is nearly of a uniform color,
and the color varies from rose, to rose purple, violet, or lilac. Plants
from the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina were chiefly rose
purple, very young plants of a much deeper color (auricula purple of
Ridgeway), while those collected at Ithaca were violet. The plants vary
from 5--8 cm. high, the cap 2--3 cm. broad, and the stem 2--4 mm. stout.
The plants are scattered or somewhat clustered, sometimes occurring
singly, and again many covering a small area of ground.

The =pileus= is thin, conic, bell-shaped to convex and nearly expanded,
sometimes with a small umbo, smooth, and finely striate on the margin,
in age the striae sometimes rugulose from the upturning of the margin.
Sometimes the pileus is rugose on the center. The =gills= vary from
white to violet, rose, etc., they are adnate to sinuate, and in age
sometimes become free by breaking away from the stem. They are broad in
the middle, connected by vein-like elevations over the surface, and
sometimes wavy and crenate on the edge, the edge of the gills sometimes
white. The =spores= are white, oblong, 2.5--3.5 x 6--7 mu, smooth. The
=basidia= are cylindrical, 20--25 x 3--4 mu, four-spored. There are a few
=cystidia= in the hymenium, colorless, thin walled, clavate, the portion
above the hymenium cylindrical, and 30--40 x 10--12 mu.

The =stem= is sometimes white when young, but later becomes of the same
color as the pileus, often a lighter shade above. It is straight, or
ascending, cylindrical, even, smooth, hollow, with a few white threads
at the base.

Sometimes on drying the pileus becomes deeper in color than when fresh.
The gills also become deeper in color in drying, though the edge remains
white if white when fresh. Figure 97 is from plants (No. 3946, C. U.
herbarium) collected at Blowing Rock, N. C., in August, 1899. The plants
are often considerably larger than shown in the figure.

[Illustration: FIGURE 98.--Mycena epipterygia. Cap viscid, grayish,
often tinged with yellowish or reddish in age, gills white, sometimes
tinged with blue or red, stem yellowish, or same color as cap (natural
size). Copyright.]

=Mycena epipterygia= Scop.--This pretty little species is quite readily
distinguished by the gray, conic or bell-shaped cap, the long, hollow,
slender stem, and the viscid pellicle or skin which is quite easily
peeled off from the stem or cap when moist. It grows in woods or grassy
places, or among moss, etc.