The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise Part 3

17. Schizophyllum--Gills corky, split longitudinally.

18. Xerotus--Gills tough, fold-like.

Therefore the gill-bearing fungi are known under the family name, Agaricaceae, or more generally known as Agarics.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 8.--Spore-print of Hypholoma sublatertium.]

This family is divided into five series, according to the color of their spores. The spores when seen in ma.s.ses possess certain colors, white, rosy, rusty, purple-brown and black. Therefore the first and most important part to be determined in locating a mushroom is to ascertain the color of the spores. To do this, take a fresh, perfect, and fully developed specimen, remove the stem from the cap. Place the cap with the gills downward on the surface of dark velvety paper, if you suspect the spores to be white. Invert a finger bowl or a bell gla.s.s over the cap to keep the air from blowing the spores away. If the spores should be colored, white paper should be used. If the specimen is left too long the spore deposit will continue upward between the gills and it may reach an eighth of an inch in height, in which case if great care is taken in removing the cap there will be a perfect likeness of the gills and also the color of the spores.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 9.--Spore-print of a Flammula.]

There are two ways of making these spore prints quite permanent. First take a piece of thin rice paper, muscilage it and allow it to dry, then proceed as above. In this way the print will stand handling quite a little. Another way, and that used to prepare the spore-prints in these photographs, is to obtain the spore-print upon j.a.panese paper as in the preceding method, then by an atomizer spray the print gently and carefully with a fixative such as is used in fixing charcoal drawings.

Success in making spore-prints requires both time and care, but the satisfaction they give is ample recompense for the trouble. It is more difficult to obtain good prints from the white-spored mushrooms than from those bearing colored spores, because it is hard to obtain a black paper having a dull velvety surface, and the spores will not adhere well to a smooth-finished, glossy paper. For the prints ill.u.s.trated I am indebted to Mrs. Blackford.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 10.--Spore-print of a Boletus.]

If the plant is dry it is well to moisten the fingerbowl or bell-gla.s.s on the inside before placing it over the mushroom. The spores of Boleti, and, indeed, all fungi can be caught and fixed in the same way.

From the study of these spore-prints we shall find five different colors of spores. This family is, therefore, divided into five series, determined by the color of the spores, which are always constant in color, size and shape.

The five series will be treated in the following order:

1. The white-spored Agarics.

2. The rosy-spored Agarics.

3. The rusty-spored Agarics.

4. The purple-brown-spored Agarics.

5. The black-spored Agarics.

=a.n.a.lYTICAL KEY.=

This key is largely based upon Cooke's a.n.a.lytical key. Its use will help to locate the plant in hand in the genus to which it belongs.

The first thing the student should do is to determine the color of the spore if it is not evident. This is best done according to the plan described on page 15.

The plant should be fresh and mature. Careful attention should be given to different stages of development. The habit of the plant should be considered; then, as soon as the color of the spores is determined, it will be an easy matter to locate the genus by means of the key.

GROUP I--HYMENOMYCETES.

Mycelium floccose, giving rise to a distinct hymenium, fungus fleshy, membranaceous, woody or gelatinous. Spores naked.

Hymenium, normally inferior-- Hymenium with gills Agaricaceae.

Hymenium with pores Polyporaceae.

Hymenium with teeth Hydnaceae.

Hymenium even Thelophoraceae.

Hymenium, superior-- Hymenium on smooth surface, club-shaped, Clavariaceae.

Hymenium lobed, convolute, gelatinous, Tremellaceae.

FAMILY 1--AGARICACEAE.

Hymenium inferior, pileus more or less expanded, convex, bell-shaped.

Gills radiating from the point of attachment of the pileus with the stem, or from a lateral stem to other parts of the cap, simple or branched.

I. Spores white or slightly tinted.

_A._ Plants fleshy, more or less firm, decaying soon.

_a._ Stem fleshy, pileus easily separating from the stem.

Volva present and ring on the stem.

Pileus bearing warts or patches free from the cuticle Amanita.

Volva present, ring wanting Amanitopsis.

Pileus scaly, scales concrete with cuticle, Volva wanting, ring present Lepiota.

Hymenoph.o.r.e confluent, Without cartilaginous bark, _b._ Stem central, ring present (sometimes vague), Volva wanting, gills attached Armillaria.

Without a ring, Gills sinuate Tricholoma.

Gills decurrent, Edges acute c.l.i.tocybe.

Edges swollen Cantharellus.

Gills adnate, Parasitic on other mushrooms Nyctalis.

Not parasitic, Milky Lactarius.

Not exuding juice when bruised, Rigid and brittle Russula.

Quite viscid, waxy consistency Hygrophorus.

_c._ Stem lateral or none, rarely central Pleurotus.

_d._ Stem with cartilaginous bark, Gills adnate Collybia.

Gills sinuate Mycena.

Gills decurrent Omphalia.

Plants tough, fleshy, membranaceous, leathery, Stem central, Gills simple Marasmius.

Gills branched Xerotus.

_B._ Plants gelatinous and leathery Heliomyces.

Stem lateral or wanting, Edge of gills serrate Lentinus.

Edge of gills entire Pa.n.u.s.

Gills fold-like, irregular Trogia.

Edge of gills split longitudinally Schizophyllum.

_C._ Plants corky or woody, Gills anastomosing. Lenzites.

II. Spores rosy or salmon color.

_A._ Stem central.

Gills free, stem easily separating from pileus.

Without cartilaginous stem, Volva present and distinct, no ring Volvaria.

Without a volva, with a ring Annularia.

Without a volva and without a ring Pluteus.

_B._ Stem fleshy to fibrous, margin of pileus at first incurved, Gills sinuate or adnate Entoloma.

Gills decurrent c.l.i.topilus.

_C._ Stem eccentric or none, pileus lateral Claudopus.

Gills decurrent, pileus umbilicate Eccilia.

Gills not decurrent, pileus torn into scales, and slightly convex, margin at first involute Leptonia.

Pileus bell-shaped, margin at first straight Nolanea.

III. Spores rusty-brown or yellow-brown.

_A._ Stem not cartilaginous, _a._ Stem central, With a ring, Ring continuous Pholiota.