Pileus coriaceous, tough, repeatedly branched; the branches slender or filiform, tomentose. Hymenium amphigenous. Fungi slender and much branched, terrestrial, but sometimes growing on wood.

_Lachnocladium semivest.i.tum. B. & C._

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 400.--Lachnocladium semivest.i.tum.]

Pileus, much branched from a slender stem of variable length, expanded at the angles; the branches filiform, straight, somewhat fasciculate, smooth at the tips and paler in color.

This is quite a common specimen on our north hillsides. It is white and quite fragile. Found in damp places in August and September.

_Lachnocladium Micheneri. B. & C._

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 401.--Lachnocladium Micheneri.]

Coriaceous, tough, pale or whitish; stem well marked, branching from a point, branches numerous, tips pointed; white tomentum at the base of the stem.

This plant is very abundant here and is found very generally over the United States. It grows on fallen leaves in woods, after a rain, being found from July to October.

CHAPTER XI.

TREMELLINI FR.

Tremellini is from _tremo_, to tremble. The whole plant is gelatinous, with the exception, occasionally, of the nucleus. The sporoph.o.r.es are large, simple or divided. Spicules elongated into threads. _Berk._

The following genera are included:

Tremella--Immarginate. Hymenium universal.

Exidia--Margined. Hymenium superior.

Hirneola--Cartilaginous, ear-shaped, attached by a point.

_Tremella. Fr._

This plant is so called because the entire plant is gelatinous, tremulous, and without a definite margin, and also without nipple-like elevations.

_Tremella lutescens. Fr._

YELLOWISH TREMELLA. EDIBLE.

This is a small gelatinous cl.u.s.ter, tremulous, convoluted, in wavy folds, pallid, then yellowish, with its lobes crowded and entire. Quite common over the state. It is found on decaying limbs and stumps from July to winter. It dries during absence of rain but revives and becomes tremulous during wet weather. It is called lutescens because of its yellowish color.

_Tremella mesenterica. Retz._

Mesenterica is from two Greek words meaning the mesentery. The plant varies in size and form, sometimes quite flat and thin but generally ascending and strongly lobed; plicated, and convoluted; gelatinous but firm; lobes short, smooth, covered with a frost-like bloom by the white spores at maturity. The spores are broadly elliptical. Common in the woods on decaying sticks and branches.

_Tremella albida. Hud._

THE WHITISH TREMELLA. EDIBLE.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 402.--Tremella albida. Natural size.]

Albida, whitish. This plant is very common in the woods about Chillicothe, and everywhere in the state where beech, sugar-maple, and hickory prevail.

It is whitish, becoming dingy-brown when dry; expanded, tough, undulated, even, more or less gyrose, pruinose. It breaks the bark and spreads in irregular and scalloped ma.s.ses; when moist it has a gelatinous consistency, a soft and clammy touch, yielding like a ma.s.s of gelatine. Its spores are oblong, obtuse, curved, marked with tear-like spots, almost transparent, 12-144-5. The specimen represented in Figure 402 was found near Sandusky and photographed by Dr. Kellerman.

_Tremella mycetophila. Pk._

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 403.--Tremella mycetophila.]

Mycetophila is from two Greek words, _mycetes_, fungi; _phila_, fond of.

The plant is so called because it is found growing upon other fungi.

Often nearly round, somewhat depressed, circling in folds, sometimes in quite large ma.s.ses about the stems of the plant, as will be seen in Figure 403, tremelloid-fleshy, slightly pruinose, a dirty white or yellowish.

I have found it frequently growing on Collybia drophila, as is the case in Figure 403. Captain McIlvaine speaks in his book of finding this plant parasitic on Marasmius oreades in quite a large ma.s.s for this plant. I can verify the statement for I have found it on M. oreades during damp weather in August and September. It has a pleasant taste.

_Tremella fimbriata. Pers._

Fimbriata is from _frimbriae_, a fringe.

It is very soft and gelatinous, olivaceous inclining to black, tufted, two to three inches high, and quite as broad, erect, lobes flaccid, corrugated, cut at the margin, which gives rise to the name of species; spores are nearly pear shaped. Found on dead branches, stumps, and on fence-rails in damp weather. Easily known by its dark color.

_Tremellodon. Pers._

Tremellodon means trembling tooth.

These plants are gelatinous, with a cap or pileus; the hymenium covered with acute gelatinous spines, awl-shaped and equal. The basidia are nearly round with four rather stout, elongated sterigmata, spores very nearly round.

_Tremellodon gelatinosum. Pers._

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 405.--Tremellodon gelatinosum.]

Gelatinosum means full of jelly or jelly-like, from _gelatina_, jelly.

The pileus is dimidiate, gelatinous, tremelloid, one to three inches broad, rather thick, extended behind into a lateral thick, stem-like base, pileus covered with a greenish-brown bloom, very minutely granular.

The hymenium is watery-gray, covered with hydnum-like teeth, stout, acute, equal, one to two inches long, whitish, soft, inclined to be glaucous. The spores are nearly round, 7-8.