CLASSIFICATION OF A.GARI' 



grouped under three heads : (1) The VOL^ \ is the remains of the 

 whole universal veil which has split above the pileus and has 

 formed a true cup ot sheath al the base of the stem, t in* 

 margin usually extends above the bulb <>r base. (2) The 

 VOLVA in this case is only the lower half of the uni- 

 versal veil and adheres closely around the bulb, some 

 tiiiirs forming circular rolls or scal\ i- i 1 1 ■_: — oe the lower pari 

 of the stem. (3) The VOLVA Is verj incomplete and fragmentary, 

 floccose, mealy or minutely wartj ; iliis is due to the loose, friable 

 texture of the universal veil, the remnants of which disappear 

 easily when the stem is pulled from the soil. Tims the presence 

 of a volva is not a safe or positive characteristic in case persons 

 depend <»u the "death-cup" for their identification i>f the poisonous 

 Amanitas. Besides the volva, the stem is provided with an AN 

 NULUS. The aiiuuliis is sometimes formed from an outer layer 

 of the stein. Iu the young, "button" Btage the uills lie with their 

 edges closely againsl and adnate* to the stem, and during elon? 

 tinu of stem and expansion of pileus, this thin outer layer is pulled 

 louse from the stem by the fact that it adheres more closely to the 



gills than to the stem. [f it begins to tear off from the stem iu 



the early stage of elongation, it peels the entire stem upwards and 

 after loosening from margin of pileus it drops down on the lower 

 part and forms an ••inferior" annulus. When it is not loosened 

 from the gills or margin .of pileus until the stem is nearly elongated, 

 it peels off only from the apex of the stem and later from the -^ i I N 

 and margin of pileus and forms a "superior" annulus. The latter is 

 much the commonest method, and the layer of tissue which iu this 

 case holds on to the gills for a time and conceals them i< called the 

 "inner veil." Sometimes this inner veil separates at the Btem instead 

 of at the margin of the pileus and so hangs in shreds or in pi< 

 from the margin of the pileus. In fad conditions of weather. . 



may cause all sorts of variations from the above two mOSl com 

 moil methods. The surface of the stem where the outer layer has 



hern peeled off to form the annulus. usually lii-coines roughly floe 

 cose. Sometimes also the outer rind is split and broken iu various 

 ways by drying, as shown in our figures of 1. n ' ; other 



times the stem is glabrous. 



Properties. This is usually called the "poisonous genus," >me 



of the species a re sure to cause death. Poisonous Bpecies occur 



also iii many other genera, hut the poisons are not as ,!,■ i.P\ 



Amanitas are known to be edible, as for example, i and I 



rubc8cen8. Bui one who has nol a thorough knowledj 



