Figure 168.—Hygrophorus speciosus.
Speciosus means beautiful, showy; so called from the scarlet color of the umbo. The pileus is one to two inches in diameter, broadly convex, often with small central umbo; glabrous, very viscid or glutinous when moist; yellow, usually bright red or scarlet in the center; flesh white, yellow under the thin, separable pellicle.
The gills are distant, decurrent, white, or slightly tinged with yellow.
The stem is two to four inches long, nearly equal, solid, viscid, slightly fibrillose, whitish or yellowish. The spores are elliptic, .0003 of an inch long, .0002 broad. Peck.
This is a very beautiful and showy plant. It grows in swampy places and under tamarack trees. The specimens in Figure 168 were found in Massachusetts by Mrs. Blackford, and were photographed by Dr. Kellerman. It is found in September and August.
Hygrophorus fuligineus. Frost.
Sooty Hygrophorus. Edible.
Figure 169.—Hygrophorus fuligineus. Natural size. Specimen on the right is H. caprinus.