](»44 



MT^SIIKOOM 



MUSHROOM 



Coprinii.'i comatus, tlie Shag-sy-Tnane JIushrrMnn. (ir 

 Ilorsf-Tail, occurs in richly nianur(.*(l lawns or parks in 

 fai'ly spriTig: or late atitunm. It is white in color, with 

 a cylindrical cap 3-4 in. l^'Uix uml 1-2 in, in diameter. 

 '\'\\t'. cap is very shag:gy, the scales often heing black in 

 cnhir, while the gills are at tirst salnmn cnh.ir. Tlie rinjir 

 "II Tlie stem is free and movable. It is one ef the best 

 of the edible Mushrooms. 



Coprinus ah-ainent'it-iiis, the Ink-cap, grows in similar 

 places. The cap is o^"al. from 1-3 in. long and nearly as 

 widt'. It is nearly smooth, and grayish in color. The 

 riiiLT is fixed and not at all prominent; best seen just as 

 t)ie margin of the cap is parting from the stem. 



Coprinus tnicaceus, the glistening Coprinus, grows 

 about old stumps and from old roots or other buried and 

 nttten wood. It is smaller than the two species enumer- 

 ah-'d above, and tan in cohn-, the cap when fresh tn-ing 

 co\-fred with thin, loosf, tiaky scales which glist<'ii in 

 tiiH sunlight liki' mica particles, t»ut thtey are easily 

 rubbed off or washed otf by rains. 



Lp:piota. — Of the white-spored agarics the genua 

 Jjcpinta, with an annulus on the stem and the gills usu- 

 ally free from the 

 sti-ni, contains sev- 

 ei'al edible .species. 

 Ltpiola iJi-ocera , the 

 Parasol Slush room, 

 grows in pastures, 

 lawns, and sometimes 

 in gardens. Leplota 

 }nni«-/H(i, the smooth 

 Lepiota, grows in 

 similar places and 

 is entirely white. 



Amanita . — Tb e 

 genus Amanita is 

 closely related to Le- 

 piota, and contains, 

 besides several edible 

 species, a number of 

 poisonous ones, a few 

 of wliich are thi- most 

 deadly of all the 

 I\lushrooms. Amanita 

 possesses the charac- 

 ters of Lepiota, with 

 the additional cliarac- 

 ter of a voh'a. or 

 prominent universal 

 veil, forming an onter 

 layer of grejiter or 

 lesser thickness and 

 composition, which is 

 ruptured as the cap 

 expands and tlie stem 

 elongates. In Lepio- 

 ta the universal veil 

 is not prominent, and 

 it is further closely 

 united with the sur- 

 face of the cap. The 

 volva in Amanita is 

 often left as a prominent cup-like structure at the base 

 of tlie stem (see Fig. 1443), and because it is present in 

 some of the poisonous species is known popularly as 

 the, "poison cup," "death cuji," etc. It is present, how- 

 ever, in some of the edible species. 



A inanita ph((Uoidcs, the deadly Amanita (Fig. 14-131, 

 is one of the most fatal species. It is 4 to 6 in. high, 

 ;iiid the cap is 2 to 4 in. in diameter. Tlie cap is dark 

 gi-ay or umber, or whitish with a yellowish tinge, or 

 ([iiite yellow, or in some forms, especinlly European 

 <tnes, the cap is green. In other cases the whole plant 

 may be entirely white. The volva in typical forms splits 

 at the apex as the young plant is expanding, and is left 

 as a cup with prominent lobes, as showti in Fig. 1443. In 

 other cases tlie volva is ruptured irregtilarly, so that 

 portions of the universal veil are left on the surface of 

 the cap. In still other cases the volva splits in a cir- 

 cumscissile fashion, that is, circularly or transversely 

 about the middle, the lo\ver half remaining atta<'hed to 

 the surface of the bulb al the b;is<. of thi' stem, while 

 the upper half remains k",isely attached to the ujiper 



1443. The deadly Amanita. 

 Amanita phalloides. 



surface of the cap, and is torn apart into scales as the 

 <-ap expands. In these forms the volva forms a narrow 

 rim or nuirgin on the outer angle of the bulb, so that the 

 latter appears saucer-shaped. The cap is rather slimy 

 when moist. These great variations in this very poi- 

 sonous species should make the novice very cautious 

 regarding the species of Amanita, or indeed any species 

 of Mushroom with which he is not quite familiar. 

