On ground in grassy places (Woodland Cemetery, May 22, 1897). McIlvaine.
Particularly welcome to toadstool lovers are the early comers. The present species is among the first. It is rich in quantity, substance and flavor.
C. mul´ticeps Pk.—multus, many; caput, a head. (Plate [XXVIIa], p. 94.) Pileus fleshy, thin except on the disk, firm, convex, slightly moist in wet weather, whitish, grayish or yellowish-gray. Flesh white, taste mild. Gills close, adnate and slightly decurrent, whitish. Stems densely cespitose, equal or slightly thickened at the base, solid or stuffed, firm, elastic, slightly pruinose at the apex, whitish. Spores globose, 5–8µ.
Pileus 1–3 in. broad. Stem 2–4 in. long, 3–6 lines thick.
Open places, grassy ground, etc. Albany and Sandlake. June and October. This species forms dense tufts, often composed of many individuals. In this respect it is related to such species as C. tumulosa, C. aggregata and C. illudens. From the crowding together of many individuals the pileus is often irregular. Sometimes the disk is brownish and occasionally slightly silky. The gills are sometimes slightly sinuate, thus indicating a relationship to the species of Tricholoma. The taste, though mild, is somewhat oily and unpleasant. The plants appear in wet, rainy weather, either early in the season or in autumn. Specimens have been sent to me from Massachusetts by R.K. Macadam and Professor Farlow, and from Pennsylvania by Dr. W. Herbst. Peck, 43d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
West Virginia, New Jersey, Mt. Gretna, Pa. In May, and in autumn months. Very variable in size, color, shape of gills, texture and taste. McIlvaine.
The early spring clusters are remarkable for their tenderness and excellence. Clusters of hundreds of individuals grew abundantly at Mt. Gretna in May, 1899. When the fungus was young the gills were sometimes adnate, almost free, often decurrent. The varying color of oysters is well seen in C. multiceps.
Edible. They should be well cooked. The addition of a little lemon juice or sherry conceals a slight raw taste sometimes present.
Photographed by Dr. J.R. Weist—Painted by C. McIlvaine. Plate XXIXa.