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The W'arted Amanita (Poisonous) 

 Amanita solitaria Bull. 



Amanita solitaria is a very variable species whioh is widely dis- 

 tributed. It often occurs solitary, as its name implies, though not al- 

 ways. It grows sometimes in open woods, sometimes in grassy places, 

 and the specimens from which the accompanying photograph was made 

 grew on bare sand in the southeastern part of Kankakee county, Illi- 

 nois. The forms which occur in these various habitats are so different 

 that they have often been described as different species, but they all 

 agree in having the stem elongated below into a root-like base and 

 in being more or less scaly. 



The cap when fully expanded is 5 to 15 cm. (2 to 6 inches) broad. 

 In the button stage it is nearlv spherical and as it opens up it becomes 

 hemispherical, then convex, and finally nearly flat. It is usually white 

 or nearly so. The surface is always somewhat scaly and may be very 

 much so. The scales are sometimes large and pointed and close to- 

 gether, so that the cap resembles a pine cone. These large scales rub off 

 easily and stick to the hands when the plant is handled, or they may be 

 washed off by rains. In other jjlants the scales are smaller and in 

 some cases are reduced to mere granules, or to flat i)atches. The flesh 

 is white and has rather a strong odor. 



The gills are white, free from the stem or attached to it by the 

 upper angle, rather narrow, and (juite close together. The spores are 

 white. 



The .stem is 5 to 20 cm. (2 to 8 inches) long, sometimes enlarged 

 toward the base, and usually rooting deep in the soil. The surface 

 of the stem may be smooth or mealy, or scaly like the cap. 



The ring is white. It is near the top of the stem and is quite 

 fragile so that it is often much torn. Sometimes the inner veil, in- 

 stead of forming a ring, is torn off from the stem and clings to the 

 margin of the cap, or it may disappear entirely. 



The volva is white and fragile so that it often breaks up and 

 disappears. 



Amanita solitaria has been reported as edible by a number of 

 authors, but a small quantity of the deadly Amanita toxin, the same 

 poison that is present in Anmnita vcrna, has been found in this plant. 

 For this reason it should by all means be classed as poisonous and 

 should never be eaten. 



Collected in Kankakee county. 



