No. 15.] HYMENIALES OF CONNECTICUT. 39 



habitat. It occurs as a frequent parasite on living trees. The 

 myceUum gains entrance to the tree through some wound, and 

 makes a rapid growth within the host tissue, absorbing the nutri- 

 tive substances. The fungus will grow on all wood tissues, tree 

 trunks, decaying stumps, and soil filled with decaying wood 

 tissue. Large clusters were found in Mansfield, growing in soil 

 where a portable saw-mill had once been. The cap varies from 

 light to dark brown, and in, size is also variable. The plant 

 grows in dense clusters, and the caps are often crowded and dis- 

 torted because of this habit of dense growth. They vary from one- 

 half inch to two inches in diameter. Their surface is usually very 

 moist and viscid. As in C. radicata, the stem is the characteristic 

 feature of the species. It is from one to three or four inches long 

 and about one-fourth of an inch thick. When the habitat of the 

 plant is a stump, this stem is usually curved. Its most striking 

 character, however, is its dense covering of brown velvety hairs. 

 The plant is occasionally found throughout the season, but is 

 more abundant during the fall months. 



Collybia esculenta Wulf. Described by Cooke as the best 

 edible Collybia. It has never been collected by the writer. Mr. 

 C. C. Hanmer of East Hartford reports the species. The plant 

 is described by Mcllvaine as — " small in size, cap one-half inch 

 or more broad, ochraceous-clay, often becoming dusky, slightly 

 fleshy, convex, then plane, orbicular, obtuse, smooth, even, or 

 when old slightly striate. Flesh tough, white, savor>'. Stem one 

 inch and more long, scarcely one-twelfth of an inch thick, or 

 thread-like, and wholly equal, obsoletely tubed, tough, stiff and 

 straight, even, smooth, slightly shining, clay-yellow, with a long 

 perpendicular, commonly smooth, tail-like root. Gills adnexed, 

 even decurrent, with a very thin, small tooth, then separating, 

 very broad, limber, somew^hat distant, whitish, sometimes clay- 

 colored." 



MYCENA Fr. 



Like Marasmius, this genus contains few edible species. The 

 small size of most of the species makes their use for food 

 impracticable. 



Mycena galericulata Scop., however, usually occurs in large 

 numbers clustered on logs and stumps in woodlands. This is 

 considered a desirable edible species. The cap is more or less 



