i8 Bulletin 138. 



Veil and Annulus. — The veil is thin, white, silky and very frail. As 

 the pileus expands, the veil is stretched and finally torn, when it clings 

 as a thin collar or ring (annulus) around the stem, or fragments dangle 

 from the margin of the pileus. As the plant becomes old, the annulus 

 shrivels up and becomes inconspicuous. 



Stem or Stipe. — The stem is white, nearly cylindrical, or slightly 

 tapering at the lower end. It varies from 3-8 cm. long and 1-2 cm. 

 in diameter. The flesh is solid, though less firm at the center. 



Growth of the Mushroom. 



The mycelium in the form of delicate threads or stouter strands 

 (called spawn) lives in the soil, absorbing in solution certain of the 

 substances of decaying vegetable matter, which it appropriates for 

 growth and increase. It lives here for several months, or in some 

 cases for years, before developing the fruiting portion which is the 

 "mushroom." This first appears as a minute rounded mass on the 

 strands of mycelium. It grows in size to form a " button " with a 

 stem. The young gills are formed by the mycelium growing down- 

 ward in radiating ridges from the under side of the margin of the 

 button, the gills at first being covered by a dehcate veil of interlacing 

 threads. As the pileus expands it bursts through the sod, ruptures 

 the veil, when the characters of the fully formed mushroom appear, 



Lepiota naucina Fr. 



The next mushroom, or toadstool, described here is one which 

 occurs during the same season as the Agariciis campest?'is (common 

 mushroom), and in similar localities, /. e., in lawns, pastures, etc. It is 

 known as Lepiota 7Mucina^ the short stemmed parasol, or smooth 

 Lepiota. Because of this similar seasonal and local occurrence it 

 might at first be taken for the Agaricus campestris^ especially since 

 the plant is about the same size, is usually white or light tan, 

 and possesses an annulus. The gills, however, are white from the 

 youngest stages to maturity, only becoming pinkish when very old, 

 and drying a light brown or dirty pink. 



A photograph of this plant as it occurs in lawns is represented in 

 figure loi. On looking at tlie gills of a freshly growing plant one 

 would readily distinguish it from Agaricus ca?npestris, because of their 

 white color. The spores of this plant are white, as one can readily 



