Chapter III: Part 3

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 by _Hypomyces inæqualis_ Pk. 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´sa= Fr.—compact, dense;—of the warts. =Pileus= umber, sooty or gray, fleshy, somewhat compact, convexo-plane, obtuse, smooth, even, but _marked with small, ash-colored, angular, adnate_ warts; margin even, but often torn into fibers. =Flesh= _firm, white, quite unchangeable_. =Stem= 2–3 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 length _squamulose with concentric cracks_. =Ring= superior, large. =Gills= reaching the stem, _slightly striato-decurrent_, broad, crowded, shining white. _Fries._

=Spores= 14µ _W.G.S._; subglobose, 8–10µ _C.B.P._; 6µ _W.P._; rather pear-shaped, 9–10×6µ _Massee_.

=Cap= 2–3 in. across. =Stem= 2½-3 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´pera= Fr.—_asper_, rough. =Pileus= 2–3 in. across. =Flesh= rather 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. =Gills= free and rounded behind, not striately decurrent, ventricose, white. =Stem= stuffed, 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. =Ring= superior, entire.

=Spores= 8×6µ _Massee_; 8×6–7µ _W.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´ta= Pk.—abrupt, of the bulb. =Pileus= thin, broadly convex or nearly plane, covered with small angular or pyramidal, erect, somewhat evanescent warts, white, slightly striate on the margin. =Flesh= white. =Gills= moderately close, reaching the stem and sometimes terminating in slightly decurrent lines upon it, white. =Stem= slender, glabrous, solid, bulbous, white, the bulb abrupt, subglobose, often coated below by the white persistent mycelium, the ring membranous, persistent. =Spores= broadly elliptical or subglobose, 8–10×6–8µ.

=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 2.5–4 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 the species 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´ida= Fr.—_niteo_, to shine. =Pileus= when flattened 4 in. broad, whitish, fleshy, _somewhat compact_, at first hemispherical, wrapped up, the _thick volva_ forming a floccose crust, then _broken up into thick, remarkably angular, adhering warts, which become brownish_, dry, shining, without a glutinous pellicle, margin always even. =Flesh= _white, quite unchangeable_. =Stem= 3 in. long, 1 in. thick, solid, _firm_, conico-attenuated, _with a bulb-shaped base, squamulose_, white. =Ring= superior, thin, torn, slightly striate, white, villous beneath, at length disappearing. =Gills= _free_, 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´ola= Pk—_prairie, colo_, to inhabit. =Pileus= thin, convex, slightly verrucose, white, more or less tinged with yellow, even on the margin. =Flesh= white. =Gills= rather broad, subdistant, reaching the stem, white. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering upward, somewhat squamose toward the base, white or whitish, the annulus persistent. =Spores= large, broadly elliptical, 12–14µ long, 7–9µ broad.

=Pileus= 1.5–3 in. broad. =Stem= 2–2.5 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 no well 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´sa= Berk.—mountain, from the warts. =Pileus= 2.5–3 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. =Stem= bulbous, scaly, flocculent, white. =Veil= thick, at length distant. =Gills= free, 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´cipes= B. and M.—_daucum_, a carrot; _pes_, a foot. =Pileus= 2–5 in. broad, hemispherical, globose. =Flesh= white, soft, warts regular, pyramidal, saffron color. =Gills= narrow, reaching the stem, broadest in the middle. =Stem= 5–6 in. high, solid, base bulbous, with a restricted cortina above, squamulose downward. =Veil= fibrillose, extending from the margin of the pileus to the apex of the stem, fugacious.

In cultivated fields. Ohio. _Sullivant._ Properties not given.

=A. lenticular´is= Lasch.—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´ma= Pk.—smelling like chlorine. (Plate VIII, fig. 1, p. 18.) =Pileus= convex or expanded, warty on the disk, covered on the even margin with a light powdery, at length evanescent substance, white. =Gills= white. =Stem= nearly cylindrical, stout, deeply penetrating the earth. =Spores= broadly elliptical, 7–10µ long. Odor distinct, chlorine-like.

=Plant= 6–7 in. high. =Pileus= 4–6 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 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´ta= Pk. =Pileus= fleshy, 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. =Lamellæ= close, nearly free, but reaching the stem and forming slight decurrent lines or striations on it, yellowish-white tinged with green. =Stem= stout, 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. =Spores= broadly elliptic, 10µ long, 6µ broad, usually containing a single large nucleus.

=Pileus= 10–20 cm. broad. =Stem= 10–15 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´ta= Pk. =Pileus= thin, 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. =Lamellæ= close, reaching the stem, and sometimes forming decurrent lines upon it, floccose crenulate on the edge, the short ones truncate at the inner extremity, white. =Stem= equal, bulbous, floccose mealy above, stuffed or hollow, white, the annulus slight, evanescent. =Spores= broadly elliptic or subglobose, 7.5–10µ long, nearly as broad, usually containing a single large nucleus.

=Pileus= 2.5–5 cm. broad. =Stem= 2.5–5 cm. long, 6–8 mm. thick.

Low ground, under trees. Eastern Massachusetts. September. _Mrs. E. Blackford_ and _George 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.

=AMANITOP´SIS= Roze.

_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.

FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE.

