Common Edible Mushrooms

Rusty Brown Spore Print
GENUS Pholiota
Edible: PHOLIOTA ADIPOSA (Fatty Pholiota)
Any gilled fungus having (i) cinnamon brown or rusty brown
spores and (2) a definite ring on the stem belongs to the genus
Pholiota. Adiposa means fatty or sticky, and this species (Figure
40) was so named because in fresh young specimens the upper
surface of the cap is very sticky. It grows in crowded clumps of
sometimes fifty specimens. The cap is from 3 to 5 inches in diameter,
gently rounded, and chrome-yellow with dark brown scales.
The gills are at first pale yellow but become dark brown as soon
as the spores are produced in quantity. Often a cap immediately
below the gills of a specimen above it will also be colored dark
brown by the deposit of spores.
The stems are necessarily curved, since they arise from old
branch stubs and other openings on standing trees in the city or
in the woods, growing outward and upward to permit the formation
of caps parallel to the surface of the earth. It often grows
rather late in the fall, when few other mushrooms are to be found
in abundance. A clump is likely to appear in the same place for
many years, usually in the fall but sometimes in the spring. It is
found throughout the country where hardwood forests grow, and
although it is more common in forested areas than in towns it is
by no means a stranger in the latter, and may be found on many
a tree no farther afield than the back yard.
Even though this species is not among the best of the edible
mushrooms, it is well worth knowing. The bright yellow clusters
of fruit bodies are fairly easy to see for some distance, especially
when they are borne near the bases of standing trees, and a single
large clump will easily suffice for a meal. It is sometimes recommended
that these mushrooms be peeled before you eat them.
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