooth or subglobose and coarsely warted.
Corresponding in structure with Tricholoma, Hebeloma and Hypholoma; separated from other rosy-spored genera by the sinuate gills.
About twenty species of Entoloma are given in the states; of them seventeen are described by Professor Peck, as found in New York. I have not found a single species in sufficient quantity to test its edibility.
Two of the European species, E. sinuata Fr. and E. livida Bull., are reputed to be very poisonous, producing headache, dizziness, vomiting, etc. Worthington Smith ate ¼ oz., which nearly proved fatal.
Professor Peck reports a species, E. grande Pk., which he considers suspicious.
Even the reported poisonous species have a pleasant odor corresponding to those of the esculent species. This makes them the more deceptive and dangerous. The pinkish or flesh-colored spores and gills distinguish Entoloma from Hebeloma, which has brown spores, and Tricholoma, which has white. Pluteus, which has pink spores and gills, is readily separated from it.
Great caution should be observed. Entolomas should be thrown away or carefully tested.
Pileus smooth, moist or viscid; not hygrophanous.
Pileus flocculose or squamulose; absolutely dry.
Pileus thin, hygrophanous, somewhat silky when dry.
E. gran´de Pk.—Pileus fleshy, thin toward the margin, glabrous, nearly plane when mature, commonly broadly umbonate and rugosely wrinkled about the umbo, moist in wet weather, dingy yellowish-white verging to brownish or grayish-brown. Flesh white, odor and flavor farinaceous. Lamellæ broad, subdistant, slightly adnexed, becoming free or nearly so, often wavy or uneven on the edge, whitish becoming flesh-colored with maturity. Stem equal or nearly so, solid, somewhat fibrous externally, mealy at the top, white. Spores angular, 3–10µ.
Pileus 4–6 in. broad. Stem 4–6 in. long, 8–12 lines thick.
Thin mixed woods. Menands. August.
The flavor of this mushroom is not at first disagreeable, but an unpleasant burning sensation is left in the mouth for a considerable time after tasting. It is therefore to be regarded with suspicion. Peck, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
SUSPICIOUS. I have not seen this species. It is given that it may be guarded against until tested for edibility.
E. sinua´tum Fr.—waved. Pileus 6 in. broad, becoming yellow-white, very fleshy, convex then expanded, at first gibbous, at length depressed, repand and sinuate at the margin. Stem 3–6 in. long, 1 in. thick, solid, firm, stout, equal, compact, at first fibrillose, then smooth, naked, shining white. Gills emarginate, slightly adnexed, ½-¾ in. broad, crowded, distinct, pale yellowish-red. Fries.
Gregarious, compact, handsome.
Odor strong, pleasant, almost like that of burnt sugar, not of new meal. The pileus becomes broken into squamules when dry. There is a variety with a shorter stem.
In mixed woods. Uncommon. July to October.
The gills are often irregular in their attachment. Very poisonous; producing headache, swimming of the brain, stomach pains, vomiting, etc. Worthington Smith, who first experimented with it, ate about ¼ oz., which very nearly proved fatal. Stevenson.
Spores 9µ W.G.S.
Rhode Island, Olney (Curtis Am. Jour.); Massachusetts, Sprague; Connecticut, Wright; Minnesota, Johnson; New York, Peck, Rep. 35.
“This and E. fertilis, which are closely allied, are deserving of more than suspicion, for they are veritably dangerous.” Cooke.
“Wholesome and very good to eat.” Cordier.
In the presence of such opposite opinions it is better to choose the safer. Do not eat it.
E. prunulo´ides Fr.—prunus, a plum. Pileus 2 in. and more broad, whitish, becoming yellow or livid, fleshy, bell-shaped then convex, at length flattened, somewhat umbonate, unequal (but not repand), even, viscid, smooth, at length longitudinally cracked, at length slightly striate at margin. Stem 3 in. long, 3–4 lines thick, fibrous-fleshy, solid, equal, even or slightly striate, smooth, naked, white. Gills somewhat free, emarginate, rarely rounded, at first only slightly adnexed, 3–4 lines broad, crowded, ventricose, white then flesh-color. Fries.
Odor strong of new meal, wholly that of A. prunulus. Very scattered in growth. Like A. lividus, but very different, thrice as small. It differs entirely from A. cervinus.