1. AMANITOPSIS VAGINATA, 28 5. MYCENA GALERICULATA, 127

2. AMANITOPSIS VAGINATA, 29 6. MYCENA PROLIFERA, 126 VAR. LIVIDA,

3. AMANITOPSIS NIVALIS, 29 7. MYCENA PROLIFERA 126
(SECTION),

4. AMANITOPSIS STRANGULATA, 30

=A. vagina´ta= Roze—_vagina_, a sheath. (Plate X, figs. 1, 2, p: 28.) =Pileus= thin, 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. =Flesh= white, in the dark forms grayish under the skin. =Stem= ringless, sometimes smooth, but generally mealy or floccose, hollow or stuffed with a cottony pith, _not bulbous_. =Volva= long, 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. =Color= variable, generally mouse-gray, sometimes livid, tawny-yellow or white, in one variety a rich date-brown. =Spores= globose, 8–10µ broad _Peck_; elliptical 10×7–8µ _Massee_.

Var. _liv´ida_ Pers.—livid. Leaden brown, gills dingy. (Plate X, fig. 2, p. 28.)

Var. _ful´va_ Schæff.—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´lis= Grev.—snowy. (Plate X, fig. 3, p. 28.) =Pileus= at first ovate, then convex or plane, smooth, _striate on the thin margin, white_, sometimes tinged with yellow or ochraceous on the disk. =Flesh= white. =Gills= subdistant, white, free. =Stem= equal, 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_. =Spores= globose, 7.5–10µ in diameter.

=Plant= 4–6 in. high. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad. =Stem= 2–4 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´sa= Pk.—_velosus_, fleecy. =Pileus= at 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. =Flesh= compact, white. =Gills= close, reaching the stem, subventricose, pale cream color. =Stem= firm, at first attenuated and tomentose at the top, then nearly equal, stuffed, white or whitish, closely sheathed at the base by the thick volva. =Spores= globose, 10–13µ.

=Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 3–4 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. (Plate X, fig. 4, p. 28.) =Pileus= at first ovate or subelliptical, then bell-shaped, convex or _plane, warty_, slightly viscid when moist, _deeply and distinctly striate on the margin_, grayish-brown. =Gills= free, close, white. =Stem= equal or tapering upward, stuffed or hollow, nearly smooth, white or whitish, _the volva soon breaking up into scales or subannular fragments_. =Spores= globose, 10–13µ.

=Plant= 4–6 in. high. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 3–6 lines thick. _Peck_, 33d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

_A. Ceciliæ_ B. 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. =Pileus= striate when young, then sulcate. =Stem= mealy, 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. =Pileus= about 3 in. across. =Flesh= thick, whitish, firm, convex, then expanded, rather moist, pale yellowish-buff, often furnished with irregular, woolly patches of volva; margin even, extending beyond the gills. =Stem= 2–4 in. long, ½ in. thick, cylindrical, rough, fibrillose, pale buff, flesh distinct from that of the pileus, stuffed, then hollow; base slightly swollen. =Volva= adnate, white, downy, margin free and lax, sometimes almost obsolete. =Gills= truly adnate, crowded, with many intermediate shorter ones, white. =Spores= subglobose, with an oblique point, 7–8µ _Massee_.

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

=A. volva´ta= Pk.—possessing a volva. =Pileus= convex, then nearly plane, slightly striate on the margin, hairy or floccose-scaly, white or whitish, the disk sometimes brownish. =Gills= close, free, white. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering upward, stuffed, minutely floccose-scaly, whitish, inserted at the base in a large, firm, cup-shaped, persistent volva. =Spores= elliptical, 10×8µ.

=Plant= 2–3 in. high. =Pileus= 2–3 broad. =Stem= 3–4 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´sa= Schw.—covered with _farina_, meal. =Pileus= nearly plane, thin, _flocculent-pulverulent, widely and deeply striate on the margin_, grayish-brown or livid-brown. =Gills= free, whitish. =Stem= whitish or pallid, equal, stuffed or hollow, mealy, _sub-bulbous_, the volva _flocculent-pulverulent_, evanescent. =Spores= variable, _elliptical ovate or subglobose_, 6–8µ long.

=Plant= about 2 in. high. =Pileus= 1 in. to 15 lines broad. =Stem= 1–3 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 by Schweinitz as “solid,” but I have always found it stuffed or hollow. _Peck_, 33d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

=A. pusil´la= Pk.—small. =Pileus= thin, broadly convex or nearly plane, subglabrous, slightly umbonate, even on the margin, pale brown. =Gills= narrow, thin, close, free, becoming brownish. =Stem= short, hollow, bulbous, the bulb margined by the remains of the membranous volva. =Spores= broadly elliptical, 5–6×4µ.

=Pileus= about 1 in. broad. =Stem= 8–12 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´cens= Schw.—downy. =Pileus= yellow, covered with a thin pubescence, margin involute. =Stem= short, about 1 in. in length, at first white becoming yellowish, bulbous, bulb thick. =Volva= evanescent. =Gills= white.

In grassy grounds. Rare.

North Carolina, _Schweinitz_, _Curtis_.

=A. agglutina´ta= B. and C.—viscid. =Pileus= 1–2 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. =Volva= with a free margin. =Gills= broad, ventricose, rotundate-free. =Spores= elliptic.

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.

FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE. 1. LEPIOTA AMERICANA, 48 3. LEPIOTA CEPAESTIPES, 46 2. LEPIOTA NAUCINOIDES, 45 4. AMANITA RUBESCENS, 21

=LEPIO´TA= Fr.

_Lepis_, a scale.

(Plate XI.)

=Pileus= _generally scaly_ from the breaking up of the cuticle and the adherence of the concrete veil. =Gills= free, often very distant from the stem and attached to a _cartilaginous_ collar. =Stem= hollow or stuffed, its flesh distinct from that of the pileus. =Ring= at 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. The =stem= in 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. =Gills= usually 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 white gills becoming green. L. Vittadini has also been regarded with suspicion.

ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.

_A._ PILEUS DRY.

PROCERI (_L. procera_). Page 35.

=Ring= movable. The plant is at first entirely enclosed in a universal veil, which splits around at the base, the lower part disappearing on the bulb, the upper part attached to the pileus breaking up into scales. =Stem= encircled at the top with a cartilaginous collar to which the free, remote gills are attached.

CLYPEOLARII (_L. clypeolaria_). Page 39.

Ring fixed, attached to the upper portion of the universal veil which _sheaths the stem_ from the base upward, making it downy or scaly below the ring. The remainder of the veil united with the pileus breaking up and becoming downy or scaly. Collar at the apex of stem not so large as in Proceri, hence the gills are not usually so remote. Taste and smell unpleasant, resembling that of radishes.

ANNULOSI (_annulus_, a ring). Page 44.

Ring _fixed_, somewhat persistent, universal veil closely attached to the pileus. Collar absent or similar in texture to the stem. =Stem=, _not sheathed_.

GRANULOSI (_L. granulosa_). Page 49.

Pileus _granular or warty_. Universal veil sheathing the stem, at first continuous from the stem to the pileus, finally rupturing, forming a ring nearer the base. Stem not so distinctly different from the pileus as in other sections.

MESOMORPHI (_L. mesomorpha_).

Small, slender, stem hollow. Pileus _smooth, dry_.

_B._ PILEUS VISCID. NEITHER SCALY NOR WARTY.

Photographed by Dr. J.R. Weist. PLATE XIII.
LEPIOTA PROCERA.
]

_A._ PILEUS DRY.

PROCE´RI. Ring movable, etc.

=L. proce´ra= Scop.—_procerus_, tall. (Plate XIII, p. 34.) Tall Lepiota, Parasol Mushroom, in some localities Pasture Mushroom (a misleading title).

The =Flesh= not very thick, soft, permanently white. =Pileus= at first ovate, finally expanded, cuticle soon breaking up into brown scales, excepting upon the umbo, umbo smooth, dark-brown, distinct. The caps vary in shades of brown, sometimes they have a faint tinge of lavender. =Gills= whitish, crowded, narrowing toward the stem, and very remote from it. =Stem= variable in length, often very long, tubular, at first stuffed with light fibrils, quite bulbous at base, generally spotted or scaly with peculiar snake-like markings below the ring, which is thick, firm and readily movable. When the stem is removed from pileus it leaves a deep cavity extending nearly to the cuticle.

=Pileus= 3–6 in. broad. =Stem= 5–12 in. high, about ½ in. thick.

White spores elliptical, 14–18×9–11µ _Peck_; 12–15×8–9µ _Massee_; 14×10µ _Lloyd_.

Readily known by its extremely tall stem, shaggy cap, distinct umbo and the channel between the gills and stem. Resembles no poisonous species.

Before cooking the scurf should be rubbed from the caps, which alone should be eaten, as the stem is tough. Though the flesh is thin, the gills are meaty and have a pleasant, nutty flavor. Fried in butter it has few equals. It makes a superior catsup.

=L. racho´des= Vitt. _Gr._—a ragged, tattered garment. =Pileus= very fleshy, but very soft when full grown, globose then flattened or depressed, not umbonate, at first incrusted with a _thick, rigid_, even, very smooth, bay-brown, wholly continuous _cuticle_, which remains entire at the disk but otherwise _soon becomes elegantly reticulated with cracks_; these very _readily separate_ into _persistent_, polygonal, concentric _scales_, which are revolute at the margin and attached to the surface with beautifully radiating fibers, the surface remaining coarsely fibrillose-downy. =Flesh= white, _immediately becoming saffron-red_ when broken, easily separating from the apex of the distinct stem, which is encircled with a prominent collar. =Stem= stout, at the first bulbous with a distinct margin upon the bulb, conical when young, then elongated, attenuated upward, as much as a span long, very robust, 1 in. thick, and more at the base, always even, and _without a trace of scales_ or even of fibrils although the appearance is obsoletely silky, wholly whitish, hollow within, stuffed with spider-web threads, the walls remarkably and coarsely fibrous. =Ring= movable, adhering longer to the margin of the pileus than to the apex of the stem, hence rayed with fibers at the circumference, clothed beneath with one or two zones of scales. =Gills= _very remote_, tapering toward each end or broadest at the middle, crowded, whitish, sometimes reddening. _Stevenson._

Veil remarkable in its development and thick margin.

=Spores= 6×8µ _W.G.S._

Fort Edward, _Howe_; Westfield, N.Y., _Miss L.M. Patchen_; Pennsylvania, New Jersey, _McIlvaine_.

