Figure 112.—Marasmius peronatus. Natural size. Cap reddish-buff. Gills creamy or light reddish-brown.
Peronatus is from pero, a boot.
The pileus is reddish-buff, convex, slightly flattened at the top, quite wrinkled when old; diameter, at full expansion, between one and two inches, margin striate.
The gills are thin and crowded, creamy, becoming light reddish-brown, continuing down the stem by a short curve.
The stem is fibrous-stuffed, pale, densely clothed at the base with stiff yellowish hairs.
It grows in the woods, among dead leaves, from May till frost.
It is usually solitary yet is sometimes found in clusters. It has been eaten frequently without injury, but by most writers is branded poisonous. It is quite acrid, but that disappears in cooking. The dense yellow hairs at the base of the stem appear to constitute the distinguishing characteristic. Found from July to October.