REPORT OF THE STATE BOTANIST 79 



UNWHOLESOME FUNGI. 

 Clitocybe illudens Sc/iw. 

 Deceiving Clitocybe. ' 



(Plate 49. Figs. I-7.) 



Pileus convex or nearly plane, sometimes depressed in the center, 

 umbonate, glabrous or obscurely virgate, often irregular, bright-golden or 

 safifron-yellow; lamellae close, decurrent, concolorous ; stem rather long, 

 firm, glabrous, solid, commonly narrowed at the base, colored like the 

 pileus; spores globose, .00016 to .0002 inch broad. 



The Deceiving clitocybe is an attractive fungus, forming large tufts or 

 even patches on or about old stumps or decaying wood or roots buried 

 in the ground. It is wholly of a deep rich golden yellow or saffron 

 yellow color approaching orange, except that the flesh within is white or 

 yellowish. Its cap is fleshy in the center, where there is usually a small 

 umbo, but thin towards the margin, which from its tufied mode of 

 growth is often lobed wavy irregular or split. The gills are numerous, 

 narrowed toward each end and some of them are apt to be forked. 

 They run down upon the stem and in old or partly dry specimens they 

 are inclined to become discolored on the edge. The stems are rarely 

 equal and regular. Being crowded together they are more or less com- 

 pressed flexuous or crooked and narrowed below to a pointed base, 

 where they are sometimes tinged with brown. 



They are usually solid, though it is possible to find them stufted or 

 even hollow in very large or old specimens. Sometimes they are 

 attached eccentrically to the cap. The spores are white and are in some 

 instances shed in such abundance as to whiten the leaves, ground or 

 whatever may be beneath or around the clusters of plants. A strong 

 odor is often perceptible in the presence of large clusters and the flavor 

 of the flesh is not very agreeable. 



Tne caps are usually from 3 to 6 inches broad and the stems 3 to 6 inches 

 long and 3 to 6 lines thick, but sometimes these dimensions are exceeded. 

 Examples have been found having a cap 10 inches across and a stem 10 

 or II inches long. The plants occur from August to October. The 

 large bright clusters are easily seen at considerable distances and the 

 fresh caps appear as if they might be edible, but according to the experi- 

 ence of two or three of my correspondents, whose courage was greater 

 than their discretion in testing the edibility of this plant, it produces 

 sickness, nausea and vomiting; but it is not dangerous, for as soon as the 

 unwholesome material is rejected the system recovers its usual tone. 