A heavier species than L. procera, of which by some writers it has been considered a variety, but it differs in the absence of umbo and flesh becoming tinged with red.

Stem is decidedly swollen downward. Veil heavy, apparently double, thickest at margin of cap to which it remains attached in heavy fragments. It tears from the stem, leaving no mark of ring.

Var. _puella´ris_ Fr.—_puella_, a girl. Smaller than typical form, shining white, pileus with downy scales. Not yet reported in America.

Edible qualities similar to those of L. procera. It is sold indiscriminately with it in London markets.

=L. excoria´ta= Schaeff.—stripped of its skin. =Flesh= spongy, rather thick, white, unchangeable. =Pileus= at first globose, then flat, hardly umbonate, pale-fawn or whitish, disk dark; cuticle thin, silky or scaly, sometimes areolate, more or less peeled toward margin, hence its name. =Gills= ventricose, white, free, somewhat remote. =Stem= attenuated, hollow or stuffed, short, scarcely bulbous, smooth, white, not spotted, very distinct from flesh of pileus. =Ring= movable but not so freely as that of L. procera.

=Stem= 1½-2½ high, less than ½ in. thick. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad.

=Spores= 14–15×8–9µ _Massee_.

In pastures or grassy lawns. May to September.

North Carolina, edible, _Curtis_; Massachusetts, _Frost_; California, _H. and M._; Ohio, _Morgan_; Minnesota, _Johnson_.

Distinguished from the preceding by its smaller size and short stem which is scarcely bulbous.

Esculent qualities good.

=L. mastoi´dea= Fr. _Gr._—breast-shaped. =Pileus= rather thin, ovate, bell-shaped, then flattened, with a conspicuous acute umbo, cuticle thin, brownish, breaking up in minute scattered scales; the pileus appears whitish beneath. =Stem= hollow, smooth, tough, flexible, attenuated from the bulbous base to the apex. =Ring= entire, movable. =Gills= very remote, crowded, broad, tapering at both ends, white.

=Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 3–4 lines thick at base, 1½-2 lines at apex.

North Carolina, edible, _Curtis_. It is generally eaten in Europe. In woods, especially about old stumps. October.

The entire plant is whitish and is well marked by the prominent umbo, which generally has a depression around it. It has the least substance of any in this section, and consequently not much value as food.

=L. gracilen´ta= Krombh.—_gracilis_, slender. =Pileus= rather fleshy, thickest at the disk, ovate then bell-shaped, finally flattened, obscurely umbonate; at first brownish from the adnate cuticle, which, breaking up into broad adpressed scales, allows the whitish pileus to be seen beneath them. =Gills= remote, very broad, crowded, pallid. =Stem= whitish, obscurely scaly, hollow or containing slight fibrils, slightly bulbous. =Ring= thin, floccose, vanishing.

=Stem= 5–6 in. long, 3–5 lines thick. In pastures, also in woods.

=Spores= 11×8µ _W.G.S._

Almost as tall as L. procera, but slighter in stem and pileus; the ring, instead of being firm and persistent, is thin and fugacious, and the stem is hardly bulbous.

Edible, but not of the first quality.

Photographed by Dr. J.R. Weist. PLATE XIV.
LEPIOTA MORGANI.
]

=L. Mor´gani= Pk.—in honor of Professor Morgan. (Plate XIV.) =Pileus= fleshy, soft, at first subglobose, then expanded or even depressed, white, the brownish or yellowish cuticle breaking up into scales except on the disk. =Gills= close, lanceolate, remote, white, then green. =Stem= firm, equal or tapering upward, subbulbous, smooth, webby-stuffed, whitish, tinged with brown. =Ring= rather large, movable. =Flesh= both of the pileus and stem white, changing to reddish and then to yellowish when cut or bruised. =Spores= ovate or subelliptical, mostly uninucleate, sordid green, 10–13×7–8µ.

=Plant= 6–8 in. high. =Pileus= 5–9 in. broad. =Stem= 6–12 lines thick. _Peck_ in Bot. Gaz., March, 1879.

Open dry grassy places. Dayton, Ohio. _A.P. Morgan._

This species is remarkable because of the peculiar color of the spores. No green-spored Agaric, so far as I am aware, has before been discovered, and no one of the five series, in which the very numerous species of the genus have been arranged, is characterized in such a way as to receive this species.

It seems a little hasty to found a series (Viridispori) on the strength of a single species. Until other species of such a supposed series shall be discovered it seems best to regard this as an aberrant member of the white-spored series. The same course has been taken with those Agarics which have sordid or yellowish or lilac-tinted spores.

It gives me great pleasure to dedicate this fine species to its discoverer Mr. Morgan. _Peck._

Commonly 6–8 in. high, 5–9 in. diameter, though larger specimens are sometimes found. It is the most conspicuous Agaric in the meadows and pastures of the Miami valley; it appears to flourish from spring to autumn whenever there is abundance of rain.

It is heavier and stouter than L. procera and I am disposed to claim that it is the largest Agaric in the world. =Spores= 10–12×7–8µ. In immature specimens they are greenish-yellow. _Morgan._

Kansas, _Bartholomew_ (_Peck_, Rep. 50); Kansas, _Cragin_; Alabama, _U. and E._; Georgia, _Benson_; Louisiana, _Rev. A.B. Langlois_; Michigan, _C.F. Wheeler_ (_Lloyd_, Myc. Notes); Texas, _Prof. W.S. Carter_; Indiana, _H.I. Miller_.

