Genus Lepiota 313 



Fries (4) limited the group, as a tribe under Agaricus, much as 

 we have it at present. Quelet (11) raised it to generic rank. The 

 important European works deahng with the genus Lepiota since 

 the time of Fries and Quelet are those by Quelet and Battaille 

 (12), Ricken (14), Lange (9) and Rea (13). Further discussion 

 of the views of European authors will be hmited to the sections 

 below under "Comments." 



The genus Lepiota is here kept intact except for the removal 

 of those species of the old group ''granulosae," which have ad- 

 nate or adnexed gills, and which are therefore more properly 

 Armillarias (8). A list of these is given below. The genus has 

 been divided into sections by various authors in different ways. 

 That these sections do not remain static in their content, merely 

 shows once more the need of more accurate and complete knowl- 

 edge of the species already described, and more care in describ- 

 ing new ones. In this paper the species are grouped in seven 

 sections: Lubricae, Viscidae, Pruinosae, Subclypeolariae, Clypeo- 

 lariae, Asperae, Procerae-annulosae. 



If the morphological development from the initial button 

 stage were already worked out for most of the species, then the 

 grouping within these sections could be made permanent. Only 

 a few species, however, have been studied from this point of 

 view. Atkinson (1, 3) published an account of Lepiota clypeo- 

 laria, Lepiota cristata and Lepiota seminuda. From his studies 

 on these and other species of agarics which possess partial veils 

 or universal veils, he was able to point out the essential nature 

 of these veils (2). In these papers he shows that a differentiated 

 universal veil can be detected around the young buttons of cer- 

 tain species. This enveloping zone Atkinson calls the blematogen 

 and it may take one of two possible courses during the further 

 development of the button or fruit-body; in the one case, the 

 developing veil becomes intergrown with the primary tissue of 

 the pileus, and is therefore at length concrete with it, as in 

 Lepiota dypeolaria; in the other case, there is a gelatinizing of an 

 inner layer of hyphae of this outer enveloping zone of tissue in 

 such a way that it causes a loosening of the outer portion to form 

 the volva; the latter then separates at maturity as in Amanita 



