Fungi with Gills 
Stem or Stite—Usually reddish brown, paler above than below. 
Uniform in thickness, narrowed or slightly thickened at the 
base. Firm externally; soft and spongy, or hollow 
within. 1-6 inches long. 
Ring or Annulus—Cottony to 
membranous, sometimes 
lacking in old plants. 
Gills or Lamelle — Simply 
joined to the stem or run- 
ning down it. White or 
whitish ; sometimes va- 
riegated with reddish- 
brown spots. 
Spores—White, elliptical. 
Flesh—White or whitish. 
Section of A. mellea Taste unpleasant or acrid. 
Quality inferior. 
Habitat—Common in woods or in cleared land, on the ground or 
on decayed wood. Solitary or clustered. 
Zime—Abundant in September. Found in June. 
Var. obscura has cap covered with numerous small, blackish 
scales. 
Var. flava has cap yellow or reddish yellow. 
Var. glabra has cap smooth. 
Var. radicata has tapering stem which penetrates the earth 
deeply. 
Var. bulbosa has bulbous base. 
Var. exannulata has cap smooth, margin even, stem tapering, 
annulus slight and evanescent, or wholly wanting. 
The Armillaria mellea has a disagreeable taste when raw, but 
when cooked it is thought by some to'be very good. Dr. Peck says 
he does not know of any unwholesome species for which it may 
be mistaken. The Armillaria mellea has the habit, very unusual 
for a member of the group of Agaracales, of producing from its my- 
celial threads tuber-like masses of fungal substances from which 
the fruiting capsarise. The fungal masses of the Armillaria, 
the so-called sclerotia, are ribbon or string like, and may be 
found between the wood and bark of cone-bearing trees. These 
sclerotia send out cylindrical branches, called rhizomorphs, 
which may penetrate the soil and attack the roots of other trees, 
and so continue their work of destruction in the forest. 
Ob-scii’-r& Gla’-bri Bul-bd'-si 
Flav'-4 Rad-1-ca'-t& Ex-Sn!-nii-14'-t& 
62 
