base, white, stout, striate, villous at
base. The spores are subglobose, 4-5x4u.

The plants grow in pine woods and along the margins of mixed woods,
frequently by roadsides. It is usually found in October and November.
The plants in Figure 63 were found near Waltham, Mass., and were sent to
me by Mrs. E. B. Blackford. This is said to even excel T. personatum in
edible qualities.

_Clitocybe. Fr._

Clitocybe is from two Greek words, a hillside, or declivity, and a head;
so called from the central depression of the pileus.

The genus Clitocybe differs from Tricholoma in the character of the
gills. They are attached to the stem by the whole width and usually are
prolonged down the stem or decurrent. This is the first genus with
decurrent gills. The genus has neither a volva nor a ring and the spores
are white. The stem is elastic, spongy within, frequently hollow and
extremely fibrous, continuous with the pileus.

The pileus is generally fleshy, growing thin toward the margin, plane or
depressed or funnel-shaped, and with margin incurved. The universal
veil, if present at all, is seen only on the margin of the pileus like
frost or silky dew.

These plants usually grow on the ground and frequently in groups, though
a few may be found on decayed wood.

The Collybia, Mycena, and Omphalia have cartilaginous stems, while the
stem of the Clitocybe is extremely fibrous, and the Tricholoma is
distinguished by its notched gills.

This genus, because of the variations in its species, will always be
puzzling to the beginner, as it is to experts. We may easily decide it
is a Clitocybe because of the gills squarely meeting the stem, or
decurrent upon it, and its external fibrous stem, but to locate the
species is quite a different matter.

_Clitocybe media. Pk._

THE INTERMEDIATE CLITOCYBE. EDIBLE.

[Illustration: Figure 64.--Clitocybe media. One-half natural size.]

Media is from _medius_, middle; it is so called because it is
intermediate between C. nebularis and C. clavipes. It is not as
plentiful as either of the others in our woods.

The pileus is grayish-brown or blackish-brown, always darker than C.
nebularis. The flesh is white and farinaceous in taste.

The gills are rather broad, not crowded, adnate and decurrent, white,
with few transverse ridges or veins in the spaces between the gills.

The stem is one to two inches long, usually tapering upward, paler
than the pileus, rather elastic, smooth. The s