On the ground in woods. Autumn. Spores subglobose, coarsely warted, 10µ Massee; regularly six-angled or one angle more marked, 8µ B.; 9µ W.P.
North Carolina, dry swamps, Curtis; Minnesota, Johnson.
POISONOUS. Roze.
I have not seen this species. Do not eat it before carefully testing.
E. clypea´tum Linn.—resembling a shield. Pileus as much as 3 in. broad, lurid when moist, when dry gray and variegated or streaked with darker spots or lines, fleshy, bell-shaped then flattened, umbonate, smooth, fragile. Flesh thin, white when dry. Stem almost 3 in. long, 3–4 lines and more thick, stuffed, at length hollow, wholly fibrous, equal, round, fragile, longitudinally fibrillose, becoming ash-colored, pulverulent at the very apex. Gills rounded-adnexed, separating-free, 3–4 lines broad, ventricose, somewhat distant, dingy, then red-pulverulent with the spores, serrulated at the edge chiefly behind.
It has occurred in May cespitose; better developed and solitary in the end of August.
In woods, gardens and waste places. Frequent. Spring, autumn. Stevenson.
North Carolina, Schweinitz, Curtis; Ohio, Morgan; New England, Frost; California, H. and M.; Rhode Island, Bennett; New York, Peck, Rep. 23.
POISONOUS. Leuba.
I have not seen this species. It should not be eaten before careful testing.
E. rhodopo´lium Fr. Gr—rose; Gr—gray. Pileus 2–5 in. broad, hygrophanous, when moist dingy-brown (young) or livid, becoming pale (when full grown), when dry isabelline-livid, silky-shining, slightly-fleshy, bell-shaped when young, then expanded and somewhat umbonate or gibbous, at length rather plane and sometimes depressed, fibrillose when young, smooth when full grown, margin at the first bent inwards and when larger undulated. Flesh white. Stem 2–4 in. long, 3–5 lines thick, hollow, equal when smaller, when larger attenuated upwards and white-pruinate at the apex, otherwise smooth, slightly striate, white. Gills adnate then separating, somewhat sinuate, slightly distant, 2–4 lines broad, white then rose-color. Fries.
Fragile, commonly large and often handsome, almost inodorous.
In mixed woods. Frequent. August to October.
Spores pretty regular, 8–10×6–8µ B.; 7µ W.G.S.
New England, Frost; Minnesota, Johnson; Iowa, Brœndle; Rhode Island, Bennett; Ohio, Morgan; New York, Peck, Rep. 23d, 38th, A. rhodopolius, var. umbilicatus Pk., the same as Clitopilus subvilis Pk., Rep. 40.
Edible. Paulet. Edible. Cooke.
Grouped by F.D. Briscoe—Studies by C. McIlvaine. Plate LXIII.
| Fig. | Page. | Fig. | Page. |
| 1. Clitopilus abortivus, | 257 | 4. Clitopilus prunulus, | 255 |
| 2. Clitopilus abortivus (aborted), | 256 | 5. Clitopilus prunulus (section), | 255 |
| 3. Clitopilus abortivus (aborted) (section), | 258 |
Pileus more or less excentric or regular, margin at first involute. Gills more or less decurrent, never sinuate nor seceding from the stem, salmon-color. Stem fleshy or fibrous, not polished and cartilaginous externally, central, expanded upward into the flesh of the pileus. Spores smooth or warted.
Closely resembling Eccilia, differing mostly in the stem not being cartilaginous at the surface. Distinguished from Entoloma by the gills not being sinuate.
Agrees in structure with Clitocybe in the Leucosporæ. Massee.
Growing on the ground, often strong smelling. Caps usually depressed or umbilicate and waved on margin.
Some of the best of edible kinds are within this genus; a few are unpleasant raw, none poisonous.
