The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise. Miron Elisha Hard

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      Armillaria, from armilla, a bracelet—referring to the ring upon the stem. This genus differs from all the foregoing white-spored species in having the gills attached to the stem by their inner extremity. The spores are white and the stem has a collar, though a somewhat evanescent one, but no wrapper at the base of the stem as in the Amanita and Amanitopsis. By the collar the genus differs from the other genera which are to follow.

      

      The Amanita and Lepiota have the flesh of the stem and the pileus not continuous, and their stems are, therefore, easily separated from the cap, but in the Armillaria the gills and the pileus are attached to the stem.

Armillaria mellea. Vahl.

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      The Honey-Colored Armillaria. Edible.

      Figure 39.—Armillaria mellea. Two-thirds natural size. Honey colored. Tufted with dark-brown fugitive hairs. Flesh white.

      Mellea, from melleus, of the color of honey. Cap fleshy, honey colored, or ochraceous, striate on the margin, shaded with darker brown toward the center, having a central boss-like elevation and sometimes a central depression in full grown specimens, tufted with dark-brown fugitive hairs. Color of the cap varies, depending upon climatic conditions and the character of the habitat. Gills distant, ending in a decurrent tooth, pallid or dirty white, very often showing brown or rust colored spots when old. Spores white and abundant. Frequently the ground under a clump of this species will be white from the fallen spores. Stem elastic and scaly, four inches or more in length. Ring downy. Diameter of cap from two to five inches. Manner of growth is frequently in tufts, and, as with most of the Armillarias, generally parasitic on old stumps.

      The veil varies greatly. It may be membranaceous and thin, or quite thick, or may be wanting entirely, as will be seen in Figure 39; in Figure 40 only a slight trace of the ring can be seen. The two plants grew under very different environment; the last grew in the woods and Figure 39 on a lawn in the city. The species is very common and grows either in thin woods or in cleared lands, on the ground or on decaying wood. Its favorite habit is about stumps. It is either solitary, gregarious, or in dense clusters. It is very abundant about Chillicothe, where I have seen stumps literally surrounded with it. It has a slight acridity while raw, which it seems to lose in cooking. Those who like it may eat it without fear, all varieties being edible.

      Prof. Peck gives the following varieties:

       A. mellea var. obscura—has the cap covered with numerous small black scales.

       A. mellea var. flava—has a cap yellow or reddish-yellow, otherwise normal.

       A. mellea var. glabra—has a smooth cap, otherwise normal.

       A. mellea var. radicata—has a tapering root penetrating the soil.

       A. mellea var. bulbosa—has a bulbous base.

       A. mellea var. exannulata—has the cap smooth and even on the margin, and the stem tapering at the base.

      Figure 40.—Armillaria mellea. Two-thirds natural size, showing double ring present.

Armillaria bulbigera. A. & S.

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      Marginate-bulbed Armillaria.

      Figure 41.—Armillaria bulbigera. Reddish-gray caps and short bulbous stems.

      Bulbigera is from bulbus, a bulb, and gero, to bear.

      The pileus is fleshy, three to four inches across, convex, then expanded, obtuse, even, brownish, gray, sometimes reddish, dry, fibrillose near the margin.

      The gills are notched at the stem, pallid, crowded at first, at length rather distant, becoming slightly colored.

      The stem is distinctly bulbous, two to three inches long, stuffed, pallid, fibrillose, ring oblique, fugacious. The spores are 7–10×5µ.

      I have found some very fine specimens in Poke Hollow, near Chillicothe. The stems were short and very bulbous, having hardly any trace of the ring on the older specimens. The caps were obtusely convex and of a grayish rufescent color. This species can readily be distinguished by the distinctly marginate bulb at the base of the stem. The specimens in Figure 41 were found in Poke Hollow, near Chillicothe, October 2d. I have no doubt of their edibility but I have not eaten them.

Armillaria nardosmia. Ellis.

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      Spikenard-Smelling Armillaria. Ellis.

      Figure 42.—Armillaria nardosmia. One-half natural size, showing the veil and incurved margin.

      Nardosmia is from nardosmius, the odor of nardus or spikenard.

      The pileus is quite thick, firm and compact, thinner toward the margin, strongly involute when young, grayish white and beautifully variegated with brown spots, like the breast of a pheasant, rather tough, with a separable epidermis, flesh white.

      The gills are crowded, slightly notched or emarginate, somewhat ventricose, white.

      The stem is solid, short, fibrous, sheathed by a veil forming a ring more or less evanescent. The spores are nearly round, 6µ in diameter.

      This is the most beautiful species of the genus, and from its pheasant-like spotted cap, as well as its strong odor and taste of spikenard or almonds, it is easily determined. The almond taste and odor disappears in cooking. I found some very fine specimens around a pond in Mr. Shriver's woods, east of Chillicothe. In older specimens the cuticule of the caps frequently breaks into scales. Found in woods in September and October.

Armillaria appendiculata. Pk.

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      Appendiculata, bearing small appendages. Pileus is broadly convex, glabrous, whitish, often tinged with rust-color or brownish rust-color on the disk. Flesh white or whitish. Gills close, rounded behind, whitish. Stem equal or slightly tapering upward, solid, bulbous, whitish, the veil either membraneous or webby, white, commonly adhering in fragments to the margin of the pileus. Spores subelliptical, 8×5.

      Pileus two to four inches broad. Stem 1.5–3.5 inches long; 5–10 lines thick.

      The general appearance of this species is suggestive of Tricholoma album, but the appearance of a veil separates it from that fungus and places it in the genus Armillaria. The veil, however, is often slightly lacerated, or webby, and adherent to the margin of the pileus. Peck's Report.

      I have found this at Salem and Chillicothe.

Tricholoma. Fr.

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