REPORT OF THE STATE BOTANIST I909 4I 



Boletus viridarius Frost 

 GREEN LAWN BOLETUS 



PLATE 120, FIG. I-IO 



Pileus fleshy, convex, viscid when moist, glabrous, dingy whitish, 

 pale ochraceous reddish yellow or pale orange, inclining to reddish 

 brown, flesh whitish or yellowish, unchangeable; tubes from plane 

 to convex, usually slightly depressed around the stem, their mouths 

 small or medium size, subrotund, the dissepiments at first whitish, 

 becoming yellowish or yellowish brown when mature; stem equal 

 or slightly tapering upward, solid, white or yellowish and distinctly 

 reticulated above the slight white annulus, pallid, reddish or brown- 

 ish below, whitish or yellowish within ; spores oblong-fusiform, 

 .0003-0005 of an inch long, .00016-.00024 broad (8-12x4-6 m). 



Pileus 1-5 inches broad; stem 1-2.5 inches long, 3-6 lines thick. 



Grassy ground near pine trees. September and October. Pough- 

 keepsie. Miss H. L. Palliser. 



This species is related to B o 1 e t u s f 1 a v u s With, by the 

 stem being reticulate above the annulus, but it is far more vari- 

 able in the color of the pileus and stem, and it also differs in the 

 character of the margin of the pileus, which is often incurved 

 and appendiculate by the remains of the white veil. In none of the 

 specimens seen do I find any green hues, nor is anything said of 

 green or greenish colors in the original description of the species 

 by Mr Frost. We can therefore only infer that the specific name 

 was suggested by the green grassy places in which this Boletus 

 grows. 



Its edible qualities have been tested both by Miss Palliser and 

 myself and are considered excellent. The pileus is generally soiled 

 by fragments of dirt or other matter, by reason of which it is bet- 

 ter to remove the separable viscid cuticle before cooking. The 

 plants vary in size. Those appearing in September are larger than 

 those appearing in October. The tubes when young are whitish 

 or pale yellow and where wounded assume a pale brownish or 

 fawn color; when older they become brownish yellow and wounds 

 assume a darker brown hue. The veil is white and in the later 

 specimens appears to be more fully developed and more persistent 

 than in the earlier ones. Its fragments in the later ones often 

 adhere to the margin of the cap. 



