68 ELEVENTH REPORT. 



depressed, dry, polished, even on the obtuse margin, very red, almost shining, 

 often darker in the centre. Flesh white, reddish under the cuticle, taste 

 acrid. Gills rather close, adnate, broad, unequal, some of them forked, 

 white becoming yellowish with age. Stem hard, solid, white or red. Spores 

 white, globose or subglobose, 8-10 micr. 



Pileus 5-10 cm. broad; stem 5-7.5 cm. long, 12-20 mm. thick." 

 The R. rubra Fr. as known to Romell has a rather dr}'^ pileus, not polished, 

 with a thin pellicle on the margin, and, like nearh' all mature Rus.sulas, slight 

 striations on the margin when moist. In rainy weather only the margin is 

 viscid and the surface layer is separable only for a short distance from the 

 margin. Taste strongly acrid. This was the nearest to a red Russula of the 

 Rigidae type as limited by Fries that I had ever seen. The designation of 

 this group by Fries as " absolutely dry, lacking a pellicle " has in my opinion 

 been taken in too rigid a sense. It is probal^le that the presence or absence 

 of a pellicle is a relative matter, and that not too much stress must be laid 

 upon it. A pellicle, or, perhaps better cuticle when it is adnate or not well 

 differentiated, seems to be always present in a more or less degree, but dis- 

 appears early on the disk because its development ceases early. 



10. Russula lepida Fr. 



Illustrations: Hard's Mushrooms. 1908. P. 188, Fig. 149. Atkinson's 

 Mushrooms. 1900. PI. 36, p. 126, Fig. .3. 



Pileus 6-10 cm. Inroad, flesh}', firm, convex then piano-depressed, margin 

 even, dry, subvelvety, bright red or dark purple, disk paler or subalutaceus. 

 Flesh compact, cheesy, white. Gills thick, subdistant, white at length 

 strawcolor attenuated behind or adnexed, forked, interspaces venose. Stem 

 3-6 cm. long, 1.5-2 cm. thick, subequal, white almost red-tinged or one side 

 red, base clavate or attenuate. Spores pale strawcolor in mass, globose, 

 echinulate, 8-9 micr. Taste mild, l)ut becoming slightly peppery after chew- 

 ing. Odor pleasant. 



In woods, southern Michigan. July. 



The description given above is that of Bresadola, since I have not found 

 enough specimens which could with certainty be referred under any 

 description of R. lepida. Fries and the English authors emphasize the 

 rimose-squamose character of the cap; they say gills are white, taste mild 

 and colors of the cap blood-red with disk whitish. According to most 

 American mushroom books, R. lepida, is said to be very common everywhere. 

 From present information it is rare in Michigan by any of the descriptions, 

 and Peck who has had many years of opportunity reports it uncommon in 

 New York state, and his plants do not have all of the Friesian characters. 

 Fries placed this species under the tribe Rigidae, and his description seems 

 to assume the complete absence of a pellicle. I am inclined to l^elieve that 

 all these Rus.sulas have some kind of differentiated ujijier layer on the surface 

 of the cap, at least when young. I saw no Russula in Sweden (except Com- 

 pactae) which could not be slightly peeled along the outer margin. 



11. Russula ochrophylla Pk. 



(The ' ochre-gilled Russula.) 



Illustrations: N. Y. State Memoir, 3. 1900. PI. 54, p. 150, fig. 8-14. 



Pilelts 5-10 cm. broad, firm, convex then piano-depressed, dry, unpolished, 



even on the margin, dark red or purplish-red . often darker on the centre. 



