19 



})iivpliKh ; gills distiiut, broad, adiiate, somewliat rounded near tliti stem, 

 at first purplish violet, cliangiuy to au ocbraceous or brownisli ciiiii.uiioii 

 color as the plant matures ; stem solid, somewhat bulbous at the base, 

 inirple; cortina or veil white or tinged witli violet, sometimes bluish. 



This is a handsome species, and though it is somewhat lare in manj' 

 localities, its prett}^ and unusual coloring does not allow it to be easily 

 overlooked. It is edible, and has a mushroomy taste when raw. Agari- 

 I'us ini<h(s ]5ull, a purple species with white spores, is sometimes con- 

 founded with it. There are other purple species of Cortinarius not so 

 pleasant to the taste, which bear some resemblance to C. violacens. The 

 specimens figured in Plate XII were gathered near Dedham, Mass., on 

 open ground on the border of a stretch of pine woods. 



Fios. ") TO 7. — Cortinarius (Phlegmacium) caerulescens. 



Edible. 



Cap fleshy, at first convex, then plane, surface even, viscid ; color 

 bluish or violet ; gills adnexed and crowded, at first bluish, changing 

 to violet or purplish hues ; stem solid, short, and thick, with a broadly 

 l)ulbous base, same color as the cap ; veil filmy, single. In woods and 

 on the borders of woods. This mushroom varies in color, the bluish or 

 purplish tints being quite susceptible to atmospheric changes. AVheu 

 growing in the shade or well-sheltered places, it is much darker in hue 

 than when exposed unsheltered to the bright sunlight. The specimen 

 figured in Plate XII was gathered on low ground near a pine grove in 

 Essex County, Mass. 



Cortinarius (Phlegmacium) parpiirascens Fr. bears a slight resemblance 

 to cceralescens, but can be distinguished from it by the spotted or zoned 

 character of the cap and the broadly emarginate gills. 



Cortinarius turnialis, an edible autumnal species, having au ochraceous 

 or brownish-yellow cap with emarginate or decurrent gills, the latter at 

 first whitish, then reddish clay color, is found in abundance in some parts 

 of Maryland. The gills are never tinged with purple or blue. The flesh 

 is white. The plants are easily discovered by those familiar with their 

 habitat, as they grow under pine needles in groups, forming small mounds 

 extending over large spaces, and in these hiding places, in the autumnal 

 months, they are free from inse(;ts and dust. I have collected a bushel 

 of them in less than an hour in fresh conditiou in October. Some of the 

 French authors do not class this species as edible. Gillet, in his Hyme- 

 nomycetes of France, enumerates fifty-three edible species of Cortinarius, 

 but places tanaalls among the suspects. I find this mushroom not only 

 edible, but very valuable, because of its abundance in the localities where 

 found. It is often densely ctespitose. The plant, when mature, is from 

 3 to 5 inches high. 



C. selhcceiis, found also in pine woods, is recorded as edible. The plant 



