Chapter 10

Grouped by F.D. Briscoe—Studies by C. McIlvaine.Plate VIII.Fig.Page.1.Amanita chlorinosma,252.Amanita rubescens and section,213.Amanita strobiliformis,19

Grouped by F.D. Briscoe—Studies by C. McIlvaine.Plate VIII.

A. strobilifor´misVitt.—strobilis, a pine-cone, from the shape of the warts. (PlateVIII, fig. 3, p. 18.)Cap3–10 in. across, convex or nearly plane, white or cinereous, sometimes yellow on the disk, rough with angular, mostly persistent warts which sometimes fall away and leave the pileus nearly smooth; generally whitish, sometimes tinged with brown; the margin even and extending a little beyond the lamellæ.Gillsfree, rounded behind.Veillarge and portions sometimes adhere to margin of cap.Stem3–8 in. long, up to 1¼ in. thick, equal or slightly tapering upward, solid, floccose-scaly, white, bulbous, the bulb very large, sometimes weighing a pound, margined above and furnished with one or two concentric furrows, somewhat pointed below, firmly and deeply imbedded in the earth, floccose-mealy when young.

Sporeselliptical, 13–15×8–10µPeck.

Open woods and borders. June to October.

Edible.W.G. Smith,Curtis,Peck.

This is among the best of species. Its size, solidity, flavor are marked. I have found specimens weighing a pound and a half. It grows singly, but when one is found several are apt to be neighbors. When young, the cap is but a small knob upon a beet or top-shaped base, which is largely under ground. It cuts like a soft turnip, and has a strong, pungent, unmistakable odor, like chloride of lime, which entirely disappears in cooking. As the plant develops the bulb decreases in size. On all the many specimens the author has seen and eaten, the scabs are light brown and reddish-brown.

A. solita´riaBull.—growing alone.Pileusconvex or plane, warty, white or whitish, even on the margin.Gillsreaching the stem, white or slightly tinged with cream color.Stemat first mealy or scaly, equal, solid, white, bulbous, the bulb scaly or mealy, narrowed below into a root-like prolongation.Ringlacerated, often adhering in fragments to the margin of the pileus and gills.Sporeselliptical-oblong, 8–13×6.5µ.

Plant4–8 in. high.Pileus3–6 in. broad.Stem4–6 lines thick.Peck, 33d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Solitary in woods and open places. July to October.

Georgia,H.N. Starnes; Indiana,H.I. Miller; West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,McIlvaine.

Edible.Curtis,H.N. Starnes, Philadelphia Myc. Club.

In many localities I find it quite plentiful, and it is so reported from Georgia. Southern and middle New Jersey woods abound with it, and at Mt. Gretna, Pa., it is always present in its growing months.

The cap is sometimes tinged with brown as are the angular, erect warts which are generally numerous, but often falling off or few and scattered. The flesh is white and smells like chloride of lime, but not nearly so strong as A. strobiliformis. The volva is broken up into floccose scales which cling to bulb and lower part of stem. These scales may be white and mealy or brownish. The entire fungus has a fluffy exterior, which is easily removed by rubbing. The annulus is torn, a part often adhering to the margin of the pileus and the gills. This and the long, tapering, rooting bulb are marked characteristics. The bulb is brittle. It is difficult to get the fungus from the ground entire.

Stem and cap are juicy, tender, mild in flavor, wholesome. It is not equal in flavor to A. rubescens, but is more delicate.

By many its properties have been stated as poisonous, doubtful. Quantities of it have been eaten by myself and friends. Hypodermic injection of its juices into the blood circulation of live animals prove it perfectly harmless.

