WHITE-SPORED AGARICS. 



The gills are free, or are only attached by the upper inner angle ; 

 the edges are often floccose where they are torn from the slight union 

 with the upper surface of the veil. The stem is cylindrical, solid or 

 stuffed when old, enlarged usually below into a prominent bulb which 

 then tapers into a more or less elongated root-like process, sometimes 

 extending 5-10 cm. in the ground below the bulb. In rare cases the 

 bulb is not present, but the cylindrical stem extends for a consider- 

 able distance into the ground. The veil is a very interesting part of 

 the plant and the manner in which it forms and disappears as the 

 cap expands is worth a careful study. This is well shown in Figs. 

 75, 76, from photographs of plants (No. 3731 C. U. herbarium) made 

 at Blowing Rock, N. C., during September, 1899. 



During the latter part of August and the first three weeks of Sep- 

 tember the plants were quite cofnmon in the mountain woods at 

 Blowing Rock. In certain features there was close agreement in the 

 case of all the specimens examined, especially in the long rooting 

 character of the base of the stem. The veil and annulus were also 

 quite constant in their characters, though sometimes a tendency was 

 manifested to split up more irregularly than at other times. In the 

 character of the warts of the pileus there was great variation, show- 

 ing typical forms of Amanita solitaria and grading into forms which 

 might be taken for typical Amanita strobiliformis. Especially is this 

 so in the case of some of my specimens (No. 3733), where the scales 

 are pyramidal, dark brown, surrounded by a sordid buff or grayish 

 area, and these latter areas separated by narrow chinks whitish in 

 color. The scales in this specimen are fixed quite firmly to the sur- 

 face of the pileus. In other specimens (No. 3732) these hard scales 

 remove quite easily, while in still another the pileus is almost smooth, 

 even the floccose scales having been obliterated, while a very few of 

 the hard angular warts are still present. In another half expanded 

 plant (of No. 3732) the warts are pyramidal, 4-6 mm. long at the cen- 

 ter of the pileus and rather closely imbricated, hard, and firmly joined 

 to the surface of the cap. In Nos. 3733 and 3731 the spores meas- 

 ure 7-9 x 4-6 yw. In 3732 they are longer, varying from 7-11 //. 



The specimens with the long hard scales suggest Amanita stro- 

 biliformis Vittad., but the long rooting base of the stem does not agree 

 with the description of that plant, but does clearly agree with Amanita 

 solitaria Bull. A study of the variations in these plants suggests 

 that Amanita solitaria and strobiliformis Vittad., represent only varia- 

 tions in a single species as Bulliard interpreted the species more than 

 a century ago. Forms of the plant are also found which suggest that 



