17 



caused by the more acrid of these, notably R. ernetica and 72. fretens, 



aud in view of this fact it would seem a wise precaution for the amateur 



collector to discard or at least to use very sparingly all those which have 



an acrid or peppery taste, until well assured as to their wholesomeness. 



The genus Jlnssnla has been divided into the following tribes or 



o-roups : — Compactie, Furcatst), Eigidie, Heterophylla, and Fragiles. The 



species Ruasida {Ri(/id(e) virescens, illustrated in Plate II, belongs to the 



tribe Rigidfe. In the plants of this group, the cap is absolutely dry and 



ri'^id, destitute of a viscid pellicle ; the cuticle commonly Ijreaking up 



into flocci or granules ; the flesh thick, compact, and firm, vanishing near 



the margin, which is never involute, and shows no striations. The gills 



are irregular in length, some few reaching half way to the stem, the 



others divided, dilated, and extending into a broad rounded end, stem 



solid. 



Plate I. 



Russula virescens Fries. ''The Verdette'^ or " Greenish Mtissula.''^ 



Edible. 



The cap of this species is fleshy and dry, the skin breaking into thin 

 patches. The margin is usually even, but specimens occur which show 

 striations. The color varies from a light green to a grayish or moldy 

 green, sometimes tinged with yellow ; gills white, free from the stem or 

 nearly so, unequal, rather crowded ; stem white, stout, solid, smooth, at 

 first hard, then spongy ; spores white, nearly globose. 



One writer speaks of the " warts " of the cap, but the term warts, used 

 in this connection, refers merely to the patches resulting from the split- 

 ting or breaking up of the epidermis of the cap, and not to such excres- 

 cences called warts, as are commonly observed on the cap of Amanita 

 muscaria, for instance, which are remnants of the volva. 



The R. virescens is not as common as some others of the Russulae, in 

 some localities, and hitherto seems to have attracted but little attention 

 as an edible species in this country, although highly esteemed in Europe. 

 It has been found growing in thin woods in Maryland and in Virginia 

 from June to November, and we have had reports of its growth from 

 New York aud Massachusetts. The peasants in Italy are in the habit of 

 toasting these mushrooms over wood embers, eating them afterwards with 

 a little salt. Vittadini, Roques, and Cordier speak highly of its esculent 

 qualities and good flavor. We have eaten quantities of the virescens 

 gathered in Washington, D. C, and its suburbs, and found it juicy and of 

 good flavor when cooked. , 



Explanation of Plate I. 



Plate I exhibits four views of this mushroom {R. virescens) drawn and 

 colored from nature. Fig. 1, the immature plant ; Fig. 2, advanced stage 

 of growth, cap expanded or plane ; Fig. 3, section showing the unequal 

 length of the gills and manner of their attachment to the stem ; Fig. 4, 

 surface view of the cap showing the epidermis split in characteristic irreg- 

 ular patches ; Fig. 5, spores, white. 



