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NAEMATOLOMA
disk, paler and more yellowish on the margin, glabrous or at first slightly
fibrillose, the margin inrolled at first and appendiculate with fibrils of the veil.
FLESH whitish, fairly thick, firm, taste mild, lamellae adnate-seceding, close,
rather narrow to moderately broad, at first whitish to grayish, becoming
purple-brown, stipe 2-3 in. long, sometimes longer, Y^-Ys in. thick, equal or
sHghtly enlarged at the base, sHghtly fibrillose up to the faint annular zone,
yellowish above, rusty brown below, hollow, spores purple-brown, ellipsoid,
smooth 6-7.5 X 3.5-4.5 /x.
In clusters on wood of conifers. August to November and occasionally in
May.
This species is usually a little smaller and more orange to tawny than
A'^. sublateritium. It might be confused with N. fasciculare (Fr.) Karst. but in
the latter the lamellae are at first pale yellow and become greenish to olive-
green. A'^. fasciculare also has an intensely bitter taste and has been reported to
be poisonous.
NAEMATOLOMA SUBLATERITIUM (Fr.) Karst. Edible
Figure 342, page 235; Figure 423, page 301
Brick-top
piLEUS 1-3 in. broad, firm, fleshy, convex-expanded, sometimes with a
slight obtuse umbo, brick-red on the disk, paler on the margin to whitish,
glabrous on disk to more or less whitish to yellowish-fibrillose on the decurved
margin, flesh thick, firm, whitish or becoming yellowish in age or when
bruised, no odor, taste mild to slightly bitter, lamellae adnate, close to
crowded, narrow, at first whitish or in some collections yellow, then becoming
gray or olive-gray and finally purple-brown, stipe 2-4 in. long, V^-Yi in. thick,
equal, whitish above to reddish brown below, the veil leaving a fibrillose
annular zone and the surface more or less fibrillose below this, soHd. spores
purple-brown, eUipsoid, smooth, 6-7.5 X 3-4 ju-
It grows in dense clusters or occasionally in groups on hardwood logs,
stumps, or roots, common. Aug.-Nov.
This species is commonly known as the brick-top mushroom because of
the brick-red color of the pileus. It is common and rather variable. One form
with bright yellow lamellae in the young mushrooms has been called Hypho-
loma perplexum (Pk.) Sacc. but it is now generally regarded as merely a form of
the brick-top. Partly to nearly completely sterile fruiting bodies may be found.
In European hterature it has been reported poisonous but North Ameri-
can mycophagists seem to be unanimous in claiming it to be edible.
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