Rl PORT ON I DIBLE M \(.l 1 S95-99 [67 



Taste bitter ' 



Taste mild or not clearly hi iter 3 



1 Stem solid or stuffed, flesh whitish, gills whitish, then sooty olive. . sublateritium 



1 Stem hollow, flesh yellow 2 



2 Cap yellow or tinged with tawny, stem yellow, gills yellow, becoming 



greenish f as < t < 11 1 a r e 



2 ( \l|> brick red, stem ferruginous, gills green, becoming olive e 1 a e o (1 e s 



3 Cap red or brick red, with a yellow margin; gills yellow, then greenish, finally 



purplish brown perplexum 



3 Cap yellow, or slightly taw ny on the disk only 4 



4 Gills gray, becoming purplish brown capn 01 d es 



4 Gills yellow, becoming gray, neither green nor purplish epixanthurn 



Probably, in general appearance, the perplexing hypholoma most 

 nearly resembles the brick red hypholoma, H. sublateritium; but it 

 has often been mistaken for the tufted hypholoma, H. fasciculare. 

 From this it may be separated by the more red cap, the whitish flesh, the 

 purplish brown color of the mature gills, and the mild flavor. From 

 H-. sublateritium it is distinguished by its usually smaller size, more 

 slender hollow stem, the yellow greenish and purplish tints oi the gills, and 

 the absence of a bitter flavor. 



Its cap is 1 to 3 inches broad; its stem 2 to 3 inches long and 2 to 4 

 lines thick. It commonly grows in clusters, though sometimes singly, on 

 or about old stumps or prostrate trunks of trees, in woods or open 

 places. The caps of the lower ones in a cluster are often defiled and 

 apparently discolored by the spores that have lodged on them from the 

 upper ones. It appears in autumn, and continues till freezing weather 

 stops its growth. It is a very common species, as well as a late one, 

 and may often be gathered in large quantity. Its flavor is not first quality, 

 but with good preparation it makes a very acceptable dish. It has been tested 

 by myself and correspondents several times, and has been proved harmless. 

 A correspondent communicates the following recipe for its preparation : 



Put one dessert spoonful of vinegar in a quart of water. Soak the 

 mushroom caps in this mixture 20 minutes. Then take them out and stew 

 slowly for half an hour in a covered vessel, adding "butter, pepper and salt 

 to suit the taste. A small quantity of onion is thought by some to improve 

 the flavor, and a thickening of flour and milk just before serving is an 

 improvement. 



