-,„, THE AGARICACEAE OF MICHIGAN 



the mushrooms, including their microscopic characters, would be 

 unwise to eat any of the species of Amanita, since the poisonous 

 species sometimes approach the edible ones quite closely in general 

 appearance. And to serve them to others under ordinary circum- 

 stances is worse than criminal. For further discussion see "Chapter 

 on Mushroom Poisons," and remarks on individual species. 



Identification of Amanitas is not always easy. Even those who 

 know all the genera and their characters will proceed cautiously. 

 The steins with their volvas are often deep in the ground and one 

 must get the whole plant if amateurs are to be asked to pass upon 

 them, else they may not take account of this danger-signal — the 

 presence of a volva "death cup''. The species with a powdery volva 

 often lose the remnants by the time they are fully expanded, and 

 might be referred to Lepiota by mistake. When loth volva and 

 annulus are present on a plant with white gills or ivhite spores, 

 an Amanita is certain. Young undeveloped "buttons" are the more 

 dangerous, since they then imitate to an extent the common widely 

 used, edible mushroom Agaricus campestris in its button stage. 

 Of course, an experienced mycologist would "feel'' the difference 

 when picking it up, but amateurs and those who collect only the 

 "pink gilled" mushroom, may in this way easily make a sad mistake. 

 The prudent collector of mushrooms for the table, no matter where 

 they grow, or how many he has examined, will always look on the 

 under side of the cap for the white gills, and at the bottom of the 

 stem for the remains of the volva. 



The SPORES vary from spherical to elliptical. They are rather 

 large, smooth, granular or nucleate, and white, and their size and 

 shape are most important in diagnosing closely related species. 



The TASTE of fresh Amanitas varies. The deadly A. phalloides 

 has a bitter taste due to its poisonous content, The edible A. 

 caesarea is considered in Europe one of the finest flavored mush- 

 rooms, and is highly prized. The ODOR is sometimes strong, as in 

 .1. chlorinosma Pk. In this species it resembles chloride of lime. 

 In many species the odor is not marked, and cannot be used to 

 recognize species. 



HABITAT. Amanitas prefer the woods or borders of woods and 

 thickets. Rarely, however, they are found on lawns, or in fields, 

 especially in towns which have groves or whose outlying residences 

 are situated among the original forest trees. Some species prefer 

 conifer forests, others hardwoods, while others are partial to 

 particular soils. .1. spreta, A. russuloides and A. peckiana have 

 been found in Michigan only in the sandy regions. A. phalloides 