 This species of Amanita usually occurs in woods or 

 groves or in the margins of woods, while the Af/aricn.s 

 ra inpf'stris or the Lepiota naticina occur usually in 

 open grassy places. But these differences of habitat 

 "•;ninot be relied on altogether, for the deadly Amanita, 

 especially the white form, has been found in lawns far 

 from woods, and in such cases might be mistaken for 

 the smooth Lepiota, since this is white in color. The 

 deatlly Amanita is usually deeply seated in the ground, 

 so that the stem might be broken in gathering it when 

 the volva would be left in the ground, and it might eas- 

 ily be mistaken for some siieeies of Lepiota, 



Amanita iwriia. the Destroying Angel, is by some re- 

 garded as only a white variety of A. phaUoidcs. The 

 entire plant is white, the volva splits at the apex, and 

 thus a prominent free limb of about three lobes renuiins 

 at the base of the stem. The free limb remains more or 

 less closely applied to the stem. The annulus is broad 

 and entire, and hangs down as a broad collar from the 

 upper part of the stem.. 



A»ia))/fa viros:a is very near A. verna. It is distin- 

 guished only by the torn veil, portions of which remain 

 clinging to the nuirgin of the cap, and by the scaly chur- 

 ai-ter of the stem, characters which show^ every gr:ula- 

 tiini into A. ve-nia. Both are deadly poisonous. 



A tuanifa mitscaria , the Fly Agaric, is also a poisonous 

 species, though not so dangerous as those named above, 

 since the poisonous effect can be counteracted if treat- 

 ment is promptly employed. The volva splits trans- 

 versel}'' into sm'eral concentric, interrupted rings which 

 persist as scaly rings on the upper part of the bulb oti 

 the base of the stem, and as scattered scales on the sur- 

 face of the cap. The cap is yellowish or orange-yellow, 

 sometimes red in color, and in age sometimes fades out 

 so that white forms appear. The gills are usually white. 

 as are also the ring and the stem. Avianita Frostianu 

 is a closely related species with the same color on the 

 cap, but with yellowish gills and veil, though variations' 

 in the color are shown in different plants when the cap 

 '.>idy may be yellow. The scales are usually yellow, but 

 may also be white. 



Of the edible species may be mentioned Amanita 

 (''(pstirea, the "Royal Agaric" or "Ciesar's Agaric." The 

 cap is bright orange or yellow, with prominent strife or 

 furrows on the margin. The gills are orange, though 

 the spores are white. The veil and stem are often yel- 

 low, especially in the larger specimens. The volva splits 

 at the apex and is left at the base of the stem as a cuy 

 with a prominent free limb, which usually fits closely to 

 the stem. The volva is white, and rarely are portions of 

 it left on the surface of the cap. It is a very beautiful 

 species, occurring during late summer and atitumn in 

 wootls, and is more coninion in the southern states tlum 

 north. 



.1 ma II /fa riihcscfns. another edible species, has a 

 V'dva which is more or less friable, that is, it crumbles 

 more or less into loose particles which easily wash off 

 from the cap as well as from the base of the stem. Tlie 

 entire plant has a dull reddish tinge, and when bruised 

 or cut quickly changes to a deeper reddish color due lo 

 a red<lisb juice in the plant. Small forms of the species 

 d<.) not sho\\' the color so well. 



Aitiaiiita i>oli f a ria, the Solitary Amanita, is one of the 

 largest species of the genus. It is almost pure white, 

 the surface of the cap often being grayish, and some- 

 times witli tints o\- l)rown in the scales, especially iri old 

 plants. It grows in rather open woods or by roadsides 

 in woods. The volva is entirely broken up into mealy 

 particles wliich easily rub off. or there are conic scales. 

 especially toward the center of the cap. The veil is very 

 delicate and easily torn into shreds, which disappear 

 soon. The stem has a large bulb, which tapers into a 

 lo|)^^ rootdike iirocess in the soil. The plant is said by 

 some to be edible. AnnDiita .^frohiliformis is a cdoseiy 

 related species, if it is not identical with it, and is said 



