For my own use I think the Elm mushroom, when properly prepared, very
delicious. Like all tree mushrooms it should be eaten when young. It is
easily dried and kept for winter use. Found from September to November.

_Pleurotus petaloides. Bull._

THE PETALOID PLEUROTUS. EDIBLE.

[Illustration: Figure 120.--Pleurotus petaloides.]

This species is so called from its likeness to the petals of a flower.
Pileus fleshy, spathulate, entire; margin at first involute, finally
fully expanded; villous, depressed. The stem is compressed and villous,
often channelled, nearly erect. The gills are strongly decurrent,
crowded, narrow, and white or whitish. Spores minutely globose, .0003 by
.00015.

The plant varies very greatly in form and size. Its chief characteristic
is the presence of numerous short white cystidia in the hymenium, which
dot the surface of the hymenium, and under an ordinary pocket lens give
to the gills a sort of fuzzy appearance. Frequently it will have the
appearance of growing from the ground, but a careful examination will
reveal a piece of wood of some kind, which serves as a host for the
mycelium. I have found this plant but a few times, It seems to be quite
rare in our state, especially in the southern part of the state. The
plants in Figure 120 were photographed by Prof. G. D. Smith of Akron,
Ohio.

_Pleurotus sapidus. Kalchb._

THE SAPID PLEUROTUS. EDIBLE.

[Illustration: Figure 121.--Pleurotus sapidus. One-third natural size,
showing imbricated growth. Spores lilac.]

[Illustration: Figure 122.--Pleurotus sapidus.]

Sapidus, savory. This plant grows in clusters whose stems are more or
less united at the base as in Figure 121. The caps when densely crowded
are often irregular. They are smooth and vary much in color, being
whitish, ash-gray, brownish, yellowish-gray.

The flesh is thick and white. The gills are white or whitish, rather
broad, running down on the stem, and slightly connected, at times, by
oblique or transverse branches. The stem is generally short, solid,
several usually springing from a thickened base, white or whitish and
either laterally or eccentrically connected with the cap.

This plant is classed with the white-spored species, yet its spores,
after a short exposure to the air, really exhibit a pale lilac tint.
This can only be seen when the spores are in sufficient quantity and
resting on a suitable surface.

The size of the plant varies, the cap being commonly f