478 



MUSHROOMS 



MUSHROOMS 



rather common and of inviting color. They vary 

 from light buff to golden yellow, and the delicate 

 appearance of the plant is unmistakable. The spe- 

 cies more commonly used are Clavaria formosa, 

 C. aurea, and C. botrytes (Fig. 708). 



Somewhat like the preceding in general appear- 

 ance are a few toothed fungi, which grow on 



Fig. 708. Clavaria botrytes. Edible. 



decaying trunks or limbs. These plants belong to 

 the genus Hydnum, and they are found only in 

 wooded regions, usually in the presence of abundant 

 moisture. The fungus body may consist of a very 

 much branched structure, the branches ultimately 

 terminating in teeth. The characteristic species 

 are cream white and they are of good texture. 

 The best known forms are the Coral Hydnum, H. 

 coralloides, and the Satyr's Beard, H. erinaceus. 

 There are also two important members of this 

 genus which have an irregular umbrella shape, 

 the lower surface of the pileus in these cases 

 being studded with teeth (Fig. 709). Both species 

 are edible and of good flavor. They are frequently 

 found in unusual abundance in mountain woods, in 

 situations favorable for the Clavarias above men- 

 tioned, in the late summer and early autumn. 



If there is one gi-oup of the fleshy fungi well 

 known to all who have had opportunities to know 

 the products of the pasture and meadow, this group 

 is that of the puffballs. The pufllballs are all 

 edible, and many of the larger species are some of 

 the most valuable of our fleshy fungi. If collected 

 and used when the flesh is white, discarded always 

 when old, or when the flesh has begun to change 

 in color, no suspicious or injurious qualities can be 

 assigned to this group. The larger species are 

 sometimes very abundant, and a single plant may 

 furnish a delicate accessory dish for a whole 

 family. Among the valuable species several may 

 be mentioned. Calvatia cyathiforme, the beaker- 

 shaped puflball, is common in pastures throughout 

 the United States. It is a plant of the early 

 autumn, and is most abundant when the season is 



moist and cool. It is a favorite food of insects, 

 but since the latter are comparatively inactive 

 during cool weather, that is the season when they 

 are to be expected in greatest profusion. This 

 puffball is at first white and later may become 

 purplish brown, or white with a slight tint of 

 brown. The flesh is firm and pure white even until 

 full size is attained. The plant may attain a diam- 

 eter of as much as five or six inches. With age it 

 becomes spongy, and the plant difl'erentiates into 

 a mass of purple-brown threads and spores ; this 

 gradually wears away, leaving a purple-col- 

 ored basal cup or beaker, which may be 

 found in the pastures for months after the 

 spores have blown away. The Giant Puif ball 

 (Calvatia gigantea) is also found in pastures, 

 but it may appear in gardens and meadows 

 as well. It has been found of a diameter of 

 more than two feet, and can frequently be 

 had sixteen to eighteen inches across. Thus 

 far it has not been possible to cultivate any of 

 these species of puffballs, but in recent years the 

 use of these plants has become very much more 

 general, perhaps because of the recognition of the 

 very deflnite characters of the group. Even the 

 smaller members of the puffballs may be used 

 when the flesh is white and tender. 



An entirely different class of mushrooms, and 

 one which indeed includes the truffles and terfas, 

 is of further economic importance as furnishing, 

 in practically all north temperate regions of the 



Pig. 709. Hydnum repandum. Edible. 



earth, some of the most highly prized of the mush- 

 rooms, namely, the morels. There are several spe- 

 cies of the morels, the chief one being Morchella 

 esculenia (Fig. 710), the common morel (in German 



