PURPLE-BROWN-SPORED AGARICS. 27 



growth. The veil is thin and only manifested in the young stage of 

 the plant as a loose weft of threads. As the cap expands the veil is 

 torn and adheres to the margin, but soon disappears. 



The flesh of this plant is said by European writers to be bitter to 

 the taste, and it is regarded there as poisonous. This character 

 seems to be the only distinguishing one between the Hypholoma sub- 

 lateritium Schaeff., of Europe, and the Hypholoma perplexum Pk., 

 of this country which is edible, and probably is identical with H. 

 sublateritium. If the plant in hand agrees with this description in 

 other respects, and is not bitter, there should be no danger in its use. 

 According to Bresadola, the bitter taste is not pronounced in H. sub- 

 lateritium. The taste probably .varies as it does in other plants. 

 For example, in Pholiota prcecox, an edible species, I detected a 

 decided bitter taste in plants collected in June, 1900. Four other 

 persons were requested to taste the plants. Two of them pronounced 

 them bitter, while two did not detect the bitter taste. 



There is a variety of Hypholoma sublateritium, with delicate 

 floccose scales in concentric rows near the margin of the cap, called 

 var. squamosum Cooke. This is the plant illustrated in Fig. 25, from 

 specimens collected on rotting wood in the Cascadilla woods, Ithaca, 

 N. Y. It occurs from spring to autumn. 



Hypholoma epixanthum Fr., is near the former species, but 

 has a yellow pileus, and the light yellow gills become gray, not 

 purple. 



Hypholoma appendiculatum Bull. Edible. This species is common 

 during late spring and in the summer. It grows on old stumps and 

 logs, and often on the ground, especially where there are dead roots. 

 It is scattered or clustered, but large tufts are not formed as in H. 

 sublateritium. The plants are 6-8 cm. high, the cap 5-7 cm. broad, 

 and the stem 4-6 mm. in thickness. 



The pileus is ovate, convex to expanded, and often the margin 

 elevated, and then the cap appears depressed. It is fleshy, thin, 

 whitish or brown, tawny, or with a tinge of ochre, and becoming 

 pale in age and when dry. As the plant becomes old the pileus 

 often cracks in various ways, sometimes splitting radially into several 

 lobes, and then in other- cases cracking into irregular areas, showing 

 the white flesh underneath. The surface of the pileus when young 

 is sometimes sprinkled with whitish particles giving it a mealy 

 appearance. The gills are attached to the stem, crowded, becoming 

 more or less free by breaking away from the stem, especially in old 

 plants. They are white, then flesh colored, brownish with a slight 

 purple tinge. The stem is white, smooth, or with numerous small 



