5S MycologicaJ Bulletin Xo. 15 [To? // 



HoAA' TO Handle These Plants. — The Mushrooms must be secured 

 before too old and the presence or absence ofthevol'-Ta determined; to this 

 end, dig them np Crtrefnlly with a trowel or strtmg knife — in fact all the 

 species should be collected in this particular way for close inspection or real 

 study. Have a basket of generous size to carry them home. Tissue paper 

 surrounding the moist or viscid kinds will protect them if handled carefully — 

 but one can only learn by experience how to treat delicate and perishable 

 Mushrooms. 



Am-a-ni'-ta a large Gexus. — In the Third Volume of the Journal ol 

 Mycology (pages 25-33) Professor Morgan descriltes 28 species which is the 

 approximate number of kinds in our country. Peek enumerates 14 Xew 

 York species in his 3ord State Eeport. Lloyd has published a Compilation 

 of the Yolvae of the United States in which 38 species are enumerated. Illus- 

 trations — colored and half-tones — have been published of many of the kinds; 

 see Atkinson's Mushrooms, Mcllvaine's One Thousand American Fungi, 

 Peck's illustrated Keports. etc. 



Most Species of Aji-a-xi'-ta Deadly Poisonous. — Reasonable care 

 based on proper examination may banish any fear entertained relative to 

 Mushrooms that resemble the Am-a-ni'-tas. The latter are poisonous as is 

 well known — but that should not interfere with an intelligent interest in 

 them and all other fungi too. There are hundreds of palatal)le and delicious 

 Mushrooms and it is rare that they resemble any species of Aji-a-ni'-ta or 

 could be mistaken for one of these poisonous kinds. It is remarkable that 

 the Am-a-ni'-ta called Caesar's Mushroom (the botanical name being 

 Am-a-ni'-ta cae-sa'-re-a) is not poisonous Inrt edible; it is a large and beautiful 

 Toadstool, orange or yellow throughout but the vol'-va is white and 

 prominent. 



A-man-i-top'-sis. — The Mushrooms so named by the botanists are like 

 Am-a-ni'-ta (that is what the word means) except they never have a ring, or 

 an'-nu-lus. They bear no l)ad reputation amongst fungus-eaters, and at least 

 a dozen species occur in our country. 



Lep-i-o'-ta. — This genus has many common representatives, and though 

 near relatives of Am-a-ni'-ta they are not poisonous — or at any rate only a 

 few are to be let alone. In the Lep-i-o'-tas there is no sac-like vol'-va; but 

 the an'-nu-lus, or ring cm the stem, is present. Figure 56 is a representative 

 of this genus. 



Comparison of Am-a-ni'-ta, A-man-i-top'-sis, and Lep-i-o'-ta. — These 

 majestic Toadstools will likely be encountered in great numbers during the 

 season, and too close attention can not be given them. With l)ut one or a 

 very few exceptions the species of Am-a-ni'-ta are (Uddlj/ jtoismioiis — there- 

 fore do not eat Mushrooms iudiscriniiuatcdy: the tasting and testing should be 

 done with great cauticm when it pertains to the forms here under considera- 

 tion. Keith(!r must it be assumed that all the n^presentatives of A-man-i- 

 top'-sis and Lei'-i-o'-t.v are edible — most of them are but some certainly- are 

 not. The line large Mu«hroom called Lep-i-o'-ta .-siOR-iiAN'-i (Professor 

 Morgan discovered this species several years ago and Profe'^sor Peck named 

 it) is eaten by some, l)ut it is very inimical to most persons so I'ar as tested. 

 In all the representatives of these three genera the stem is JlcsJnt rather 

 than carlilof/itioiis, and the gills are usually free, /. c. not attached to the 

 stem. The cap is citsilji scpdrahlr from the stem. The striking differences 

 pertain to vol'-va and ring, or an'-nu-lus, thus: 



Yolva and lUNf; present Am-a-ui'-ta 



YoLVA present, ring wanting A-nian-i-top'-sis 



Yolva wanting, ring present • Lep-i-o'-ta 



