182 Journal of the Mitchell Society [March 



1. Hydnellum diabolus Banker 



Plates 14, 15, and 28. 



Plants short and stout, gregarious and often confiuent. Rather 

 common on ground in pine woods, particularly in autumn. 



Caps up to 15 cm. broad, flat, sometimes nearly smooth, but usually 

 with low waves and protuberances, and irregular on the margin ; soft 

 and minutely tomentose-f elted all over. Color a pretty, light salmon- 

 flesh tint when young and fresh, or often nearly pure white on mar- 

 gin, changing from center outward to a vinaceous-rust color (almost 

 sorghum brown of Ridgway) with blackish stains where rubbed, 

 particularly on the margin, in age becoming a deep sordid brown 

 from center outwards. Flesh thick in center, distinctly zonate, blunt 

 on margin, about color of cap but when quite fresh turning blackish 

 instantly when cut ; quite soft near the upper surface, and gradually 

 getting firmer towards the spines. The watery juice of our plants is 

 not reddish but colorless, but Underwood found plants of H. diabolus 

 in Alabama with very red juice, and the species is described by Banker 

 as having a red juice, but Banker now considers the juice color as of 

 little or no taxonomic importance (see Mycologia 5:197. 1913). 

 The odor is pleasant and aromatic (fenugreek) when fresh, but this 

 often disappears in drying. Taste quite peppery. All parts of the 

 plant tend to become blackish when bruised. 



Spines very short near the margin, 4.5 mm. long near the stem, 

 somewhat decurrent, color of cap on margin, turning through light 

 vinaceous salmon to russet vinaceous then sorghum brown and finally 

 to a deep chestnut brown. 



Stem short, stout, irregular and dropsical in appearance, deep 

 russet brown even when young, 1.5-2.5 cm. long and often as thick 

 as long, flesh at upper end like that of cap, becoming harder and darker 

 at bottom. ISTo distinct superficial layer, but the surface is soft, the 

 flesh gradually hardening inwards. The texture of the plant is much 

 like that of P. arnicus, except that the soft surface layer is not so dis- 

 tinct from the firmer inner part as in that species. 



