164 EBPOET OF THE STATE BOTANIST. 



in which they soon pass from the delicate pink of youth to the 

 repulsive blackish hue of age. One of my correspondents in 

 speaking of this species sa^'s " it grows abundantly hero and is 

 one of our hnest edible mushrooms. I have taught our people 

 to eat it and it is now highly prized in this region." 



It being similar to the Common mushroom in size and color it 

 is sometimes confused with that species. But a glance at the 

 color of the gills is sufficient to separate the two. The color of 

 the spores and the character of the stem and collar are also dis- 

 tinguishing differences. It still more closely resembles the 

 Chalky mushroom, Aijaricus cretaceus, but the darker color of 

 the gills and the brown color of the spores of that species will 

 also abundantly distinguish it. Our plant is apparently the 

 American representative of the European Lepiota naiicina, to 

 which it was formerl}' referred, and from which it scarcely differs 

 except in the shape of its spores and in its smoother cap. The 

 spores are described by Fries as globose in the European plant. 

 All the species here mentioned are edible, so that discrimination 

 between them would not be necessary for safety in using any of 

 them for food. It is, however, more satisfactory always to recog- 

 nize without any doubt the species used for food. Our figures 

 and descriptions will enable any one to do so. The Smooth 

 lepiota was first recorded as edible in the Twenty-seventh Report, 

 where it stands under the name Agaricus naucinus. 



Armillaria J^r. 



The species of Armillaria differ from all the foregoing white 

 spored species in having the gills attached to the stem by their 

 inner extremity. Like them their spores are white and the stem 

 has a collar, but there is no wrapper at the base of the stem as in 

 Amanita and Amanitopsis. By the collar the genus differs from 

 the other genera which follow. 



Armillaria mellea Vahl. 

 lioNEr-coLouKL) Aemillakia. 



Plate 20. 



Pileus adorned with minute tufts of brown or blackish hairs, 

 sometimes glabrous, even or when old slightly striate on the 

 margin ; lamellaj adnate or slightly tlecurrent, white or whiiish. 