A. can´dida Pk.—shining white.Pileusthin, broadly convex or nearly plane, verrucose with numerous small, erect, angular or pyramidal, easily separable warts, often becoming smooth with age, white, even on the margin.Fleshwhite.Gillsrather narrow, close, reaching to the stem, white.Stemsolid, bulbous, floccose-squamose, white, the annulus attached to the top of the stem, becoming pendent and often disappearing with age, floccose-squamose on the lower surface, striate on the upper, the bulb rather large, ovate, squamose, not margined, tapering above into the stem and rounded or merely abruptly pointed below.Sporeselliptical, 10–13×8µ.

Pileus3–6 in. broad.Stem2.5–5 in. long, 5–8 lines thick, the bulb 1–1.5 in. thick in the dried specimens.

This is a fine large species related to A. solitaria, but differing from it in the character of its bulb and of its annulus. The bulb is not marginate nor imbricately squamose. Its scales are small and numerous. Nor is it clearly radicating, though sometimes it has a slight abrupt point or myceloid-agglomerated mass of soil at its base. The veil or annulus is large and well developed, but it is apt to fall away and disappear with age. Its attachment at the very top of the stem brings it closely in contact with the lamellæ of the young plant and the striations of its upper surface appear to be due to the pressure of the edges of these upon it. It separates readily from the margin of the pileus and is not lacerated. In the mature plant the warts have generally disappeared from the pileus and sometimes its margin is curved upwardPeck, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 24, No. 3.

Woods. Auburn, N.Y., Alabama,U. and E.; Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New Jersey, August to October,McIlvaine.

A dozen or more specimens were found in oak woods near Philadelphia, and carefully tested. Their edible qualities were found to be precisely the same as A. solitaria.

***Whole volva friable, etc.

A. rubes´censPers.—rubesco, to become red. (PlateVIII, fig. 2, p. 18. PlateXII, fig. 4, p. 32.)Pileusabout 4 in. broad, dingy-reddish, becoming pale flesh-color, tan, scarcely pure, fleshy, convex, then plane, obtuse, moist butnot glutinousin rainy weather and opaque when dry, covered with unequal, soft, mealy, whitish, easily-separating warts, which are smaller, harder and more closely adherent in dry weather; margin even and, when old, slightly striate only in wet weather.Fleshcommonly soft, white when fresh,reddening when broken.Stem4–5 in. long, as much as 1 in. thick, stuffed, somewhat solid, though soft within, conico-attenuated from the thickened base, reddish-scaled, becoming red-white, and without a trace of a distinct volva at the base.Ringsuperior, large, membranaceous, soft, striate and white within.Gillsreaching the stem in an attenuated manner, forming decurrent lines upon it, thin, crowded, soft, as much as ½ in. broad, shining white.

Very changeable, but readily distinguished from all others of the same groupby the flesh being reddish when broken; the stem and pileus are commonly spotted-red when wounded. In dry weather it is firmer, flesh reddening more slowly, warts minute. Odor scarcely any. Thereis a remarkable varietycircinata, pileus becoming plane, umber-brown, warts adnate, crowded, roundish. A. circinatus Schum.Stevenson.

Sporesspheroid-ellipsoid, 7–8×6µK.; 8×6µW.G.S.; 7–9×6–8µB.; elliptical, 8–9µ long.Peck.

Not reported west of the Mississippi river.

Oak woods, borders and open places. July to September. Indiana,H.I. Miller; West Virginia, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania,McIlvaine.

It is quite common, often growing in large patches. Recent authors agree upon the edibility and deliciousness of this species. The author knows it to be one of the most plentiful, useful and delicious, after several years of pleasant experience with it.

In July, 1899, at Mt. Gretna, I found, growing from the ground gregariously, a singular fungoid growth from 2–5 in. high; cap hemispherical, 1 in. in diameter, tightly fitting a solid stem of nearly the diameter of the cap. The whole was watery white, and evidently affected by a parasite. It was edible. September 1st Professor Peck wrote to me: “I think I have found the identity of the diseased Agaric, of which you sent me samples some time ago. I mean the one affected byHypomyces inæqualisPk. The host is Amanita rubescens, at least sometimes, and probably always.”

