198 STUDIES OF AMERICAN FUNGI. 



Hydnum caput=medusae Bull. Edible. The medusa's head hydnum is 

 a rarer species than either of the above in this country. It forms a 

 large, tubercular mass which does not branch like the coral hydnum 

 or the bear's head, but more like the Satyr's beard hydnum, though 

 the character of the spines will easily separate it from the latter. 

 The spines cover a large part of this large tubercle, and hang down- 

 ward. The plant is known by the additional character, that, on the 

 upper part of the tubercle, the spines are twisted and interwoven in 

 a peculiar fashion. 



Hydnum erinaceus Bull. Edible. This plant is sometimes called 

 " Satyr's beard." It grows on dead trunks in the woods or groves, 

 and is often found growing from wounds in living trees. It forms a 

 large, tubercular mass which does not branch. The spines are very 

 long and straight and hang downward in straight parallel lines from 

 the sides of the mass. The spines are from 1-2 cm. or more long. 

 Figure 197 represents one of the plants, showing the long spines. 



Hydnum repandum L. Edible. This plant is not uncommon, and it is 

 widely distributed. It grows usually in woods, on the ground. It 

 varies greatly in size, from very small specimens, 1-2 cm. high to 

 others 10-12 cm. high. The cap is 2-18 cm. broad, and the stem 

 6-12 mm. in thickness. 



It is entirely white or the cap varies to buff, dull yellow reddish 

 or dull brown. It is very brittle, and must be handled with the 

 utmost care if one wishes to preserve the specimen intact. The 

 pileus is more or less irregular, the stem being generally eccentric, 

 so that the pileus is produced more on one side than on the other, 

 sometimes entirely lateral at the end of the stem. The margin is 

 more or less wavy or repand. The spines are white, straight, and 

 very brittle. The stem is even or clavate. Figure 198 is from plants 

 collected at Ithaca during August, 1899, and represents one of the 

 large specimens of the species. In one plant the pileus is entirely 

 lateral on the end of the long clavate stem, and is somewhat reni- 

 form, the stem being attached at the sinus. In the other plant the 

 stem is attached near the center. This species is considered one 

 of the best mushrooms for the table. 



Hydnum imbricatum L. Edible. This is a very variable species both 

 in size and in the surface characters of the pileus. It occurs in woods, 

 groves, or in open places under trees. The plants are 3-7 cm. high, 

 and the pileus varies from 5-15 cm. broad, the stem from .5-2.5 cm. 

 in thickness. The pileus is convex and nearly expanded, fleshy, 

 thinner at the margin, regular or very irregular. The color is gray- 

 ish in the younger and smaller plants to umber or quite dark in the 



