10 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 



translucent-striate when moist. These lines are usually not visible on 

 faded specimens. This difference, taken together with the change in 

 color from the moist to the dry and faded condition, produces a marked 

 change in the appearance of the cap. In interpreting the character of 

 striation one must also guard against the effect of excessive soaking by 

 constant rain, as badly water-soaked specimens may show the charac- 

 ter to some extent in species not ordinarily having it. 



Characters of the Context — The context exhibits a number of 

 important characters though not as many as the pileus surface. The 

 color may be important but is usually a paler shade of the prevailing 

 color of the pileus. It is especially important if it differs markedly from 

 the pileus color. Often the context is white to pallid at first and slowly 

 takes on the color of the pileus. More important are marked color 

 changes when the context is injured. It may blacken, turn red, brown, 

 or occasionally olive. These changes are often used as key characters. 

 In both H. conicus and H. singeri the flesh blackens on bruising; in H. 

 olivascens it stains brownish; and in H. ovinus it soon becomes reddish. 

 Certain characters not yet adequately recorded for North American 

 species are those associated with contact of the context with certain 

 chemicals, such as potassium hydroxide, ferrous sulphate, and Melzer's 

 reagent. 



Odor of the context is important if it departs from the normal which 

 is mild or a slight "fungus" odor. There are several specific odors, each 

 distinctive for one or a few species in a series. In H. westii and H. 

 subfuscescens var. odora it is disagreeable — a rather generalized cate- 

 gory. In H. saxatilis it resembles dried peaches. In H. agathosmus, H. 

 monticola, and others it reminds one of cherry pits or bitter almonds. 

 In H. tennesseensis it resembles raw potatoes; in H. foetens, chloride 

 of lime; in H. rainier -ensis, freshly husked green corn. In H. nitratus 

 it is nitrous, raphanoid in H. spadiceus var. odorus, and mephitic in H. 

 mephiticus and H. auratocephalus. As can be seen the problem of odor 

 is difficult as to nomenclature as well as the chemistry involved. 



Taste — Taste, another chemical character, presents the same dif- 

 ficulties as does odor, or more so because of various taste factors in 

 the human population. Bitter is a common category in agarics gener- 

 ally, and one not too difficult to deal with, but with some people it 

 fails to register. A few Hygrophori have it, namely H. reai and H. 

 pallidus. Farinaceous, a flavor very common in some genera such as 

 Lyophyllum, is rare in Ilygrophorus. Both the odor and the taste must 

 be determined from fresh specimens, preferably those not yet com- 

 pletely mature to avoid any odors caused by yeast or bacterial infec- 

 tion, and a number of collections should be tested. When specimens are 



