REPORT OF THE STATE BOTANIST 73 



Hygrophorus fuligineus Frost. 

 Sooty Hygrophorus. 



(Pate 45. Figs. 8-14.) 



Pileus convex or nearly plane, glabrous, very viscid or glutinous, gray- 

 ish-brown or fuliginous, the disk often darker or almost black; lamellae 

 subdistant, adnate or decurrent, white ; stem solid, viscid or glutinous, 

 white or whitish ; spores elliptical, .0003 to .00035 inch long, .0002 

 broad. 



The Sooty hygrophorus resembles the Club-stemmed clitocybe in the 

 color of its cap but in nearly every other respect it is different. When 

 moist the cap is covered with an abundant gluten which when dry gives 

 it a shining appearance as if varnished. The color varies from grayish- 

 brown to a very dark or sooty-brown with the central part usually still 

 darker or almost black, but never with an umbo. The flesh and the gills 

 are white. The stem also is white or but slightly shaded toward the 

 base with the color of the cap. It is variable in length and shape, being 

 long or short, straight or crooked, everywhere equal in thickness or taper- 

 ing toward the base. It is glutinous and unpleasant to Handle. 



The cap is i to 4 inches broad, the stem 2 to 4 inches long and 4 to 8 

 lines thick. The plants grow either singly or in tufts. In the latter case 

 the caps are often irregular from mutual pressure. 



The plants occur in October and November in pine woods or woods of 

 pine and hemlock intermixed. 



This mushroom is tender and of excellent flavor, but its cuticle with its 

 sticky and often dirty covering should be peeled away before cooking. 



Pholiota praecox Pers. 



Early Pholiota. 



(Plate 46. Figs. 1-17.) 



Pileus convex or nearly plane, soft, nearly or quite glabrous, whitish, 

 more or less tinged with yellow or tan-color ; lamellae close, adnexed, at 

 first whitish, then brownish or rusty-brownish ; stem rather slender, mealy 

 or glabrous, stuffed or hollow, whitish ; spores elliptical, rusty-brown, 

 .0004 to .0005 inch long, .00024 to .0003 broad. 



The Early phoUota is a small but variable species. From other 

 similarly colored species that appear in grassy ground early in the season, 

 the collar on the stem will generally distinguish it. Its cap is usually 

 convex when young but nearly flat in the mature plant. It is rather pale 

 in color but not a clear white, being tinted with yellow or pale tan-colored 



