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.
[Illustration: Grouped by F.D. Briscoe—Studies by C.
McIlvaine. PLATE X.]
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.
[Illustration: Grouped by F.D. Briscoe—Studies by C. McIlvaine.
PLATE XII.]
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.)
[Illustration: SECTION OF LEPIOTA PROCERA.]
=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.
[Illustration:
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.