308 Mycological Bulletin No. 75 [Vol. V. 



and spore characters. It differs in being a colored plant and having a 

 large head and slender stem. A splendid illustration of the plant was 

 given by Petri (Ann. Mycologici, 1904, plate 6) under the name of 

 Tylostoma fimbriatum, and drawn we think from American specimens. 



NOTES FROM MUSHROOM LITERATURE IV. 

 W. A. Kellertnan. 



Mr. C. H. Kauffman, of the University of Michigan, has published in the 

 Botanical Gazette some observations on Cortinarius as a Mycorhiza-pro- 

 ducing fungus. The fungi are very few which have been definitely re- 

 ported as belonging to this class — in which the hyphae (mycelium) are in- 

 timately associated with roots of higher plants, and purveyors of nitrogen. 

 We shallquote liberally from this interesting and important paper. "When 

 we come to a consideration of the agarics our knowledge is meager in- 

 deed. Only one investigator, Noack, in 1899, has concerned himself with 

 them. He found that five species of this group were apparently my- 

 corhiza-producers on the forest trees of the locality where he made his 

 observations. Two were Tricholomas ; one a Lactarius, and three were 

 Cortinarii. He merelj^ makes the bare statement that they are con- 

 nected with the rootlets by mycelial strands, which he could easily make 

 out. It is very probable that his observations are correct. It seems 

 to be appreciated that we need some investigation to determine what 

 fungus we are dealing with, so that problems which have to do with 

 the physiological side of mycorhiza may be understood more intelligently; 

 for it is just as likely that knowledge concerning the fungus and its life 

 history may lead to an understanding of the relation of the two organisms 

 as a knowledge of the tree would. It seems worth while, therefore, to re- 

 port the identity of any such mycorhizal fungi whenever the evidence 

 seemed sufficient to make it acceptable. In a previous paper I pointed out 

 that the members of the genus Cortinarius were so constantly found in 

 limited areas, and some species in such close proximity to certain trees, 

 tliat it seemed likely that there was some connection. This last summer 

 an effort was made to find out to what extent this might be true. The 

 season was wet during the early summer, and although one finds few 

 Cortinarii as a rule before August, several did occur, and one of these 

 proved to be favorable for my purpose. It not only .showed beautifully 

 its connection with the tree roots, but turned out to be an undescribed 

 species of Cortinarius. It was found July 4, 1905. on the south slope of a 

 small ravine along the Huron river, near Ann Arbor, in a layer of humus 

 pnd forest leaves. This species, as is indeed true of some other fleshy 

 fungi, is characterized by its brick-red mycelial strands and stem. By 

 removing the surface .soil it was possible to see the brick-red strands inter- 

 twining with the rootlets, apparently in all directions. * * * 



"But it was .soon found that the reddish net-work extended along defi- 

 nite paths. Beginning with a tiny rootlet, the fungus was followed to a 

 rather large root, apparently growing from a hickory. On examination, 

 however, it was found that the mycorhiza-bearing root passed tlie hickory, 

 and that all the roots of the hickory examined were devoid of a colored 

 mycorhizal fungus. On the other hand, the root in question was now 

 easily traced to a clump of red oaks. * * * 



"About twenty paces down the slope, another troop of the same species 

 of Cortinarius was found. These came up only 30 cm. away from a 

 fine young sugar maple, and close to one of its main roots. Expecting 

 that they were probably attached to the roots of an oak a short distance 



