Agaricaceae 



Amanita. vailing colors of the pileus are white, yellowish-white, grayish-brown 

 and blackish-brown. It is remarkable that the form with a greenish 

 pileus, which seems to be common enough in Europe, does not occur 

 here. Fries also mentions a form having a white pileus with a black 

 disk. A somewhat similar form occurs here, in which the pileus is 

 grayish-brown with a black disk. Some of the variously colored forms 

 were formerly taken to be distinct species, in consequence of which 

 several synonyms have arisen, of which A. virescens Fl. Dan., Amanita 

 viridis Pers., and Amanita citrina Pers., are examples. A. verna 

 Bull, is a variety having a white pileus, a rather thick annulus and an 

 appressed volva. It sometimes occurs early in the season; hence the 

 specific name. It also occurs late in the season and runs into the typical 

 form so that it is not easy to keep it distinct. The flesh and the lam- 

 ellae are white, the stem is white, pallid or brownish, and the annulus is 

 either white or brownish. The bulb is generally very broad and abrupt 

 or depressed, though it sometimes is small and approaches an ovate 

 form. The large bulbs are sometimes split externally in two or three 

 places and are, therefore, two- or three-lobed. In such cases the volva 

 is less persistent than usual and its free portion then furnishes merely an 

 acute edge or narrow margin to the bulb. Specimens sometimes occur 

 in which the margin of the pileus is narrowly adorned with a slight 

 woolly hairiness, but usually it is perfectly smooth and even. By this 

 character, taken in connection with the membranous volva and bulbous 

 base of the stem, the species is readily distinguished. Sometimes a 

 strong odor is emitted by it, but usually the odor is slight. Authors 

 generally pronounce this a poisonous and very dangerous species. Its 

 appearance is attractive, but its use as food is to be avoided. Peck, 

 33d Rep. N. Y. State Bot. 



Common in woods and recently cleared woodlands. Frequent over 

 the United States. June to frost. 



An exceedingly poisonous, dangerous, seductive species, responsible 

 for most of the deaths from toadstool eating ; because in its white form 

 it is mistaken for the common mushroom Agaricus campester. The 

 real fault is with the collector, who should never eat any fungus found 

 in the woods, believing it to be the mushroom. The mushroom does 

 not grow in the woods. Neither has it white gills, nor white spores, nor 

 a volva at the base of the stem as have Amanitae. 



The caps of A. phalloides vary in color white, oyster-color, smoky 



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