54 



STUDIES OF AA\ERICAN FUNGI. 



the world. In well developed forms there should be no difticulty in 

 distinguishing it from the common mushroom by even a novice. Nor 

 should there be difficulty in distinguishing it from the royal agaric, 

 or Ccesar's agaric (Amanita avsarea), by one who has become 

 reasonably familiar with the characters and appearance of the two. 

 But small and depauperate specimens of the two species run so 

 nearly together in form, color, and surface characters, that it 

 becomes a matter of some diftkulty for even an expert to distinguish 

 them. 



FiGURK 54. — Amanita muscaria. View of upper side of cap (natural size). Colors 



as in Fig. 53. Copyright 1900. 



Figures 52-54 are from plants (No. 2065 C. U. herbarium) col- 

 lected in an open woods near Ithaca. For the poisonous property 

 of the plant see Chapter XX. 



Amanita frostiana Pk. Poisonous. — According to Dr. Peck, who 

 published the first description of this plant, it grows in company 

 with Amanita muscaria, but seems to prefer more dense woods, 

 especially mixed or hemlock woods, and occurs from June to 

 October. The plant is 5-8 cm. high, the caps 2-5 cm. broad, and 

 the stems 3-6 mm. in thickness. 



The pileus is "convex to expanded, bright orange or yellow, 

 warty, sometimes nearly or quite smooth, striate on the margin ; 