Most authors follow Fries in the arrangement of the species, dividing them into two groups, the Orcelli, distinguished by deeply decurrent gills and an irregular, scarcely hygrophanous pileus, with the margin at first flocculose; and Sericelli, distinguished by adnate or slightly decurrent gills and a regular silky or hygrophanous-silky pileus with a naked margin. This arrangement is not strictly applicable to some of our species. C. abortivus, C. erythrosporus and C. Noveaboracensis have the gills deeply decurrent in some individuals, adnate or slightly decurrent in others, and therefore the same species might be sought in both groups. For this reason the primary grouping of our species has been made to depend upon the variation in the spore colors. By far the greater number of our species appear to be peculiar to this country, only two of them occurring also in Europe.
| Spores and mature gills flesh-colored | 1 | |
| Spores and mature gills rosy-red | 9 | |
| Spores very pale flesh-colored | 10 | |
| 1. Pileus hygrophanous | 8 | |
| 1. Pileus not hygrophanous | 2 | |
| 2. Pileus gray or grayish-brown | 5 | |
| 2. Pileus some other color | 3 | |
| 3. Pileus white or whitish | 4 | |
| 3. Pileus pale tan-color | C. pascuensis | |
| 4. Pileus firm, dry, pruinate | C. prunulus | |
| 4. Pileus soft, slightly viscid when moist | C. Orcella | |
| 5. Pileus large, more than 1.5 in. broad | C. abortivus | |
| 5. Pileus small, less than 1.5 in. broad | 6 | |
| 6. Spores even | C. unitinctus | |
| 6. Spores angular | 7 | |
| 7. Stem longer than the width of the zoneless pileus | C. albogriseus | |
| 7. Stem shorter than the width of the commonly zonate pileus | C. micropus | |
| 8. Pileus brown or grayish-brown | C. subvilis | |
| 8. Pileus white or yellowish-white | C. Woodianus | |
| 9. Stem colored like the pileus | C. erythrosporus | |
| 9. Stem white, paler than the pileus | C. conissans | |
| 10. Pileus even | 11 | |
| 10. Pileus rivulose | C. Noveboracensis | |
| 11. Stems cespitose, solid | C. cæspitosus | |
| 11. Stems not cespitose, hollow | C. Seymourianus | |
| Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot. | ||
C. pru´nulus Scop.—prunus, plum. (Plate LXIII, fig. 4, 5, p. 254.) Pileus fleshy, compact, at first convex and regular, then repand, dry, pruinate, white or ashy-white. Flesh white, unchangeable, with a pleasant farinaceous odor. Gills deeply decurrent, subdistant, flesh-colored. Stem solid, naked, striate, white. Spores subelliptical, pointed at each end, 10–11×5–6µ.
Pileus 1.5–3 in. broad. Stem 1–2 in. long, 3–4 lines thick.
Woods.
Not abundant, but edible, and said to be delicious and one of the best of the esculent species. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
June to October. Most plentiful in August and September.
Very plentiful in oak woods at Angora, West Philadelphia, moderate crops at Mt. Gretna, Pa.
An abortive form (see Plate LXIII, fig. 2, 3, p. 254) occurs not distinguishable from that of Armillaria mellea. It grows singly and in tufts, very variable in shape, white, tinged with brown on ruptured surfaces. This form equals its original.
C. prunulus has a strong smell of fresh meal. It is a delicious species.
Stew. It is one of the very best in patties, croquettes, etc.
C. Orcel´la Bull.—Pileus fleshy, soft, plane or slightly depressed, often irregular, even when young, slightly silky, somewhat viscid when moist, white or yellowish-white. Flesh white, taste and odor farinaceous. Gills deeply decurrent, close, whitish then flesh-colored. Stem short, solid, flocculose, often eccentric, thickened above, white. Spores elliptical, 9–10×5µ.
Generally a little smaller than the preceding species, softer and more irregular, but so closely allied that by some it is considered a mere variety of it. It is said to be edible and of delicate flavor. It occurs in wet weather in pastures and open places. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Grows in oak woods, Angora, West Philadelphia; Mt. Gretna, Pa.
Qualities same as C. prunulus. Delicious.
C. pascuen´sis Pk.—pasture. Pileus fleshy, compact, centrally depressed, glabrous, reddish or pale yellowish, the cuticle of the disk cracking into minute areas. Gills rather narrow, close, decurrent, whitish, becoming flesh-colored. Stem short, equal or tapering downward, solid, glabrous, colored like the pileus. Spores subelliptical, pale incarnate, 7.5–10×5–6µ.
Pileus 2–3 in. broad. Stem 8–18 lines long, 4–6 lines thick.
