REPORT OF THE STATE BOTANIST I909 39 



gills have a pale creamy yellow color and become pruinosely dusted 

 bv the spores in the dried plant. They are at first broadly attached 

 to the stem but in specimens having the pileus centrally depressed 

 they become slightly decurrent. The stem is nearly or quite smooth, 

 hollow and colored like, but a little paler than the cap. It is 

 generally about equal to the diameter of the cap in length. In 

 the upland form it is shorter. 



The species is closely related toLactarius helvus Fr. of 

 Europe, which is said by Fries to occur in a degenerate form in 

 swamps and to have a rimose cap and watery milk. If we admit 

 thai Fries was correct in considering his watery milk lactarius a 

 degenerate form of his typical Lactarius helvus with 

 white milk, it still remains doubtful if our plant is the same as 

 his, as some have claimed. The reasons for considering it a dis- 

 tinct species are two. First, it is not always an inhabitant of 

 swamps, and, second, I have never found it with the cap rimose. 

 It may be added as a presumptive distinguishing feature that Fries 

 makes no mention of the very noticeable and long persistent odor 

 emitted by the drying and dried plants. The further fact that our 

 plant has never yet been found with white milk, even in its upland 

 growth, leads to the conclusion that it is certainly not a degenerate 

 form but a species constant in its milk character, and in its decided 

 and persistent c:!or and therefore worthy of specific distinction. 



Entoloma grande Pk. 



GRAND ENTOLOMA 



PLATE II9, FIG. I-5 



Pileus fleshy, thin toward the margin, glabrous, convex becoming 

 nearly plane, often broadly umbonate, sometimes rugosely wrinkled 

 about the umbo, moist in wet weather, yellowish white or grayish 

 brown, flesh white, odor and taste at first farinaceous, then some- 

 times leaving a disagreeable sensation in the mouth ; lamellae broad, 

 subdistant, slightly adnexecl, whitish becoming pink; stem equal 

 or nearly so, solid, slightly fibrous externally, mealy at the top, 

 white; spores angular, .0003-.0004 of an inch in diameter (8-io/<). 



The grand entoloma is a large but rare mushroom. It has been 

 found in a single locality near Albany twice in 13 years. It has been 

 found once in the state of Vermont by Professor Burt. It is one 

 of the few species of the genus Entoloma that have a farinaceous 

 taste and odor. It- grows in woods and occurs in August. It is 



