A MUSHROOM 



on 



parasites of forest trees. Its fniitixtg bodies grow from the 

 underground strands as well as directly out of the bark of 

 killed trees. Another common edible mushroom of summer 

 and fall is the " shaggy mane " or " inky cap," found 

 roadsides and in gar- 

 dens. Its fruiting 

 body is white, with 

 a narrow, thimble- 

 shaped cap one to 

 two inches long, bear- 

 ing ragged brownish 

 or yellowish scales 

 on its upper surface. 

 The ring is thin ; the 

 gills are at first white, 

 but blacken rather 

 quickly; after a few 

 days the whole fruit- 

 ing body dissolves 

 into an inky-black 

 liquid in which the 

 black spores are im- 

 mersed. 



Some of the most 

 poisonous mushrooms 

 belong to the genus 

 Amanita (Figs. 3 7 and 



38). Amanita phalloides is the "deadly Amanita" or 

 "death cup " which appears in summer and fall in rich 

 woods. Its cap and stalk are usually white, sometimes 

 brownish ; the gills and spores are white. At the base of 

 the stalk is a cup out of which the stalk seems to grow. 

 Sometimes, however, the cup is not easy to recognize. A 

 long, delicate ring is attached about the middle of the stalk 

 and hangs downward. 



Fig. 38. — The fly mushroom (Amanita 

 muscaria). One of the most poisonous mush- 

 rooms known. Photograph by E. T. Harper. 



