478 



The Shaggy-mane Mushroom (Edible) 

 Coprimis coma fits Fries 



The shaggy-mane nuisliroom is a handsome plant which can 

 scarcely l)e mistaken for anything else when one has once seen it. In 

 fact the photograph alone is enough to identify it. It occurs in lawns, 

 parks, and other grassy places, especially if the soil is richly manured. 

 It grows either singly or in clusters, and may he looked for in wet, 

 warm weather from May to late autumn. The fruit bodies grow very 

 ra[)idly, so that one is likely to find a basketful waiting fnr him to col- 

 lect them for breakfast, some ninrning in a place where there was not 

 a sign of any the night before. 



The caj) is 5 to 15 cm. (2 to 6 inches) broad, soft-fleshy, moist, 

 at first oblong or cylindrical and then bell-sha[)ed, but seldom ex- 

 panded. As it matures it usually splits at the margin along the lines 

 of the gills. In very young specimens the surface is spotted with dark 

 Im'owu and white, due to the fact that the outer layer, which is dark 

 brown, is torn and separated into i)atches or scales so that the white 

 beneath shows l)etween them. As the cap elongates, the brown patches 

 become farther and farther apart, so that the mature plant is nearly 

 all white. 



The gills are broad, free from the stem, and crowded close to- 

 gether. They are at first white, but when the spores begin to ripen 

 the gills becr)me dark, then black, and fmallv they dissolve into an 

 inky fluid which falls from the ca[) in drops. The spores are black. 



The stem is sometimes very short but may be as much as 25 cm. 

 (10 inches) long, the u|)per portion being concealed within the cap. 

 It is nearly cylindrical, but usually tapers slightlv u[)ward, and is some- 

 times 1)ulbous at the base. It is hollow, brittle, smooth or with some 

 loose fibers on the surface, white or nearly so, and verv easilv pulled 

 out of the cap. The ring is thin and usually movable. In mature 

 plants it is apt to be found lying on the ground at the base of the stem 

 or it may have disappeared altogether. There is no volva. 



This is a most excellent edible species. Many people consider it 

 much better than the cultivated mushroom. It is one of the best for 

 stewing or for cooking with meat. 



Collected in Champaign county. 