Pastures. Saratoga county.
The species is related to C. prunulus from which it is distinct by its shorter, paler spores, its glabrous pileus cracked in areas on the disk and tinged with red or yellowish and by its paler gills. From C. pseudo-orcella it differs in its glabrous pileus with no silky luster and in its closer gills. Its odor is obsolete but it has a farinaceous flavor. It is probably esculent, but has not been found in sufficient quantity to afford a test of qualities. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
C. unitinct´us Pk.—one-colored. Pileus thin, submembranaceous, flexible, convex or nearly plane, centrally depressed or umbilicate, glabrous, subshining, often concentrically rivulose, grayish or grayish-brown. Flesh whitish or grayish-white, odor obsolete, taste mild. Gills narrow, moderately close, adnate or slightly decurrent, colored like the pileus. Stem slender, straight or flexuous, subtenacious, equal, slightly pruinose, grayish-brown, with a close white myceloid tomentum at the base and white root-like fibers of mycelium permeating the soil. Spores elliptical, 7.5×5µ.
Var. al´bidus. Whitish or grayish-white, not rivulose. Gills broader. Spores brownish flesh-color.
Pileus 6–16 lines broad. Stem about 1 in. long, 1 line thick.
Woods of pine or balsam. Albany and Essex counties. Autumn.
The variety is a little paler than the typical form, with gills a little broader, but is probably not specifically distinct. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
I have not seen this species. Edibility not reported.
C. aborti´vus B. and C.—abortive. (Plate LXIII, fig. 1, 2, 3, p. 254.) Pileus fleshy, firm, convex or nearly plane, regular or irregular, dry, clothed with a minute silky tomentum, becoming smooth with age, gray or grayish-brown. Flesh white, taste and odor subfarinaceous. Gills thin, close, slightly or deeply decurrent, at first whitish or pale gray, then flesh-colored. Stem nearly equal, solid, minutely flocculose, sometimes fibrous-striated, colored like or paler than the pileus. Spores irregular, 7.5–10×6.5µ.
Pileus 2–4 in. broad. Stem 1.5–3 in. long, 3–6 lines thick.
Ground and old prostrate trunks of trees in woods and open places. August and September.
Our species has been found to be edible, but its flavor is scarcely as agreeable as that of some other species. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
It requires longer cooking than C. prunulus, and is then quite equal in excellence.
The fungus is so named because of the abortive form of it frequently found associated with it. This is faithfully portrayed on Plate LXIII. This is in every way similar to the aborted forms of C. prunulus and Armillaria mellea.
Both forms plentiful near Philadelphia. The undeveloped masses are also similar to those of C. prunulus.
The abortive form is a superior edible to the original.
C. popina´lis Fr.—popina, a cook-shop. Pileus 1–2 in. across, flesh thin, flaccid, convex then depressed, somewhat wavy, glabrous, opaque, gray, spotted and marbled. Flesh grayish-white, unchangeable. Gills very decurrent, broader than the thickness of the flesh of the pileus, lanceolate, crowded, dark-gray, at length reddish from the spores. Stem stuffed, 1–2 in. long, 2 lines thick, equal, often flexuous, naked, paler than the pileus. Spores subglobose, slightly angular, 4–5µ Massee.
Solitary or gregarious, smell pleasant like new meal, entirely gray. Fries.
Woods. Gansevoort. July. The whole plant is of a grayish color except the mature gills, which have a flesh-colored hue, and the base of the stem, which is clothed with a white tomentum. It has a farinaceous odor. Peck, 51st Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Scattered. Mt. Gretna, Pa. September to November. McIlvaine.
Edible, pleasant.
C. carneo-al´bus Wither.—light flesh color. Pileus up to 1 in. across, convex then expanded, center becoming depressed and the margin drooping, even, polished, white, the disk becoming usually tinged with red. Flesh thin. Gills slightly decurrent, 1 line broad, crowded, salmon color. Stem 1–1½ in. long, 1 line thick, about equal, solid, white. Spores globose, nodulose, 7–8µ diameter.
Inodorous; gregarious.
In the section given in Cke. Illustr., the stem is represented as being distinctly hollow. Massee.
New York, shaded ground. June. Peck, 45th Rep.
