Polyporacese 



Boletus. Pileus 1-5 in. broad. Stem 3-5 in- long. 3-8 lines thick. 



Woods, swamps and open places. 

 (Plate CXXI.) . 



Very common and appearing through 



summer and autumn. 



This may fairly be called our most 

 common and variable species. It is 

 recorded in nearly every local list of 

 fungi. The pileus is convex, hemis- 

 pherical or even subconical. It may be 

 glabrous, minutely tomentose, subvel- 

 vety or squamulose. The flesh is white 

 or whitish and sometimes slightly change- 

 able where wounded. The tubes are gen- 

 erally rather long and with a rounded or 

 convex surface. The stem is distinctly 

 scabrous or roughened with small black- 

 ish-brown or reddish dots or scales, the 

 ground color generally being whitish, 

 grayish or pallid. The spores have 

 been described as pale-brown and light- 

 yellowish. When caught in a mass on white paper they appear 

 to me to approach snuff-brown. The viscidity of the pileus is not 

 always clearly discernible. Indeed the pileus is often quite as dry as in 

 B. versipellis. When moistened by heavy rains it sometimes is smooth 

 and clammy to the touch but scarcely viscid. Several varieties have 

 been indicated which are expressive of the variations in the color of the 

 pileus. 



Var. testa ceus. Pileus brick-red. 

 Var. auranti'acus. Pileus orange or orange-red. 

 These appear to connect this species and B. versipellis. 

 Var. aluta'ceus. Pileus yellowish-tan color. 

 Var. fuligin'eus. Pileus fuliginous or cinereous-fuliginous. 

 Var. ftis'cus. Pileus brown or dark-brown. 

 Var. oliva'ceus. Pileus olivaceous. 



Var. ni'veus. Pileus white, when old sometimes stained with blue or 

 livid-blue. 



To these might be added : 



BOLETUS SCABER. 

 One-half natural size. 



462 



