The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise Part 69

_Panaeolus. Fr._

Panaeolus is from two Greek words, all; variegated. This genus is so called from the mottled appearance of the gills. The pileus is somewhat fleshy, margin even, but never striate. The margin always extends beyond the gills and the gills are not uniform in color. The mottled appearance of the gills is due to the falling of the black spores. The gills do not deliquesce.

The stem is smooth, sometimes scaly, at times quite long, hollow. The veil, when present, is interwoven.

This plant is found on rich lawns recently manured, but princ.i.p.ally on dung.

There are only two edible species, P. retirugis and P. solidipes. The other species would not be likely to attract the attention of the ordinary collector.

_Panaeolus retirugis. Fr._

THE RIBBED PANAEOLUS. EDIBLE.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Photo by C. G. Lloyd._

Plate XL. Figure 276.--Panaeolus retirugis. Natural size, showing portions of the veil on the margin.]

Retirugis is from rete, a net; ruga, a wrinkle. The pileus is about one inch in diameter, inclined to be globose, then hemispherical, slightly umbonate, center darker, with united raised ribs, sometimes sprinkled with opaque atoms; veil torn, appendiculate.

The gills are fixed, ascending, broad in middle; and in the expanded forms the gills are separated more and more from the stem and finally appear more or less triangular; cinereous-black, frequently somewhat clouded.

The stem is equal, covered with a frost-like bloom, cylindrical, sometimes tortuous, cartilaginous, becoming hollow, pinkish-purple, always darker below and paler above, bulbous.

The veil in young and unexpanded plants is quite strong and prominent; as the stem elongates it loosens from the stem, and as the cap expands it breaks into segments, frequently hanging to the margin of the cap.

By close observation one will sometimes detect a black band on the stem, caused by the falling of the black spores, when the plant is damp, before the pileus has separated from the stem. The spores are black and elliptical.

I have found it a number of times on the Chillicothe high school lawn, especially after it was fertilized in the winter. It is found mostly on dung from June to October. I do not recommend it as a delicacy.

_Panaeolus epimyces. Pk._

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 277.--Panaeolus epimyces. Note black spores in central foreground. Note also huge ma.s.ses of abortive stuff upon which it grows.]

Epimyces is from _epi_, upon; _myces_, a mushroom; so called because it is parasitic on fungi. There are a number of species of mushrooms whose habitat is on other mushrooms or fungus growths; such as Collybia cirrhata, C. racemosa, C. tuberosa, Volvaria loveiana and the species of Nyctalis.

The pileus is fleshy, at first subglobose, then convex, white, silky, fibrillose, flesh white or whitish, soft.

The gills are rather broad, somewhat close, rounded behind, adnexed, dingy-white, becoming brown or blackish, with a white edge.

The stem is short, stout, tapering upwards, strongly striate and minutely mealy or pruinose; solid in the young plant, hollow in the mature, but with the cavity small; hairy, or substrigose at the base.

The spores elliptical and black, .0003 to .00035 of an inch long, .0002 to .00025 broad. _Peck._

The plants are small, about two thirds to an inch broad and from an inch to an inch and a half high. It is referred to this genus because of its black spores. It has other characteristics which would seem to place it better among Hypholomas. It is not common. Found in October and November. The specimens in Figure 277 were found in Michigan and photographed by Dr. Fisher.

_Panaeolus campanulatus. Linn._

BELL-SHAPED PANAEOLUS.

Campanulatus is from _campanula_, a little bell.

The pileus is an inch to an inch and a quarter broad, oval or bell-shaped, sometimes slightly umbonate, smooth, somewhat s.h.i.+ning, grayish-brown, sometimes becoming reddish-tinted, the margin often fringed with fragments of the veil.

The gills are attached, not broad, ascending, variegated with gray and black.

The stem is three to five inches long, hollow, slender, firm, straight, often covered with frost-like bloom and often striate at the top, the veil remaining only a short time. The spores are subellipsoid, 8-96.

The gills do not deliquesce. It is widely distributed and is found in almost any horse pasture.

Captain McIlvaine says in his book that he has eaten it in small quant.i.ties, because larger could not be obtained, and with no other than pleasant effect. I have found it about Chillicothe quite frequently but have never eaten it. It is found from June to August.

_Panaeolus fimicolus. Fr._

THE DUNG PANAEOLUS.

Fimicolus is from fimus, dung; colo, to inhabit. The pileus somewhat fleshy, convex-bell-shaped, obtuse, smooth, opaque; marked near the margin with a narrow brown zone; the stem is fragile, elongated, equal, pallid, covered with frost-like bloom above; the gills are firmly attached to the stem, broad, variegated with gray and brown. _Fries._

The plant is very small and unimportant. It is found on dung, as its name indicates, from June to September. The caps appear lighter in color when dry than when wet.

_Panaeolus solidipes. Pk._

THE SOLID FOOT PANAEOLUS. EDIBLE.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Photo by C. G. Lloyd._

Plate XLI. Figure 278.--Panaeolus solidipes.]

Solidipes is from solidus, solid; pes, foot; and is so called because the stem of the plant is solid. The pileus is two to three inches across; firm; at first hemispherical, then subcampanulate or convex; smooth; white; the cuticle at length breaking up into dingy-yellowish, rather large, angular scales. The gills are broad, slightly attached, whitish, becoming black. The stem is five to eight inches long and two to four lines thick, firm, smooth, white, solid, slightly striate at the top. The spores are very black with a bluish tint. _Peck._ 23d Rep. N.

Y. State Bot.

This is a large and beautiful plant and easily distinguished because of its solid stem, growing on dung. Sometimes minute drops of moisture will be seen on the upper part of the stem. The plant is said to be one of the best of mushrooms to eat.

_Panaeolus papilionaceus. Fr._

THE b.u.t.tERFLY PANAEOLUS.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 279.--Panaeolus papilionaceus. Natural size.]

Papilionaceus is from _papilio_, a b.u.t.terfly.

The pileus is about an inch broad, somewhat fleshy, at first hemispherical, sometimes sub.u.mbonate, the cuticle breaking up into scales when dry, as will be seen in the photograph, pale-gray with a tinge of reddish-yellow especially on the disk, sometimes smooth.

The gills are broadly attached to the stem, quite wide, at length plane, blackish or with varying tints of black.