ABERRANT VEIL REMNANTS IN SOME EDIBLE AGARICS. 
BY WILLIAM TRELEASE. 
In 1884, when describing the North American represent- 
ative of the European Lepiota naucinus, under the name 
L. naucinoides, Professor Peck mentioned the fact that 
the collar sometimes breaks loose from its attachment to 
the stem and becomes a movable ring upon it as in LZ. pro- 
cera, or occasionally in old specimens becomes torn and 
disappears entirely, — statements that are repeated in 
several later accounts of the fungus. 
A great abundance of this species in manured shrubbery 
borders, lawns, etc., of the Missouri Botanical Garden in 
the early autumn of 1902, has given opportunity to some- 
what modify this account, and the accompanying photo- 
grams present the characters sufficiently well to require 
little explanatory test. 
In the development of the button, in this species, the 
veil, which at first is rather thick, is drawn out to thin- 
ness toward both the stem and the margin of the pileus, 
so that in the larger number of specimens it tears away 
from the latter, leaving, however, a thin marginal edge, 
and remains as a rather large collar loosely attached to the 
stem. In less typical but still rather frequent cases the 
attachment to the pileus is firm enough in places so that 
the ring breaks apart at one or more points and the en- 
tire remains of the veil are carried out as easily detachable 
flecks or shreds on the margin of the cap. Occasional other 
specimens present veil characters intermediate between 
these two. It is not my experience that a ring, once 
formed, is likely to disappear in the ordinary aging of the 
plant after its development from the button. — Plates 
30-34. 
As this Lepiota is largely eaten, and prized by some 
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