eamy when young, lower part slightly tinged with red,
hollow or stuffed, having silky fibres on the surface, two to four
inches long, often incurved because of position. The spores are
sooty-brown and elliptical.

It grows in large clusters around old stumps. It is especially plentiful
about Chillicothe. It is not equal to many others of the Hypholomas as
an esculent. Sometimes it is bitter even after it is cooked. Captain
McIlvaine gives a plausible reason when he says it may be due to the
passage of larvae through the flesh of the plant. It is found from
September to early winter.

_Hypholoma perplexum. Pk._

THE PERPLEXING HYPHOLOMA. EDIBLE.

[Illustration: Figure 266.--Hypholoma perplexum. One-half natural size.
Caps brown, with a pale yellow margin.]

Perplexum means perplexing; so called because it is quite difficult to
distinguish it from H. sublateritium, also from H. fascicularis. From
the latter it may be known by its redder cap, its whitish flesh,
purple-brown tint of the mature gills and mild flavor. Its smaller size,
the greenish and purplish tint of the gills, and the slender hollow stem
will aid in distinguishing it from H. perplexum.

The pileus is complex, fleshy, expanded, smooth, sometimes broadly and
slightly umbonate, brown with a pale-yellow margin, disk sometimes
reddish.

The gills are rounded, notched, easily separating from the stem,
pale-yellow, greenish ash-color, finally purplish-brown, thin, quite
close.

The stem is nearly equal, firm, hollow, slightly fibrillose, yellowish
or whitish above and reddish-brown below. The spores are elliptical and
purplish brown.

This plant is very abundant in Ohio. It grows about old stumps, but a
favorite habitat seems to be upon old sawdust piles. I have found it
after we have had considerable freezing weather. The plants in the
figure were frozen when I found them, the 27th of November. Dr.
McIlvaine says in his book, "If the collector gets puzzled, as he will,
over one or all of these species, because no description fits, he can
whet his patience and his appetite by calling it H. perplexum and
graciously eating it."

_Psilocybe. Pers._

_Psilocybe is from two Greek words, naked and head._ The spores are
purple-brown or slate color. The pileus is smooth, at first incurved,
brownish or purple. The stem is cartilaginous, ringless, tough, hollow,
or stuffed, often rooting. Generally growing on the ground.

_Psilocybe foenisecii. Pers.