The plant is very heavy for its size. The lack of a volva, the dingy color and reddish stains distinctly separate this from any poisonous Amanita.

A. spis´saFr.—compact, dense;—of the warts.Pileusumber, sooty or gray, fleshy, somewhat compact, convexo-plane, obtuse, smooth, even, butmarked with small, ash-colored, angular, adnatewarts; margin even, but often torn into fibers.Fleshfirm, white, quite unchangeable.Stem2–3 in. long, as much as 1 in. thick,solid, turnip-shaped at the base, somewhat rooting with a globoso-depressed not marginate bulb, curt, firm, shining white, at lengthsquamulose with concentric cracks.Ringsuperior, large.Gillsreaching the stem,slightly striato-decurrent, broad, crowded, shining white.Fries.

Spores14µW.G.S.; subglobose, 8–10µC.B.P.; 6µW.P.; rather pear-shaped, 9–10×6µMassee.

Cap2–3 in. across.Stem2½-3 in. long, up to ¾ in. thick.

New Jersey, oak woods, August and September.McIlvaine.

A. spissa has been reported from but few localities. It is rare in the latitude of Philadelphia. Half a dozen specimens have been found in neighboring New Jersey.

Taste and smell strong, but when cooked the dish is savory and not unlike one of A. rubescens.

A. as´peraFr.—asper, rough.Pileus2–3 in. across.Fleshrather thick at the disk, whitish, white or reddish with tints of livid or gray,reddish or brownish under the cuticle; convex then plane, margin thin and even, rough with firmly adnate, minute, closely crowded, angular warts, reddish-brown or livid-brownish, not pure white, unchangeable.Gillsfree and rounded behind, not striately decurrent, ventricose, white.Stemstuffed, striate above the ring, short at first, ovate, then elongating to 2–3 in., attenuated upward from a wrinkled bulb, squamulose, white without and within.Ringsuperior, entire.

Spores8×6µMassee; 8×6–7µW.G.S.

The flesh of stem and bulb when eaten by insects is reddish, the bulb when old is a reddish-brown. The large ring and stem become red when touched. In these particulars it resembles A. rubescens. In smell it is somewhat strong, not unlike A. strobiliformis, but not nearly so pungent.

Cooked it is of excellent quality and flavor. I have eaten it since 1885.

A. abrup´taPk.—abrupt, of the bulb.Pileusthin, broadly convex or nearly plane, covered with small angular or pyramidal, erect, somewhat evanescent warts, white, slightly striate on the margin.Fleshwhite.Gillsmoderately close, reaching the stem and sometimes terminating in slightly decurrent lines upon it, white.Stemslender, glabrous, solid, bulbous, white, the bulb abrupt, subglobose, often coated below by the white persistent mycelium, the ring membranous, persistent.Sporesbroadly elliptical or subglobose, 8–10×6–8µ.

Pileus2–4 in. broad.Stem2.5–4 in. long, 3–4 lines thick.

The chief distinguishing mark of this species is the abrupt, nearly globose, bulbous base of the stem. This is somewhat flattened above and is sometimes longitudinally split on the sides. The small warts of the pileus are easily separable, and in mature specimens they have often wholly or partly disappeared. The remains of the volva are not present on the bulb in mature dried specimens, which indicates that thespecies should be placed in the same group with A. rubescens, A. spissa, etc. The latter species have the bulb of the stem similar to that of our plant, but the color of the pileus and other characters easily separate it.Peck, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 24, No. 3.

Alabama,Underwood; New Jersey, Pennsylvania,McIlvaine. July to September.

This species is edible and quite equal in quality to A. rubescens. Great care should be exercised in distinguishing it.

