OCHRE-SPORED AGARICS. 165 



In expanding the cap becomes convex, then expanded, and finally 

 many of the plants with the margin elevated and with a broad umbo, 

 and finely striate for one-half to two-thirds the way from the margin 

 to the center. When young the pileus has a very viscid cuticle, 

 which easily peels from the surface, showing the yellow flesh. 

 The cuticle is smoky olive to fuliginous, darker when young, becom- 

 ing paler as the pileus expands, but always darker on the umbo. 

 Sometimes the fibres on the surface of the cap are drawn into strands 

 which anastomose into coarse reticulations, giving the appearance of 

 elevated veins which have a general radiate direction from the center 

 of the cap. As the pileus expands the yellow color of the flesh shows 

 through the cuticle more and more, especially when young, but 

 becoming light olive to fuliginous iti age. In dry weather the surface 

 of the pileus sometimes cracks into patches as the pileus expands. 

 The gills are rounded next the stem, adnate to adnexed, becoming 

 free, first yellow, then ferruginous. The basidia are abruptly club- 

 shaped, rather distant and separated regularly by rounded cells, four 

 spored. The spores are ferruginous, elliptical, lo-i 5 x 6-8 yw, smooth. 

 The stem is cylindrical to terete, tapering above, sulphur and ochre 

 yellow, becoming paler and even with a light brown tinge in age. 

 The stem is hollow, and covered with numerous small yellow floccose 

 scales which point upward and are formed by the tearing away of the 

 edges of the gills, which are loosely united with the surface of the 

 stem in the young stage. The edges of the gills are thus sometimes 

 finely fimbriate. 



At maturity the gills become more or less mucilaginous, depend- 

 ing on the weather. Plants placed in a moist chamber change to a 

 mucilaginous mass. When the plants dry the pileus is from a drab 

 to hair brown or sepia color (Ridgeway's colors). Figure 158 is 

 from plants (No. 2355 C. U. herbarium). 



PAXILLUS Fr. 



In the genus Paxillus the gills are usually easily separated from 

 the pileus, though there are some species accredited to the genus that 

 do not seem to possess this character in a marked degree. The 

 spores are ochre or ochre brown. Often the gills are forked near 

 the stem or anastomose, or they are connected by veins which them- 

 selves anastomose in a reticulate fashion so that the meshes resemble 

 the pores of certain species of the family Polyporacece. The pileus 

 may be viscid or dry in certain species, but the plant lacks a viscid 

 universal veil. The genus is closely related to Gomphidius, where 

 the gills are often forked and easily separate from the pileus, but 



