92 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



This beautiful and quite distinct species has commonly been con- 

 fused with L a c c a r i a lac cat a (Scop.) B. & Br. or considered 

 a mere variety of it; but to me it appears to be distinct in its 

 violaceous color, slender hollow stem, peculiar habitat, commonly 

 smaller size and more rare occurrence. It is easily recognized and 

 the change of color between the moist and the dry state is strongly 

 marked. 



Laccaria laccata (Scop.) B. & Br. in part 



LACCATE LACCARIA WAXY CLITOCYBE 

 N. Y. State Mus. Rep't 48, p.175, pl.2S, fig.i-13 



Pileus fleshy, rather thin, convex or nearly plane, sometimes um- 

 bilicate or centrally depressed, hygrophanous, glabrous, furfuraceous 

 or minutely squamulose, pale red, buff red or flesh red when moist, 

 pale ochraceous, grayish or buff when dry, margin even; lamellae 

 rather broad, thick, subdistant, adnate or decurrent, flesh color or 

 pale flesh color; stem long or short, nearly or quite equal, fibrous, 

 firm, straight or flexuous, stuffed, colored like the pileus; spores 

 globose, verruculose, 8-10 /x in diameter. 



Pileus 1.2-5 cm broad; stem 2.5-7.5 cm long, 2-6 mm thick. 



Solitary, gregarious or cespitose. Woods, groves, swamps, mossy 

 places and pastures in wet, dry or sandy soil and even in sphagnum. 

 Common. May to October. Edible. 



This is the most common and the most variable species of the 

 genus. It is not at all particular concerning its habitat, soil nor 

 season. It may be found at any time from spring to late autumn if 

 the weather is not too dry. As in other species the color of the 

 lamellae is more persistent than that of the pileus, and is one of the 

 most available characters by which to separate this species from any 

 of the preceding. 



On account of its variability many varieties have been designated 

 by European mycologists. We recognize among our specimens only 

 two varieties : var. pallidi folia Pk. (N. Y. State Mus. 

 Rep't 48, p. 176, pi. 25, fig.19-22) differing from the type in having 

 the lamellae very pale, barely tinged with flesh color; and var. 

 decurrens Pk. in which the lamellae are distinctly decurrent or 

 arcuate decurrent. As an edible species it is not to be classed as 

 first quality. It is inclined to be tough and not highly flavored. 



