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Correspondence of
Mary L. Wilson and C. Peck |
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Correspondence of Mary L. Wilson (?-1919) and
Charles Peck (1833-1917) Edited by P. M. P.O. Box 299,
Mary L. Wilson Miss Mary L. Wilson Part
III: The Correspondence of Mary Wilson is here
included in the body of what is known as the Clinton Correspondence, or, the
correspondence of George William Clinton (1807-1885) even though Wilson and
Clinton did not exchange letters, for the simple reason that she lived in the
city of Buffalo, New York, and worked side-by-side with Clinton to develop
what is known as the Clinton Herbarium of the Buffalo Museum of Science. This
herbarium is centered in the collection of nineteenth century botanical
specimens which The photograph above
is from the photograph album of the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences
dating from the 1860’s and 1870’s and reflects to a large extent
to the correspondence of George Clinton. In the index at the front of the
album there are 135 names corresponding to the sequence of photographs
inserted into spaces on the pages. Each photograph is numbered to correspond
to the name in the index. The names in the index are written in various
handwriting, as the corresponding secretary of the Society tended to keep
track of these photographs, but occasionally the name is written in by George
Clinton, with his distinctive handwriting. In the space for No. 83, he wrote
“Miss Mary L. Wilson.” Unfortunately, the photograph is missing
from the slot in the album. However, the photograph above was found loose
among the album’s pages - the only loose photograph observed. There
seemed to be no other missing photographs of women in the album, so I am
assuming this photograph belongs in the slot for number 83: Miss Mary L. Wilson, but this is still
an assumption. Note that I have
preceded Mary Wilson’s name with “ Little is known of
Miss Wilson’s life in Before 1865, Peck had
been groomed to be the first Botanist of the New York State Herbarium, at
first by James Hall, and then Peck’s position was championed in the New
York State Legislature in As noted in “Jan. 15. About 1 P.M. got back
from As I have not yet
determined when Mary Wilson abandoned In the years
subsequent to 1882, Mary lived for five years in “I do not live in Mary and her mother
seemed to spend their winters (October to February) at the Congressional
Hotel in Washington D. C., although the winter of 1900-1901 was spent in
Tryon (letter of Oct. 29, 1900). In the following
letters, The Appalachian
Mountains themselves extend south down eastern North America from In the resort areas of the Blue Ridge: “The
mountains of N. Carolina do more abound in them [edible and fine mushrooms]
than the Mountain fastnesses
are everywhere a refuge and sanctuary for people who need to make a living in
them. The mountains supported an enclave of the Scotch-Irish, a people
associated with the border region between However, for Mary
Wilson and her mother, there may have been elements of a fugitive nature to
their wanderings. People native to
Appalachia must not be completely ignorant of the mountain’s
productivity, hence a few local women of May In her first more
confident letter to Peck, Mary stated: “I am with some relatives of old
Dr. Curtis - who are also enthusiastic mycologists in an amateurish
way” (letter: August 13, 1897). These are the descendents of the
southern mycologist Rev. Moses Ashley Curtis (1808-1872) of It is possible that
Mary and her mother had only just returned from Europe in 1896 or 1897, when
her correspondence began, when these two women were living in the
Congressional Hotel in As the content of her
letters suggests, she could be amused and challenged by the ability of women
associated with the resorts where Mary and her mother resided in the years of
her correspondence. Many of these women knew enough about mushrooms in the
surrounding countryside, in the vicinity of the inns to provide non poisonous
material for their tables. She could also be competitively challenged by the
women she met in the Mycological Club in the nation’s capital. There may as well
have been a bitter poignancy associated with the sudden loss of a
professional career that started with promise in The eating of
mushrooms was enjoyed by two classes of people: the lowest, who ‘lived
off the land’ and were distant from markets, and the highest, who could
afford these highly perishable and dangerous comestibles that had to be
overseen by practitioners licensed usually through experiments on their own
persons to select out the healthy species. The poor were forced
to eat these growths, but the rich could seek them out when their appetites
were jaded by other meats. The association of fungi with decomposition and
pagan images of woodland fairies, elves, pixies, toads, sprites only added to
the relish, as did the professional or personal magic that made it possible
to enjoy a luscious food and not die. The possibilities of forming an
exclusive brother or sisterhood of knowledgeable mushroom-feasters that would
periodically enter what old woodlands still exist and pluck the fungi
erupting from the mossy carpets in the tepid and moist weather of spring,
summer and fall, which gives forth the images of forbidden feasts. As early as 1660, we
are informed that “Aside from artichokes, asparagus, primeurs, and
spinach, the diet of the rich includes few vegetables, but truffles,
mushrooms, and foie gras are much esteemed,” (Trager 1995). Note that a
“primeur” is a “baby” or early, and probably
immature, fruit or vegetable, otherwise known as a ‘firstling.’
Trager also says that in 1809 “ Something reminiscent
of edible mushroom ‘cliques’ may be seen in edible-chestnut
groups. In the case of the latter, significant effort is being made to
recreate hardy nut-bearing trees, preferrably based on native American
Chestnut stock, that resist the chestnut blight that has destroyed this tree
that was once a large component of the forests of eastern North America. The
flesh of swine that fed or were fed on the nuts of this chestnut was
particularly succulent. During the early
1890’s, and perhaps during the late 1880’s, perhaps before she
went to Europe, and perhaps just after her departure from In 1880, the
Champlain Society, “an association of college students formed for the
purpose of field work and study in various branches of natural science,
established its camp on the shores of Somes Sound at Wasgatt Cove, Mount
Desert Island” in the State of Maine (Rand and Redfield, 1894). Two
years later, John Redfield began an independent study into the botany of the
area. Finally, in 1888, “the Champlain Society allowed its botanical
work to pass into the hands of ... Edward L. Rand” with the result that
in 1894 a flora of Mount Desert Island was published by the University Press,
Cambridge [probably Harvard]. A number of noted
botanists contributed to the determinations of these specimens, many of whom
were correspondents of George Clinton. In the section on Lichens, a list was
made by Dr. John W. Eckfeldt based on the collections and determinations of
and by himself, Miss Mary L. Wilson and Miss Clara E. Cummings. Many of the
species on the lists of lichens were contributed by Mary Wilson, collected
especially at Miss Cummings was a
teacher at Miss Wilson, in her “The lichens collected by the writer [Mohr]
in Mobile and Baldwin counties (early in the seventies) have identified [sic]
by Mr. Henry Willey of New Bedford and Miss Maria Wilson, and the collections
made in later years in the different parts of the State have been examined by
Miss Clara E. Cummings of Wellesley College, who has also kindly undertaken
the revision of the catalogue of Alabama lichens, for which assistance the
writer expresses here his thanks.” (Mohr 1901).” Fink (1907)
attributed the entire section on “Cummings, Clara E.,
in Mohr, Charles. Plant Life of Nat. Herb. 6:1-921.
A list of 225 species and varieties of lichens with notes on
distribution, pp. 267-283.” Hard Times Mary Wilson’s
letters, where she suggests that the food supply of ordinary people in the
south might be enhanced by knowledge of the foods growing freely in American
woodlands, does not reveal the acute nature of the state of the economies of
Europe and The final decade of
the nineteenth century was characterized by a major business contraction in
the Peck, working as
State Botanist in In 1897, the
Cambridge Botanical Supply Company published a reprint of an 80 page booklet
written by Peck one year after the financial collapse of 1983 (i.e. 1894).
The title of the publication was “Mushrooms and their use”. Peck in his
introduction wrote that:
“The times seem auspicious for such an undertaking [i.e. to
educate the public], for with much depression in financial and business
circles, with lack of employment and the reduction in wages, now taking
place, anything that promises to cheapen the cost of living or add to the
means of subsistence of the unemployed or of those employed on short time or
at low wages, must possess a peculiar interest. “Hard times” may
now and then compel us to look into Nature’s bountiful storehouse for a
supplementary supply of food. And Nature, almost always lavish in her gifts,
has indeed provided a bountiful supply, which in this country has been
greatly overlooked and almost entirely neglected until very recent
years.” Peck informs us that
mushrooms are nutritious. Chemical analysis indicates that “they
contain in their dry matter from 20 to 50 per cent. of protein or nitrogenous
material, and they may therefore be called a vegetable meat and be used as a
substitute for animal food.” Peck assures his
readers “They are not used by the poorer classes of people exclusively,
for the wealthy and the nobility are apparently as fond of them as any other
class. They are served at the tables of the hotels and on great
occasions.” In the Peck’s
reference to “Hard times” is probably a reference to the name of
Charles Dickens’ tenth novel, which richly displays elements of
poverty, industrialism, and the limitations of the Industrial Revolution
during the 1850’s (the book was first published in 1854). It portrayed
particularly the poverty of a social philosophy promoted by Jeremy Bentham
and John Stuart Mill, called Utilitarianism, the most radical elements of
which Dickens, with his personal experience of horrific working conditions,
opposed (“Hard Times” Wikipedia, Oct. 2010). Mary Wilson’s
civic conscience may have been piqued in Europe, which just before the
depression of 1893 in the Of course, the
financial panic of 1893 affected the top of the economic order, but years
before that year, the agricultural community had suffered its own crisis in
1887 when a bubble based on strong farm commodity prices burst, together with
“Three successive droughts, a series of severe winters, disastrously
low wheat and corn prices and accelerating deflation” which resulted in
“bankruptcies and grinding mortgage levels for seemingly countless
farmers and townspeople” (Grant, 1983). It also became
politically expedient to propose a means of providing “food for the
masses” as an extension of progressivism and populism gaining traction
in the midwest and southern states during the late 1880’s and during
the decade of 1890. The City of Rochester, New York, and New York City itself
through administrative agencies such as the Office of the Overseer of the
Poor in Rochester and the Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor
in New York promoted urban gardening to employ men out of work, and also to
grow produce for distribution to the needy. The idea of such public
gardening, effected by individuals on donated land from donated seed, spread
throughout the By this time, the new
professional class was relied upon to give expertise to these popular
gardening efforts to maximize their productivity and minimize failure, which
could result in starvation. For example, in Charles Peck provided
the service of expertise in mycology as the New York State Botanist, with
Mary Wilson as a kind of protégé, using her previous expertise
in the taxonomy of lichens to understand the rather technical literature
produced by Peck and help her colleagues mentioned in her letters develop the
expertise necessary to make fungi a legitimate source of food for those
suffering from the collapse of capitalism, or its non existence in certain
areas of the country. NOTE: When Mary
Wilson spelled out a scientific (Latin) name, that is, a binomial name for a
fungus, or wrote out the generic name, she underlined them in her letter. In
print, such names are printed in italics. When written by hand, they are
underlined. Acknowledgements I would like to thank
Richard Mitchell and John Haines for my initial introduction to the letters
written by Mary Wilson to Charles Peck some years ago. I am very grateful to I would like to thank
John Grehan, Director of Science and Collections, Buffalo Museum of Science,
Buffalo, New York and Bibliography Arora, David. 1986.
Mushrooms demystified: a comprehensive guide to the fleshy Fungi. Ten Speed
Press. Bold, Harold C. 1973.
Morphology of Plants, ed. 3 Harper & Row. Fink, Bruce. 1907. A
Memoir of Clara E. Cummings. The Bryologist Vol. X(3): 37-41. French, J. H. 1860.
Historical and Statistical Gazetteer of the State of Grant, H. Roger 1983.
Self-help in the 1890s Depression. The Hoerr, Normand L.,
M.D. and Arthus Osol, Ph.D. 1960. Blakiston’s Illustrated Pocket
Medical Dictionary, ed. 2. The Blakiston division of McGraw-Hill Book
Company, Honegger, Rosmarie.
2000. Simon Schwendener (1829-1919) and the Dual Hypothesis of Lichens.
Bryologist 1-3: 307-313. Krieger, Louis C. C.
1967. The Mushroom Handbook. Dover Publications, Inc. Mohr, Charles: 1901. Palmer Jr., Julius
Aboineau (1840-1899). 1885. Mushrooms of Peck, Charles Horton,
1895 Edible and Poisonous Fungi of Peck, Charles Horton.
1897. Mushrooms and their use. Peck, C. H. 1900.
Report of the State Botanist on Edible Fungi of Rand, Edward L. and
John H. Redfield. 1894. Flora of Simon Schwendener
1869. "Die Flechten als
Parasiten der Algen" (The lichens as parasites of algae) in Verhandlungen der Nauturforschenden
Gesellschaft in Thomas, J., M.D. and
T. Baldwin. 1855. A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer, or Geographical
Dictionary, of the World. J. B. Lippincott & Co. [Lippincott’s
Pronouncing Gazetteer]. Trager, James. 1995.
The Food Chronology. A Food Lover’s Compendium of Events and Anecdotes, from Prehistory
to the Present. Henry Holt and Company. Webster. 1949.
Webster’s Geographical Dictionary. G. & C. Merriam Co., Publishers,
Whitten, David O. ( Wolf, Connie. 1998.
Annotation: the Newsletter of the National Historical Publications and
Records Commission Vol. 26:4 (approx. three pages).  Charles Horton Peck Papers in the Mycology
Collection of the This archive at the http://www.mobot.org/plantscience/ResBot/hist/CorrAuth/PeckClinton/1_PeckClilnton.htm
or The letters of Mary L.
Wilson to Peck are transcribed and the transcription presented here through
the courtesy of the 1. [no date; probably
1897] The Congressional
Hotel Mr. Peck, Dear Sir: I learn
from Mrs. Fuller of the Mycological Club here that a Report of the Botanist
of the Yours very truly Mary L. Wilson Editor’s note (centered through the
remainder): I have placed this
letter first in the correspondence sequence. There is no date, but the tone
lacks the intimacy of all the other (subsequent?) letters. I am presuming
that Miss. Wilson has written this note to discover Mr. Peck’s reaction
to it, that is, to see whether he would choose to respond or not, perhaps to
see whether Mr. Peck remembers her name and what his attitude might be toward
it. As the subsequent letter indicates, Peck replied in a reassuring tone. The “Report of the Botanist of the “No. 120 In Assembly, February 7, 1880,
Thirty-third Annual Report of the State Museum of Natural History by the
Regents of the University of the State of If this was the 33d annual report, then such reports,
if annual, would have stretched back to around 1847. There were other
departments of the State Museum of Natural History that submitted reports,
the most world-famous of which was the Department of Geology under the
geologist James Hall. Another series of The Peck publication to which Mary Wilson refers,
is contained in one of these Annual Reports: Peck, Charles Horton, 1895 Edible and Poisonous
Fungi of Presumably, Mary is referring to the second
edition issued in 1897, which would date the year of this introductory
letter. Krieger’s bibliographic reference to ‘1900’ refers
to the following citation and subsequent publication: Peck, C. H. 1900. Report of the State Botanist on
Edible Fungi of The Mycological Club of Washington D.C. of 1897
may be the antecedent of the present Mycological Association of Washington
D.C., an affiliate, according to its present website, of the North American Mycological
Association. As I have had some experience taxonomically with
a group other than the fungi (that is, bryology, or mosses and liverworts),
the emphasis in the home page of the Mycological Association of
‘reliability’ of identification seemed curious, as reliability of
identification is at the very basis of taxonomy. Curiouser still, however, is
the sudden emphasis in the website on eating the subject of the taxonomy.
Mosses and liverworts, although having various practical uses beyond their
beauty in the field and interest in, say, evolution, do not usually require
precision in identification for them to be used. It appears that even more than issues of
identification, these mycologists are above all eager to get identifications
out of the way, and to put the subjects of their study straight into the pot
(perhaps with some butter). In nearly every mycological book I have seen,
there is usually, if not nearly always, guidance in avoiding eating the
toadstools, as poisonous fungi are called in casual contexts. Mushrooms,
often used for edible fungi, are unusual in the glory of their taste,
something not often said of vascular plants in general, excepting the
horticultural sorts, and no mosses and liverworts at all. As with most other exquisite bodies, mushrooms
are quite able to defend themselves with the most exquisite sorts of
death-producing toxins as well (see below), resulting in some of the most
virulent, fatal, hallucinatory, mind-wasting consequences once consumed, not
only for the general public, but covering the whole spectrum of individual
susceptibility to their chemical nature. Reliability in identification, then, seen in a
mycological context, is above all directed at the comestibility of the fungal
body under consideration. The reader will note that the question of whether
or not a given fungus can be relished without paying with one’s life
forms the content of several of Miss. Wilson’s correspondence with Mr.
Peck. [August 13, 1897 both this and the next are on the same
stationery] Mr. Peck Dear Sir: You may possibly
recall my name as an early correspondent when you were collecting the lichens
- sixteen or seventeen years ago
- when Judge Clinton opened so many opportunities for amateur botanists in I find myself able to
be of a little service to the country people here abouts - who want to avail
themselves of the rich harvests of fungi that these mountains yield. I am
taking the liberty also of sending you by mail two species which are common
here, which we cannot decide upon. One, the orange colored resembles the
Amanita caesaria which is common here, but which is not it - tho' it seems to
be an Amanitopsis. The other warty specimen seems safe - but I dare not
decide it. A residence of over five years in I am desirous to
teach as many of the poor people here of the safe species as are ready to
learn. Hoping that I am not asking to much in my inquiries - I remain Yours truly Mary L. Wilson [under signature] Bonney Crest Inn Skyland. Aug. 13 [18]'97 [end of letter] Note Mary’s use of English (vs. American)
orthography as in "colour" "grey" (not gray) and so forth
signals her sojourn in Europe for five years. From one of the early books on edible and
poisonous fungi (Palmer, 1885): “The most important advice to the
student is to learn to recognize the Amanita family, and to avoid them all
...”. Naturally, this is the family that captures most the fancy of
those that eat mushrooms. Amanita caesarea (Scop.) Pers., Caesar’s
Mushroom, is a mushroom native to southern Europe and northern Having written this, Orson K. Miller, Jr. (1977
Mushrooms of In fact, Miller states that “I would not
recommend eating Amanitas for any amateur mushroom collector.” (p. 28). The genus Amanitopsis is an old name for species
in the genus Amanita that have no ring (annulus) on the stem, which is the
remains of the partial veil still clinging to the stem. The universal veil is
a tissue out of which the above-ground part of the mushroom emerges and is at
the base of the stalk. The partial veil is associated with the cap (pileus)
and is a covering extending from the unopened margin of the cap (in young
stages of mushroom elongation) to the stalk and covers or protects the young
gills as they develop under the cap. The ring is the remnant of this tissue. Skyland is now one of the suburbs of There is no reference to Skyland in 1855 (Thomas
& Baldwin 1855) or 1949 (Webster 1949). [one sheet, folded,
four pages] Bonny Crest Inn.
Skyland. N. C. Aug. 31 [18]'97 Dear Mr. Peck: Your letter & the
I almost forget how
many years have flown since Judge Clinton used to bring in heaps of Fungi
& Lichens and with them your letters & reports to him. I have never
indeed lost my interest in the botanical subjects altho' other matters have
put in the background my taste for natural history. I have been
interested in comparing your list of edible fungi - so far as reported - with
ours here. A lady of this house has been collecting and testing herself many
forms of mushrooms, and she has literally supplied the There is one Amanita
which was abundant here in July which we have never found described or
mentioned in any of the several works that we have access to. It is in appearance
much like the Amanitopsis vaginatus [underlined] of your work, but much
larger & heavier, its
striations on the margin of the pileus are more distinct and its color
is usually brown at the centre - it is excellent cooked as one would make an
oyster stew, and it has a delicate oyster flavour. It is not to be found
now, indeed there is at present a complete dearth of almost all mushroom
growths. If this Amanita
appears again, I will prepare some specimens for you. We give it first rank
in edible qualities, and it is abundant often. With regard to the
specimens which I sent you - the orange coloured one was frequent here and
there never in groups. I will observe the character of the spring specimens
when I have the chance. The other sent by me we believed was A.
strobiliformis [underlined], but it was pure white. While all of the
descriptions make that mushroom coloured. It was undoubtedly an Amanita
[underlined] with the large bulbous base & ring on the stem. I observe that you
speak of but one [written above:] "edible" Russula [underlined]. -
the green spotted one. We use four species here, the purple cap, the crimson
& the orange. The autumn will bring me many good things undoubtedly. I
shall be pleased to send you whatever may seem worth sending. I do not live in With many thanks for
your pamphlet on the mushrooms. Yours truly Mary L. Wilson. Peck has sent a copy of his 80-page
‘pamphlet’ on edible and poisonous mushrooms (discussed below)
together with a letter in which he apparently expressed his remembrance of her
name and her association with George Clinton (see introduction). During the
1860’s and 1870’s both were protégés of Clinton when he (and Mary) both
resided in Buffalo, New York and Peck named several species of fungi after
Mary based on collections she had made and which Clinton had sent to Peck to
identify. On mushroom collecting as a vocation, see note
end of June 30, 1898 below. Amanitopsis vaginata is a synonym of Amanita
vaginata (Fr.) Vitt., a common, nonpoisonous mushroom without a ring (as discussed
in the previous letter) but, as in Amanita caesarea, also arises from a
saclike white volva. It emerges from the soil under hardwoods and conifers in
the spring, summer and early fall, and is widely distributed (Miller 1977).
Miller indicates that “Mr. Andrew Norman of Russula is one of the two genera in the
Russulaceae, the Milk Mushrooms (the other genus is Lactarius). The
‘milk’ is in reference to a latex exuded from the cut tissues of
Lactarius species; bruised Russula species have color changes in the tissues
when cut or bruised and species of both genera may be identified by these
characteristic color changes. Species of Russula often have brightly colored
caps in strong contrast to the white or whitish flesh, gills and stalk. “Having once learned to identify it [i.e.
the genus Russula] without danger of error, this family is quite safe for use
as food; for all the non-esculent Russulas are hot or nauseous to the taste,
which the edible ones are very nutty and pleasant. The student should,
therefore, taste each specimen when preparing them for cooking.”
(Palmer 1885 p. 4). Amanita strobiliformis (Paulet ex Vattad.)
Bertill. is a large white Amanita with a thick, white bulblike stalk that can
weight up to a pound. General accounts are (cf. Wikipedia 2010) that it is a
nice one to eat. The pileus or cap at first is covered with white warts. It
is ectomycorrhizal, associated with the living tree roots of Birch (genus
Betula) and other trees and shrubs. Peck, Charles Horton. 1897. Mushrooms and their
use. According to French’s 1860 Gazetteer of New
York State, The Cultivator, whose first issue came about in 1839 by Jesse
Buel, “was afterward published by W. Gaylord and L. Tucker, and now by
L. Tucker & Son.” The Country Gentleman was “started by J. J.
Thomas and L. & L. H. Tucker in 1853, is now published by L. Tucker &
Son.” Apparently in the years leading up to 1897, the two publications
were joined, especially as they both enjoyed the same publisher, probably
after Tucker Sr.’s death. Peck also tells us that a toadstool is of the
poisonous variety of fungus, a mushroom not poisonous. Edible mushrooms belong to the
Gasteromycetes, Discomycetes, and Hymenomycetes. As early as 1660, we are informed that
“Aside from artichokes, asparagus, primeurs, and spinach, the diet of
the rich includes few vegetables, but truffles, mushrooms, and foie gras are
much esteemed,” (Trager 1995). Trager also says that in 1809 “ "Kendal."
[sic] Sewanee. June 30 [18]98. Dear Mr. Peck: Would you be so kind
as to inform me if I could obtain another copy of the Regents' Report issued
last year upon Edible Fungi? if I
can not now obtain it is there any prospect of my being able to do so in the
course of some months? I am making these inquiries of you rather than of the
Librarian for I wish to make a little communication with reference to the
so-called poisonous Amanitas. Two ladies here whom I know collect & eat
the Amanita muscaria & phalloides - such as are figured in Palmer's
plates of the Mushrooms of America - certainly they experience no ill
effects; I have seen these mushrooms collected by them. Another lady whom I
know has tested upon herself [written above:] "by eating them" over
50 species [written above:] "of agarics" and has not yet been
poisoned! I shall hope to find
more of the yellow species in these Yours truly Mary L. Wilson I would bespeak a
copy of the Vol. of the Regents Report referred to if it shall soon appear
but I would wish to know in advance its prospective cost. There is no reference to a town
“Sewanee” in the 1855 Gazetteer of Thomas & Baldwin 1855.
However, in 1949, Sewanee is reported to be a “Village and summer
resort, Franklin co., S Tennessee, about 38 miles NW of Chattanooga; pop.
1685; sandstone quarries nearby. University of the South (1857; men).”
(Webster’s 1949). Note that the word “agaric” used as a
noun, other than referring to mushrooms with gills in general, may often
specifically refer to and bring to mind the common grocery store mushroom:
Agaricus campestris, or Agaricus arvensis. Palmer (1885) said “It [A.
campestris] grows in open pastures, lanes or roadsides; never in
forests.” The Agaricus arvensis, however, with a stronger flavor,
“grows on banks, street-sweepings and in hot houses.” The
cultivated mushrooms (A. arvensis) are often so dirty as to require both
washing and peeling.” The “so-called poisonous Amanitas”
include species with gruesome toxicity. Miller (1977) includes species of the
genus Amanita in three of his six groups of toxins: Group I. Phallotoxins and amatoxins, possessed by
Amanita verna, A. virosa, A. phalloides among others. They are said to be
tasty mushrooms when first ingested. Their effects may arise several hours
later when their toxins are converted in the liver “into a compound
which begins to attack liver cells. Only then, when it would no longer help
to pump out the stomach, does the victim suffer extreme pain, profuse
vomiting, lethargy, and distorted vision. After a time, the victim may feel
better for a while, only to have the severe pain return, lasting four to six
days. If the consumer does not eventually die, after weeks of illness, he or
she may survive, but with permanent damage to the liver. Amanita phalloides (Vaill. ex Fr.) Link, the
Death Cap or Destroying Angel, is considered to be one of the most poisonous
of all known mushrooms, damaging the liver and kidneys, often causing death.
It is said this mushroom has been implicated in the deaths of the Roman
Emperor Claudius and Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI (Wikipedia post Oct. 10,
2010). Within the genus Amanita, this species is the type of the section
Phalloideae that contains all the deadly poisonous Amanita species thus far
identified, such as A. virosa and A. bisporiga and A. verna (the Fool’s
Mushroom). Clearly, the white Amanita of Wilson’s
acquaintance must be some other toadstool than A. phalloides and
Palmer’s figures in his Mushrooms of America. The little pamphlet written by Palmer Jr., Julius
Aboineau (1840-1899). 1885. Mushrooms of The general word ‘agarics’ must refer
to fungi that have gills, neither of which occur among the Puff-balls or
Pore-bearing species. “The fungus-eaters form a little clique in Note that Palmer expressly singles out species of
the genus Amanita as representing the most toxic of all mushrooms. - “such as are figured in Palmer's plates
of the Mushrooms of America.” The following plates depict edible fungi: Plate 1: Agaricus campestris; A arvensis plus
description, taste, how to cook, roast; II Coprinus comatus; III Marasmius
oreades; IV. Agaricus cretaceus, the Chalk Mushroom; V Agaricus procerus, the
Parasol Mushroom; VI edible Russulas: R. heterophylla; R. virescens; R.
lepida; R. alutacea; VII Boleti: B. bovinus, B. edulis, B. scaber, B.
subtomentosus, B. chrysenteron, B. strobilaceus; VIII Lycoperdaceae:
Puff-balls: L. giganteum, L. saccatum, L. gemmatum. The following depict poisonous fungi: Plate IX: Agaricus (Amanita) vernus, Poisonous
White Mushroom; X. Poisonous Mushrooms of the genus Amanita: A. muscarius; A.
phalloides: A. mappa.; XI. Poisonous or suspicious Boleti: B. felleus, B.
alveolatus, B. luridus. XIII Poisonous or False Champignons: Agaricus
(Naucoria) semi-orbiculatus; A. (Stropharia) Semi-globatus; A. (Naucoria)
pediades. The Amanita muscaria (L.:Fr.) Lam. is called the
Fly Agaric in a translation of the epithet (‘of flies’). It has a
deep red cap with white spots or warts scattered over its surface. It seems
to be edible when cooked and is hallucinogenic (psychoactive), probably when
raw. It may be abundant under conifers and hardwoods in spring, summer and
fall. Through its associated with Pine plantations, the species has been
introduced to many countries in the Southern Hemisphere and is presently
considered to be a cosmopolitan species. This is a species whose toxicity may
be variable in different areas of its growth, with races with more or less of
its toxins (Miller 1977). This species belongs to two of Miller’s
groups of toxins: Group II: muscarine, and Group II, Muscimol and
related compounds (note that the chemical name of both toxins derives from
the epithet of Amanita muscaria). Both toxins affect the central and
parasympathetic nervous systems. The toxin muscarine, which results in
retardating of heart function, dilation of blood vessels and pupil
constriction of the eyes, symptoms reversed by the application of atropine,
are not considered serious and the toxicity due to this compound is
“now largely discounted” - a welcome determination for those
interested in ingesting this mushroom. The other toxin of Amanita muscaria, muscimol,
although resulting in hallucinogenic symptoms, is also, apparently, bearable and
so not a barrier to ingestion of this fungus (Miller 1977). Other Amanitas
possessing this and related compounds include Amanita pantherina, A.
solitaria, A. porphyria, A. citrina (Miller 1977). Finding the exact degree of tolerance among these
colorful and otherwise spectacular growths has been and still is an essential
element in not only liberating the average citizen of the Cumberland and Blue
Ridge Mountains to broaden the diet, but also may provide a livelihood to
those who can safely identify edible material to sell to, for example,
restaurants - if only this food can get to the table before it decays. Such employment is enjoyed by at least one of
Mary Wilson’s acquaintance who has learned her expertise the hard way
with the result that she may provide mushrooms for her clients, the
restaurants of Skyland, particularly the Bonny Crest Inn of August 31, above: “A lady of this house has been
collecting and testing herself many forms of mushrooms, and she has literally
supplied the Sewanee. Dear Mr. Peck: I was sorry to know
that my little packet of mushrooms went astray for I cannot well duplicate
them now. I have collected two
other pretty things quite often which look good enough to eat: they are so
attractive that I must know more of them if possible. #3 seems to be a
Lepiota: [underline] it grows out of the sides of old stumps: its first
appearance when the gills are perfectly white is very delicate &
beautiful - Is it edible? #4 is common on our
lawn & in the woods also: it grows in clusters sometimes: it seems to be
an Amanitopsis [underline]: the
volvas or sheath at the base has never been seen, tho' I have gone down in
the ground 2 inches for it. The stipe is very long & stout in proportion
to the cap: the cap remained
close down at the sides for some time after it is out of the ground
and seems to have difficulty in expanding it is so contracted; it looks when it at last
expands and the split portions have a way of bending back as if they
were petals of a rose, its colour
is tawny yellow on top: flesh very white & firm - it has a very clear
& good appearance. In the woods I have
found another of similar appearance - but having a volva (no ring or veil)
the volva very conspicuous above ground - but this one is pale yellow: it too
looks very good - I have no facilities for drying my specimens as we are not
housekeeping: a fire in ones room is out of question here. We have had damp
& muggy weather & dreary rains for many weeks now, and almost
everything that I have succeeded in preserving has moulded badly. Many people come to
me here for instructions about mushrooms. I have been able to be of some
service - but not so much as I wish to be - I shall be much obliged in the
names of the two I enclose in my envelope. Yours truly Mary L. Wilson The volva “more or less enclosing the young
plant, and remaining at the base of the older specimen so that when the
mushroom is pulled up a socket is left in the ground.” (Palmer 1885 p.
