The description resembles that of the mushroom found in every particular.
Now let the beginner go further, and prove the correctness of the name in another way. Turning to the section called “General Helps to the Memory,” on page 68, and reading the names of the different genera under the headings until he comes to the name Cantharellus, he will find it in the table called “Mushrooms with gills running down the stems (decurrent).” This distinction is apparent in the specimen found. Again, let him turn to the list of white-spored Agarics, page 73, and he will find the name of the genus Cantharellus there. Now, as an additional test, let him turn to the key at the end of this work, the key to Hymenomycetes. He must have learned enough by this time to know that his mushroom belongs to this class, namely, the one that has spores produced upon the lower part of the cap, and, also, that it is an Agaric, from its having gills on the under side. Let him begin with Section A, “with cap.” 1. Mushrooms with radiating gills beneath caps (Agarics). The key then follows: 1. Plants fleshy, soon decaying. 2. Turn to number 2. There are two descriptions, juice milky and juice watery; he will choose the second one,
which is followed by the number 3. Then follows, stem central or nearly so; this agrees with the plant, and leads to 4. The first line reads “white spores,” which is correct; then comes 5. There are four lines with descriptions, the last one, “no ring and no volva,” is right, which leads to 7. There are here two lines belonging to 7, the second one, “gills in the form of folds, obtuse edge,” is correct, and points to 10. This reads, “Gills decurrent, plant terrestrial, Cantharellus.” The Key gives the name of the genus only. In the list of descriptions an attempt is made to mention some of the commonest species. These directions apply to all the keys alike.
[DIVISION I.]
Key to Hymenomycetes, Membrane Fungi.
Hymenomycetes or membrane fungi are divided into two sections:
Section A, with cap.
Section B, without cap.
Section A is divided into four classes:
I. Mushrooms with radiating gills beneath caps, gill-bearing mushrooms (Agarics).