40 CIRCULAR 143, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
decurrent by a tooth, creamy when young, purplish olivaceous, sometimes with 
a sooty tinge when mature; the stem is firm, stuffed, attenuated downward, 
smooth or fibrillose, scaly, light yellowish, rust colored below: the veil is at 
first white, becoming dark, and may for a time adhere to the margin of the cap. 
The cap is 2 to 3 inches broad; the stem is 8 to 4 inches long and 83 to 5 
lines thick. 
This species appears very abundantly in the fall, producing large clusters 
around rotten stumps or decayed prostrate logs.. The European form of this 
plant is reported as bitter and regarded as poisonous. The American form has 
been frequently eaten, although it has little to recommend it as a delicacy. 
Catchup has been made from it, but the success of the experiment was doubtless 
due move to the addition 
of condiments than to 
the flavor of the mush- 
rooms, 
HYPHOLOMA PERPLEXUM, 
PERPLEXING HYPHOLOMA 
In this species the cap 
is convex, expanding to 
nearly plane, sometimes 
umbonate, smooth, red- 
dish, or brownish red, 
margin yellowish; the 
flesh is white or whitish ; 
the gills are thin, close 
rounded at inner extrem- 
ity, first pale yellow 
then greenish, later pur- 
plish brown; the stem 
is equal, hollow, fibril- 
lose, yellowish above, 
reddish-brown below. 
The cap is 1 to 8 
inches broad; the stem 
is 2 to 3 inches long and 
2 to 4 lines thick. 
Hypholoma sublateri- 
tium and H. perplerum 
are very closely related, 
FIGURE 37.—Coprinus comatus. (Edible) and by some authorities 
the latter is regarded as 
only a variety of H. sublateritium, while certain mycologists consider the two 
species identical. Peck* states that H. perplerum may be distinguished by its 
smaller size, more hollow stem, the yellowish-greenish and purplish tints of the 
gills, and the absence of a bitter flavor. Like H. sublateritium, this species 
occurs abundantly in the fall about stumps or logs, often continuing until freez- 
ing weather. The plants grow in clusters and the caps are frequently discolored 
by the falling spores. 
COPRINUS 
The genus Coprinus is easily recognized by the black spores and 
the close gills, which at maturity dissolve into an inky fluid. The 
stem is hollow, smooth or fibrillose. The volva and ring are not 
generic characters, but are sometimes present. ‘The plants are more 
or less fragile and occur on richly manured ground, on dung, or on 
rotten tree trunks. The genus contains species of excellent flavor 
and delicate consistency. 
COPRINUS COMATUS. SHAGGY MANE. (EDIBLE ) 
(Fig. 37) 
In this species the cap is oblong, bell-shaped, not fully expanding, fleshy at 
center, moist, cuticle separating into scales that are sometime white, sometimes 
® PECK, CHARLES H. Op. cit. 