C. al´bogri´seus Pk.—pale-gray. Pileus firm, convex or slightly depressed, glabrous, pale-gray, odor farinaceous. Gills moderately close, adnate or slightly decurrent, grayish then flesh-colored. Stem solid, colored like the pileus. Spores angular or irregular, 10–11×7.5µ.
Pileus 6–12 lines broad. Stem 1.5–2.5 in. long, 1–2 lines thick.
Woods. Adirondack mountains. August. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Scattered. Mt. Gretna, Pa., woods. August to October. McIlvaine.
Edible, pleasant.
C. mi´cropus Pk.—short-stemmed. Pileus thin, fragile, convex or centrally depressed, umbilicate, silky, gray, usually with one or two narrow zones on the margin, odor farinaceous. Gills narrow, close, adnate or slightly decurrent, gray, becoming flesh-colored. Stem short, solid, slightly thickened at the top, pruinose, gray with a white mycelium at the base. Spores angular or irregular, 10×6µ.
Pileus 6–12 lines broad. Stem 8–10 lines long, 1 line thick.
Thin woods. Essex and Rensselaer counties. August.
This species is closely allied to the preceding one, but may be separated from it by its short stem and silky umbilicate subzonate pileus. Both species are rare and have been observed only in wet, rainy weather. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Scattered markedly umbilicate. Mt. Gretna, Pa., woods. August, September. McIlvaine.
Edible, pleasant.
C. subvi´lis Pk.—small value. Pileus thin, centrally depressed or umbilicate, with the margin decurved, hygrophanous, dark-brown and striatulate on the margin when moist, grayish-brown and silky shining when dry, taste farinaceous. Gills subdistant, adnate or slightly decurrent, whitish when young, then flesh-colored. Stem slender, brittle, rather long, stuffed or hollow, glabrous, colored like the pileus or a little paler. Spores angular, 7.5–10µ.
Pileus 8–15 lines broad. Stem 1.5–3 in. long, 1–2 lines thick.
Damp soil in thin woods. Albany county. October.
The species is allied to C. vilis, from which it is separated by its silky-shining pileus, subdistant gills and farinaceous taste. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Scattered. Mt. Gretna, Pa. September to November. McIlvaine.
Edible, pleasant.
C. Wood´ianus Pk. Pileus thin, convex or nearly plane, umbilicate or centrally depressed, hygrophanous, striatulate on the margin when moist, whitish or yellowish-white and shining when dry, the margin often wavy or flexuous. Gills close, adnate or slightly decurrent, whitish, then flesh-colored. Stem equal, flexuous, shining, solid, colored like the pileus. Spores subglobose, angular, 6–7.5µ.
Pileus 1–2 in. broad. Stem 2–3 in. long, 2 lines thick.
Ground and decayed prostrate trunks in woods. Lewis county. September.
This species is perhaps too closely allied to the preceding, but it may easily be separated by its paler color, closer gills and solid stem, though this is sometimes hollow from the erosion of insects. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
C. Un´derwoodii Pk.—in honor of L.M. Underwood. Pileus rather thin but fleshy, nearly plane or slightly depressed in the center, even, whitish. Gills narrow, close, slightly decurrent, pale flesh-colored. Stem rather short, equal or slightly tapering upward, solid, whitish. Spores subglobose, 4–5µ long.
Pileus 6–18 lines broad. Stem about 1 in. long and 2 lines thick.
Syracuse and Jamesville. September and October. L.M. Underwood. Peck, 49th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
C. erythro´sporus Pk. Gr—red-spored. Pileus thin, hemispherical or strongly convex, glabrous or merely pruinose, pinkish-gray. Flesh whitish tinged with pink, taste farinaceous. Gills narrow, crowded, arcuate, deeply decurrent, colored like the pileus. Stem equal or slightly tapering upward, hollow, slightly pruinose at the top, colored like the pileus. Spores elliptical, 5×3–4µ.
Pileus 1–2 in. broad. Stem 1–1.5 in. long, 2–3 lines thick.
Decayed wood and among fallen leaves in woods. Albany and Ulster counties. September and October.
The species is easily recognized by its peculiar uniform color, its narrow, crowded and generally very decurrent gills and by its bright rosy-red spores. Sometimes individuals occur in which the gills are less decurrent. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Mt. Gretna, Pa., among fallen leaves. Sparsely gregarious. September to November. McIlvaine.
