B. America´nus Pk. Pileus thin, convex or nearly plane, sometimes umbonate, soft, very viscid or glutinous when moist, slightly tomentose on the margin when young, soon glabrous or the margin sometimes remaining scaly, rarely scale-spotted from the drying of the gluten, yellow, becoming dingy or less bright with age, sometimes vaguely dotted or streaked with bright red. Flesh pale-yellow, less clear or pinkish-gray on exposure to the air. Tubes plane or convex, adnate, rather large, angular, pale-yellow, becoming sordid-ochraceous. Stem slender, equal or slightly tapering upward, firm, not at all annulate, yellow, often pallid or brownish toward the base, marked with numerous brown or reddish-brown persistent glandular dots, yellow within. Spores oblong or subfusiform, ochraceo-ferruginous, 9–11×4–5µ.
Pileus 1–3 in. broad. Stem 1.5–2.5 in. long, 2–4 lines thick.
Woods, swamps and open places, especially under or near pine trees. New York, Peck, Clinton; Minnesota, Arthur.
A slight subacid odor is sometimes perceptible in our plant. It sometimes grows on much decayed wood. Its mycelium is white. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
The caps, only, are good.
B. subau´reus Pk.—sub and aureus, golden. (Plate [CXIV], fig. 2, p. 414.) Pileus convex or nearly plane, viscose, pale-yellow, sometimes adorned with darker spots, the young margin slightly grayish-tomentose. Flesh pale-yellow. Tubes small or medium; somewhat angular, adnate or subdecurrent, pale-yellow becoming dingy-ochraceous. Stem equal, stout, glandular-dotted, yellow without and within. Spores oblong or subfusiform, ochraceo-ferruginous, 8–10×4µ.
Pileus 2–4 in. broad. Stem 1.5–2.5 in. long, 4–6 lines thick.
Thin woods and open places. New York, Peck; North Carolina, C.J. Curtis; Massachusetts, Mississippi, G. Survey (Rep. 51).
This plant might almost be considered a stout variety of the preceding, but in addition to its thicker pileus and stouter stem, it has smaller tubes of a clearer yellow color, and the exuding drops are yellow, not whitish, as in that species. In habit it appears more like B. granulatus, from which it is distinct in color. Peck, Boleti of the U.S.
From early October, through heavy frosts and until long after November snows I found this species at Mt. Gretna, Pa., in 1897–1898. Specimens were sent to Professor Peck and identified as this species. It grew in grass on borders of woods, or gravelly ground, sometimes among pine needles. Large troops of it were frequent, and tufts containing many individuals were common.