5 CIRCULAR 14 3, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



EOSY-SPOEED AGABICS 



Genus 



Stem excentric or absent and pilens lateral Claudopl's 



Stem central: 



Volva present, annulus wanting Volvabia 



Volva and annulus absent — 



Gap easily separating from stem, gills free Plttteus 



Cap confluent with stem, gills sinuate Entoloma. 



OCHEE-SPORED AGAEICS («POEES YELLOW OB BBOWN ) 



Gills easily separable from flesh of cap: 



Margin of cap incurved, gills more or less decurrent forked 



or connected with veinlike reticulations Paxlllus. 



Gills not easily separable from flesh of cap: 



Universal veil present, arachnoid Cortinarius. 



Universal veil absent — 



Ring present Pholiota. 



Ring absent — 



Stem central — 



Cap turned in Naucoria. 



Cap not turned in Galera. 



Stem excentric or none Crepldotus. 



PURPLE-BROWN SPORED AGARICS 



Cap easily separating from stem, gills usually free Agaricus. 



Cap not easily separating from stem, gills attached : 



Ring present Stropharia. 



Ring absent, veil remaining attached to margin of cap Hypholoma. 



BLACK-SPOBED AGARICS 



Gills deliquescing, cap thin, ring present in some species Copbinus. 



Gills not deliquescing : 



Margin of cap striate, gills not variegated Psathyeella. 



Margin of cap not striate, gills variegated Panaeolus. 



AMANITA 



The most poisonous fungi belong to the genus Amanita. Al- 

 though it contains some edible species, the surest way to avoid 

 danger is to let all species of the genus alone. A fungus of this 

 kind may be recognized among the white-spored agarics by the 

 presence of a volva and a veil. Young plants are completely in- 

 closed by the volva, and the manner in which it breaks awa}^ varies 

 according to the species. A part of the volva may remain on the 

 top of the cap, around its margin as scales, or as a broken cup at 

 the base of the stem. 



AMANITA PHAL-LOIDES. DEATH UUP. (POISONOUS) 



(Fig. 3) 



In the death cup the color of the cap ranges from white or lemon to olive 

 or brownish. It is broadly bell-shaped or oval and finally expanded, smooth 

 or with patches of scales. In moist weather it is very sticky. The gills are 

 free and white and the stem mostly smooth and bulbous, surrounded by the 

 large cup-shaped volva. The ring is large, white, and reflexed. 



The death cup is the most dangerous of all mushrooms. It is widely dis- 

 tributed and of very common occurrence and may be found growing in woods 

 or cultivated land from spring until late autumn. 



