310 Kauffman : The genus Cortinarius 



no mention of its connection with the pileus or of its being super- 

 ficial to anything. Then in a note he adds, '' Cortinariiis is espe- 

 cially characterized by its velum, which consists of cobwebby 

 threads (hyphae), and is of a different texture from the cuticle of 

 the pileus. This veil remains after it is finally torn, sometimes on 

 the edge of the pileus, sometimes on the stem, etc. It is here 

 called the cortina/' It will probably be found that this cortina is 

 not always continued over the pileus, and hence is not always 

 superficial. The texture of the cortina and that of the surface 

 of the pileus are certainly different in some cases. Whether the 

 cortina is continuous in some cases with a superficial layer of the 

 pileus ; whether there is really a superficial cuticle in all the sub- 

 genera ; or in what cases the cuticle, when present, is continuous 

 with the outer layer of the veil, e. e.^ the universal veil, must be 

 left until more species can be studied in the young stage. 



■The writer believes it will aid in clearness of diagnosis of spe- 

 cies to use the term " universal veil " for the outer layer of Fries' 

 velum, since this tissue is differentiated to such an extent as to be 

 easily distinguished from the cortina. 



My^ 



As already seen, the universal veil belongs to the subgenera 

 xacium and Telamonia. As to the chances of a universal veil 



in the subgenus Phlegmacinm^ it may be worth while to call atten- 

 tion to a note by Stevenson,* under C. iitrmalis, in which he con- 

 siders the scaly covering of a number of plants of the Phlegmaciinn 

 group as the remains of the universal veil. In the subgenus Tela- 

 mania an important character, besides the universal veil, is said to 

 be the hygrophanous pileus. This has made it rather difficult to 

 place some of our American species which have a dry pileus, but 

 which have a universal veil. Peck placed C. flavifolms in Tchi" 

 monia in spite of its dry pileus. It is likely that C. atinnlatus Pk. 

 will be found to belong there when its veil has been thoroughly 

 investigated. A study of C. sqjimmdosiis, in the very young 

 stage, showed a beautifully differentiated layer of tissue surround- 

 ing the young " button," which looks very much like a universal 

 veil. It seems desirable to neglect the hygrophanous character in 

 this subgenus so as to admit the above and similar species. If this 

 is said to conflict with the natural character of the subgenus, it js 



* British Fungi 2:4. 



