The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise. Miron Elisha Hard

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      Lixivium means made into lye; hence, of the color of ashes and water.

      The pileus is two to three inches broad; flesh thin; convex then plane; umbonate, never depressed; even; smooth; grayish-brown when moist, then umber; margin membranaceous, at length slightly striate, sometimes wavy.

      The gills are rounded behind and adnexed, free, soft, distant, often crisped, gray.

      The stem is about two inches long, fibrous, hollow, or stuffed, equal, at first covered with a white down, fragile, gray.

      The spores are elliptical, 7×4–5µ.

      The umbonate pileus and the nearly free, broad, gray gills will distinguish it. They are a late grower and are found under pine trees in November.

Tricholoma sulphureum. Bull.

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      Sulphury Tricholoma. Poisonous.

      Figure 46.—Tricholoma sulphureum.

      Sulphureum, sulphur; so called from the general color of the plant.

      The pileus is one to three inches broad, fleshy, convex, then expanded, plane, slightly umbonate, sometimes depressed, or flexuous and irregular, margin at first involute, dingy or reddish-yellow, at first silky, becoming smooth and even.

      The gills are rather thick, narrowed behind, emarginate or acutely adnate, sulphur-colored.

      The stem is two to four inches long, somewhat bulbous, sometimes curved, frequently slightly striate; stuffed, often hollow; sulphur-yellow, yellow within; furnished at the base occasionally with many rather strong, yellow, fibrous roots. Odor strong and disagreeable. Flesh thick and yellow. Spores are 9–10×5µ.

      It grows in mixed woods. I find it frequently where logs have decayed. The specimen in Figure 46 was found in Haynes' Hollow and photographed by Dr. Kellerman. Found in October and November.

Tricholoma quinquepartitum. Fr.

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      Quinquepartitum means divided into five parts. There is no apparent reason for the name. Fries could not identify Linnæus' Agaricus quinquepartitus and he attached the name of this species.

      The pileus is three or four inches broad, slightly fleshy; convex, rather involute, then flattened, somewhat repand; viscid, smooth, even, pale yellowish.

      The gills are notched at the point of attachment to the stem, broad, white.

      The stem is three to four inches long, solid, striate or grooved, smooth. The spores are 5–6×3–4.

      This species differs from T. portentosum in the pileus not being virgate, and from T. fucatum in the smooth, striate or grooved stem. This plant is found in thin woods where logs have decayed. I have not eaten this species but I have no doubt of its edibility. The taste is pleasant. Found in October and November.

Tricholoma laterarium. Pk.

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      Figure 47.—Tricholoma laterarium.

      Laterarium is from later, a brick; so called because there is nearly always a slight tinge of brick red on the disk.

      The pileus is two to four inches broad, convex, then expanded, sometimes slightly depressed in the center; pruinose, whitish, the disk often tinged with red or brown, the thin margin marked with slight subdistant, short, radiating ridges.

      The gills are narrow, crowded, white, prolonged in little decurrent lines on the stem. The stem is nearly equal, solid, white. The spores are globose, .00018 inch in diameter. Peck's 26th Rep.

      This plant is quite widely distributed in the United States. It is found quite frequently in Ohio and is rather abundant on the hillsides about Chillicothe, where it is frequently somewhat bulbous. The tinge of brownish-red on the disk, and the short radiating ridges on the margin of the pileus will serve to identify the plant. It is edible and fairly good. Found on leaf-mold in rather damp woods from July to November.

Tricholoma panæolum. Fr.

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      Figure 48.—Tricholoma panæolum.

      Panæolum, all variegated. The pileus is from three to four inches broad, deeply depressed, dusky with a gray bloom, hygrophanous; margin at first inrolled, sometimes wavy or irregular when fully expanded.

      The gills are quite crowded, adnate, arcuate, white at first, turning to a light gray tinged with an intimation of red, notched with a decurrent tooth.

      The stem is short, slightly bulbous, tapering upward, solid, smooth, about the same color as the cap. The spores are subglobose, 5–6.

      I found the specimens in Figure 48 under pine trees, growing on a bed of pine needles, on Cemetery Hill. They were found on the 9th of November.

      Var. calceolum, Sterb., has the pileus spongy, deformed, thin, soft, expanded, edge incurved, sooty-gray; gills smoky; stem excentric, fusiform, very short.

Tricholoma columbetta. Fr.

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      The Dove-Colored Tricholoma. Edible.

      Figure 49.—Tricholoma columbetta. One-third natural size. Caps white. Stems bulbous.

      Columbetta is the diminutive of columba, a dove; so called from the color of the plant. The pileus is from one to four inches broad, fleshy, convex, then expanded; at first smooth, then silky; white, center sometimes a dilute mouse color shading to a white, frequently a tinge of pink will be seen on the margin, which is at first inrolled, tomentose in young plants, sometimes cracked.

      The gills are notched at the junction of the stem, crowded, thin, white, brittle.

      The stem is two inches or more long, solid, white, cylindrical, unequal, often compressed, smooth, crooked, silky especially in young plants, bulbous. Spores .00023 by .00018 inch. Flesh white, taste mild.

      This is a beautiful plant, seeming to be quite free from insects, and will remain sound for several days on your study table. I had no end of trouble with it till Dr. Herbst suggested the species. It is quite plentiful here. Dr. Peck gives quite a number of varieties. Curtis, McIlvaine, Stevenson, and Cooke all speak of its esculent qualities. Found in the woods in September and October.

Tricholoma melaleucum. Pers.

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      The Changeable Tricholoma.