1 66 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



throughout the season if the weather is sufficiently wet. Its flesh is ten- 

 der but not highly flavored, yet it may well be regarded as a very good 

 mushroom. 



It bears such a close external resemblance to Candolle's hypholoma, 

 H. c a n d o 1 1 e a nu m , that it has been thought by some to be a variety of 

 it. This close similarity is suggestive of the specific name. It differs from 

 that species in having the young gills white or whitish instead of violaceous 

 and in the gills being adnate instead of adnexed. In the color of the gills 

 and in the character of their attachment to the stem the species makes an 

 approach to a similarity with the appendiculate hypholoma, H. appendic- 

 u latum, so that it really holds a place intermediate between this and 

 Candolle's hypholoma. Its paler color and more even dry cap separate it 

 from the appendiculate hypholoma. Its habitat is also different, and it is 

 not so apt to grow in tufts. 



Hypholoma perplexum Pk. 



Perplexing Hypholoma 



PLATE 6o, fig. IO-IJ 



Pileus convex or nearly plane, glabrous, sometimes broadly and slightly 

 umbonate, reddish or brownish red, fading to yellow on the margin, the 

 flesh white or whitish ; lamellae thin, close, slightly rounded at the inner 

 extremity, at first pale yellow, then tinged with green, finally purplish brown ; 

 stem nearly equal, firm, hollow, slightly fibrillose, whitish or yellowish above, 

 ferruginous, reddish or reddish brown below ; spores elliptic, purplish brown, 

 .0003 of an inch long, .00016 broad. 



The perplexing hypholoma has received this name because it is one of 

 a group of five or six very closely allied species, whose separation from each 

 other is somewhat difficult and perplexing. Of these six species three have 

 a decidedly bitter, unpleasant flavor, and three are mild, or not decidedly 

 bitter, if we may rely on the published descriptions of them. The three 

 bitter ones, also, have no purplish tints to the mature gills ; but two of the 

 mild ones have. By using these and other distinguishing characters, the 

 six species may be tabulated and their several peculiarities more clearly 

 shown. 