A. nit´idaFr.—niteo, to shine.Pileuswhen flattened 4 in. broad, whitish, fleshy,somewhat compact, at first hemispherical, wrapped up, thethick volvaforming a floccose crust, thenbroken up into thick, remarkably angular, adhering warts, which become brownish, dry, shining, without a glutinous pellicle, margin always even.Fleshwhite, quite unchangeable.Stem3 in. long, 1 in. thick, solid,firm, conico-attenuated,with a bulb-shaped base, squamulose, white.Ringsuperior, thin, torn, slightly striate, white, villous beneath, at length disappearing.Gillsfree, crowded,very broad, as much as ½ in., ventricose, shining white.Fries.

Menands. Albany county. Our plant is more slender than the typical form, and has smaller but more numerous warts, but in other respects it exhibits the characters of this species.Peck, 43d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

California,H. and M.; Maryland. Common in nearly every woods in Maryland.Banning.

From its likeness to poisonous species it should be suspected.

A. prairiic´olaPk—prairie, colo, to inhabit.Pileusthin, convex, slightly verrucose, white, more or less tinged with yellow, even on the margin.Fleshwhite.Gillsrather broad, subdistant, reaching the stem, white.Stemequal or slightly tapering upward, somewhat squamose toward the base, white or whitish, the annulus persistent.Sporeslarge, broadly elliptical, 12–14µ long, 7–9µ broad.

Pileus1.5–3 in. broad.Stem2–2.5 in. long, 2–4 lines thick.

Bare ground on open prairies. Kansas. September.E. Bartholomew.

This species belongs to the same tribe as A. abrupta. The only evidence of the presence of a volva shown by the dried specimens is found in a few inconspicuous, but separable warts on the pileus. There is nowell marked bulb to the stem and no evidence remains of a volva at its base.Peck, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 24, No. 3.

Reported from Kansas only. Qualities unknown.

A. monticulo´saBerk.—mountain, from the warts.Pileus2.5–3 in. across, convex, areolate, with a wart in the center of each areola; those toward the margin consisting of soft threads meeting in a point, but sometimes simply flocculent, the central warts angular, pyramidal, truncate, discolored.Stembulbous, scaly, flocculent, white.Veilthick, at length distant.Gillsfree, ventricose, remote, forming a well-defined area around the top of the stem. The warts are not hard and rigid as in A. nitida, and the free remote gills separate it from that and the neighboring species.Berk.

North Carolina, sandy woods, common.Curtis.

Properties not known.

A. dau´cipesB. and M.—daucum, a carrot;pes, a foot.Pileus2–5 in. broad, hemispherical, globose.Fleshwhite, soft, warts regular, pyramidal, saffron color.Gillsnarrow, reaching the stem, broadest in the middle.Stem5–6 in. high, solid, base bulbous, with a restricted cortina above, squamulose downward.Veilfibrillose, extending from the margin of the pileus to the apex of the stem, fugacious.

In cultivated fields. Ohio.Sullivant.Properties not given.

A. lenticular´isLasch.—resembling (the stem) a lentil.

Fries places this species in Amanita, in which Stevenson follows him. Cooke and Massee place it in Lepiota, where it will be found.

****Volva rudimentary, wholly disappearing.

A. chlorinos´maPk.—smelling like chlorine. (PlateVIII, fig. 1, p. 18.)Pileusconvex or expanded, warty on the disk, covered on the even margin with a light powdery, at length evanescent substance, white.Gillswhite.Stemnearly cylindrical, stout, deeply penetrating the earth.Sporesbroadly elliptical, 7–10µ long. Odor distinct, chlorine-like.

Plant6–7 in. high.Pileus4–6 in. broad.Stem1–2 in. thick.Peck, Bot. Gaz., Vol. 4.

Burnt ground in woods. August. Closter, N.J.,C.F. Austin; Alabama,U. and E.; West Virginia,Nuttall; New Jersey,Ellis; Mt. Gretna, Pa., July, in a cluster of a dozen individuals, and afterward until frost, strong smelling, warts brownish-white.McIlvaine.

It is edible and equal to A. strobiliformis.

