74 ELEVENTH REPORT. 



its occurrence with them. In a recent article M. Peltereau* has summarized 

 the opinions of the various authorities, and comes to the conclusion that the 

 form which is usually referred to R. furcata in Europe, is rare and is really 

 a variety of R. cyanoxcintha. The Swedes where Fries lived do not know it. 

 All agree that it is rare, and has no purple or reddish tints. Peck reports 

 it in only one locality and distinguishes it from R. variata by its color, sub- 

 distant and thick gills, and mild taste. Authors differ as to whether the taste 

 is mild, acrid, bitterish or poisonous. It differs from R. virescens according 

 to the descriptions, in its margin being at first involute, the cuticle not break- 

 ing up into patches, and by its more persistantly white gills. 



j 22. RussuLA CYANOXANTHA (Schaeff.) Fr. 



(The yellowish-blue Russula.) 



Illustrations: Mcllvaine's American Fungi, 1900. P. 184, fig. 1. 



PiLEus 5-10 cm. broad, firm, convex then expanded and depressed in the 

 centre or subinfundibuliform, disk dingy ivhite tinged rose-pink, elsewhere 

 dark bluish-purple or lilac, viscid, pellicle thin and adnate but separable on 

 the margin, even, or substriate only near the edge, surface somewhat wrinkled 

 or streaked. Flesh white, compact, purplish or white under pellicle. Gills 

 white, a few forked toward base, few shorter, moderately broad, not very 

 distant, narrow behind, interspaces veined. Stem 6-9 cm. long, 1-2 cm. 

 thick, white, subequal, spongy-stuffed, sometimes becoming cavernous and 

 compressed, glabrous, even or obscurely wrinkled. Spores ivhite in mass. 

 Taste mild. Odor none. 



Scattered or gregariovis. Maple and birch, or mixed woods of northern 

 Michigan, oak and maple woods of the southern part. July and August. 



The above description applies to a definite form which occurs in Michigan. 

 Some of its characters do not agree with the species as understood by Romell, 

 Peltereau and others, whose typical plant has creamy-white gills and spores. 

 It does, however, agree with Peck's conception, though within narrow limits. 

 The plant occurs quite often, especially in the north, and is quite constant. 

 Peltereau thinks R. furcata is only a form of R. cyanoxantha , and that the 

 published plates of European mycologists of R. furcata apply to R. cyanox- 

 antha. He then proceeds to give three varieties of R. cyanoxantha, of which 

 var. A. is close to our plant except that the color of the spores differ. The 

 European authors also find yellowish tints on the disk. It seems almost 

 impossible to obtain a clear idea of the exact relationships of R. furcata, 

 R. cyanoxantha, and R. variata. We have some forms in Michigan which 

 seem to be intermediate, and this produces no end of confusion. Our plant 

 agrees pretty well with the Fresian description, and I perfer to limit it to 

 that species. 



23. Russula vesca Fr. 



(The poor Russula.) 



PiLEUs 3-6 cm. broad, fleshy, firm, convex then expanded and depressed in 

 the centre, viscid soon dry, more or less rugulose or wrinkled, reddish, pale 

 livid-pink, or sordid flesh-red, liecoming paler, cuticle thin and disappearing, 

 not quite reaching the edge of the pileus so that a narrow white exposed margin 

 results, margin even and spreading. Flesh white. Gills white, thin. 



♦Peltereau 

 See also: 

 M. Barbier 



Seejilso: [ Bull, trimestrial de li Soeiete Mycologigue de France, Vol. 24. 



