208 STUDIES OF AMERICAN FUNGI. 



208 represents the form of the plant well, from plants collected at 

 Ithaca. The plant is quite common in the damp glens and woods at 

 Ithaca during the autumn. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



THELEPHORACEAE. 



Many of the species of the Thelephorace to which the following 

 two species belong are too tough for food. A large number of these 

 grow on wood. They are known by their hard or membranaceous 

 character and by the fruiting surface (under surface when in the 

 position in which they grew) being smooth, or only slightly uneven, 

 or cracked. 



Craterellus cantharellus (Schw.) Fr., is an edible species. In gen- 

 eral appearance it resembles the Cantharellus cibarius. The color is 

 the same, and the general shape, except that the former is perhaps 

 more irregular in form. It may, however, be in most cases easily 

 distinguished from C cibarius by the absence of folds on the under 

 or fruiting surface, since the fruiting surface is smooth, especially 

 when the plants are young or middle age. However, when the plants 

 get quite large and old, in some cases the fruiting surface becomes 

 very uneven from numerous folds and wrinkles, which, however, 

 are more irregular than the folds of C. cibarius. 



Craterellus cornucopioides (L.) Pers., is another edible species. 

 It grows on the ground in woods. It is of a dusky or dark smoky 

 color, and is deeply funnel-shaped, resembling a " horn of plenty," 

 though usually straight. The fruiting surface is somewhat uneven. 



The genus Stereum is a very common one on branches, etc., 

 either entirely spread out on the wood, or with the margin or a large 

 part of the pileus free. Hymenochcete is like Stereum, but has numer- 

 ous small black spines in the fruiting surface, giving it a velvety 

 appearance. Corticium is very thin and spread over the wood in 

 patches. 



