Figure 453.—Mutinus elegans. One-third natural size, showing volva, white receptacle and red cap.
The pileus is acuminate, perforated at apex. The stem is cylindrical, tapering gradually to the apex, whitish or pinkish below, pileus bright red.
The volva is oblong-ovoid, pinkish, segments two or three. The spores are elliptical-oblong. Morgan.
The odor of this plant is not as strong as in some of the Phalloids. The eggs of Phallus and Mutinus are said to be very good when fried properly, but my recollection of the odor of the plant has been too vivid for me to try them. It is usually found in mixed woods, but sometimes in richly cultivated fields. I have found them frequently about Chillicothe six to seven inches high. In Figure 452 on the right is shown an egg and above it is a section of an egg containing the embryonic plant. This plant is called by Prof. Morgan Mutinus bovinus. After seeing this picture the collector will not fail to recognize it. It is one of the curious growths in nature. Found in July and August.
CHAPTER XV.
LYCOPERDACEAE—PUFF-BALLS.
This family includes all fungi which have their spores in closed chambers until maturity. The chambers are called the gleba and this is surrounded by the peridium or rind, which in different puffballs exhibits various characteristic ways of opening to let the spores escape. The peridium is composed of two distinct layers, one called the cortex, the other the peridium proper. The plant is generally sessile, sometimes more or less stemmed, at maturity filled with a dusty mass of spores and thread.
It affords many of our most delicious fungus food products. The following genera are considered here: