Folio VII · Parish Botanical Society
The Mycological Codex
A field guide to the fungi observed within the parish and its adjacent groves, chapels, and disreputable clearings.
Six species are recorded here. Some are edible. Some are not. Two are, in the strictest sense, not fungi at all — but they grew where fungi were expected, and the parish taxonomy accommodates. The reader is advised to trust the warnings and ignore the flourishes.
Plate I
Amanita corruptus
"Fairy's Regret" · The Corrupted Veil
Amanitaceae · Basidiomycota · Cap 8–14 cm
Do Not Consume
Habitat
Damp glens near abandoned shrines. Prefers soil where sacraments have been broken.
Season
Late summer to first frost; specimens have been found in February by liars.
Cap
Deep imperial violet, matte, freckled with darker warts. Slightly convex.
Odour
Ink, iron, and something that pretends to be perfume.
Handling this specimen is not the danger; being near it long enough to develop opinions about it, is. Three cataloguers in my acquaintance have insisted it "spoke to them." All three now maintain suspiciously ornate journals.
Awaiting illumination —
the paintress is still at the canvas.
the paintress is still at the canvas.
Plate II
Boletus mendax
"The Paintress's Cap" · Iridescent Bolete
Boletaceae · Basidiomycota · Cap 10–18 cm
Uncertain
Habitat
Fruit-bodies observed under old oaks near easels left out in the rain.
Season
Whenever it feels observed.
Cap
Colour depends on who is looking. Photographs never agree.
Odour
Warm oil paint. Cherry blossom. A distant argument.
Two witnesses gave contradictory descriptions of the same specimen and neither was lying. The species is provisionally named for its refusal to hold still on the page.
Awaiting illumination —
the paintress is still at the canvas.
the paintress is still at the canvas.
Plate III
Agaricus vetustus
"Old Man's Grumble" · The Ancient Champignon
Agaricaceae · Basidiomycota · Cap 6–10 cm
Edible, with complaint
Habitat
Beneath crooked hawthorns, in the sort of shade only long-standing shrubs provide.
Season
Any time the knees are bad. Which is always.
Cap
Weathered brown, deeply furrowed. Stem gnarled and stubborn.
Odour
Old parchment. Pipe smoke. A grievance from 1987.
Perfectly good in a broth. The flavour is described as "argumentative but honest." Slow to cook. Refuses to be sliced without a monologue.
Awaiting illumination —
the paintress is still at the canvas.
the paintress is still at the canvas.
Plate IV
Pondus lucida
"The Bright Blob" · Luminous Cushion
Incertae sedis · Not-Fungus · Diameter 20–40 cm
Do Not Approach with Cutlery
Habitat
Corners of the parish that were empty last week. Prefers ambient silence.
Season
Whenever. Do not ask why.
Cap
There is no cap. There is only Pondus.
Odour
None. Which is somehow worse.
Not properly a fungus. Included here because it fruited where a fungus should have fruited, and the Society's rules on this are less firm than the Society would like. Pulses gently. Does not speak. We have named it. We do not address it.
Awaiting illumination —
the paintress is still at the canvas.
the paintress is still at the canvas.
Plate V
Lactarius vulnerati
"The Weeping Chalice" · Blood-red Milk-cap
Russulaceae · Basidiomycota · Cap 5–9 cm
Poisonous
Habitat
Grows on ground where a healing potion was once spilled in anger. Rare.
Season
First recorded 1987. Recurs on the anniversary.
Cap
Vivid crimson, concave, weeping a slow ruby latex when cut.
Odour
Iron. Rosemary. Regret.
The latex stains parchment. Historical accounts blame a rogue. The accounts are correct. The rogue has never apologised. The mushroom persists.
Plate VI
Cortinarius arcanum
"Sapphire Veil" · The Arcane Webcap
Cortinariaceae · Basidiomycota · Cap 4–8 cm
Poisonous
Habitat
Beneath conifers on ley-line intersections. Also: the wet parts of unfinished maps.
Season
Only when someone is actively looking for it.
Cap
Deep sapphire blue with a fibrous violet veil. Gills lilac when young.
Odour
Cold stone and something like distant chanting.
Contains a slow renal toxin. Do not eat, no matter how thematically appropriate it seems. The colour alone should be sufficient discouragement, and yet.
· ✦ · ✦ · ✦ ·
Plates rendered by Aiza, Paintress of the Parish, in the manner of Kunstformen der Natur.
Taxonomy, warnings, and grievances by Aillo, Wizard of Words.
Any specimen not yet illuminated is en route from the easel and will appear when it dries.
← Back to the Ledger
Taxonomy, warnings, and grievances by Aillo, Wizard of Words.
Any specimen not yet illuminated is en route from the easel and will appear when it dries.
← Back to the Ledger