68 NORTH AMERICAN FLORA [Volume 10 



has not been collected since his time. The description might suggest Vaginata farinosa or 

 Vaginata agglutinata, but Schweinitz certainly knew the former and the volva of the latter 

 could not be characterized as "vanishing." Some forms of Venenarius solitarius might be 

 thought of, but none of them are quite small enough. 



Amanitopsis pulverulenta Peck, Bull. N. Y. State Mus. 116: 17. 1907. Described from 

 plants collected by Peck on shaded roadside banks at Port Jefferson, New York, August, 

 1906. There are two boxes of specimens at Albany. One contains a single specimen having 

 a long, pulverulent stipe, with bulbous base and no volva, and the pileus covered, except at 

 the center, with ■*. fine powder as in Lepiota cretacea. The other box contains several speci- 

 mens, evidently the types, with short, often radicate stems and caps that are sometimes gem- 

 mate. These latter plants are certainly Venenarius solitarius, and there is little doubt that 

 the species belongs in that category. 



Amanitopsis strangulata (Fries) P. Karst. Hattsv. 1: 7. 1879. Agaricus strangulatus 

 Fries, Epicr. Myc. 6. 1838. Much has been written about this species. Beardslee has 

 recently studied it in Sweden and considers it distinct from Vaginata plumbea, being more 

 robust and with an entirely different kind of volva. Boudier is of the same opinion. Fries's 

 description in the Epicrisis and Battarra's plate call for an annulus, while Fries's later de- 

 scription and figure refer to the plant as we now know it. If the plant is distinct, it must 

 have another name, selected from such synonyms as Agaricus Ceciliae Berk. & Br. or Agaricus 

 inauratus Seer. In America, it is reported from New England to Alabama and west to Wis- 

 consin. Variations occur all the way from the entire sheath of V. plumbea to the extreme form 

 in which the volva is broken into small particles and distributed on the surface of the cap. 

 I will admit that this extremely friable form of the volva is puzzling, but, after all, it is difficult 

 to separate it specifically from the livid form of V. plumbea. I^ucand has figured a specimen 

 of V. plumbea in his group of A . strangulata. Did he get the plants mixed, or is this another 

 indication that they are not distinct species? 



51. VENENARIUS Earle, Bull. N. Y. Bot. Gard. 5: 450. 1909. 



Amanita Pers. Tent. Disp. Fung. 63, in part. 1797. Not Amanita Hall. 1768. 

 Agaricus § Amanita Fries, Syst. Myc. 1: 12. 1821. 



Pileus fleshy, putrescent, solitary; surface glabrous, farinose, or with volval patches I 

 lamellae free; spores hyaline; stipe central, fleshy; veil present, forming an annulus; volva 

 present, free to adnate. 



Type species, Agaricus muscarius L. 



Volva compound, persistent; species confined to California. 1. V. bivolvatus. 



Volva simple, persistent or evanescent. 



Volva free, conspicuous, persistent; stipe cylindric. 



Volva wide; lamellae yellow; pileus red or reddish. 2. V. Caesar eus. 



Volva narrow; lamellae white; pileus white or brown. 3. V. spretus. 



Volva adnate to the base of the bulbous stipe, limb free, usually per- 

 sistent. 

 Spores globose or subglobose. 



Annulus becoming blackish. 4. V. porphyrins . 



Annulus remaining white. 



Pileus not conspicuously striate. 



Pileus white or variously colored; stipe hollow or stuffed; 



spores globose, 7-10 ju. 5. V. phalloides. 



Pileus white; stipe solid; spores broadly ellipsoid, 10-12 



X8-10 jj,; species confined to California. 6. V. ocreatus. 



Pileus conspicuously striate. 



Pileus 8-10 cm. broad. 7. V. umbrinidiscus. 



Pileus 1.5-2.5 cm. broad. 8. V. virginianus. 



Spores oblong or broadly ellipsoid. 



Annulus evanescent; species known only from Michigan. 9. V. Peckianus. 



Annulus persistent; species known only from California. 10. V. calyptratoides. 



Volva ocreate, usually marginate; pileus covered with remnants of the 

 volva, or rarely smooth. 

 Pileus entirely smooth, nearly white, striate on the margin. 11. V. glabriceps. 



Pileus covered with volval patches. 



Spores ovoid, 9X5 //J species confined to the Pacific coast. 12. V. p anther inoides. 



Spores larger or of different shape ; species confined to the eastern 

 United States. 



Pileus 3-7 cm. broad, white or tinged with yellow or olive. 13. V. cothurnatus. 



Pileus 8-10 cm. broad, umber-brown, sometimes tinged with 



yellow. 14. V. velatipes. 