A. calyptra´taPk.Pileusfleshy, thick, convex or nearly plane, centrally covered by a large irregular persistent grayish-white fragment of the volva, glabrous elsewhere, striate on the margin, greenish-yellow or yellowish-brown tinged with green, the margin often a little paler or more yellow than the rest.Lamellæclose, nearly free, but reaching the stem and forming slight decurrent lines or striations on it, yellowish-white tinged with green.Stemstout, rather long, equal or slightly tapering upward, surrounded at the base by the remains of the ruptured volva, white or yellowish white with a faint greenish tint.Sporesbroadly elliptic, 10µ long, 6µ broad, usually containing a single large nucleus.

Pileus10–20 cm. broad.Stem10–15 cm. long, 12–20 mm. thick.

Rich ground in fir woods or their borders. Autumn. Oregon.Dr. H. Lane.

This is a large and interesting species, well marked and easily recognized by its large size, by the greenish tint that pervades the pileus, lamellæ, annulus and stem, and especially by the large persistent patch of grayish-white felty material that covers the center of the pileus and sometimes extends nearly to the margin. This is in fact the upper part of the ruptured volva that is carried up by the growing plant, and is very suggestive of the specific name. In the young state the plant is entirely enveloped in the volva, which then is similar to a goose egg in size and shape, and its walls are one-fourth to one-half inch thick. So thick and firm are they that the young plant appears sometimes to be unable to break through and it decays in its infancy.

Dr. Lane says that, having found that the Italians made use of this mushroom for food, he began eating it and introducing it to his friends, and he learned by personal trial that it is a thoroughly good and wholesome mushroom, which, when broiled with bacon, fried, baked or stewed, may be eaten with perfect safety and that it is a nutritious food.Peck, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, Vol. 27, January, 1900.

A. crenula´taPk.Pileusthin, broadly ovate, becoming convex or nearly plane and somewhat striate on the margin, adorned with a few thin whitish floccose warts or with whitish flocculent patches, whitish or grayish, sometimes tinged with yellow.Lamellæclose, reaching the stem, and sometimes forming decurrent lines upon it, floccose crenulate on the edge, the short ones truncate at the inner extremity, white.Stemequal, bulbous, floccose mealy above, stuffed or hollow, white, the annulus slight, evanescent.Sporesbroadly elliptic or subglobose, 7.5–10µ long, nearly as broad, usually containing a single large nucleus.

Pileus2.5–5 cm. broad.Stem2.5–5 cm. long, 6–8 mm. thick.

Low ground, under trees. Eastern Massachusetts. September.Mrs. E. BlackfordandGeorge E. Morris.

The volva in this species must be very slight, as its remains quickly disappear from the bulb of the stem. The remains carried up by the pileus form slight warts or thin whitish areolate patches. The annulus is present in very young plants, but is often wanting in mature ones, in which state the plant might be mistaken for a species of Amanitopsis. Its true affinity is with the tribe to which A. rubescens belongs. As in that species, the bulb soon becomes naked and exhibits no remains of the volva. It is similar to A. farinosa also in this respect, but quite unlike it in color, in the adornments of the pileus and in the character of its margin, which is even in the young plant and but slightly striate in the mature state. Its dimensions are said sometimes to exceed those here given, and it is reported to have been eaten without harm and to be of an excellent flavor. I have had no opportunity to try.Peck, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, Vol. 27, January, 1900.

Amanita;opsis, resembling.

Having a universal veil at first completely enveloping the young plant, which soon bursts through, carrying particles of it on the pileus, where they appear as scattered warts readily brushed off; the remainder or volva closely enwraps the base of the stem. Ring absent. Spores white. This genus was formerly included in Amanita. It differs from Amanita in the absence of a ring or collar upon the stem and in the more sheathing volva. It differs from Lepiota in having a volva.

