The stem is distinctly bulbous, two to three inches long, stuffed, pallid, fibrillose, ring oblique, fugacious. The spores are 7–10×5µ.
I have found some very fine specimens in Poke Hollow, near Chillicothe. The stems were short and very bulbous, having hardly any trace of the ring on the older specimens. The caps were obtusely convex and of a grayish rufescent color. This species can readily be distinguished by the distinctly marginate bulb at the base of the stem. The specimens in Figure 41 were found in Poke Hollow, near Chillicothe, October 2d. I have no doubt of their edibility but I have not eaten them.
Armillaria nardosmia. Ellis.
Spikenard-Smelling Armillaria. Ellis.
Figure 42.—Armillaria nardosmia. One-half natural size, showing the veil and incurved margin.
Nardosmia is from nardosmius, the odor of nardus or spikenard.
The pileus is quite thick, firm and compact, thinner toward the margin, strongly involute when young, grayish white and beautifully variegated with brown spots, like the breast of a pheasant, rather tough, with a separable epidermis, flesh white.
The gills are crowded, slightly notched or emarginate, somewhat ventricose, white.