Atkinsonianus is named in honor of Prof. Geo. F. Atkinson.
The pileus is 8 cm. broad, expanded, wax-yellow or gallstone-yellow to clay-colored and tawny (Ridg.), colors very striking and sometimes several present at once; viscid, smooth, even, somewhat shining when dry. Flesh thick, except at margin, bluish-white like the stem, or paler, scarcely or not at all changing when bruised.
The gills are comparatively narrow, 6–8 mm., width uniform except near outer end, adnate, becoming slightly sinuate, purplish to yellow, then cinnamon.
The stem is violaceus-blue, 8 cm. long, 12–15 mm. thick, equal or slightly tapering upward, bulbous by a rather thick, marginate bulb 3 cm. thick, hung with fibrillose threads of the universal veil, which is a beautiful pale-yellow and clothes the bulb even at maturity; violaceous-blue within, solid. Spores 13–15µ×7–8.5µ, very tubercular. Kauff.
The specimens in Figure 244 were found in Poke Hollow near Chillicothe. I have found them on several occasions. They are edible and of very good flavor. Found from September to frost. The specimens illustrate the spider-like veil that gives rise to the genus.
Cortinarius umidicola. Kauff.
Figure 245.—Cortinarius umidicola. One-half natural size. Caps pinkish-buff.
Umidicola means dwelling in moist places. Pileus as much as 16 cm. broad (generally 6–7 cm. when expanded), hemispherical, then convex and expanded, with the margin for a long time markedly incurved; young cap heliotrope-purplish with umber on disk, or somewhat fawn-colored, fading very quickly to pinkish-buff, in which condition it is usually found; margin when young with narrow strips of silky fibrils from the universal veil; pileus when old covered with innate, whitish, silky fibrils, hygrophanous; surface punctuate, even when young. Flesh of stem and pileus lavender when young but soon fading to a sordid white, thick on disk, abruptly thin towards margin, soon cavernous from grubs. The gills are very broad, as much as 2 cm.; at first lavender, soon very pale-tan to cinnamon; rather distant, thick, emarginate with a tooth; at first plane, then ventricose; edge slightly serratulate, concolorous. Stem as much as 13 cm. long (usually 8 to 10 cm.), 1–2 cm. thick, usually thickened below and tapering slightly upwards, mostly thicker also at apex, rarely attenuate at the base, sometimes curved, always stout, solid, lavender above the woven, sordid white, universal veil, which at first covers the lower part as a sheath, but soon breaks up so as to leave a band-like annulus half way or lower down on the stem. The annulus is soon rubbed off, leaving a bare stem. Cortina violaceous-white. Spores 7–9×5–6, almost smooth. Kauffman.