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LEUCOPAXILLUS
cream, or pale tan on the disk, margin inrolled at first, sometimes irregular and
ribbed, flesh white, firm, rather thick, taste bitter and disagreeable, odor
unpleasant, lamellae short-decurrent with anastomosing lines at apex of
stipe, narrow, close to subdistant, whitish to yellowish in age, separating readily
from the context, stipe 1 1/4-3 Vi in. long. J4-1 in. thick, at first bulbous and
tapering upward, then elongating and becoming nearly equal, white or tinged
buff, glabrous or fibrillose to strigose toward the base, solid, spores white,
elHpsoid, rough, amyloid, 5.5-8 X 4.5-5 ju-
Usually gregarious to single on beds of needles in conifer woods. Aug.-
Oct.
The bitter taste, anastomosing ridges at the apex of the stipe and the
development of yellowish colors distinguish this variety. L. albissimus var.
albissimus is pure white. The fruit bodies persist a long time without decaying.
It has been reported edible in spite of the bitter taste.
LEUCOPAXILLUS GIGANTEUS (Fr.) Sing. *
Figures 170, 171, page 109
Edible
PILEUS 4-12 in. or more broad, at first convex to plane, then becoming
depressed and finally infundibuHform, dry or sHghtly moist, glabrous to
slightly pubescent at the margin, whitish to buff or tan, margin at first inrolled,
then spreading and becoming ribbed, sometimes splitting, flesh white or
whitish, thick, firm becoming softer, taste mild, lamellae slightly decurrent,
crowded, at first whitish, darkening with age, narrow to moderately broad,
separable from the context, stipe 1 %-3 in. long, %-2 in. thick, short, stout,
swollen at the base, glabrous, white or colored Hke the pileus, solid, spores
white, ellipsoid, nearly smooth, slightly amyloid, 5.5-8 X 3-5.5 m.
Singly or in small groups on the ground in woods or open places. Aug.-
Oct.
This species is remarkable because of the large size it sometimes reaches
but smaller specimens may be recognized by the color, crowded lamellae and
short stipe.
L, tricolor (Pk.) Kiihner is another species that reaches considerable size,
sometimes exceeding 12 inches in diameter. It is yellowish to pale tan, dry and
unpohshed, sometimes appearing matted-fibrillose, and usually more or less
ribbed or grooved on the margin. The lamellae are close to crowded and
separate readily from the pileus. They are whitish to yellowish when fresh but
on drying change to vinaceous or purplish. Kauffman called this fungus
Clitocybe maxima. Its edible quahties appear to be unknown.
LEUCOPAXILLUS LATERARIUS (Peck) Singer & Smith Not edible
Figures 172, 173, page 109
PILEUS 2-4 in. broad or sometimes larger, convex to plane, sometimes
umbonate, dry, shghtly fibrillose to scurfy, white to faintly pinkish, sometimes
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