CHAPTER VIII. 



THE OCHRE-SPORED AGARICS. 



The spores are ochre yellow, rusty, rusty-brown, or some shade 

 of yellow. For analytical keys to the genera see Chapter XXll. 



PHOLIOTA Fr. 



The genus Pholiota has ferruginous or ferruginous brown spores. 

 It lacks a volva, but has an annulus; the gills are attached to the 

 stem. It then corresponds to Armillaria among white-spored agarics, 

 and Stropharia among the purple-brown-spored ones. There is one 

 genus in the ochre or yellow-spored plants with which it is liable to 

 be confused on account of the veil, namely Cortinarius, but in the lat- 

 ter the veil is in the form of loose threads, and is called an arachnoid 

 veil, that is, the veil is spider-web-like. Many of the species of 

 Pholiota grow on trunks, stumps and branches of trees, some grow 

 on the ground. 



Pholiota praecox Pers. Edible. — { Agariciis candicans BuW. T. 217. 

 1770: Pholiota candicans Schroeier , Krypt, Flora, Schlesien, p. 608, 

 1889.) This plant occurs during late spring and in the summer, in 

 pastures, lawns and grassy places, roadsides, open woods, etc. Some- 

 times it is very common, especially during or after prolonged or heavy 

 rains. The plants are 6-10 cm. high, the cap from 5-8 cm. broad, 

 and the stem 3-5 mm. in thickness. The plants are scattered or a 

 few sometimes clustered. 



The pileus is convex, then expanded, whitish to cream color or 

 yellowish, then leather color, fleshy, the margin at first incurved, 

 moist, not viscid. Sometimes the pileus is umbonate. The sur- 

 face is sometimes uneven from numerous crowded shallow pits, giving 

 it a frothy appearance. In age the margin often becomes upturned 

 and fluted. The gills are adnate or slightly decurrent by a tooth, 3-4 

 mm. broad, a little broader at or near the middle, crowded, white, 

 then ferruginous brown, edge sometimes whitish. There is often a 

 prominent angle in the gills at their broadest diameter, not far from 

 the stem, which gives to them, when the plants are young or mid- 

 dle age, a sinuate appearance. The spores are ferruginous brown, 

 elliptical. Cystidia abruptly club-shaped, with a broad apiculus. The 



150 



