IX.— OCIlKACKOrs AM) IMNK' Sl'OlMlS. 



Of the species belonging to the section Ochrosporae, only two 

 or three have been tetited by myself or my correspondents, and 

 altliough several others have been recorded as cdibh-, it is my 

 puri)osL' to descril)e those only that have been proved by us. 

 Edible species behinging' to the genera PhoViota, Paxillns and 

 Cortinarius have been recorded. The lew which we will notice 

 belong to Cortinarius. 



'iliis is a genus containing many species, of which several will 

 probably be found upon trial to be esculent. Eight have been 

 cl;issod as edible in Europe, and three in the United States. The 

 species of Cortinarius are distinguished from other Agaricinese 

 by thoir rusty-ochraceous spores, and by the webby filaments 

 that stretch from the stern to the margin of the cap in the young 

 plarit. These filameuts disappear in the mature plant, and there- 

 fore the collar is absent from the stem in species of Cortinarius, 

 though sonu'tinioB a few filaments adhere to the stem, and by the 

 lodgment of the falling spores upon them, a rusty-brownish 

 stain is occasionally seen about the stem instead of a collar. The 

 mature gills in nearly or quite all the species are dusted by, and 

 correspond to the spores in color, l)Ut in the young plants the 

 color is almost always quite dilferent. Tt is, therefore, very im- 

 poitant to know the color of the gills in the young plant in order 

 to identify the species of this genus. The gills are attached to 

 the stem in all the species. 



The Violet cortinarius, C. riolnreus, is a beautiful mushroom, 

 and one of the most easily recognizerl species of the genus. The 

 whole plant, when young, is of a dark violaceous color without 

 and Avirhiii. The cap is usually 

 well formed and beautifully 



adorned with numerous minute 



hairy tufts or scales. The gills 



are at first of the same color, but 



■when old they become dusted 



with the spores, and have their 



color iiHMliticd accordingly. The 



stem is rather long and more or 



less bulbous or thickened at the 



base, riie cap is generally two 



to four inches broad, and TJie 



37 



Cortlnanis vlolaocu.s, ('. rnllJiiitiiH. 