L. Morgani is one of the largest, handsomest of the genus. It is very abundant in the western and southwestern states. Mr. H.I. Miller, Terre Haute, Ind., writes August 18, 1898: “I have recently measured several which were more than twelve inches across. At the present time this mushroom is growing in more abundance throughout Indiana than any other. It grows luxuriantly in the pastures, generally in grand fairy rings, five, ten, fifteen feet in diameter. We find it also in the woods. It is beautifully white and majestic, and these rings can be seen in meadows where the grass has been eaten close, for half a mile or more. The gills are white until the cap is almost opened, by which time the green spores begin to cause the gills to change to green. The meat is fine and is usually more free from worms than other mushrooms. Six families, here, have eaten heartily of them. The experience is that one or two members of each family are made sick, though in two families, who have several times eaten them, no one was made sick. I enjoy them immensely, and never feel any the worse for eating them. I doubt if we have a finer-flavored fungus. The meat is simply delicious. One fairy ring yields a bushel.”

Prof. W.S. Carter, University of Texas, Galveston, reported to me (and sent specimens of L. Morganii) the poisoning of three laboring men from eating this fungus. They were seriously sick, but recovered.

The conclusion is inevitable that this green-spored Lepiota contains a poison which violently attacks some persons, yet is harmless upon others.

I have not had opportunity to test it. It should be tested with great caution.

CLYPEOLA´RII. _Clypeus_, a shield. Ring fixed; stem sheathed, etc.

=L. Frie´sii= Lasch.—in honor of Fries. =Pileus= fleshy, soft, lacerated into appressed tomentose scales. =Stem= hollow, with a webby pith, subbulbous, scaly. =Ring= superior, pendulous, equal. =Gills= subremote, linear, crowded, branched. _Fries._

=Pileus= fleshy but rather thin, convex or nearly plane, clothed with a soft, tawny or brownish-tawny down, which breaks up into appressed, often subconfluent scales, the disk rough with small acute, erect scales. =Flesh= soft, white. =Gills= narrow, crowded, free, white, some of them forked. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering upward, subbulbous, hollow, colored like the pileus below the ring, and there clothed with tomentose fibrils which sometimes form floccose or tomentose scales, white and powdered above. =Ring= well developed, flabby, white above, tawny and floccose-scaly below. =Spores= 7–8×3–4µ.

=Plant= 2–5 in. high. =Pileus= 1–4 in. broad. =Stem= 2–5 lines thick.

Catskill mountains and East Worcester. July to September.

I have quoted the description of this species as it is found in Epicrisis, because the American plant which I have referred to it does not in all respects agree with this description, but comes so near it that it can scarcely be specifically distinct. In the American plant, so far as I have seen it, erect, acute scales are always present, especially on the disk, and the down of the pileus does not always break up into distinct areas or scales. Neither is the stem usually scaly, but rather clothed with soft tomentose or almost silky fibrils. The gills are crowded and some of them are forked. At the furcations there are slight depressions which interrupt the general level of the edges, and give them the appearance of having been eaten by insects. The plant has a slight odor, especially when cut or bruised. _Peck_, 35th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Remarks under L. acutesquamosa apply to L. Friesii, which Fries himself doubts being distinct from the first. The plants vary greatly in size, color and habitat. The name—acutesquamosa—carries a descriptive meaning with it that L. Friesii does not.

It does not appear to have been reported except by Professor Peck, but probably appears as L. acutesquamosa in other lists.

The edible qualities are excellent.

=L. acutesquamo´sa= Wein.—_acutus_, sharp; _squama_, a scale. =Pileus= fleshy, obtuse, at first hairy-floccose, then bristly with erect, acute, rough scales. =Stem= somewhat stuffed, stout, bulbous, powdered above the moderate-sized ring. =Gills= approximate, lanceolate, simple. _Fries._

=Pileus= convex or nearly plane, obtuse or broadly subumbonate, clothed with a soft tawny or brownish-tawny tomentum, which usually breaks up into imperfect areas or squamæ, rough with erect, acute scales, which are generally larger and more numerous on the disk. =Gills= close, free, white or yellowish. =Stem= equal, hollow or stuffed with webby filaments, subbulbous. =Spores= about 7×3–4µ.

Woods and conservatories. Buffalo, _G.W. Clinton_; Albany, _A.F. Chatfield_; Adirondack mountains and Brewertown, _Peck_.

The form found in the hot-houses seems to have the tomentum of the pileus less dense and the erect scales more numerous than in the form growing in woods. The annulus is frequently lacerated. In the specimens of the woods the erect scales are sometimes blackish in color, and they then contrast quite conspicuously with the tawny or brownish-tawny tomentum beneath them. They vary in size and shape. Some resemble pointed papillæ, others, being more elongated, are almost spine-like. These are sometimes curved. They are generally larger and more numerous on the disk than elsewhere, and often they are wholly wanting on the margin. _Peck_, 35th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

West Philadelphia, 1897, on lawn and growing from trunk of a maple tree; Mt. Gretna, Pa., mixed woods. _McIlvaine._

I first saw specimens of L. acutesquamosa when sent to me by Miss Lydia M. Patchen, President Westfield Toadstool Club. It was later found by myself and tested. Specimens were sent to Professor Peck and identified as L. acutesquamosa.

Caps and stems brownish-purple. The pointed squamules or tufts have dark-brown points, shaded to a delicate purple at base. Gills light, faint flesh-color. Veil is silky, transparent, beautiful, quite tenacious—stretching until cap is well expanded, persistent, though at times fugacious. Smell like stewed mushrooms. The caps are of excellent substance and flavor.

=L. his´pida= Lasch.—rough. =Pileus= 2–3 in. across. =Flesh= thin, white, unchangeable; hemispherical then expanded, umbonate, tomentose or downy at first from the remains of the universal veil; during expansion the down becomes broken up into small, spreading, scaly points, which eventually disappear, umber-brown, sometimes with a tawny tinge. =Gills= free but near to the stem, the collar of the pileus prominent and sheathing the stem, crowded, ventricose, simple, white. =Stem= about 3–5 in. long, 3–5 lines thick, attenuated upward, densely squamosely-woolly up to the superior, membranaceous, reflexed ring, dingy-brown, stem tubular, but fibrillosely stuffed. =Spores= 6–7×4µ _Massee_.

In margins of and in open mixed woods, under pine trees, Haddonfield, N.J., July to September, 1892. Quite plentiful year after year in the same places. The American plant is taller than the English species, the stem reaching five inches, and the color of the cap a delicate tawny-brown. Smell slight, but pungent like radishes.

The whole fungus is tender and delicious. It is one of the few Lepiotæ that stews well.

=L. feli´na= Pers.—belonging to a cat. =Pileus= thin, bell-shaped or convex, subumbonate, adorned with numerous subtomentose or floccose blackish-brown scales. =Gills= close, free, white. =Stem= slender, rather long, equal or slightly tapering upward, hollow, clothed with soft, loose, floccose filaments, brown. =Ring= slight, evanescent. =Spores= elliptical, 6–8×4–5µ.

=Plant= 2–3.5 in. high. =Pileus= .5–1.5 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 lines thick.

Woods. Adirondack Mountains. August and September.

It is easily distinguished from A. rubrotincta by the darker color of the scales of the pileus, by the loose floccose filaments that clothe the brown stem, by the fugacious ring and the smaller spores. _Peck_, 35th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

The caps compare favorably with other Lepiotæ in substance and flavor.

=L. crista´ta= A. and S.—_crista_, a tuft, crest. =Pileus= thin, bell-shaped or convex, then nearly plane, obtuse, at first with an even reddish or reddish-brown surface, then white adorned with reddish or reddish-brown scales formed by the breaking up of the cuticle, the central part or disk colored like the scales. =Gills= close, free, white. =Stem= slender, hollow, equal, smooth or silky-fibrillose below the ring, whitish. =Ring= small, white. =Spores= oblong or narrowly subelliptical, 5–7×3–4µ.

=Plant= 1–2 in. high. =Pileus= .5–1.5 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 lines thick.

Grassy places and borders of woods. June to September.

This species is easily known by its small size and the crested appearance of the white pileus, an appearance produced by the orbicular unruptured portion of the cuticle that remains like a colored spot on the disk. The fragments or scales are more close near this central part and more distant from each other toward the margin, where they are often wholly wanting. The scales are sometimes very small and almost granular. In very wet weather the margin of the pileus in this and some other species becomes upturned or reflexed. _Peck_, 35th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Found in Woodland Cemetery, Philadelphia. June to September, 1897. _McIlvaine._

Scales were appressed and slightly tinged with brown, often very small. Caps of same, upturned and bare near margin. Taste sweet, slightly like new meal. Odor strong.

Cooked it is of good consistency and pleasing to taste.

=L. alluvi´na= Pk.—_alluvies_, the over-flowing of a river. =Pileus= thin, convex or plane, reflexed on the margin, white, adorned with minute pale-yellow hairy or fibrillose scales. =Gills= thin, close, free, white or yellowish. =Stem= slender, fibrillose, whitish or pallid, slightly thickened at the base. =Ring= slight, subpersistent, often near the middle of the stem. =Spores= elliptical, 6–7×4–5µ.

=Plant= 1–2 in. high. =Pileus= .5–1 in. broad. =Stem= 1–1.5 lines thick. Alluvial soil, among weeds. Albany. July.

In the fresh plant the scales are of a pale yellow or lemon color, but in drying they and the whole pileus take a deeper rich yellow hue. The ring is generally remote from the pileus, sometimes even below the middle of the stem. _Peck_, 35th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

In 1897, I found it growing among weeds on lot near University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Seemingly it is a city resident.

The taste and smell are pleasant. Cooked it is tender and savory. Both stems and caps are good.

=L. metulæ´spora= B. and Br.—_metula_, an obelisk. =Pileus= thin, bell-shaped or convex, subumbonate, at first with a uniform pallid or brownish surface, which soon breaks up into small brownish scales, the margin more or less striate, often appendiculate with fragments of the veil. =Gills= close, free, white. =Stem= slender, equal or slightly tapering upward, hollow, adorned with soft floccose scales or filaments, pallid. =Ring= slight, evanescent. =Spores= long, subfusiform.

