C. platyphyl´la Fr. Gr.—broad; a leaf. (Plate [XXVIII], fig. 1, p. 114.) Pileus 3–4 in. broad, dusky and gray then whitish, fleshy-membranaceous, thin, fragile, soon flattened, obtuse, watery when moist, streaked with fibrils. Stem 3–4 in. long, ½ in. thick, stuffed, soft, equal, fibrilloso-striate, otherwise smooth, naked or obsoletely powdered at the apex, whitish, shortly and bluntly rooted at the base. Gills obliquely cut off behind, slightly adnexed, ½ in. and more broad, distant, soft, white.
Odor not remarkable. It inclines toward the Tricholomata in the somewhat membranaceous cuticle of the soft stem. Fries. Spores 13×19µ W.G.S.
Solitary, gregarious, rarely clustered. On rotten wood, roots, ground near stumps, among leaves, etc. June to October.
Grouped by F.D. Briscoe—Studies by C. McIlvaine. Plate XXVIII.
| Fig. | Page. | Fig. | Page. |
| 1. Collybia platyphylla, | [114] | 3. Collybia dryophila, | [120] |
| 2. Collybia platyphylla (after rain), | [114] | 4. Collybia fusipes, | [116] |
Distinguished by the very broad and deeply emarginate gills, which frequently slope up behind to near the cap then with a short turn downward connect with the stem which is either stuffed or hollow, and by the abundant, cord-like rooting mycelium. The gills are very broad. Professor Peck says: “The species is quite variable. The pileus is sometimes irregular and even eccentric, the thin margin may be slightly striate, is often split and in wet weather may be upturned or revolute. The lamellæ are sometimes ½ in. broad or more and transversely split. They may be obscurely striated transversely and even veiny above with venose interspaces. Occasionally a slight anise-like odor is perceptible, but in decay the plants have a very disagreeable odor and disgusting appearance.” 49th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
West Virginia, 1880–1885; Haddonfield, N.J., 1896. Gregarious, and in large bunches. Mt. Gretna and Eagle’s Mere, Pa., 1897, McIlvaine.
When fresh, in good condition, the caps are good, but they are not nearly equal in substance or flavor to C. radicata and C. longipes. They are best broiled or fried.