REPORT OF THE STATE BOTANIST 1 904 



45 



grows in tufts or close clusters in rich soil, tan bark, sawdust or 

 decomposing vegetable matter. It is perhaps found quite as often 

 in greenhouses or conservatories as in the open air. Our specimens 

 were found growing in a bed of decaying sawdust in the open air. 

 The heat generated by the decaying sawdust was doubtless very 

 acceptable to it. A yellow form of the species is said to occur but I 

 have not met with it in my explorations. In my trial of its edible 

 qualities it seemed to me to have an excellent flavor but a slightly 

 tough texture. According to one author "the entire fungus is 

 tender and delicious cooked in any way." 



Hygrophorus nitidus B. & C. 



SHINING HYGROPHORUS 



PLATE 88, FIG. 1-7 



Pileus thin, fragile, convex, umbilicate, viscose, pale yellow, 

 shining, and striatulate on the margin when moist, whitish when 

 dry; lamellae arcuate, distant, decurrent, pale yellow; stem 

 slender, viscose, hollow, colored like the pileus; spores broadly 

 elliptic or subglobose, .00025-. 0003 of an inch long, .0002-. 00025 

 broad. 



The shining hygrophorus is a small species of a beautiful yellow 

 color throughout. Both cap and stem are very viscid and both are 

 fragile. The cap has a conspicuous central depression or umbilicus. 

 When moist, obscure radiating lines may be seen on the margin. 

 These are merely the shadowy appearance of the gills beneath and 

 are due to the thin translucent character of the margin. As the 

 moisture escapes from the cap it becomes whitish and the shadowy 

 lines disappear. The gills are wide apart and their inner end is 

 gradually narrowed and extends downward on the stem. In dried 

 specimens the interspaces are usually wrinkled or venose, specially 

 in large specimens. The stem is rather long in proportion to the 

 size of the cap. It is so viscid and fragile that it is difficult to pull a 

 specimen from the ground without breaking it. In some cases the 

 stem is gradually thickened as it enters the cap. It and the gills 

 usually retain their color longer than the cap. 



The cap is rarely more than 1 inch broad; the stem is 1.5-3 inches 

 long and 1-2 lines thick. The species is generally gregarious in its 

 mode of growth, but sometimes it is cespitose. It grows in moist 

 soil full of humus in swamps or low damp places. As an edible 

 mushroom it is not very important because of its small size, but it is 

 tender and agreeable in flavor and may sometimes be convenient to 

 add to a scanty supply of larger species. It is found in July and 

 August. 



