REPORT ON EDIBLE FUNGI 1 895-99 l 4 l 



The plants grew under trees and appear in September. In Ohio the 

 typical form is said to grow from spring till late autumn and to form clusters 

 of 20 to 50 individuals. 



A gale form is shown in figure 9. 



Clitocybe multiformis Pk. 

 Multiform Clitocybe 



PLATE 47, fig. 1-q 



Pileus thin, convex or nearly plane, often lobed or irregular on the mar- 

 gin, glabrous, hygrophanous, whitish, yellowish or grayish when moist, paler 

 when dry, flesh white when dry ; lamellae thin, narrow, close, adnate or 

 slightly decurrent, white ; stem equal, solid, glabrous, white ; spores elliptic, 

 .0002 to .00024 of an inch long, .00016 broad. 



The multiform clitocybe commonly grows in tufts of many plants, 

 which are often so crowded that the caps are closely pressed against each 

 other and in this way become very irregular. When they grow separately, 

 the caps are much more regular. They vary in color as well as in shape. 

 When young and fresh or after rain, they have a moist appearance, but after 

 the moisture has disappeared they are paler. In some specimens the caps 

 are whitish, in others, yellowish, and in another form they are grayish, and 

 then they are often smoky brown in the center. In specimens wholly dried 

 the color changes to a grayish brown, which is quite unlike the color of the 

 fresh whitish or yellowish fungus. 



The gills are narrow and closely placed side by side. They are attached 

 to the stem by the entire width of the inner extremity, which is sometimes 

 slightly prolonged downward on it. They are white or whitish. 



The stem is about as thick as a pipe stem when well grown, but it is 

 often crooked or compressed or irregular. It is whitish, smooth and solid. 



The cap is 1 to 3 inches broad ; the stem 1 to 2 inches long and 2 to 3 

 lines thick. This mushroom appears late in the season and grows in low, 

 damp places in woods. Its mode of growth is similar to that of Clito- 

 cybe multiceps Pk., but it is a much smaller and thinner species, and 

 the caps are more irregular when growing in tufts. Though not highly 

 flavored, it is quite tender and good, and, growing as it does in large tufts, 

 it is easy to obtain in satisfactory quantity for the table. 



