State Museum of Natural History. 41 



5. Pileus narrowly striate 6 



6. More than two inches broad, spores elliptical. . . A. mvscarius. 



6. Less than two inches broad, spores globose A. Frostianus. 



4. Pileus even on the margin 7 



7. Flesh with reddish stains when wounded A. rubescens. 



7. Flesh without reddish stains when wounded 8 



8. Bulb of the stem acutely margined, often split. . A. strobiliformis. 



8. Bulb not acutely margined A. solitarius. 



1. Stem destitute of an annulus 9 



9. Volva membranous 10 



10. Pileus hairy -squamulose, volva large, firm. A. volvatus. 



10. Pileus soon glabrous, volva sheathing, flabby A. vaginatus. 



9. Volva not membranous 11 



11. Pileus soon glabrous A. nivalis. 



11. Pileus warty A. strangulatus. 



11. Pileus pulverulent A. farinosus. 



STEM FURNISHED WITH AN ANNULUS. 



Agaricus caesareus, Scop. Orange Agaric. Pileus hemispherical, 

 then expanded, smooth, bright red or orange, fading to yellow, widely 

 and distinctly striate on the margin; lamellae free, yellow; stem equal 

 or slightly tapering upward, flocculose, stuffed with cottony fibrils or 

 hollow, yellowish, bearing a yellowish annulus near the top and in- 

 serted at the base in alarge loose membranous ivhite volva; spores ellip- 

 tical, .00035 in. to .0004 in. long. 



Plant 5 in. to 8 in. high, pileus 4 in. to 8 in. broad, stem 4 lines 

 to 6 lines thick. August. 



This is a large, beautiful and very showy Agaric and has been called 

 " Fungorum princeps" chief of fungi. It occurs in wet seasons in thin 

 open woods, but is not very common. It sometimes grows in large circles 

 or " fairy rings." The American plant differs in some slight respects 

 from the European as represented in figures and descriptions, and I 

 have modified the description to meet the peculiarities of our plant. 

 In Europe the pileus is said to vary in color, being sometimes white, 

 pale-yellow, red and copper-colored, though usually orange-yellow. In 

 our plant I have found the pileus very uniform in coloration, it being 

 at first bright-orange or even a brilliant red, fading with age to yellow, 

 either wholly or on the margin only. In dried specimens the red 

 color entirely disappears. The striations of the margin are quite deep 

 and long, and almost as distinct as in A. vaginatus, where they are 

 said to be " pectinate-sulcate." The flesh is represented as yellowish. 

 In our plant it may be white, yellow or red under the cuticule, but 

 next the lamellse it is pretty constantly yellow. The stem is described 

 as subventricose. In our plant I have always found it equal or slightly 

 tapering upwards and generally rather long in proportion to the size 

 of the pileus, so that the American plant must have a more graceful 

 aspect than the European. The stem is yellowish, but adorned with 

 delicate floccose fibrils of a yellowish-rhubarb color. The annulus is 

 also sometimes tinged with this hue. The volva is soft and almost 

 tomentose in texture, yet distinctly membranous, persistent and white. 

 The lamella 1 are yellow, a character by which it is at once distin- 

 guished from all our other species. All authors agree in attributing 

 esculent qualities to this fungus. It has been termed " Cibus Deo- 

 rum" the food of the gods. Cordier says it is delicious and every- 

 where sought after, but utters a caution against confounding it with 

 [Assera. Doc. No. 127.] r, 



