Kir? Myrologiiul Bulletin No. 41 [Vol. HI 



The Name A^[ANITA. — Turning to Saccardo's Syiloge Fungorum \vc 

 Find tins explan:ition of the name: "Nomen fungi a Galeno inditum. forte 

 a nionte Amaiio. (A name given ii>- Galen to a fungus perhaps from 

 mo'uit Amano). As to syllahification and pronunciation of the name some 

 authors put it thus: Am-a-ni'-ta: and others so: A-man'-i-ta. Take your 

 choice. 



Si7E (iF THE CJRNTS. — In Saccardo's compilation 44 species are cnumer- 

 ate(' for ihe entire \vorld : to t'lis might lie added 2.'> sjiecies of .\manitop- 

 sis — the -]iecies of the hiter genus formerl\- l)eing included under Aman- 

 ita. I^erhaps there are two or three do;<en of the American species. Pro- 

 fessor Morgan eniuuerates and gives the description of 2S species in the 

 Journal of Mycology, :! ; :.*.'-:i."!. March. 1887. Professor Peck gives 14 

 species in Report of the New York State Museum, ."i.'i : :{S-49. 1879. C. G. 

 Lloyd has the same nuniher of species in his Compilation of the Volvae of 

 th.e L'nited Stales, :>-7, 1^9:!. 



Technical Descriptuin or the iJe.nms.— It was the Tuiropean mycolo- 

 gist, 1). C. H. Persoon. whf> first used the name .-iinaiiita in modern bot- 

 any, in his 'Synopsis Metliodica h'ungoru.iu,'" printed in (lOettingen. Ger- 

 many in 1801. We will however quote the accurate description as given 

 hy th.e eminent mycologist i'Vies. which is as follows: "Spores white. 

 \'eil or \ol\a universal, at first continuous, flistitict from the cuticle of the 

 pileus. Hymenophorum distinct from the stem. All terrestrial." 



.\ General Accoint of the Am\nit\.s. — Tn Profes.sor Peck's Thirty- 

 Tlird Report we find a popular description exactly suited to our purpose; 

 we therefore transcribe the smie, regretting onl\ th;it his excellent Re- 

 jiorts the earlier ones especially cannot be in the hands of all my sub- 

 sorihers. Ifere is his language: — 



"Ihe species of Amanita grow on the ground in the woods, groves 

 ;nid copses. They rarely occur in ojien helds, unless in the vicinit\' of 

 trees or near the margin of the woo:!s. I'hin, open woods and copses 

 afTr)rd the most fa\()ral)le localities. In tiie early condition tlu- jjlant is 

 wholly enveloped in its xolwi, but as it increases in size tlie \(iKa is ut'ces- 

 s.'irily ruptured. In some species. ./. i-'U'S(ji\\!. for example, the \i>lv.i is 

 distinctly membranous, and includes the \oung plant as if in an oval sack. 

 At length the u])i)er part of the \olva is nii)tnred, and the pileus and stem 

 ;iri- exserled. Sometimes out' ( i more irregul;ir and une(|u;d fr.igments 

 of the ruDtured xolva adhere to the surface of llie pileus for a time, and are 

 carried up b\ it in its growih. I'ut u^\iall_\ in the>e sjiecie^ the surface <il 

 till- pileus IS -nioolh, .and llic reni;iius ol l\\c nijituri'd \i>l\a wholly adlu're 

 to the !)ase d' the stem or il^ bulb like ;i ni<.nibrano;is margin, a sheath ur 

 a lacerated cup. 



( ('untin.ieil in the next Xutuber. ) 



