344 



POISONOUS AND EDIBLE FUNGI 



in which it ruptures. It may be cup-like or appear as a bulbous 

 expansion at the base of the stipe. Since the volva may be deeply 

 buried in the leaf mold, care must be exercised while collecting 

 to remove the entire fructification. This is of special importance, 

 because A. phalloides mav be mistaken for Lepiota naucina, a 

 common edible species. 



Free 



Adnate 



Adnexed 



Fig. 60. Diagrams illustrating types of attachment of gills to the stipe, a 

 character used in determination of genera among agarics. 



Amanita mm c aria. This fungus, called the fly agaric because 

 it has been used as a fly poison, grows in fields or open woods. 

 The striking yellow to orange and even red color of the fructifi- 

 cations characterizes this species, which is 4 to 6 in. tall. The 

 pileus is 3 to 5 in. broad. Prominent warty scales cover the 

 pileus. The gills are white. The veil remains around the stem as 

 a large, membranous, pendent collar. The base of the stipe is 



bulbous. 



Other white species of Amanita. Several other typically white 

 species of Amanita, including A. verna, A. virosa, and A. spreta, 

 are as deadly poisonous as is A phalloides. All possess a volva, 

 an annulus, and white gills and have scales on the expanded pileus. 

 The possession of these characters positively identifies the fungus 

 as a species of Amanita. Since nearly all species of Amanita, 