3). The volva, together with the ring and warty excrescences on the cap and
the three characteristics of the genus Amanita. The volva is the
“sheath or wrapper enclosing the young mushroom when below or just
above the ground; the remains of which are found in the ring, the veil, at
the base of the stem, and in the warty or scurfy top of some varieties of
mushrooms.” (Palmer 1885 p.2). Note that the reason so much attention is paid to
the larger mushrooms is that they are conspicuous, their technical features
are manifest and, above all, they quickly provide a meal, compared to the
smaller species. Oct. 9 [18]'98 Mr. Chas. H. Peck: Dear Sir: Would you
be so kind as to let me make some inquiries of you concerning the recent
literature on Lichens. It is years now since I have had access to the
subject. What I mainly need now to know is this, Is the Schwendener
theory - as it was called- still regarded as tenable? Schwendener affirmed
that he had produced the lichen by the union of the [written above:]
"spores of the" algae & the fungi. I have an article to write
which makes me need to know how this theory is now regarded. I should be much
obliged for a few words about it.
I am about going to A heavy Lepiota is
common here, its species name I do not know. Your writings have been much
loaned & made use of, and in a superficial way there has been much
enthusiasm on the subject in Sewanee. I should be thankful
for a reply to these inquiries soon. My address will be to the Congressional
Hotel Washington D. C. Very respectfully
yours Mary L. Wilson [end of letter] [See end of the letter
of June 23, 1900 below for a loose sheet that I had at first thought went
with this letter, Oct. 9 [18]'98, but has different paper similar to the
letter of June 23. The ‘heavy Lepiota’ will be discussed
in the next letter. Missionary Ridge is not listed in the 1855
Gazetteer, but Chattanooga is “a flourishing post-village of Hamilton
co., Tennessee on the Tennessee River, 250 miles by water below Knoxville,
and 140 miles S. E. of Nashville. It is the terminus of the Webster’s 1949 lists Missionary Ridge as a
“Ridge extending NE to SW in Simon Schwendener (February 10, 1829 - May
27, 1919), a Swiss botanist, earned his doctorate from the Yet that is what
lichens are. The algae species within the body of the lichen belong to the
algae divisions Cyanochloronta and Chlorophycophyta. The fungus species
belong to the Ascomycota, Basidiomycota and Deuteromycota (Bold 1973) and
both coexist in a form of symbiotic relationship. For an excellent
account of Schwendener, see Honegger,
2000. The union of these
two organisms produces a “plant body of consistently recognizable
structure and appearance” (Bold 1973 p. 219) such that Mary Wilson
could identify them, or name them during her period of work in the decades of
the 1860’s and 1870’s when she corresponded with the North
American lichenologist Edward Tuckerman (1817 - 1886). Tuckerman had died a
year after George Clinton. In “Jan. 21. For some days have been
looking up lichens & fungi, particularly the latter. A few days ago, on Rhus
typhinum, on the plains, found a Calicium (very abundant) which Miss Mary
L. Wilson (who has taken the Lichens in charge) thinks is C. Curtisii. Found
it, today, on Rhus typhina, on the head of Later, “Feb. 6. Mr. Peck writes that Mr.
Tuckermann, to whom he submitted them, decides that the Calicium from
Rhus typhinum is C. Curtisii, Tuck. and that another I sent is C.
subtile, Ach.’” This passage indicates that at this date, Peck
was not working on lichens. There is no real evidence that lichenology formed
a particular interest of his, feeling free to send queries in this regard on
to Tuckerman. Congressional Hotel,
Washington D. C. [2 sheets] Oct. 15 [18]'98 Mr. Peck. Dear sir: -
My thanks to you for
your information about the new work on lichens. I regret that I did not know
that you would like to see the heavy Lepiota so common on Mission Ridge -
perhaps I can describe it, so that you will recognize it - it was hardly more
than half the height of L. procera, the cap was never as broad as the largest
forms of L. procera but it was heavier in all respects - the stipe as well as
the cap. The colour was more like the perfectly clear white of L. Americana,
but it had the brown scabs similar to both of the above species - its ring was thick,
its whole aspect was so chubby until it was fairly expanded - that at a
little distance I was often uncertain whether it was not a puffball, when the
cap was fully expanded the gills were bright green in color [sic]. Even when
the perfectly white, unexpanded cap was cooked the flesh became gray in
colour, its taste was not equal to L. procera [underlined] - I always found it
at the very top of the ridge, & usually in companies, seldom solitary; it
was a very pretty thing - its scales caught & held the dew drops, &
it seemed often as if covered with jewels. I have seen it no where else at the
South. I would send back to friends there for it if I had only left a
follower there, but I know no one there who has any special knowledge of the
fungi. Still, if from my accounts, which are accurate I assure you, you
should suspect that it is a new species I will write to a friend, an old man
of 90 years - to see what he can do to find it about his grounds: he was a
naturalist when young & would be glad to be of service to science. I know
he cannot ramble far. His name is Mr. G. Escol Gillers [sp.?] Now I must
speak of one other fungus, very common at the South, it is an Amanita
[underlined]. I have hoped to see some plate or description of it that would
tell me what it is, but, altho' I possess and I have had access to several
works, I have gained no hint of it. Did you not say that Amanita phalloides
[underlined] has not ['not' underlined] striate margins I should suppose that
this were the plant. It looks precisely like the white & brown forms of
the sheathed Amanitopsis only it is is [sic] much larger. I have seen it
measuring 8 or 10 inches in diameter at [sic] the South, it is very common:
the striae such as one sees on the margin of Amanitopsis vaginata are always
present. It is soft & very white in the gills, and has the wrapper at the
base rather torn & evanescent & the bulb well marked. I was told in My friend complained
of strong pains, and a marked rash the length of her arm ensued, another
friend said that she felt as if her arms had been half paralyzed after eating
it, it has seemed to me strange that I have nowhere been able to learn
anything of it. Some curious forms of
fungi that I met at Swanee Tenn. were cigar shaped, brilliant orange &
crimson or scarlet, with a greenish slime towards the top; they were hollow
with reticulated linings, one species was of this shape, another equally
curious protruding from the
ground was shaped thus [small sketch] the open aperture at the top. I am
inclined to suppose that anything I might discover that would be strange to
me would be common to you. I shall go southward
again in one month, then if I can be of service I shall be pleased Very truly yours Mary L. Wilson P. S. on M. L. W. One well-known antidote to certain mushroom
poisonings in Mary Wilson’s time was atropine, which “has long
been used to counteract the effect of muscarine in Amanita muscaria
poisonings” (Miller 1977). Atropine derives from Atropa belladonna and
other relatives in the Tomato Family (Solanaceae). Muscarine “excites
the parasympathetic nervous system, which results in the slowing of the heart,
dilation of blood vessels, and constricting of the pupils of the eyes”
(Miller 1977). Atropine “causes paralysis of all responses to
parasympathetic stimulation” (Hoerr & Osol 1960). The genus Lepiota possesses some rather
spectacular, large species. In the genus, there is a ring on the stem,
similar to an Amanita, but no volva. The genus is of interest in that the
larger species are safe to eat. Lepiota Peck has described an unwholesome Lepiota:
Lepiota morgani, Morgan’s Lepiota, which “grows mostly in the
western and southern states” (Krieger 1967) and is poisonous. This
species has a large, thick, movable ring. Mary’s description of the
green gills seems to match the description of Morgan’s Lepiota, as is
the characteristic that it is a “much heavier plant” (Krieger
1967). The spores at first are a bright green, then fade to dull-green to
sordid. Lepiota procera, the Parasol mushroom is perhaps
the most striking species in the genus and “one of the finest of all
edible mushrooms!” (Krieger 1967) yet the Morgan’s Lepiota is
nearly identical with it. The last mushroom described was probably what is
known as a stinkhorn, although she did not describe the unpleasant smell of
these organisms. The stinkhorns have a single, unbranched, erect stipe,
sometimes brightly colored, as Mary Wilson describes. The greenish slime
towards the top is where the spores are concentrated. Mutinus caninus, the
Common Stinkhorn, has a narrow red stalk with green slime over the top. The
Stalk is chambered and there is no differentiation at the apex into a ‘head.’