Close observation is necessary in collecting Amanitopsis for the table.It has no trace of ring or veil upon the stem.So far as the species are known no poisonous one exists. But Amanita spreta Pk., which is deadly, so closely resembles forms of Amanitopsis that those confident of their knowledge will be deceived. The veil or traces of veil, which Amanita spreta always has, sometimes so adheres to and wraps the stem that it is not noticeable without close examination, thus giving to it every appearance of an Amanitopsis.

The volva of A. spreta is attached for a considerable distance to the base of the tapering stem, and is not readily removed. This is a guide to detect it. It is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Amanitopsis corresponds to Volvaria in the pink-spored series, in which, as far as known, there is no poisonous species.

All American species of Amanitopsis are given. Several have not been tested by the writer because of lack of opportunity.

Grouped by F.D. Briscoe—Studies by C. McIlvaine.Plate X.Fig.Page.Fig.Page.1.Amanitopsis vaginata,285.Mycena galericulata,1272.Amanitopsis vaginata, var. livida,296.Mycena prolifera,1263.Amanitopsis nivalis,297.Mycena prolifera (section),1264.Amanitopsis strangulata,30

Grouped by F.D. Briscoe—Studies by C. McIlvaine.Plate X.

A. vagina´taRoze—vagina, a sheath. (PlateX, figs. 1, 2, p: 28.)Pileusthin, fragile, glossy, smooth except in rare instances where a few fragments of the volva adhere to it for a time, deeply and distinctly striate on the margin, sometimes umbonate.Fleshwhite, in the dark forms grayish under the skin.Stemringless, sometimes smooth, but generally mealy or floccose, hollow or stuffed with a cottony pith,not bulbous.Volvalong, thin, fragile, closely sheathing yet free from the stem, except in the lower part, easily detachable and frequently remaining in the ground when the plant is pulled.Colorvariable, generally mouse-gray, sometimes livid, tawny-yellow or white, in one variety arich date-brown.Sporesglobose, 8–10µ broadPeck; elliptical 10×7–8µMassee.

Var.liv´idaPers.—livid. Leaden brown, gills dingy. (PlateX, fig. 2, p. 28.)

Var.ful´vaSchæff.—yellowish. Tawny-yellow or pale ochraceous.

This plant is widely dispersed, having been reported from many localities in the United States, also from Nova Scotia and Greenland.

On ground in woods and on margins of woods, under trees, in shaded grassy places. Sometimes in open stubble and pastures. June to frost. Mt. Gretna, September, 1899, found a cluster on decayed chestnut stump. Various colors abound—hazel, brown, gray, yellow, whitish. The caps and stems are tender as asparagus tips, but without much distinct flavor when cooked.

Great care must be taken to distinguish these forms from Amanita spreta Pk. which is poisonous. See heading of genus—Amanitopsis.

A. niva´lisGrev.—snowy. (PlateX, fig. 3, p. 28.)Pileusat first ovate, then convex or plane, smooth,striate on the thin margin, white, sometimes tinged with yellow or ochraceous on the disk.Fleshwhite.Gillssubdistant, white, free.Stemequal, rather tall, nearly smooth,bulbous, stuffed, white; the volva very fragile,soon breaking up into fragments or sometimes persisting in the form of a collar-like ring at the upper part of the bulb.Sporesglobose, 7.5–10µ in diameter.

Plant4–6 in. high.Pileus2–3 in. broad.Stem2–4 lines thick. July to October.

It approaches in some respects A. Frostiana, but its larger size, smooth pileus, lighter color and the absence of an annulus will easily distinguish it from that species.Peck, 33d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Specimens have been repeatedly found by the writer in open oak woods near Philadelphia.

A strong, unpleasant bitter, which appears to develop while cooking, renders it unpalatable. It is harmless, but its use is not advised.

A. velo´saPk.—velosus, fleecy.Pileusat first subglobose, then bell-shaped or nearly plane, generally bearing patches of the remains of the whitish felty or tomentose volva, elsewhere glabrous, becoming sulcate-striate on the margin, buff or orange-buff.Fleshcompact, white.Gillsclose, reaching the stem, subventricose, pale cream color.Stemfirm, at first attenuated and tomentose at the top, then nearly equal, stuffed, white or whitish, closely sheathed at the base by the thick volva.Sporesglobose, 10–13µ.

