FIELD BOOK OF COMMON GILLED MUSHROOMS 



ish at the margin. Flesh white or whitish; taste mild; 

 I to 3 inches in diameter. 



Gills extending to but not attached to the stem (adnexed) ; 

 thin; close together; slightly rounded near the stem; pale 

 yellow, becoming tinged with green and purplish brown when 

 old (from the ripening spores). 



Stem rather slender; cylindric or nearly so; firm; hollow; 

 slightly fibrillose (with fine longitudinal fibres); whitish or 

 yellowish at upper end, reddish-brown at lower end; 2 to 3 

 inches long. 



Spores purplish-brown; slightly oval; smooth; 6-8 x 3-4 

 microns in diameter. 



This mushroom closely resembles hypholoma sublateritium, 

 its distinguishing features being its smaller size, paler margin 

 of the pileus (cap); mild taste, paler and more slender stem, 

 which is always hollow, even when young. Peck. 



This species occurs abundantly on stumps and roots of 

 deciduous trees in autumn, appearing in conspicuous clusters 

 (reddish) of considerable size. It is edible but not very 

 good in quality, being useful because of its very late appear- 

 ance. Peck separated it in 1872 from Hypholoma sub- 

 lateritium chiefly because it lacked the bitter taste ascribed 

 to that species, of which it may be only a form. In collecting 

 this species for food, young and fresh specimens of mild 

 flavor should be selected and they should be cooked for at 

 least 30 minutes. Murrill. 



^ Hypholoma sublateritium; brick-red hypholoma; brick- 

 tops. Species 66. Figure 22 



On or about old stumps, ^prostrate tree trunks and on 

 decaying wood covered with earth; commonly in tufts; 

 August to November; edible. 



Cap dark brick-red, often paler on the margin; convex or 

 196 



