REPORT ON EDIBLE FUNGI 1 895-99 l 79 



UNWHOLESOME FUNGI 

 Clitocybe illudens Schw. 

 Deceiving Clitocybe 



PLATE 68, Jig. 1-J 



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

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

 saffron 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 of an 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 often a small umbo, but thin 

 toward the margin, which from its tufted 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 on 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 compressed, flexuous or crooked and nar- 

 rowed below to a pointed base, where they are sometimes tinged with 

 brown. They are usually solid, though it is possible to find them stuffed 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 per- 

 ceptible in the presence of large clusters and the flavor of the flesh is not 

 very agreeable. 



The 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 11 inches long. The plants occur from August to October. The 