Pileus2–4 in. broad.Stem3–4 in. long, 3–4 lines thick.

Under oak trees. Pasadena, California. April.A.J. McClatchie.

This fungus is closely related to A. vaginata, from which it may be separated by the more adherent remains of the thicker volva which sometimes cover the whole surface of the pileus, and by the thicker gills which are somewhat adnate to the stem and terminate with a decurrent tooth. Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 22, No. 12.

As it is probable this species will be found elsewhere than California, and from its close relation to A. vaginata likely to be edible, its description is here given.

A. strangula´ta(Fr.) Roze—choked, from the stuffed stem. (PlateX, fig. 4, p. 28.)Pileusat first ovate or subelliptical, then bell-shaped, convex orplane, warty, slightly viscid when moist,deeply and distinctly striate on the margin, grayish-brown.Gillsfree, close, white.Stemequal or tapering upward, stuffed or hollow, nearly smooth, white or whitish,the volva soon breaking up into scales or subannular fragments.Sporesglobose, 10–13µ.

Plant4–6 in. high.Pileus2–4 in. broad.Stem3–6 lines thick.Peck, 33d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

A. CeciliæB. and Br. is a synonym.

Not distinct in color and general appearance from A. vaginata, but distinctly separated by its warty pileus and evanescent mouse-colored volva which does not sheath the stem.Pileusstriate when young, then sulcate.Stemmealy, especially on the upper part.

Woods, open grassy places, wheat stubble, etc. June to September. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia,McIlvaine.

In the latitude of Philadelphia the plant is found in great abundance. Its rather early appearance, staying quality, delicate consistency and flavor make it valuable as a food supply.

Pearl color, bluish-gray and gray are the prevailing cap-coloring.

A. adna´ta(W.G.S.) Roze—adnatus, adnate, of the gills.Pileusabout 3 in. across.Fleshthick, whitish, firm, convex, then expanded, rather moist, pale yellowish-buff, often furnished with irregular, woollypatches of volva; margin even, extending beyond the gills.Stem2–4 in. long, ½ in. thick, cylindrical, rough, fibrillose, pale buff, flesh distinct from that of the pileus, stuffed, then hollow; base slightly swollen.Volvaadnate, white, downy, margin free and lax, sometimes almost obsolete.Gillstruly adnate, crowded, with many intermediate shorter ones, white.Sporessubglobose, with an oblique point, 7–8µMassee.

Tender, good flavor, yielding more substance when cooked than any other Amanitopsis.

A. volva´taPk.—possessing a volva.Pileusconvex, then nearly plane, slightly striate on the margin, hairy or floccose-scaly, white or whitish, the disk sometimes brownish.Gillsclose, free, white.Stemequal or slightly tapering upward, stuffed, minutely floccose-scaly, whitish, inserted at the base in a large, firm, cup-shaped, persistent volva.Sporeselliptical, 10×8µ.

Plant2–3 in. high.Pileus2–3 broad.Stem3–4 lines thick.Peck, 33d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

The plant is easily recognized by its large, cup-shaped volva and cap, which is not smooth, as is usual in a species with a persistent membranous volva, more or less scaly with minute tufts of fibrils or tomentose hairs. The gills are white in the fresh plant.

Professor Peck notes the species as quite rare. Numerous specimens occur in the sandy oak woods of New Jersey, and in oak woods near Angora, Philadelphia. July to October.

Care must be taken to determine the absence of an annulus or any trace of one. Tender, delicate, without pronounced flavor. Equal to Amanitopsis vaginata.

