ThelephoraceÆ is from two Greek words, a teat and to bear. The hymenium is even, coriaceous, or waxy, costate, or papillose. There are a number of genera under this family but I am acquainted with only the genus Craterellus.

Craterellus. Fr.

Craterellus means a small bowl. Hymenium waxy-membranaceous, distinct but adnate to the hymenophore, inferior, continuous, smooth, even or wrinkled. Spores white. Fries.

Craterellus cantharellus. (Schw.) Fr.

Yellow Craterellus. Edible.

Cantharellus is a diminutive from a Greek word meaning a sort of drinking-cup.

The pileus is one to three inches broad, convex, often becoming depressed and funnel-shaped, glabrous, yellowish, or pinkish. Flesh white, tough, elastic.

Hymenium slightly wrinkled, yellow or faint salmon color.

The stem is one to three inches high, tapering downward, smooth, solid, yellow. The spores are yellowish or salmon color when caught on white paper, 7.5–10×5–6µ. Peck.

This plant resembles Cantharellus cibarius very closely. The color, form of growth, and the odor are very similar to the latter. It may be readily distinguished from C. cibarius by the absence of folds on the under or fruiting surface. The caps are often large and wavy, resembling yellow cauliflower. It is quite abundant about Chillicothe during the months of July and August. I have frequently gathered bushels of it for my mushroom-friends. It will be easily recognized from Figure 378, bearing in mind that the caps and stems are yellow.

Craterellus cornucopioides Fr.

The Horn of Plenty Craterellus. Edible.

Cornucopioides is from cornu, a horn, and copia, plenty.

The pileus is thin, flexible, tubiform, hollow to the base, blackish-brown, sometimes a little scaly, the hymenium even or somewhat wrinkled, cinereous.

The stem is hollow, smooth, black, short, almost wanting. The spores are elliptical, whitish, 11–12×7–8µ.

No one will have any trouble in recognizing this species, having once seen its picture and read its description. Its elongated or trumpet-shaped cap, and its dingy-gray or sooty-brown hue, will at once distinguish it. The spore-bearing surface is often a little paler than the upper surface. The cup is often three to four inches long. I have found it in quite large clusters in the woods near Bowling Green, and Londonderry, though it is found rather sparingly on the hillsides about Chillicothe. It has a wide distribution in other states. It does not look inviting, on account of its color, but it proves a favorite whenever tested, and may be dried and kept for future use. It is found from July to September.

Craterellus dubius. Pk.

Dubius means uncertain, from its close resemblance to C. cornucopoides.

The pileus is one to two inches broad, infundibuliform, subfibrillose, lurid-brown, pervious to the base, the margin generally wavy, lobed. Hymenium dark cinereous, rugose when moist, the minute crowded irregular folds abundantly anastomosing; nearly even when dry. The stem is short. The spores are broadly elliptical or subglobose, 6–7.5µ long. Peck.

It differs from C. cornucopioides in manner of growth, paler color, and smaller spores.

It is distinguished from Craterellus sinuosus by its pervious stem, while very similar in color to Cantharellus cinereus.

This plant, like C. cornucopoides, dries readily, and when moistened expands and becomes quite as good as when fresh. It needs to be stewed slowly till tender, when it makes a delightful dish.

The plants in Figure 380 were collected near Columbus by R. H. Young and photographed by Dr. Kellerman. They are found from July to October.

Corticium. Fr.

Entirely resupinate, hymenium soft and fleshy when moist, collapsing when dry, often cracked.

Corticium lacteum. Fr.

This is a very small plant, resupinate, membranaceous, and it is so named because of the milk-white color underneath. The hymenium is waxy when moist, cracked when dry.

Corticium oakesii. B. & C.

The plant is small, waxy-pliant, somewhat coriaceous, cup-shaped, then explanate, confluent, marginate, externally white-tomentose.

The hymenium is even, contiguous, becoming pallid. Spores elliptical, appendiculate.

I found very fine specimens of this plant on the Iron-wood, Ostrya Virginica, which grows on the high school lawn in Chillicothe. In rainy weather in October and November the bark would be white with the plant. It resembles a small Peziza at first.

Corticium incarnatum. Fr.

Waxy when moist, becoming rigid when dry, confluent, agglutinate, radiating. Hymenium red or flesh-color, covered with a delicate flesh-colored bloom. Some fine specimens were found on dead chestnut trees in Poke Hollow.

Corticium sambucum. Pk.

Effused on elder bark, white, continuous when growing, when dry cracked or flocculose and collapsing. It grows on the bark or the wood of the elder.

Corticium cinereum. Fr.

Waxy when moist, rigid when dry, agglutinate, lurid. The hymenium is cinereous, with a very delicate bloom. Common on sticks in the woods.

Thelephora. Fr.

The pileus is without a cuticle, consisting of interwoven fibres. Hymenium ribbed, of a tough, fleshy substance, rather rigid, then collapsing and flocculent.

Thelephora Schweinitzii.

Schweinitzii is named in honor of the Rev. David Lewis de Schweinitz. CÆspitose, white or pallid. Pilei soft-corinaceous, much branched; the branches flattened, furrowed and somewhat dilated at the apex.

The stems are variable in length, often connate or fused together into a solid base.

The hymenium is even, becoming darker colored when older. Morgan.

This plant is known as T. pallida. It is very abundant on our hillsides in Ross County, and in fact throughout the state.

Thelephora laciniata. P.

The pileus is soft, somewhat coriaceous, incrusting, ferruginous-brown. The pilei are imbricated, fibrous, scaly, margin fimbriated, at first dirty white. The hymenium is inferior and papillose.

