White-spored Series 



room (Agaricus campestris), which has darker gills, a persistent 

 collar, and a stem tapering at the base. No harm can come from 

 confusing these for edible purposes. Great care should be taken 

 to be sure that a specimen thought to be a smooth lepiota has no 

 volva or wrapper at the base, for the absence of a volva is the 

 most marked difference between it and the poisonous vernal 

 amanita (Amanita verna). The gills of the smooth lepiota turn 

 a dingy brown or pink, and those of the vernal amanita remain 

 white ; and the cap of the smooth lepiota has not the moist 

 smoothness and the brilliant whiteness of the vernal amanita. 



Lepiota Friesii (SEE PLATE FACING PAGE 71) 



Cap or Pileus Rather thin, convex, or nearly plain, with soft, 

 tawny fibres forming small patches over the surface. 1-4 

 inches wide. 



Stem or Stipe Tapering toward the cap, slightly bulbous at the 

 base. The lower part of the stem coloured like the cap, and 

 with similar fibrils. Hollow. Powdery white above the 

 ring. 2-5 inches long. 



Ring or Annulus Present and pendulous. 



Gills or Lamella Narrow, crowded, free from stem ; white ; some 

 forked. 



Flesh Soft, white, with a slight odour when bruised. 



Ring or Annulus Well developed, drooping. White above, and 



tawny or scaly below. 

 Habitat Soft, loose soil in bushy places. 

 Time July to September. 



GENUS MARASMIUS 



The genus Marasmius belongs to the white-spored series. 

 The plants are small, and wither and shrivel in dry weather, to 

 revive a^ain when wet. The gills are thin, and have acute, 

 edges. M. peronatus and M. urens are poisonous or suspected. 



The generic name comes from the same Greek word as the 

 word marasmus, the name applied to a disease from which the 

 patient wastes away without any apparent cause. The signifi- 

 cance of the name will be apparent to one who watches the 

 fleshy little plant shrink away when the sun shines. 



Fre'-sM Mi.r 



