This mushroom has long been held in high estimation. Hav- 
ing once graced the table of a Roman emperor, it received the 
name Cesar’s mushroom. One ancient writer terms it “Cibus 
Deorum,” the food of the gods. It has also received such names 
as Imperial mushroom, True Orange, Yellow Egg and Kaiserling. 
All authors who have written of its esculent qualities agree in 
calling it “delicious.” Cordier says it is an exception to the 
general rule which makes young plants better than mature ones, 
implying that it is just as tender and good when old as it is when 
young. 
There is a poisonous species with which a careless person might 
confuse it. I refer to the Fly amanita, Amanita muscaria, 
which is sometimes called the False Orange. In size, shape and 
color of the cap there is a similarity between them, but in other 
respects the two are very different. They may be contrasted as 
follows: 
Orance amantra, Hdible—Cap smooth, gills yellow, stem yel- 
low, wrapper persistent, membranous white. 
Fry amanita, Poisonous.—Cap warty, gills white, stem white or 
slightly yellowish, wrapper soon breaking into fragments or 
scales, white or yellowish. 
While the Orange amanita is a king among mushrooms, and, 
from its symmetrical form and bright colors is beautiful to be- 
hold, the Reddish amanita, A. rubescens, has a peculiarly sordid 
and uninviting appearance because of its dingy colors. The 
color of the cap is quite variable. It may be whitish tinged with 
dull pink, or it may be grayish-red, or even brownish-red. 
Sometimes the margin is paler than the centre, and again there 
‘may be darker reddish stains in various places on it or on the 
stem. The cap is usually warty, but the warts are easily remov- 
able, and are sometimes washed off by heavy rains. The mar- 
gin is generally even, but in matureplants it is sometimes marked 
with slight striations. The flesh is white or slightly tinged with 
red. Wounds on any part of the plant sometimes slowly assume 
a reddish color, but this is not a constant character. 
The gills are whitish, sometimes marked with reddish stains or 
spots in mature plants. They are mostly narrower toward the 
stem than toward the margin. The stem is of a pale or whitish 
color, and often bears dull, reddish stains or marks, especially 
toward the base. It has a bulbous base, the bulb being some- 
times abrupt and sometimes pointed below. It is commonly a 
little sealy, branny or mealy in young and fresh plants, but fre- 
quently smooth in mature or old ones. It is either stuffed or 
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