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MANUAL OF POISONOUS PLANTS 



the volva is ruptured; stipe fleshy; volva and annulus present. 



In some species the remains of the ruptured volva persist, forming a kind 

 of cup or sheath. In others they occur in the form of small scales or warts on 

 the cap. 



Fig. 71. Fly Agaric or Fly Amanita (Amanita muscaria). a. Mature plant, b. Top 

 view of cap with scales. From U. S. Dept. of Agrl. 



Amanita muscaria. L. Fly amanita. Fly agaric 



Pileus nearly flat at maturity, warty, slightly striate on the margins, yellow 

 to orange red, cap 3-8 inches broad; gills white or nearly so; stem 4-6 inches 

 long, y 2 inch in thickness, cylindrical, hollow, bulbous thickened at the base, 

 which is more or less scaly from the fragments of the ruptured volva; spore 

 broadly elliptical, white. Dr. Farlow gives the following excellent description 

 of this fungus: 



The fly agaric (Amanita muscaria), so called because decoctions of it are used for 

 killing flies, is in most places, at least in the northern and eastern parts of the country, 

 a common species often a good deal more abundant than the common mushroom. It is 

 found during the summer along roadsides, on the borders of fields, and especially in groves 

 of coniferous trees. It prefers a poor soil, of gravelly or sandy character, and occurs only 

 exceptionally in the grassy pastures preferred by the common mushroom. It grows singly 

 and not in groups, and attains a large size, being one of the most striking toadstools. It 



