238 THE AGARICACEAE OF MICHIGAN 



bulbous stem. Peck first referred it to P. arvensis as a variety, 

 later he called it Agaricus abruptus; but as this name was pre- 

 empted it was changed to abruptibulba. Sometimes the veil ap- 

 pears to be single, but this is merely accidental. Mcllvaine says 

 "it has a strong, spicy, mushroom odor and taste and makes a 

 highly flavored dish. It is delicious with meats; the very best 

 mushroom for catsup." Since it occurs in the woods, it must be 

 carefully distinguished from the deadly, white Amanitas. 



227. Psalliota placomyces Pk. (Edible) 



N. Y. State Mus. Pep. 29, 1878. 



Illustrations : N. Y.. State Mus. Rep. 48, PI. 9, Fig. 7-12. 

 Atkinson, Mushrooms, Fig. 21-23, pp. 23-21, 1900. 

 Hard, Mushrooms, Fig. 255, 257, pp. 314-316, 1908. 

 Clements, Minn. Mushrooms, Fig. 42. p. 74, 1910. 



P1LEUS 5-12 cm. broad, at first broadly ovate, convex-expanded, 

 finally quite -plane, sometimes subumbonate, not striate, squamu- 

 lose, whitish, except where dotted with the brown scales which are 

 more dense toward the center, forming a blackish-brown disk,*in 

 age the surface may be entirely brown. FLESH white or tinged 

 yellowish under cuticle, rather thin except disk. GILLS free, 

 crowded, thin, white at first, soon pink then blackish-brown, edge 

 entire. STEM rather long, 7-12 cm. long, tapering upward or 

 clavatc-bulbous, 4-8 mm. thick, stuffed then hollow, whitish, the 

 bulb sometimes yellowish-stained, glabrous. ANNULUS large, 

 superior, double, the under layer cracking radially and leaving 

 patches, finally darkened by the spores. SPOPES 5-6x3.5-4 micr. 

 (rarely few longer), elliptical-oval, nucleate, smooth, purplish- 

 brown, blackish-brown in mass. ODOR not marked. 



Solitary or scattered, sometimes a few caespitose, on the ground in 

 frondose, hemlock or mixed woods, rarely on lawns. Ann Arbor, 

 Lansing, Xew Richmond, probably throughout the State. July- 

 September. Infrequent, during some seasons rare. 



A beautiful plant when one comes across it at its best, with its 

 artistically decorated cap and symmetrical stature. It differs 

 clearly from all others. It is edible although the flesh is thinner 

 than in the preceding species. It is known by the minute brown 

 scales on the flattened cap, the clavate-bulbous stem and the large, 

 flabby annulus. During some seasons, it seems to be absent even 

 under favorable weather conditions. 