This is characteristic of the genus (Miller 1977). Dear Mr. Peck: I thank you for the
Report you have sent - it will probably reach me soon: it will be much valued
by me, and very useful when I find species in I offer the following
names. Miss Sarah E. Cole of Miss Elsie M. Young is another
enthusiastic student. I have much enjoyed knowing what the Mycological Club
here is doing, altho' I came too late for many rambles hereabout, Yours very truly Mary L. Wilson Your kindness to
collectors seems to be much appreciated here, at least by Mrs. Fuller. Groveland is a small residential town in northern
Essex Co., Skyland N. C. May 31,
1900 Dear Mr. Peck: I am sending by mail
a box containing a Tricholoma which may be multiceps [underlined] - but the specimens
are so much large & ['whiter' written above] finer than those I saw in The other species in
the box is the yellow Amanitopsis that I sent specimens of two years ago
nearly. You desired me to observe the young forms and report on the color of
the gills: I found them pale yellow. Can you give me the name of this
species? It is rather common here & in the Cumberland Mts. - a very
pretty thing. (It is not A. vaginata). In your reply to my
letter sent with two Amanitas (Nos. 1 & 2) in March you asked if the
greenish heaps of granules upon the smaller species was not a characteristic?
It certainly is, or has seemed such on the five specimens I have seen: it is
a rare fungus, I fear I may not soon find it young. The other Amanita
with the striate margins does not come until July. It is very common this hot
month & through August. If it is new as you suggest, I wonder that it
should have escaped observation - for it is rather common in the We have had a dry
& fine May so there are not many fungi to be found. I have a few things
on hand that I may send when I can give reports such as you want or the early
stages &c. I wonder if Amanita
ovoidea B. [underlined] is found in Yours vey truly Mary L. Wilson Clitocybe multiceps, or Tricholoma aggregatum is
“exceedingly common” and enjoys disturbed places, growing in
dense clusters “which may contain a hundred or more individuals and
weigh as much as fifteen pounds” (Arora 1986). The Tricholoma multiceps
mentioned above was described by Peck. Tricholoma georgii is common in Amanita ovoidea B. [= Berkeley?] is the European White
Egg and there is no mention of it occurring in North America with a white cap
to 12 cm. Amanita virosa and Amanita proxima closely resemble it, both highly
toxic species. As advertized in the final pages of Peck (1897),
and their cost in 1897: Constantin. Atlas des Champignones comestibles et
veneneux 228 colored figures. 1.00 Constantin et Dufour Nouv. Flore des
Champignones. Petite Flore d. Champignones comest. et venen. [edible
and poisonous] Skyland. June 4, [18]'99 Dear Mr. Peck, I send by mail today
a strange fungus which I have not before seen, will you be so kind as to name
it. In Tryon this spring I had the pleasure of seeing those photographs which
you named for Miss Anderson. I hope to be able to
follow the growth of some fungi this season which you made inquiries about
two years ago, for I expect to remain here all summer. Yours truly Mary L. Wilson. [along the margin]
This fungus grows on a stump. I have a larger cluster. [See letter of June 23, 1900 for a
reference to Miss. Anderson and her photographs.] Skyland. N. C. June
27 [18]'99 Dear Mr. Peck. I send
a mushroom in a match box today which I should be thankful to know the name
of. I've not found it before. A lady here tells me that it is a delicious one
- she also tells me that some mushroom or fungus is now known to inoculate
against rattlesnake poison - or snake bites generally, but she cannot tell me
the name of the fungus: do you know of such an antidote in the mycological
order? Excessive drought has prevailed here until yesterday. Yours very truly Mary L. Wilson Skyland N. C. July 8, [18]'99 [this & next Jul. 10 same paper type,
blue 1899] Dear Mr. Peck: Your card is at hand.
I am sorry to say that I cannot now send you another specimen like the one I
sent in the 1st match box. I kept it for some weeks before sending it hoping
to duplicate it. A lady here who has an excellent eye for the mushrooms tells
me that she has found it several times, so I may see it again. I observed when I
gathered the one specimen, that it had a thin rag of the vail [sic] clinging
about the stipe just where the collar should be, - but it could not be called
a collar as it was: I observed no volva - I had no knife with me at the time
- so could not dig for a volva, but I saw none - these facts I specially
noted, its odor was very pleasant. I told you I think that my friend said it
was "delicious eating" - The specimen I sent grew in a light - open
thicket by the roadside. I will watch for it in the same locality when we have more rains.
While we are not now suffering from drought, the mushrooms are shy this year.
I will now send
another species which I did not collect, so I cannot answer any questions
about a volva: it had no collar certainly when I saw it fresh: I have just
returned from a ramble on the mountain hoping to get more specimens before
sending the only two that I have, but failed to find it. I am expecting to own
a little home here in these mountains - which are so full of beautiful woods
& rambles; by another year I hope to have it so settled that I can offer my
friends hospitality - or offer them the key of the house when I am not here -
I shall then be glad to put my "den" which will be comfortable at
least, at your disposal; the French Broad is near - there are no rattlesnakes
- red bugs & ticks are fewer than elsewhere & the wildness is as
fresh as that of a wild rose. Very truly Mary L. Wilson on my ramble this A.
M. I saw some common Russulas & Amanitopsis vaginata but nothing new to
me. The French Broad is a river, 210 miles long
“formed by junction of north and west forks in Transylvania Co., SW
North Carolina, flows NW through Great Smoky Mts. across Tennessee border,
turns west to unite with Holston river near Knoxville and form Tennessee
river” (Webster 1949).
Red bugs are chiggers, a mite of the Trombiculidae. They feed, not on
blood, but skin cells, causing severe itching in the hole they chew in their
victim’s skins. A tick is a
small arachnid in the genus Acarina and these do feed on the blood of their
victims.
The final paragraph of this letter is reminiscent of the spirit and
poesy of Rhoda Waterbury, another correspondent of George Clinton who lived
or rambled on the mountain tops of eastern Skyland, N. C. July
10, [18]'99 Dear Mr. Peck: I send a box today which
contains a few things unknown to me. No 1 is perhaps a more fully developed
spec. of the one sent in a cylinder [written in by Peck?:
‘Decayed and moldy not rec'd’] No. 2. is broken, but
it is all there. The flat cap is creamy reticulated. ["Am. solitaria? prob."
written in by Peck in pencil?]
No. 3 in a
fragmentary state is perhaps the same as the one you say is new: the fragment
of a stipe shows some hairs: I had most carefully [brot? sic] the whole thing
from the mountain - but some body seized it ruthlessly & it was ruined.
