GENERA AND SPECIES OF MUSHROOMS 



dingy or reddish-spotted when old; notched at the inner 

 extremity where they are attached to the stem. 



Stem whitish, usually becoming reddish-brown toward the 

 base; about as long as the diameter of the cap; often pithy 

 when young and hollow when old; 2 to 4 inches long. 



Spores white; nearly globular; .0002 inch broad. 



This plant seems to prefer a light sandy or gravelly soil. 

 It sometimes grows in company with Tricholoma imbricatum 

 in groves of young spruce, balsam-fir and tamarack trees. 

 Its edible qualities are similar to those of Tricholoma im- 

 bricatum, from which it is easily known when moist, by 

 reason of the viscidity (stickiness) of its cap. Peck. 



The genus Volvaria 



Volvaria, a rather rare genus, takes its name from the 

 volva or sheath or cup surrounding the base of the stem, but 

 which entirely envelops the plant when it is young. The 

 genus is characterized by its rosy or reddish spores, the 

 presence of the volva or cup and the absence of any ring on 

 the stem. 



Species of Volvaria 



Volvaria bombycina; silky volvaria. Plate XVI, Species 

 128. 



On rotting wood, leaf mould and richly manured ground; 

 world-wide in distribution; not common; singly or rarely in 

 tufts; June to October; edible. 



Cap more or less globular when young, bell-shaped and 

 later convex when mature; beautiful white, covered with a 

 silky down. Old specimens may appear scaly. Flesh white 

 and not very thick; 2 to 8 inches broad. 



Gills free from the stem; close together; very broad at the 

 middle; flesh-colored; edge sometimes ragged. 



Stem tapering upward; smooth; solid; white; with a large 

 263 



