128 ILLINOIS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 



Stropharia epimyces is edible and the flavor is the same as 

 that of the host on which it grows. It is, therefore, a boon 

 to those mycophagists who prefer their mushrooms plain fried 

 and at the same time are partial to the flavor of Coprinus 

 comatus, since C. comatus is not firm enough to fry nicely 

 while S. epimyces is. 



PECULIAR PLANT DISTRIBUTIONS 

 H. S. Pepoon, M.D. 



The author in the last few years has made an extensive 

 study of the Floras of Jo Daviess, Fulton and Cook counties ; 

 Illinois, and upon the results of his observations in these 

 counties the following notes are based. During these plant 

 explorations 980 species were found in the first named county, 

 1000 in Fulton, and 1800 in Cook and adjacent parts of Lake 

 counties, Indiana and Illinois. A "few years" may be better 

 expressed by the term a half life time, for Jo Daviess is the 

 home of his youth, Fulton of his young manhood and Cook of 

 more mature years. 



During this period, stretching back 40 years, some 2500 

 square miles have been carefully explored, 1,000 miles of 

 tramping undertaken and countless thousands of individuals 

 have come under observation. The topographic features 

 have included the bed and border lands of Glacial Lake Chi- 

 cago with its marshes, prairies, dunes and moraines, the roll- 

 ing uplands of the Upper Illinoisan stage of the glacial period 

 and the Driftless area of Jo Daviess with its gorges, cliffs, 

 bottom lands and elevated highlands and erosion "mounds." 

 The accompanying map shows the relative position of these 

 regions and other data. 



It may be remarked in a generalization that the Jo Daviess 

 area has many boreal forms, the Cook county a great mingling 

 of boreal and temperate species, and Fulton shows many that 

 proclaim a warmer predeliction. Possibly 60 per cent of the 

 plants are common to all the counties named. As might be ex- 

 pected, weeds are far more numerous in individuals and species 

 in Cook county, for weeds are primarily plant-tramps that 

 utilize to the limit the great trunk railways. 