The upper part of the stipe had the vail [sic] clinging to it. [written in:
"decayed and molded"
Peck?] No. 4 I have not
before seen [written in: "C..th... inferred" ?] No. 5 A common Peziza
I suppose. Very truly Mary L. Wilson [two sheets + illo] [Emblem at top of letter PHOTO “ Skyland. N. C. June
15 1900. Dear Mr. Peck. I can
now answer your questions concerning the Amanitopsis that I sent last week. I
will send some with sketches in color of the plant at various stages. Its
color is somwhat variable, but it is always on the top of the pileus in
shades of orange. The gills are always in both young & old specimens of a
pale yellow tinge. The stems in fresh specimens shade from pale yellow down
to white - but turn brownish when gathered. I have given in my sketches the
shape of the pileus at different ages - it is perfectly [globose?] - the
lamellae are free: the interior of the stem is rather fibrous, but it is not
hollow. The volva is difficult to report of. I cannot usually detach it well
from the ground, it certainly is not a sheath. The dried specimens I sent you
last week show the volva as well as it can be shown. This pretty plant is
frequently found throughout the summer. When old the cap curls upward as the
profile sketch shows. I send the dried
specimens from which I made these sketches. I will also send another sketch
of another Amanitopsis that I find sometimes but more rarely: it is not A.
vaginata. I will send the dried form of it too & number it 4
[underlined]. I will send in the
box a baked Amanita that I have never found before: (its baking was
accidental but the glossy surface of its pileus is well shown & also the
powdery heaps upon it) - it was very viscid and the gills exuded a milky
juice: it was perfectly white and pleasant in both taste & odor. The
ground hereabouts is always rather piney. I will number this Amanita 5
[underlined] Since writing the
above I have found the volva of two specimens of the Amanitopsis No 3 - I
will make a rude sketch of it. The specimens gathered this A. M. all have
larger caps than those I have drawn, and the stems were all pale yellow. The gills in one case
deeper yellow that I have [shown?]
[new sheet] colored. The caps were all viscid. I will add some few
other things to the box. If you find any of them interesting I will look for
more. Please say which of
the specimens sent are known to be edible and if they can be named in their
present condition I would be grateful.
I must apologize for
the poor paper on which my sketches are made. I am at a distance from Yours very truly Mary L. Wilson Included is a sketch on a paper folded [once]
showing the underside of the cap (stipe removed), an older representation
with the cap uplifted with age, showing the gills, two stems, younger and
sketches of the volva "volvas of 2 specimens of the Amanitopsis. No.
3" My notes indicate the
drawings are colored "Colored orange & yellow."]] PHOTOGRD Skyland. N. C. June
21. 1900 Dear Mr. Peck: I can now send you a
colored sketch of the Amanita sent in the early spring. No. 1 or 2 (I am not
quite certain which of these numbers it was marked - as I did not retain a
specimen). This colored sketch shows its ragged stipe - torn veil & torn
volva. The stipe is a little hollow - only a knitting needle could be run
thro' the space. The pileus much resembles that of Amanitopsis vaginata: it
is even sometimes umbonate. It is frequently paler in colour - but the centre
[sic] of the cap is always colored [sic] this leaden brown hue. I send one
young specimen also (both were too much baked - but the smooth surface of the
cap is well shown: it is always smoother - glossier than that of Amanitopsis
vaginata - I have seen the pileus full ten inches in diameter - but my sketch
gives the usual size: there are never mealy heaps or particles on the cap,
but the stipe is often flocculose. As I wrote before it is very common here
& in the Cumberland Mts. - & at Missionary Ridge - and it is I
believe somewhat poisonous - for two friends & myself suffered strong
[strange?] sensations after eating it - but another friend says that if
cooked ... it is safe. I will send two other Amanitas in the same package -
which I will number 9 & 10. No. 9 is very long
& heavy - the dried specimen is only 1/4th the size of the fresh one: the
other is [white?]: the whole thing is very flocculose. No. 10 is a small
buff colored thing - quite common here - the cap has always the regular heaps
of powder on its surface. Hoping that my
specimens are distinct enough for recognition. Very truly yours Mary L. Wilson [The name " Skyland N. C. June
23, 1900 Dear Mr. Peck: The Amanitopsis
[underlined] named by you A. parcivolvata [underlined] does not seem to me to
be the same as that collected by Miss. Anderson in New Jersey & so named
by you. She & I discussed these plants last winter, when I showed her my
dried specimens and she showed me her photographs - We neither of us supposed
the fungi to be the same. Still I see now that it is an extremely variable
thing: in this exceedingly wet season I am finding this Amanitopsis
[underined] abundant & differing from any of it that I have found before:
it is much larger often of late than the sketch I sent you (full 4 1/2 inches
across often) and its color varies too - some times the cap is white
excepting at the centre - where there may be an orange or a crimson spot.
Some people whom I know here who collect fungi for edible purposes eat this
yellow Amanitopsis [underlined] freely; there is nothing so common here now. I will now send more
of the tawny species. #4 - of my sketch - I obtained its volva deep in the
soil - & it still clings to the stipe that I will send: the striae of all
specimens of it are very fine & close [written above:] "& inconspicuous”:
the stipe is somewhat hollow & very brittle. I will send another
Amanita [underlined] [written above:] "No. 11" that I have found
but one specimen of: it suggests A. muscaria, but it is different in several
respects. The color of the pileus is vermillion, and it is so covered with
gray [sic] brown warts regularly disposed that it appears congested: pileus
about 7 inches across - gills yellowish white - stipe very clean, with a
portion of the veil clinging midway - the stipe is yellow & whitish-bulbous
base smooth. I got up the whole thing with much clinging earth &
carefully removed the dirt, and no sheath or cup or scale was visible. The
plant looked superb - odor agreeable. No. 12. [underlined]
Is this Tricholoma nudum [underlined] and is it edible? If I am sending to
you too often now please let me know it - this rainy month brings many
things. Yours very truly Mary L. Wilson Tricholoma nudum
(Bull.) Quel. [written in another hand = Peck?] Miller (1977) wrote that Tricholoma nudum (Fr.)
Kummer is the same as Lepista nuda (Fr.) Cooke, Tricholoma personatum (Fr. ex
Fr.) Kummer, and gives the name Clitocybe nuda (Fr.) Bigelow and Smith as its
proper name. It is not only edible, but choice. It is a colorful fungus with
violet-gray cap, pale lilac gills and dull lavender stalk. The odor is
fragrant. Miller wrote “This is a delicious edible fungus and is often
found in great quantity.” Miss The following is on a detached sheet that I had
associated with the previous letter of October 9 [18]’98 perhaps as it
is stored that way in the Archives. I have associated this sheet, however,
with this June 23, 1900 letter as it has the same soft paper, yellowish, and
the fold seems to match. Another possibility is June 21, 1900 but the content
seems to suggest it goes with June 23, 1900 instead: 12. A violet grey or
greyish [note "grey"] brown cap - dark red brown gills - surface of
cap silky - stem fibrous, brittle. 13. Yellow brown cap,
gills white, on the mountain - gills orange. 14. coral color,
growing in moss on the mountain. 15. Brown cushiony
cap, gills yellow. This is a loose sheet at NYS: there are two disassociated
pieces of paper: I am placing them here as the salutation occurs at the end
of the following and is absent from the two papers above. in great numbers
often. I have seen it with a cap measuring ten inches across - but its usual
diameter is five or six inches. I tried in I shall return to My address will now
be to Skyland, Buncombe Cy. Yours very truly -
with sincere thanks for the Bulletin & plates. Mary
L. Wilson Amanita parcivolvata (Peck) E.-J. Gilbert was
first described by Peck. Skyland. N. C. July
8, 1900 [Jul 8 & 10 same
paper type, blue, of 1899!] Dear Mr. Peck: The
Amanitopsis [underlined] that you wish to know more about (#4) is rather rare
here, it appears only in very wet weather on the lawns or roadsides: it grows
also in the A. vaginata
[underlined] has been immense here this year, often five inches across or
more. If that Amanita # 11
is A. rubescens [underlined] it is an imperial one for it far surpasses in
size & loftiness of bearing & brilliancy of color any A. rubescens
[underlined] I have seen represented. I am familiar with many forms of it.
