REPORT OF THE STATE BOTANIST, 1898 675 



Hygrophorus puniceus Fr. 



Red Hygrophorus 

 Plate 58 Jig, 1-7 



Pileus thin, fragile, conical or campanulate, becoming expanded and 

 often wavy or lobed, glabrous, viscid, bright red, paler when old; 

 lamellae broad, thick, distant, yellow, often reddish ; stem equal or some- 

 what ventricose, hollow, yellow or red and yellow, usually white at ihe 

 base ; spores elliptic, .0003 to .0004 in. long, .0002 broad. 



The red Hygrophorus is a rather large but very tender fragile species. 

 Its bright red cap makes it a beautiful and conspicuous object. It is 

 however often irregular and lobed or split on the margin. Its color is 

 apt to fade to yellow when old. The whole plant is so fragile that it 

 must be handled with care to prevent its breaking in pieces. 



The gills are rather broad and moderately distant from each other. 

 Their color is yellow or red and yellow and their attachment to 

 the stem slight. The stem is rather thick and sometimes narrowed 

 toward each end. It is hollow, at least when mature and is usually 

 yellow at the top, red in the middle and white at the base. The cap is 

 I to 3 in. broad; stem 2 to 3 in. long, 4 to 6 lines thick. 



It grows in damp or mossy places both in woods and open grounds 

 and appears from July to September. It surpasses our other bright red 

 species in size. It may be separated from the carmine Hygrophorus, 

 H. coccincus^ by its larger size, the narrow attachment of the gills to the 

 stem and the white color of the base of the stem. From the vermilion 

 Hygrophorus, H. miniatiLS, it is distinguished by its glabrous viscid cap. 

 AU of these species are edible and no harm would come to the eater if 

 one should be mistaken for either of the others. The red Hygrophorus 

 is very tender and sapid and may be classed as an excellent though not 

 an abundant mushroom. 



Hygrophorus virgineus ( Wulf) Fr. 

 White Hygrophorus 

 Plate 58 fig. 8-12 

 Pileus fleshy, convex, often becoming plane or centrally depressed, 

 sometimes irregular or wavy on the thin margin, moist, white, flesh white, 

 taste mild ; lamellae thick, distant, decurrent, white ; stem firm, smooth, 

 solid, equal or tapering downward, white; spores elliptic, .00025 to .0003 

 in. long, .0002 broad. 