Thelephora palmata. Fr.

The pileus is coriaceous, soft, erect, palmately branched from a common stalk; pubescent, purplish-brown; branches flat, even, tips fimbriated, whitish. The scent is very noticeable soon after it is picked. They grow on the ground in July and August.

Thelephora cristata. Fr.

The pileus is incrusting, rather tough, pallid, passing into branches, the apices compressed, expanded, and beautifully fringed. The plant is whitish, grayish, or purplish-brown. It is found on moss or stems of weeds. I found beautiful specimens at Bainbridge Caves.

Thelephora sebacea. Fr.

The pileus is effused, fleshy, waxy, becoming hard, incrusting, variable, tuberculose or stalactitic, whitish, circumference similar; hymenium flocculose, pruinose, or evanescent.

It is found effused over grass. One meets with it often.

Stereum. Fr.

The hymenium is coriaceous, even, rather thick, concrete with the intermediate stratum of the pileus, which has a cuticle even and veinless, remaining unchanged and smooth.

Stereum versicolor.

Versicolor means changing color, referring to the different bands of color. The pileus is effused, reflexed, having a number of different zones; in some plants the zones are more marked than in others, the zones appearing very much like those in Polyporus versicolor.

The hymenium is even, smooth and brown.

This is a very common plant, found everywhere on old logs and stumps. It is widely diffused and can be found at any time of the year.

Stereum spadiceum. Fr.

Pilei coriaceous and spreading, reflexed, villous, somewhat ferruginous; margin rather obtuse, whitish, even beneath; smooth, brownish, and bleeding when scratched or bruised.

Stereum hirsutum. Fr.

Hirsutum means shaggy, hairy. The pilei are coriaceous and spreading, quite hairy, imbricated, more or less zoned, quite tough, often having a greenish tinge from the presence of a minute algÆ; naked, juiceless, yellowish, unchanged when bruised or scratched. The hymenium is pale-yellow, smooth, margin entire, often lobed. I find it usually on hickory logs.

Stereum fasciatum. Schw.

Fasciatum means bands or fillets. Pileus is coriaceous, plane, villous, zonate, grayish; hymenium, smooth, pale-red. Growing on decayed trunks. Common in all of our woods.

Stereum sericeum. Schw.

Sericeum means silky or satiny; so called from its satin lustre. The plant is very small and easily overlooked, usually growing in a resupinate form; sessile, orbiculate, free, papyraceous, with a bright satin lustre, shining, smooth, pale-grayish color.

The plant grows on both sides of small twigs as is shown in the photograph. I do not find it on large trunks but it is quite common on branches. No one will fail to recognize it from its specific name.

When I first observed it I named it S. sericeum, not knowing that there was a species by that name. I afterwards sent it to Prof. Atkinson and was surprised to find that I had correctly named it.

Stereum rugosum. Fr.

Rugosum means full of wrinkles.

Broadly effused, sometimes shortly reflexed; coriaceous, at length thick and rigid; pileus at length smooth, brownish.

The hymenium is a pale grayish-yellow, changing slightly to a red when bruised, pruinose. The spores are cylindrico-elliptical, straight, 11–12×4–5µ. Massee.

This is quite variable in form, and agrees with S. sanguinolentum in becoming red when bruised; but it is thicker and more rigid in substance, its pores are straighter and larger.

Stereum purpureum. Pers.

Purpureum means purple, from the color of the plant.

Coriaceous but pliant, effuso-reflexed, more or less imbricated, tomentose, zoned, whitish or pallid.

The hymenium is naked, smooth, even; in color a pale clear purple, becoming dingy ochraceous, with only a tinge of purple, when dry. The spores are elliptical, 7–8×4µ.

I found the plant to be very abundant in December and January, in 1906–7, on soft wood corded up at the paper mill in Chillicothe, the weather being mild and damp.

Stereum compactum.

Broadly effused, coriaceous, often imbricated and often laterally joined, pileus thin, zoned, finely strigose, the zones grayish-white and cinnamon-brown.

The hymenium is smooth, cream-white.

This species is found on decayed limbs and trunks of trees.

HymenochÆte. Lev.

HymenochÆte is from two Greek words, hymen, a membrane; chÆte, a bristle.

In this genus the cap or pileus may be attached to the host by a central stem, or at one side, but most frequently upon its back. The genus is known by the velvety or bristly appearance of the fruiting surface, due to smooth, projecting, thick-walled cells. I have found several species but have only been sure of three.

HymenochÆte rubiginosa. (Schr.) Lev.

Rubiginosa means full of rust, so called from the color of the plant.

The pileus is rigid, coriaceous, resupinate, effused, reflexed, the lower margin generally adhering firmly, somewhat fasciated; velvety, rubiginous or rusty in color, then becoming smooth and bright brown, the intermediate stratum tawny-ferruginous. The hymenium ferruginous and velvety. It is found here upon soft woods such as chestnut stumps and willow.

HymenochÆte Curtisii. Berk.

Curtisii is named in honor of Mr. Curtis.

The pileus is coriaceous, firm, resupinate, effused, reflexed, brown, slightly sulcate; the hymenium velvety with brown bristles. This is common on partially decayed oak branches in the woods.

HymenochÆte corrugata. Berk.

Corrugata means bearing wrinkles or folds.

The pileus is coriaceous, effused, closely adnate, indeterminate, cinnamon colored, cracked and corrugated when dry, which gives rise to its name. The bristles are seen, under the microscope, to be joined. Found in the woods on partially decayed branches.

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