This one here is almost as brilliant as A. muscaria. I am specially trying to
separate the Amanitas here. I find more species [than?] [a name?
Massee?] describes. I will send
some which I will follow up, should they be interesting. 16. A rude sketch I
will inclose to show its color & markings & shape; it is always
smooth & glossy. The pileus is brown & rather striped with spots of
white here & there as I have given in the sketch - these spots are not
warts or mealiness but in the texture or flesh. The volva base is round &
smooth. I have seen the solid stipe sometimes taller than I have given it
here - it is not uncommon - it is edible. The vail [sic] is long & whiter
as the dried specimen will show. 17. Cap whitish,
about 4 in across covered with greyish white mealy spots - stipe hollow. The
shape of the undeveloped cap thus [small mushroom image to one inch with cap
and bulbous base] bulb quite long & slightly margined, odor rather rank.
I have several other solitary specimens which differ - I am waiting to find
[notes?] for them before venturing to [the rest can't find sheet at NYS for
the rest:] send them. If you have published a description of Amanita spreta
would you be so kind as to tell me where it can be seen. With many thanks for
the names you have given me Very truly yours Mary L. Wilson Skyland. Oct. 29,
1900 Dear Mr. Peck: When your letter came
inquiring specially about two species of Amanita - one of which you named A. submaculata
[underlined], I hoped to find more examples to send you - but an exceedingly
dry season followed and scarcely a single fungus could be found, and so those
were vernal species and not very common. I have been unable to find them
again since the late rains came. You asked however for
the color of the gills of A. submaculata [underlined] - they are pure white -
very clean & not very close together. I shall send you
later a sketch - colored - of the other Amanita [underlined] & one
specimen dried. My cares have been so
great this summer & autumn that I have not been able to study at all, but
soon when we are settled in Tryon for the winter I hope to pursue the fungi
more. Yesterday, Dr. Carl
Mohr, formerly of While I suppose the
applicants for the Reports are numerous I will just venture to give the
addresses of these two botanists who so desire to obtain them Dr. Carl Mohr N. C. I send in a little
box some specimens of Coprinus - I do not find them described in any work
that I have. Would you kindly give me the name on the enclosed card. Yours very truly Mary L. Wilson Dr. Mohr's work on
the Flora of Alabama is soon forthcoming. My address is now
changed to Tryon N. C. Associated with this letter is a large picture of
a mushroom painted "Amanita spreta” = Amanita spreta (Peck) Sacc.,
the "Hated
Caesar" fungus. It has been
described as a robust, somewhat common species of Pk. N. C. Miss Wilson" in Peck's
handwriting? [archivist at NYS:
illos sep'd ("colored sketch, Amanita spreta Pk.'...) in The following paper is associated with the letter
“Skyland Oct. 29 1900” as a separate sheet: You inquired for the
habitat of No. 16. A. submaculata [underlined], sp. nov. I have only found it
in open places near the road or in light woods - or even in the open - it
usually grows in clusters - it is edible. 18. I enclose with
Coprinus - a pure white specimen - old & young - all I found - which
seems to be near Lepiota - there was no ring however ] Dr. Rodham E. Tulloss
(RET), a specialist in the genus Amanita, wrote of Amanita submaculata that
it was: “Originally
collected in http://www.eticomm.net/~ret/amanita/species/submacul.html
Oct. 19, 2010). On an earlier posting, Tulloss wrote: After more
than thirty years of collecting in the eastern United States, RET has found
only one entity that could correspond to Peck's description of A. submaculata.
Nevertheless, because of the limited description of the present species
(provided below), the identification has not been formally published. The
candidate has simply been called "species 18" (Tulloss et al.,
1995) among other herbarium designations.” “Originally collected in “Miss M. L. Wilson, Peck's correspondent,
included a rough watercolor of the material which is preserved at the “The information below is derived from the
original description (Peck, 1900) supplemented by the description of the type
by Jenkins (1978 ...Studies in the Genus Amanita Pers. (Agaricales, Fungi), a
website (2007) edited by: Dr. Rodham E. Tulloss; Herbarium Rooseveltensis Amanitarum,
Charles Mohr corresponded with George Clinton. Letters
from him archived at the Buffalo Museum of Science begin April 30, 1867
and end February 21, 1879. In
August 12, 1875, Mohr wrote “These spend at your blissful home and the interesting
ones spend with you and Miss Wilson at your museum will never be
forgotten.”
Charles Mohr moved to Mohr’s date of death was July 17, 1901 - he
appears to have died fourteen days before the issue of his monumental flora
of the State of Tryon N. C. Jan 26,
1901 [Ja 29 written in by hand,
probably Peck's date of receipt] Dear Mr. Peck: I thank you for the
reprint from the Torrey Bulletin which you have sent me. That Amanitopsis parcivolvata
[underlined] became a very interesting object in the last variable summer - I
did find it in previous seasons in N. Carolina & the Cumberland of
Tennessee - but it was always orange in color - and of medium [underlined]
size - indeed it was rather small - but last year in the early wet summer of
June it took on many brilliant shades and grew to great size - and its
variation was continued during the heated time as often as showers came on. Pecks of it
could be easily gathered. I am sending you now
some specimens of an Amanita [underlined] that grew abundantly about Tryon
last November: the specimens dried in the ground and presented the same
appearance then that they have now: it is not A. solitaria [underlined] as I
know it - nor A. monticulosa [underlined]. If you have any desire to see the
winter fungi here I can get together quite a box full some day I think. Yours very truly Mary L. Wilson Amanita monticulosa
(Berk. & Curt.) Sacc. Amanita parcivolvata (Peck) Gilbert, the Ringless
False Fly-Agaric, “is closely related to A. muscaria but it has a
powdery veil, leaves no ring, and the yellowish volval patches fall off
readily. It is also smaller in size. It was spores of the same size and no
amyloid reaction, its toxicity is unknown, and it is reported only from
northeastern Tryon, N. Car. Apr. 20 1901 [Ap. 22 written by hand above;
probably date of receipt and by Peck]
Dear Mr. Peck: I have received from
you two very valuable Reports on fungi for which please accept my sincerest
thanks. I feel much ..ed by this addition to my Mycological literature. I have regretted much
that I could not carry out my proposal to send you winter fungi from here.
Just after I wrote you there was severe cold that destroyed everything - tho'
up to that time fungi had been frequent. And nothing of special interest has
since appeared here. Spring has been unusually tardy. There have been some ordinary
Catastomas & Geasters which I knew you received from
Miss Anderson when she was here. I send a cigar box by mail now containing
the only things not familiar that I have seen. The large polyporus may be but
a desiccated state of some common one.
I shall go to Skyland
soon and I shall hope that this season may bring again some doubtful Amanitas
that I want to send you. With repeated thanks
for the favor of the Reports. Yours very truly Mary L. Wilson The genus Catastoma (= Disciseda) comprises
puffball species. Geaster are the Earthstars, another group of puffballs,
both in the Gasteromycetes.] With this letter the correspondence between Peck
and Wilson archived at the By complete chance, while seeking to study a copy
of Mohr’s publication, a copy was found in one of the rare book
collections in the research library of the Upon opening the cover of the issue of
Mohr’s book in the Ewan Collection from
Dates of Letters in
Peck Archives, August 13, 1897 Aug. 31 [18]'97 June 30 [18]98. Aug. 15 [18]98. Oct. 9 [18]'98 Oct. 15 [18]'98 Feb. 18, [18]'99 May 31, 1900 June 4, [18]'99 June 27 [18]'99 July 8, [18]'99 July 10, [18]'99 June 15 1900. June 21. 1900 June 23, 1900 July 8, 1900 Oct. 29, 1900 [no date: the
Congressional Hotel] Jan 26, 1901 Apr. 20 1901 |
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