The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise Part 80

Found from September to November.

_Polyporus perplexus. Pk._

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 330.--Polyporus perplexus. Two-thirds natural size.]

The pileus is spongy-fleshy, fibrous, sessile, commonly imbricated, and somewhat confluent, irregular, hairy-tomentose to setose-hispid, grayish-tawny, or ferruginous, the margin subacute, sterile, the substance within tawny-ferruginous, somewhat zonate.

The pores are two to three lines long, unequal, angular, the dissepiments becoming brownish-ferruginous with age or where bruised.

The spores are ferruginous, broadly elliptical, .00024 to .0003 inch long and about .0002 broad. _Peck._

This is very abundant on beech logs, growing quite large, ma.s.sive, imbricated, and confluent, the pileoli being often two to four inches broad. It is very closely related to P. cuticularis and P. hispidus. It can be easily distinguished from P. cuticularis by means of its straight margin, and from P. hispidus by its small size and smaller pores. Found from September to November.

_Polyporus hispidus. Fr._

Pileus is very large, eight to ten inches broad and three to four inches thick, compact, spongy, fleshy but fibrous, dimidiate, with occasionally a very short stem; generally very hairy, but sometimes smooth; the pileus is often marked with concentric lines which seem to indicate arrested vegetation; brown, blackish, yellowish or reddish brown, below pale-yellow or rich sienna-brown, margin paler.

The pores are minute, round, inclined to separate, fringed, paler. The spores are yellowish, apiculate, 107. Often found on living trees, the plant gains entrance to the living stem through the bark, by means of a wound made by some agency, as a bird or a boring insect; soon a ma.s.s of mycelium is formed, and from this the fruiting body is produced.

_Polyporus cuticularis. Fr._

Pileus is quite thin, spongy, fleshy, then dry; plane, hairy-tomentose, ferruginous, then blackish-brown; margin fibrous, fimbriate, internally loose and parallel, fibrous.

The pores are long, quite small, pale, then ochraceous; pores longer than the thickness of the flesh. The spores are yellow or ochraceous, very abundant, 74-5. The hairs on the pileus are three-cleft.

This is very frequent in beech woods about Chillicothe. Found in September and October.

_Polyporus circinatus. Fr._

THE ROUND POLYPORUS. EDIBLE.

Circinatus is from _circinus_, a pair of compa.s.ses, hence means rounded like a circle.

The pileus is three to four inches across, with a double cap, one cap within another, both being compact, thick, round, plane, zoneless, velvety, rusty-yellow to reddish-brown, the flesh being of the same color. The upper cap is pliable, compact, soft, and covered with a soft tomentum, the lower cap, contiguous with the stem, is woody and corky.

The pores are decurrent, extending down the stem, entire, rather small, dusky-gray.

The stem is short and rather thick, often swollen, covered with a reddish-brown tomentum.

This is an odd but handsome species and easily determined because of its double cap. It is said to prefer fir woods, but I have frequently found it in oak woods. It grows on the ground, and when young and fresh the pilei are said to be good. I have never found more than one specimen at a time and never in a condition to eat, though good authorities say it is edible when young and tender. Found in September and October.

_Polyporus adustus. Fr._

Adustus means scorched, so called from the blackish color of margin.

The pileus is often imbricated; fleshy, tough, firm, thin, villous, ash-color; margin straight, blackish.

The pores are minute, round, obtuse, whitish, soon ashy-brown.

It is abundant everywhere on fallen beech or on beech stumps. It is very close to P. fumosus if it is not identical with it. It is found from August to late fall.

_Polyporus resinosus._

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 331.--Polyporus resinosus. One-fourth natural size.]

Pileus from three to six, and frequently eight, inches long; rich-brown, varying from bright cinnamon to red, handsomely marked with delicate pencilings radiating from the axis of growth; the color of the pileus seems to form a binding about the edge of the light-gray pore surface, which is closely punctured with minute elliptical pores.

The color of the pore surface readily changes to brown upon slight pressure. The whole plant is full of a brownish juice which exudes freely upon pressure. The plant is shelving and imbricated upon the side of a log, without any apparent stem.

Taken altogether the Polyporus resinosus presents one of the handsomest specimens of fungus growth that one will be likely to find in a long day's tramp. When fresh and growing it has rather a pleasant taste.

It is found during October and November, growing on decayed logs, being partial to the beech. Its abundance is equal to its beauty.

_Polyporus lucidus. Fr._

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 332.--Polyporus lucidus. One-third natural size.]

The pileus is two to three or more inches broad, usually very irregular, brownish-maroon, with a distinct double zone of duller dark-brown and tan. Cap glazed especially in the center, wrinkled.

The spore surface is a very light grayish-brown in the young plant, changing to almost a tan in older ones, pores labyrinthiform.

The stem is irregular, knotted and swollen with protuberances somewhat resembling buds, from which develop the caps which in some cases appear as if stuck on the stem like barnacles on a stick. Contrary to most mushrooms the upper surface of the cap and the stem are of nearly the same color, the stem being usually of a more brilliant red. The stem has a distinct root extending into the ground several inches. The whole plant is almost indescribably irregular. It is quite an attractive plant when seen growing among the weeds and beside stumps. The plants in Figure 332 I found growing among Datura stramonium beside old stumps in a pasture. I have found the same species growing on oak stumps. It is known as Ganoderma Curtisii, Berk., G. pseudo-boletus, Merrill. It is found from August till late fall.

_Polyporus obliquus. Pers._

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 333.--Polyporus obliquus. Two-thirds natural size.]

Obliquus means slanting, oblique. This species is widely circ.u.mfused, usually hard, quite thick, uneven, pallid, elegant chocolate-brown, then blackish; conversely encircled crested border.

The pores are long, very minute, obtuse, slightly angular. It grows on dead branches of iron-wood and wild cherry. The deep chocolate-brown and the oblique form of its pores will serve to identify the species.

It grows, with us, in the spring. I gathered this specimen in June. In the fall I visited the same trunk, but found they had begun to decay. It is sometimes called Poria obliqua.

_Polyporus graveolens. Fr._

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 334.--Polyporus graveolens.]

Graveolens means strong scented. Corky or woody and extremely hard, very closely imbricated and connate, forming a subglobose polycephalous ma.s.s, Figure 334. Pileoli innumerable, inflexed and appressed, plicate, brown.

Pores concealed, very minute, round, pale-brown, the dissepiments thick and obtuse. _Morgan._