Edible, good.
C. conis´sans Pk.—dusted. Pileus thin, convex, glabrous, pale alutaceous, often dusted by the copious spores. Gills close, adnate, reddish-brown. Stem slender, brittle, hollow, cespitose, white. Spores narrowly elliptical, 7.5×4µ.
Pileus 1–1.5 in. broad. Stem 1–2 in. long, 1–2 lines thick.
Base of an apple tree. Catskill mountains. September.
Remarkable for the bright rosy-red spores which are sometimes so thickly dusted over the lower pilei of a tuft as to conceal their real color. The species is very rare. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
C. cæspito´sus Pk.—tufted. Pileus at first convex, firm, nearly regular, shining, white, then nearly plane, fragile, often irregular or eccentric, glabrous but with a slight silky luster, even, whitish. Flesh white, taste mild. Gills narrow, thin, crowded, often forked, adnate or slightly decurrent, whitish, becoming dingy or brownish-pink. Stems cespitose, solid, silky-fibrillose, slightly mealy at the top, white. Spores 5×4µ.
Pileus 2–4 in. broad. Stem 1.5–3 in. long, 2–4 lines thick.
Thin woods and pastures. Ulster county. September.
This is a large, fine species, very distinct by its cespitose habit, white color and very pale sordid-tinted spores. But for the color of these the plant might easily be taken for a species of Clitocybe. The tufts sometimes form long rows. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Mt. Gretna, Pa. October. McIlvaine.
Tender, not much flavor.
C. Noveboracen´sis Pk.—New York Clitopilus. Pileus thin, convex, then expanded or slightly depressed, dingy white, cracked in areas or concentrically rivulose, sometimes obscurely zonate, odor farinaceous, taste bitter. Gills narrow, close, deeply decurrent, some of them forked, white, becoming dingy, tinged with yellow or flesh-color. Stem equal, solid, colored like the pileus, the mycelium white, often forming white branching root-like fibers. Spores globose, 4–5µ broad.
Var. brevis. Margin of the pileus, in the moist plant, pure white. Gills adnate or slightly decurrent. Stem short.
Pileus 1–2 in. broad. Stem 1–2 in. long, 1–3 lines thick.
Woods and pastures. Adirondack mountains, Albany and Rensselaer counties. August to October.
The plant is gregarious or cespitose. Sometimes, especially in the variety, it grows in lines or arcs of circles. The margin is often undulated, and in the variety it is, when fresh and moist, clothed with a film of interwoven webby white fibrils which give it a peculiar appearance, and if the spore characters are neglected it might be mistaken for Clitocybe phyllophila. The disk is often tinged with reddish-yellow or rusty hues when moist, and its rivulose character is then more distinct. A farinaceous odor is generally present, especially in the broken or bruised plant, but its taste is bitter and unpleasant. Sometimes bruises of the fresh plant manifest a tendency to assume a smoky-brown or blackish color. The base of the stem is sometimes clothed with a white mycelioid tomentum. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
C. Sey´mourianus Pk.—Pileus fleshy, thin, broadly convex or slightly depressed, even, pruinose, whitish with a dark lilac tinge, sometimes lobed and eccentric. Gills narrow, crowded, decurrent, some of them forked at the base, whitish with a pale flesh-colored tint. Stem equal, silky-fibrillose, hollow. Spores minute, globose or nearly so, 3.5–4µ long.
Pileus 1–2.5 in. broad. Stem 1.5–2.5 in. long, 3–4 lines thick.
Woods. Lewis county. September. Peck, 42d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Rosy-spored. Stem cartilaginous, tubular (the tube stuffed or hollow), polished, somewhat shining. Pileus thin, umbilicate or with a darker disk, cuticle fibrillose or separating into darker scales, margin at first incurved. Gills at first adnexed or adnate but readily separating. Fries.
The Leptoniæ are related to the Clitopili as the Collybiæ are to the Clitocybæ. The species are small, elegant, brightly colored, inodorous (except A. incanus), and abound in rainy weather. Gregarious or growing in troops; on the ground, commonly on dry mossy pastures, but also in marshy places. Stevenson.
Six American species reported. I have not seen any.