96 



STUDIES OF AMERICAN FUNGI. 



Ridgeway), while those collected at Ithaca were violet. The 

 plants vary from 5-8 cm. high, the cap 2-3 cm. broad, and the 

 stem 2-4 mm. stout. The plants are scattered or somewhat clus- 

 tered, sometimes occurring singly, and again many covering a small 

 area of ground. 



The pileus is thin, conic, bell-shaped to 

 convex and nearly expanded, sometimes 

 with a small umbo, smooth, and finely 

 striate on the margin, in age the striae some- 

 times rugulose from the upturning of the 

 margin. Sometimes the pileus is rugose on 

 the center. The gills vary from white to 

 violet, rose, etc., they are adnate to sinuate, 

 and in age sometimes become free by break- 

 ing away from the stem. They are broad 

 in the middle, connected by vein-like eleva- 

 tions over the surface, and sometimes wavy 

 and crenate on the edge, the edge of the 

 gills sometimes white. The spores are white, 

 oblong, 2.5-3.5 X 6-7 jji, smooth. The 

 basidia are cylindrical, 20-25 x 3-4 /i, four- 

 spored. There are a few cystidia in the 

 hymenium, colorless, thin walled, clavate, 

 the portion above the hymenium cylindrical, 

 and 30-40 x 10-12 yu. 



The stem is sometimes white when young, 

 but later becomes of the same color as the 

 pileus, often a lighter shade above. It is 

 straight, or ascending, cylindrical, even, 

 smooth, hollow, with a few white threads 

 at the base. 



Sometimes on drying the pileus becomes 

 deeper in color than when fresh. The gills 

 also become deeper in color in drying, though 

 the edge remains white if white when fresh. 

 Figure 97 is from plants (No. 3946, C. U. 

 herbarium) collected at Blowing Rock, N. C, in August, 1899. 

 The plants are often considerably larger than shown in the figure. 

 Mycena epipterygia Scop. This pretty little species is quite readily 

 distinguished by the gray, conic or bell-shaped cap, the long, hollow, 

 slender stem, and the viscid pellicle or skin which is quite easily 

 peeled off from the stem or cap when moist. It grows in woods or 



Figure 98. Mycena epipterygia. 

 Cap viscid, grayish, often tinged 

 with yellowish or reddish in age, 

 gills white, sometimes tinged with 

 blue or red, stem yellowish, or same 

 color as cap (natural size). Copy- 

 right. 



