10 THE PLANT WORLD 



ence to tlie tomentose margin and forked gills, and being apparently 

 satisfied that the plants are identical. 



Three years ago the writer found a number of plants of what 

 seemed to be a puzzling species of Tricholoma and made notes and a 

 drawing which is reproduced in the accompanying figure. The 

 notes are as follows : " Pileus 2-3 in. broad, slightly viscid, white or 

 pinkish, streaked and spotted with red, rounded at first, becoming 

 plane or centrally depressed, inflexed at first, finally expanded and 

 often irregularly cracked and broken. Flesh white, pink under the 

 cuticle, firm, brittle, with a pleasant taste and odor. Gills adnate when 

 young, slightly decurrent when old, narrowed at both ends, rather 

 crowded, occasionally forked, brittle, white, often si)otted or blotched 

 with red. Stipe 1-3 in. long, white, clothed ^vith white or reddish 

 fibrils and streaked or spotted with red, generally even, sometimes bul- 

 bous and sometimes attenuate, often clothed at the base with a white 

 mycelium. In young specimens a veil is present which is somewhat 

 fibrous as in Cortinarius but of a little firmer texture than is common 

 in that genus. This veil is white or reddish and soon disappears. 

 Spores elliptical. Found in mixed woods on high ground in Rock 

 Creek Park, D. C, Nov. 21, 1897." It has been found several times 

 since in similar locations about Washington, and seems to be fairly 

 common. It is sometimes solitary, when the individuals attain consid- 

 erable size, but more often occurs in clusters sometimes containing 

 nearly a dozen individuals. It is quite a late species, seldom occurring 

 before the latter part of September, and continuing from that time till 

 frost. Dried plants sent to Professor Peck were said bj'- him to be identical 

 with his New York plant, first described as T. rubicunda, and later 

 referred to Shaeffer's species. 



It seems hardly likely that a plant so well known in Europe would 

 have such an important character as the presence of a veil, even though 

 an evanescent one, overlooked by so many botanists. Our plant has 

 not been so thoroughly studied, but nearly all the descriptions which 

 have come under my observation, mention the tomentose margin of the 

 pileus, which indicates that the veil may be present. Capt. Mcllvaine * 

 lists the plant, and quotes Professor Peck's later description, adding that 

 the margin is often downy, that the margin is frecjuently cracked in 

 both young and old plants, that the apex of the stem is often not 

 squamulose, and that the interior of the stem is fibrous and has fibrous 

 connections with the caj) of a very marked character. His plate would 

 also indicate that the gills were somewhat forked. In Bulletin No. 5 

 (1897) of the Boston Mycological Club, Tricholoma russula is listed 



One Thousand American Fungi, 65. 



