THE WHITE-SPORED AGARICS 157 



Pleurotus iilmarius. Bull. 

 The Elm Pleurotus. Edible. 



Ulmarius, from ulmus, an elm. It takes its name from its habit of growing on 

 elm trees and logs. It appears in the fall and may be found in company with 

 the Oyster mushroom, late in December, frozen solid. This species is frequently 

 seen on elm trees, both dead and alive, on live trees where they have been trimmed 

 or injured in some way. It is often seen on elms in the cities, where the elm 

 is a common shade tree. Its cap is large, thick and firm, smooth and broadly 

 convex, sometimes pale yellow or buff. Frequently the epidermis in the center of 

 the cap cracks, giving the surface a tessellated appearance as in Figure 1 19. The 

 flesh is very white and quite compact. The gills are white or often becoming tawny 

 at maturity, broad, rounded or notched, not closely placed, sometimes nearly 

 decurrent. The stem is firm and solid, various in length, occasionally very short, 

 inclined to be thick at the base and curved so that the plant will be upright, as 

 will be seen in Figure 119. 



The cap is from three to six inches broad. A specimen that measured over 

 ten inches across the cap, was found some thirty feet high in a tree. While it 

 was very large, it was quite tender and made several meals for two families. 

 But this species is not limited entirely to the elm. I found it on hickory, about 

 Chillicothe. There are a few elm logs along my rambles that afford me fine 

 specimens with great regularity. Insects do not seem to infest it as they do the 

 ostreatus and the sapidus. Sometimes, when the plant grows from the top of a 

 log or the cut surface of a stump, the stem will be longer, straight, and in the 

 center of the cap. This form is called by some authors var. verticalis. 



For my own use I think the Elm mushroom, when properly prepared, very 

 delicious. Like all tree mushrooms it should be eaten when young. It is easily 

 dried and kept for winter use. Found from September to November. 



Pleurotus petaloides. Bull. 

 The Petaloid Pleurotus. Edible. 



This species is so called from its likeness to the petals of a flower. Pileus 

 fleshy, spathulate, entire; margin at first involute, finally fully expanded; villous, 

 depressed. The stem is compressed and villous, often channelled, nearly erect. 

 The gills are strongly decurrent, crowded, narrow, and white or whitish. 

 Spores minutely globose, .0003 by .00015. 



The plant varies very greatly in form and size. Its chief characteristic is 



