_Sublateritium is from sub, under, and later, a brick._ The pileus is brick-red, with pale yellowish border; the surface is covered with fine silky fibres; fleshy, moist, and firm; the cap is from two to four inches broad; remnants of the veil are often seen on the margin; flesh creamy, firm, and bitter.

The gills are creamy when young, olive when old; attached to the stem at inner extremity, rather narrow, crowded, and unequal.

The stem is creamy when young, lower part slightly tinged with red, hollow or stuffed, having silky fibres on the surface, two to four inches long, often incurved because of position. The spores are sooty-brown and elliptical.

It grows in large cl.u.s.ters around old stumps. It is especially plentiful about Chillicothe. It is not equal to many others of the Hypholomas as an esculent. Sometimes it is bitter even after it is cooked. Captain McIlvaine gives a plausible reason when he says it may be due to the pa.s.sage of larvae through the flesh of the plant. It is found from September to early winter.

_Hypholoma perplexum. Pk._

THE PERPLEXING HYPHOLOMA. EDIBLE.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 266.--Hypholoma perplexum. One-half natural size.

Caps brown, with a pale yellow margin.]

Perplexum means perplexing; so called because it is quite difficult to distinguish it from H. sublateritium, also from H. fascicularis. From the latter it may be known by its redder cap, its whitish flesh, purple-brown tint of the mature gills and mild flavor. Its smaller size, the greenish and purplish tint of the gills, and the slender hollow stem will aid in distinguishing it from H. perplexum.

The pileus is complex, fleshy, expanded, smooth, sometimes broadly and slightly umbonate, brown with a pale-yellow margin, disk sometimes reddish.

The gills are rounded, notched, easily separating from the stem, pale-yellow, greenish ash-color, finally purplish-brown, thin, quite close.

The stem is nearly equal, firm, hollow, slightly fibrillose, yellowish or whitish above and reddish-brown below. The spores are elliptical and purplish brown.

This plant is very abundant in Ohio. It grows about old stumps, but a favorite habitat seems to be upon old sawdust piles. I have found it after we have had considerable freezing weather. The plants in the figure were frozen when I found them, the 27th of November. Dr.

McIlvaine says in his book, "If the collector gets puzzled, as he will, over one or all of these species, because no description fits, he can whet his patience and his appet.i.te by calling it H. perplexum and graciously eating it."

_Psilocybe. Pers._

_Psilocybe is from two Greek words, naked and head._ The spores are purple-brown or slate color. The pileus is smooth, at first incurved, brownish or purple. The stem is cartilaginous, ringless, tough, hollow, or stuffed, often rooting. Generally growing on the ground.

_Psilocybe foenisecii. Pers._

THE BROWN PSILOCYBE.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Photo by C. G. Lloyd._

Figure 267.--Psilocybe foenisecii. One-half natural size.]

Foenisecii means mown hay.

The pileus is somewhat fleshy, smoky-brown or brownish, convex, campanulate at first, then expanded; obtuse, dry, smooth.

The gills are firmly attached to the stem, ventricose, not crowded, brownish-umber.

The stem is hollow, straight, even, smooth, not rooting, white, covered with dust, then brownish.

Quite common in gra.s.sy lawns and fields after summer rains. I have never eaten it, but I have no doubt of its esculent qualities.

_Psilocybe spadicea. Schaeff._

THE BAY PSILOCYBE. EDIBLE.

Spadicea means bay or date-brown.

The pileus is fleshy, convex-plane, obtuse, even, moist, hygrophanous, bright bay-brown, paler when dry.

The gills are rounded behind, attached to stem, easily separating from it, narrow, dry, crowded, white, then rosy-brown or flesh-color.

The stem is hollow, tough, pallid, equal, smooth, one to two inches long. They grow in dense cl.u.s.ters where old stumps have been or where wood has decayed. The caps are small but very good. They are found from September to frost or freezing weather.

_Psilocybe ammophila. Mont._

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 268.--Psilocybe ammophila. Two-thirds natural size, showing the sand on the base.]

Ammophila is from two Greek words; ammos, sand, and philos, loving; so called because the plants seem to delight to grow in sandy soil.

The pileus is small, convex, expanded, umbilicate, at first hemispherical, rather fleshy, yellow, tinged with red, fibrillose.

The gills are smoky in color, with a decurrent tooth, powdered with the blackish spores.

The stem is soft, rather short, hollow, lower half clavate and sunk into the sand, striate. The spores are 128.

They are found in August and September. They delight in sandy soil, as the specific name indicates. The plants in the photograph were found near Columbus and photographed by Dr. Kellerman. It is quite common in sandy soil. I do not think it is edible. I should advise great caution in its use.

CHAPTER VI.

THE BLACK-SPORED AGARICS.

The genera belonging to this series have black spores. There is an entire absence of purple or brown shades. The genus Gomphidius, placed in this series for other reasons, has dingy-olivaceous spores.

_Coprinus. Pers._

Coprinus is from a Greek word meaning dung. This genus can be readily recognized from the black spores and from the deliquescence of the gills and cap into an inky substance. Many of the species grow in dung, as the name implies, or on recently manured ground. Some grow in flat rich ground, or where there has been a fill, or on dumping grounds; some grow on wood and around old stumps.

The pileus separates easily from the stem. The gills are membranaceous, closely pressed together. The spores, with few exceptions, are black.

Most of the species are edible, but many are of such small size that they are easily overlooked.

_Coprinus comatus. Fr._