Genus Lepiota 339 



cies. He says L. eriophora "differs from L. asperula Atk., by its 

 'smaller size, darker brown color, the denser crowded scales of the 

 pileus and especially by the copious brown tomentum of cap and 

 stem, a character suggestive of the specific name." The spores 

 of both are minute and measure about 4-5 x 2-3 fx. Murrill 

 has reduced both species to synonymy under L. aspera, which 

 includes L. acutaesquamosa, an opinion which in my judgment is 

 unsupportable. The spore sizes of these two species make any 

 such synonymy untenable. 



Lepiota caerulescens Pk. — L. Bucknallii differs from this 

 chiefly by the fugacious annulus, strong odor of gas tar and per- 

 haps more narrow spores. Morgan puts it under L. virescens 

 Speg. 



Lepiota clypeolaria Fr. — The supposed variability of this 

 species is still a complex problem. Some have lumped all the 

 forms described into one species, while others have just as as- 

 siduously segregated the group into many species. The present 

 tendency is conservative, and the elimination of L. metulaespora 

 B. & Br., an Indian species, will save much speculation. 



Lepiota erminea Fr. — According to Bresadola (Fung. Trid., 

 I: 15.) this species has been largely misunderstood in Europe, 

 and he points out that the figures hitherto referred to L. er- 

 minea Fr. belong to L. clypeolaria var. alba Bres. (in this paper 

 given as L. alba (Bres.) Sacc.) and that the genuine L. er- 

 minea Fr. can be known easily by its very campanulate pileus 

 and pungent radishy taste. 



Lepiota felina Pers.-Ricken. — The erroneous idea which 

 many American students have had, that this species is about 

 the same size as L. clypeolaria, L. fuscosquamea, etc., is probably 

 responsible for the fact that it is practically unknown in this 

 country. It has been reported frequently but as Murrill suggests 

 (10), such reports likely had to do with L. fuscosquamea or 

 other species. That it is even poorly known in Europe is shown 

 by the conflicting accounts of spore size and shape given by 

 different authors. The account given by Ricken (14) appears to 

 fit Persoon's plant the best of any of them. The scales of the 

 cap are appressed, minute, and black, and its spores are fusiform. 



