CLASSIFICATION 



they are usually verj broad. Among the medium-sized forms 

 there arc cases where the .uiiu are ver} narrow ant] verj crowded, 

 reaching the base almosl ae lines; examples ol this class are P 

 petaloides, /'. hurt nlix, and /'. porrigens. The small, reMtipii 

 forms expose the gills on the upper side while the pileus is cIokcI) 

 applied t<> the substratum; later the pileus becomes reflexed bo thai 

 the ,°.ills project downward, giving the older .1 different appear 

 ance than the younger plant. This genus Is often separated rrom 

 Clitocybe with diffitulty, especially in the cases where the stems 

 are only slightly eccentric, so thai differenl authors have placed 

 the same plant under the two genera. The STEM is occasionally 

 almost centra] in the large-stemmed species, which niaj then be 

 mistaken for Tricholomas ; the latter, bowever, grow practically al 

 ways on the ground. Otherwise, the Bteni is lateral, eccentric or 

 entirely wanting. The interior of the stem is fleshj fibrous in m<»-t 

 species, but several have a stuffed to holloa axis, with a tough 

 exterior, as in /'. lignatilis. 



The SPORES are white except in the aberrant species /'. sapidus, 

 /'. euo8mu8 and /'. subpalmatus in which the Bpores have .1 Blight 

 flesh color or lilac tint. /'. *tii>i<ins and /'. euosmus resemble /'. 

 08treatu8 so closely in other respects, thai placing them among 

 the pink-spored agarics would uol improve matters. P. subpalma 



tus seems t<> me nearer Bntoloma as its Btem i-- bo times central; 



its reticulate, toughish, gelatinous pileus is rather unique, and re 

 in hnls our of the genus Heliomyces. The Bpores of the Pleuroti 



sn ih. niiisiiy Bpherical and then minute, or oblong; in .1 fe* 



species, elliptical. CYSTIDIA are known to be present in /'. 

 serotinus, I', stratosus, P. petaloides and /'. mastrticatus. P 

 uhis is said to produce scattered conidia on top of its j ■ i I « • u -». which 

 represent another kind of spore. The ODOR is often fragrant and 

 agreeable, and the flavor of mosl <>i' the species makes them v< 

 desirable for the table. 



The genus may be divided into three Bectioi 



Section I. Eccentrici. 



Seel ion II. I timidiati. 



Section III. Resupinat i. 



The subdivision which was used l»\ Fries and others i"i tho 

 forms with an inner veil is omitted here, since our two species /' 

 corticatus and /'. dryinus have been transferred to the genus \ 

 laria, where it seems to me they more properly belong, and 

 they have. often been mistaken. A tew species not yet found in the 

 State have been included in the key. 



83 



