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EDIBLE AND POISONOUS MUSHROOMS OF CANADA
ANNULUS delicate, whitish, often evanescent, spores purple-brown, ellipsoid,
smooth, 15-20 X 8.5-11 m-
It occurs singly or in groups on the dung of cattle and horses. June-Sept.
The veil in this species is very delicate and frequently tears in such a way
that no annulus is formed, or the annulus may be very evanescent. The most
striking characters are the yellow color, viscid pileus and stipe, hemispherical
pileus, and the habitat on dung. KautTman attempted to separate the forms
that become convex to plane as S. stercoraria Fr. but they seem to be too close
to be recognized as distinct species. It has been reported edible but, in general,
Stropharia species should be avoided.
NAEMATOLOMA
The best-known species of this genus were formerly placed in the genus
Hypholoma but Smith (1951) has pointed out that the old genus Hypholoma
was composed of diverse elements and under the International Code of No-
menclature Naematoloma should be the correct name for the group of species
typified by A^. sublateritium (Fr.) Karst.
Naematoloma thus includes a rather small group of species with purplebrown
to dull cinnamon-brown spores. The pileus is usually rather bright
colored and may or may not be viscid. The lamellae vary from adnexed to
adnate or subdecurrent and the color of the young lamellae is sometimes im-
portant in distinguishing species. The stipe may be thick and fleshy to fibrous-
tough, or slender and cartilaginous.
Naematoloma is distinguished from Stropharia by the presence of an
annulus in the latter. However, the distinction is not clear-cut because a veil is
sometimes present in Naematoloma but usually remains attached to the margin
of the pileus; in some of the dung-inhabiting species o{ Stropharia the annulus
is evanescent.
Naematoloma is also very close to Psilocybe and can only be separated
with certainty from this genus by microscopic characters. A characteristic type
of cystidium called a gloeocystidium is present in the lamellae of Naematoloma
but absent in Psilocybe (see Addendum).
Only two of the larger species of Naematoloma are described here and
both are considered to be edible. Many of the other species are quite small and
of no value as food, and N.fasciculare (Fr.) Karst., which has been reported to
be poisonous, is not likely to be eaten because of its very bitter taste.
NAEMATOLOMA CAPNOIDES (Fr.) Karst. Edible
Figure 298, page 195
pileus Y2-2 in. broad, firm, convex, expanding to plane, sometimes
slightly umbonate, brightly colored, orange-reddish or yellowish brown on the
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