14 



MINNESOTA MUSHROOMS 



Not uncommon in meadows and pastures, but rare in the woods; often forming 

 large fairy rings. Some collectors find this species delicious, but since it is known to 

 poison some people seriously, it should be eaten by no one until he has tried the effect 

 of a small piece upon himself. 



Lepiota naucina Smooth Lepiota 



Cap medium, 5-10 cm. wide, wholly white or somewhat buff, smooth or rarely 

 with tinv scales, spherical to bell-shaped, then convex or expanded ; s t e m rather 

 stout, 5-12 cm. bv 7-15 mm., white, more or less covered with fibers, enlarged below, 

 stuft'ed, then somewhat hollow ; gills free, white, then pink when old, crowded ; 

 spores oval. 8-10 X S-Sfx. The name refers to the shape of the cap. 



Common in meadows, lawns and along grassy roadsides during September and 



October. This is among 

 the best of the edible 

 mushrooms ; it resembles 

 the common mushroom, 

 A g a r i c u s c a m p e s- 

 t e r. but is readily dis- 

 tinguished by the fact 

 that the white gills be- 

 come pink only when the 

 plant is mature or old. 



Lepiota cepaestipes 

 Onion Stem 



Cap small, 2-5 cm. 

 wide, white to yellow, the 

 disk becoming darker, the 

 surface roughened with 

 many tiny brownish scales, 

 ovate or bell-shaped, then 

 expanded, margin striate 

 or folded; stem 5-10" 



cm. tall, white with little fibers, tapering upward, swollen toward the base, hollow, 



ring thin, sometimes falling away ; gills free, white, crowded ; spores elliptic,. 



8-10 X 5-8^1. The name refers to the swollen tapering stem. 



Occasional in rich open ground, densely clustered ; reputed to be delicious 



when cooked in any way. 



Lepiota farinosa Mealy Lepiota 



Cap medium, 4-7 cm. wide, white or whitish, becoming brownish on the disk,, 

 the surface covered with a dense white meal, which cracks forming irregular loose 

 scales, ovate or bell-shaped, becoming convex or expanded in age ; stem 5-8 cm. 

 by 4-8 mm., white to yellowish, mealy or smooth, equal or somewhat broader below. 



Figure 7. Lepiota xaucixa 



