Agaricaceae 



Lactarius. often densely furrowed. Flesh compact, white, then slightly reddish. 

 Stem 1% 3 in. long, % I in. and more thick, solid, hard, equal or 

 attenuated downward, even or pitted and uneven, but not spotted, viscid 

 or dry, pallid or dark olivaceous, ochraceous-whitish at the apex. Gills 

 adnato-decurrent, thin, 1-2 lines broad, much crowded, forked, white 

 straw-color, spotted brownish when broken or bruised. Milk acrid, 

 white, unchangeable. Fries. 



Gregarious, rigidly and compactly fleshy; habit almost that of Paxillus 

 involutus. It varies with the stem hollow, and the pileus somewhat 

 zoned. 



Spores spheroid or subspheroid, uniguttate, echinulate, 6-8/u. K.; 

 minutely spinulose, 6-8/x. Massee. 



New Jersey, Trenton, E, B. Sterling; North Carolina, Curtis, 

 Schweinitz; Mt. Gretna, Pa. September, 1898. Along road in woods, 

 moist places. Mcllvaine. 



The species is attractive by its very homeliness and odd individuality. 

 It is not inviting. Cooked it is coarse and resembles L. piperatus. An 

 emergency species. 



L. COntrover'silS Fr. contra, against; verto, to turn. PileilS 3 in. 

 and more broad, fleshy, compact, rigid, at the first convex, broadly 

 umbilicate, when fuller grown somewhat funnel-sJiaped , oblique, on 

 emerging from the ground dry, flocculose, whitish, then with rain 

 smooth, viscid, reddish, with blood-colored spots and zones (especially 

 toward the margin), margin acute when young, closely involute, more 

 or less villous. Flesh very firm. Stem commonly I in. long and thick, 

 sometimes, however, 2 in. long and then manifestly attenuated toward 

 the base and often excentric, solid, obese, even but pruinate and as if 

 striate at the apex from the obsoletely decurrent tooth of the gills, 

 wholly white, never pitted. Gills decurrent, thin, very crowded, 12 

 lines broad, with many shorter ones intermixed, but rarely branched, 

 pallid-white-flesh-color. Milk white, unchangeable, plentiful. Fries. 



Odor weak but pleasant, taste very acrid. Allied to L. piperatus. 



In woods. Uncommon. August to October. Stevenson. 



Spores echinulate, 8x6/* W.G.S.; globose, rough, 6-8/* Massee. 



California, H. and M . 



Edible, rather deficient in aroma and flavor. Cooke. 



164 