=Plant= 2–3.5 in. high. =Pileus= .5–1.5 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 lines thick.

Woods. Adirondack mountains. August and September.

This species occurs with us in the same localities as L. felina, which it very much resembles in size, shape and general characters, differing only in color, the striate margin of the pileus and the character of the spores.

The species has a wide range, having been found in Ceylon, England, Alabama and Kentucky. _Peck_, 35th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

This has not been elsewhere noted in the United States, probably from neglect of the spore characters, being reported as L. clypeolaria.

New Jersey and Pennsylvania. _McIlvaine._

ANNULO´SI. Ring large, fixed; stem not sheathed.

=L. holoseri´cea= Fr. _Gr._—entire, silken. =Pileus= 3 in. and more broad, whitish or clay-white, _fleshy_, soft, _convex then expanded_, rather plane, obtuse, _floccoso-silky_, somewhat fibrillose, _becoming even_, fragile, disk by no means gibbous; and wholly of the same color; margin involute when young. =Flesh= soft, white. =Stem= 2½-4 in. long, ½ in. and more thick, _solid_, bulbous and not rooted at the base, soft, fragile, silky-fibrillose, whitish. =Ring= superior, membranaceous, large, soft, pendulous, the margin again ascending. =Gills= wholly free, broad, ventricose, crowded, becoming pale-white. _Fries._

A species well marked from all others. Inodorous.

On soil in flower beds.

=Spores= elliptical, 7–8×5µ _Massee_; 6×9µ _W.G.S._

Wisconsin, _Bundy_; Minnesota, _Johnson_.

Considered esculent in Europe.

=L. Vittadi´ni= Fr.—in honor of the Italian mycologist. =Pileus= 3–4 in. across. =Flesh= 4–6 lines thick at the disk, becoming very thin at the margin, white; convex then plane, obtuse or gibbous, densely covered with small, erect, wart-like scales, altogether whitish. =Gills= free but rather close to the stem, 3–4 lines broad, rounded in front, thickish, ventricose, with a greenish tinge. =Stem= 2½-3½ in. long, up to ⅔ in. thick, cylindrical, with numerous concentric rings of squarrose scales, up to the superior, large ring; whitish, or the edges of the scales often tipped with red, solid. _Fries._

In pastures, etc.

Intermediate between Lepiota and Amanita.

Noted by Fries as poisonous. It may or may not be, but as a matter of precaution it is described. A large species, pure white, extremely beautiful.

Massachusetts, _Farlow_.

Photographed by Dr. J.R. Weist. PLATE XV.
LEPIOTA NAUCINOIDES.
]

=L. nauci´na= Fr. No translation applicable. =Pileus= 1–1½ in. broad, white, the disk of the same color, fleshy, soft, gibbous or obtusely umbonate when flattened, even, _the thin cuticle splitting up into granules_. =Stem= 1½-3 in. long, stuffed, at length _somewhat hollow_, but without a definite tube, _attenuated upward_ from the thickened base, fibrillose, unspotted, white. =Ring= _superior_, tender, but persistent, _adhering to the stem_, at length reflexed. =Gills= free, approximate, crowded, ventricose, soft, white.

There is a prominent collar, as in the Clypeolarii, embracing the stem. Stature and appearance of L. excoriata, but commonly smaller, the superior ring adfixed, etc. _Fries._

=Spores= subglobose, 6–7µ _Massee_.

_L. naucina_ Fr. is the European species which has its American counterpart in L. naucinoides Pk. The variations in the American species are noted under L. naucinoides.

As Amanita phalloides—in its white form—the poisonous white Amanita, resembles L. naucina or L. naucinoides in some stages of its growth and may be confounded with it, careful note should be taken of their external differences. In L. naucinoides the bulb and stem are continuous, each passing into the other imperceptibly; in A. phalloides the junction of stem and bulb is abrupt and remains so, and the bulb is more or less enwrapped in the volva. The ring is also larger than in L. naucinoides and is pendulous, and the gills are permanently white. A certain means of distinguishing between them is by the application of heat as in cooking. On toasting both it will be found that the gills of the Amanita _remain white_, but those of the Lepiota _turn quickly brown_.

=L. naucinoi´des= Pk. No translation applicable. (Plates Plate XV, XII fig. 2, p. 32.) =Pileus= soft, smooth, white or snowy-white. =Gills= free, white, slowly changing with age to a dirty pinkish-brown or smoky-brown color. =Stem= ringed, slightly thickened at the base, colored like the pileus. =Spores= subelliptical, uninucleate, white, 8–10 long×5–8µ broad. _Peck_, 48th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Kansas, _Cragin_; Wisconsin, _Bundy_; New Jersey, _Ellis_; Iowa, _Macbride_; New York, _Peck_, 23d, 29th, 35th Rep.; Indiana, _H.I. Miller_, _Dr. J.R. Weist_.

