Figure 259.—Pilosace eximia.
Eximia means choice, distinguished.
The pileus is fleshy, thin, convex or broadly campanulate, at length expanded and subumbonate, smooth, dark sooty-brown.
The gills are close, broad, ventricose, rounded behind, free, dull-red, or brownish-pink, then brown.
The stem is slender, hollow, a little thicker at the base, dull-red. The spores are elliptical, .004 inch long.
These plants are small and quite rare, yet I have found the plants in Haynes' Hollow on three different occasions. Dr. Peck writes that it is a very rare plant. It grows on old stumps and decayed logs. The plants in figure 259 were found in Haynes' Hollow and photographed by Dr. Kellerman.
Stropharia. Fr.
Stropharia is from the Greek, strophos, a sword belt. The spores are bright purple-brown, brown or slate color. The flesh of the stem and the pileus is continuous. The veil, when ruptured, forms a ring on the stem. The gills are rounded and are not free.
The genus can be distinguished from all the genera of the purple-spored plants except the Agarics by the presence of a ring and by the united flesh of the stem and the cap and by the attachment of the gills. They grow on the ground or are elliptical.