A. farino´saSchw.—covered withfarina, meal.Pileusnearly plane, thin,flocculent-pulverulent, widely and deeply striate on the margin, grayish-brown or livid-brown.Gillsfree, whitish.Stemwhitish or pallid, equal, stuffed or hollow, mealy,sub-bulbous, the volvaflocculent-pulverulent, evanescent.Sporesvariable,elliptical ovate or subglobose, 6–8µ long.

Plantabout 2 in. high.Pileus1 in. to 15 lines broad.Stem1–3 lines thick. July to September.

This is our smallest Amanita (now Amanitopsis). It is neither very common nor very abundant when it does occur. It is described bySchweinitz as “solid,” but I have always found it stuffed or hollow.Peck, 33d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

A. pusil´laPk.—small.Pileusthin, broadly convex or nearly plane, subglabrous, slightly umbonate, even on the margin, pale brown.Gillsnarrow, thin, close, free, becoming brownish.Stemshort, hollow, bulbous, the bulb margined by the remains of the membranous volva.Sporesbroadly elliptical, 5–6×4µ.

Pileusabout 1 in. broad.Stem8–12 lines long, 1–2 lines thick.

Grassy ground. Gouverneur, St. Lawrence county. September.Mrs. Anthony.Peck, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Edibility not tested.

A. pubes´censSchw.—downy.Pileusyellow, covered with a thin pubescence, margin involute.Stemshort, about 1 in. in length, at first white becoming yellowish, bulbous, bulb thick.Volvaevanescent.Gillswhite.

In grassy grounds. Rare.

North Carolina,Schweinitz,Curtis.

A. agglutina´taB. and C.—viscid.Pileus1–2 in. broad, white, hemispheric then plane, viscid, areolate-scaly from the remains of the volva, margin thin, sulcate.Stem.5–1.5 in. long, 2 lines thick, short, solid, bulbous.Volvawith a free margin.Gillsbroad, ventricose, rotundate-free.Sporeselliptic.

In pine woods.

North Carolina,Curtis.

Resembling some of the dwarf forms of A. vaginata but at once distinguished by its solid stem and decidedly viscid, areolate-squamose pileus. Am. Jour. Sci. and Arts, 1848.

Grouped by F.D. Briscoe—Studies by C. McIlvaine. PLATE XII.Fig.Page.Fig.Page.1.Lepiota americana,483.Lepiota Cepaestipes,462.Lepiota naucinoides,454.Amanita rubescens,21

Grouped by F.D. Briscoe—Studies by C. McIlvaine. PLATE XII.

Lepis, a scale.

(Plate XI.)Section of Lepiota procera.

(Plate XI.)

Section of Lepiota procera.

Pileusgenerally scalyfrom the breaking up of the cuticle and the adherence of the concrete veil.Gillsfree, often very distant from the stem and attached to acartilaginouscollar.Stemhollow or stuffed, its flesh distinct from that of the pileus.Ringat first attached to the cuticle of the pileus, often movable, sometimes evanescent.

On the ground. Several are found in hot-houses and hot-beds, and are probably introduced species.

The universal veil, covering the entire plant when very young, is closely applied to the pileus, which from the breaking up of the cuticle is generally scaly. Thestemin most species differs in substance from the pileus. This is readily seen by splitting the plant in half from cap to base. It is easily separated from the cap, leaving a cup-like depression therein.Gillsusually white. In some species they are yellow-tinted. In others they become a dingy red when wounded or ageing.

The veil in this genus, being concrete with the cuticle of the pileus, never appears as loose warts or patches, neither is there a volva as in Amanita and Amanitopsis. These three genera are the only ones in the white-spored series having gills free from the stem. In a few species the gills are slightly attached to the stem, but are never decurrent upon it as in Armillaria. When the plant is young it is egg-shaped. It then gradually spreads, becomes convex, and opens until it is nearly flat, with a knob in the center.

The only species in this genus known to be poisonous to some persons is L. Morgani Pk., which is distinguished by its green spores and whitegills becoming green. L. Vittadini has also been regarded with suspicion.

ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.

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