L. naucinoides Pk. is the American counterpart of L. naucina Fr., a European species, excepting that the spores of the latter are described as globose. The caps are ovate when young and usually from 1½-3 in. across when expanded, but occasionally reach 4 in., smooth, but frequently rough or minutely cracked in the center, white or varying shades of white deepening in color at the summit. In a rare form var. squamo´sa, large, thick scales occur which are caused by the breaking up of the cap surface. When young the gills are white or faintly yellow, becoming pinkish or dull brown in age. The pinkish hue is not always apparent. The outer edge of the veil or ring is thickest; usually it is firmly attached to the stem, but movable rings are frequently noticed. When the plant ages the ring is often missing, but traces of it are always discernible. Stem rarely equal, often it is distinctly bulbous, generally tapering upward from a more or less enlarged base, hollow when fully grown, until then containing cottony fibers within the cavity or appearing solid, 2–3 in. long, ¼-½ in. thick.

Its habitat is similar to that of the common mushroom—lawns, pastures, grassy places—though unlike the latter it is found in woods. Until thoroughly acquainted with it, specimens found in woods and supposed to be L. naucinoides should not be eaten. An Amanita might be mistaken for it. It is readily distinguishable from the common mushroom and its allies by the color of the gills and spores which are white, and differences in stem and veil.

It is found from July until after hard frosts. It was first reported edible by Professor Peck in 1875, under the name of Agaricus naucinus.

The L. naucinoides is rewarding the favor with which it has been received as an esculent, it being equal to the common mushroom and quite free from insects. Large crops of it are reported from all over the country, and from many sections it is told of as a stranger. During 1897–98 the author has found it in plenty upon ground familiar to him for years, upon which it had not previously shown itself. The common mushroom must look to its laurels.

Its cultivation as a marketable crop is possible and probable.

=L. cepæsti´pes= Sow.—_cepa_, an onion; _stipes_, stem. (Plate XII, fig. 3, p. 32.) =Pileus= thin, at first ovate, then bell-shaped or expanded, umbonate, soon adorned with numerous _minute brownish scales_, which are often _granular or mealy, folded into lines_ on the margin, white or yellow, the umbo darker. =Gills= thin, close, free, white, becoming dingy with age or in drying. =Stem= rather long, tapering toward the apex, generally _enlarged in the middle or near the base_, hollow. =Ring= thin, subpersistent. =Spores= subelliptical, with a single nucleus, 8–10×5–8µ.

=Plant= often cespitose, 2–4 in. high. =Pileus= 1–2 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 lines thick.

Rich ground and decomposing vegetable matter. Also in graperies and conservatories. Buffalo, _G.W. Clinton_; Albany, _A.F. Chatfield_. _Peck_, 35th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

=Spores= elliptical, 7–8×4µ _Massee_; 8×4µ _W.G.S._; 8–10×5–8µ _Peck_.

Haddonfield, N.J., Pennsylvania, _McIlvaine_; New York, _Mrs. E. C. Anthony_; Indiana, _H.I. Miller_. July to October.

Whoever has seen the seed-stalks of an onion knows the shape from which this fungus takes its name. The dense clusters are graceful, dainty, and contain many individuals of all ages—from the very young with egg-shaped heads, like pigmy C. comatus, to the fluff-capped eldest, willowy and fair to look upon. The out-door kind soon droops when matured; the young plants of a cluster will remain fresh for several days after taken from their habitat. Stems in these tufts are often quill-shaped, and the striations on the cap margins are shorter than those on their indoor cousins. These grow in hot-houses and stables. One of the two forms has a yellow cap, the other is white and fair.

These forms have often come to my table as a pleasant winter surprise. Children in the hot-houses of Haddonfield, N.J., watched for its appearance among the bedded plants, sure of a present when they brought me a meal of it. Both the white and yellow varieties were equally enjoyed.

The entire fungus is tender and delicious cooked in any way.

=L. farino´sa= Pk.—_farina_, meal. =Pileus= thin, rather tough, flexible, at first globose or ovate, then bell-shaped or convex, covered with a soft, dense, white veil of mealy down, which soon ruptures, forming irregular, easily-detersible scales, more persistent and sometimes brownish on the disk. =Flesh= white, unchangeable. =Gills= close, free, white, minutely downy on the edge. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering upward, somewhat thickened at the base, slightly mealy, often becoming glabrous, hollow or with a cottony pith above, solid at the base, white, pallid or straw-colored, the ring lacerated, somewhat appendiculate on the margin of the pileus, evanescent. =Spores= subovate, 10–13×8µ.

=Pileus= 1.5–2.5 in. broad. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 2–4 lines thick.

Mushroom beds in a conservatory, Boston, Mass. March. Communicated by _E.J. Forster_.

This species is related to L. cepæstipes, from which it may be distinguished by its pileus, which is not folded on the margin, and by its larger spores. It is edible. It is very distinct from Amanita farinosa. _Peck_, 43d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Ohio, _Lloyd_, _Prof. William Miller_ (Lloyd Myc. Notes).

=L. America´na= Pk. (Plate XII, fig. 1, p. 32. Plate XV_a_.) =Pileus= at first ovate, then convex or expanded, umbonate, scaly, white, the umbo and scales reddish or reddish-brown. =Gills= close, free, white. =Stem= somewhat thickened at or a little above the base, hollow, bearing a ring, white. =Spores= subelliptical, uninucleate, 8–10×5–8µ.

The American lepiota belongs to the same genus as the parasol mushroom and the Smooth lepiota. It has one character in which it differs from all other species of Lepiota. The whole plant when fresh is white, except the umbo and the scales of the cap, but in drying it assumes a dull reddish or smoky-red color. By this character it is easily recognized.