53 



The Ivory Hygrophorus. 



(Hygrophorus eburneus) Plate V. 



This very pretty mushr x>m is found in immense quautities in 

 our moist pine woods on north slopes. Owing to the very slimy 

 coat of gluten which covers cap and stem, causing it often to slip 

 from your hands like an eel, it is not an agreeable plant to handle; 

 but when cleaned nicely and cooked into a stew, we lose all 

 thought of its disagreeable exterior in admiration of its delicate 

 oyster flavor To the writer this flavor excels that of any of the 

 former mushrooms, and makes it one of the most savory ever 

 tasted. It has a decidedly vegetable rather than meat flavor, 

 with a delicate reminder of oyster or clam. Its ivory-like color 

 and lustre, together with its slimy coat, well serve to distinguish 

 it from any of the other white mushrooms, many of which are 

 found in our forests and at a distance can hardly be distinguished 

 from the Ivory Hygrophorus. It is widely distributed in Europe 

 and America, and tons upon tons could be collected on any of our 

 wooded hills from September to far into December, if the tempera- 

 ture will allow, as it did this year. The plants vary much in size v 

 from i to 4 inches wide, and from 2^/2 to 6 inches high. The 

 gills are white like the rest of the plant, and are conspicuously 

 "decurrent", that is they run down the stem from the cap for 

 quite a distance. The stem is generally bent over to one side, 

 and oftenest tapers downwards. The pileus or cap is moderately 

 thick, generally flat or convex, though at times as the plant 

 grows older it becomes tilted upwards, and is always incurved 

 along the edge when yonng. The spores are white. Many oth- 

 er species of this interesting genus are to be found abundantly in 

 our fir woods, or in forests of mingled pine and fir, but the discus- 



PLATE 12. Fly Amanita, Amanita muscaria. Poisonous One- 

 half natural size. F V. Coville, Circular No. 13, Department of Agri- 

 culture, Division of Botany, "Observations on Recent Cases of Mush- 

 room Poisoning- in the District of Columbia". 



