June i8, 1898.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
485 
feet collar or ring, which in some eases may be moved on 
the stem. The lines of separation and the firm veil are 
clearly shown in the plant at the left hand in Fig. H, 
In old specimens the ring sometimes is torn, and may 
disappear. 
The stem is nearly cylindrical, 5 to 10 cm. (2 to 4in.) 
long and ^ to ij^a cm. in diameter, and is slightly enlarg- 
ed or bulbous below. It is nearly hollow, though this cyl- 
indrical space is usually stuffed with loose cottony 
threads. 
The Lepiota naucina is an edible species, and is valued 
especially the latter. It usually occurs in woods, while 
the two other plants here described occur in open places. 
The amanita phalloides sometimes occurs in borders 
of lawns near woods. I have this year in the early part 
of September found four or five specimens of this dead- 
ly amanita in the border of one of the lawns on the cam- 
pus of Cornell University. 
One form of the plant is represented from a photo- 
graph in Fig. I. It is pure white and possesses an an- 
nulus or collar, but what is most important the base of 
the stem rests in a cup-like envelope called the volva.* 
G. LEI'lOTA NAUCINA. 
Plants natural size in lawn. 
as highly as the Agaricus campestris by many who have 
eaten it. 
Like the Agaricus campestris it is also an European 
species, though the descriptions in European botanical 
works are quite meager, and much confusion exists ii? 
reference to the shape of the spores. The spores of the 
European specimens are usually described as "round," 
though Mr. Massee in his British Fungus Flora describes 
them as subrotund. This confusion regarding the shape 
of the spores has led to the belief on the part of some 
in America that our plant is different from the European 
one, for the spores in our plant are elliptical or oval, not 
In this specimen the margin of the volva is cleft into 
three parts which are somewhat spreading. This speci- 
men was collected in a beech woods along a damp 
ravine in the month of July. The veil has separated 
by an even line from the margin of the pileus and hangs 
as an annulus in the form of a broad collar from near 
the upper end of the stem. 
The pileus in this form is smooth, viscid to the touch, 
and pure white, as is also the annulus, stem and volva, 
though the latter is soiled by particles of earth. The 
stem is nearly cylindrical, tapering slightly from the 
bulbous base. It is hollow, or stuffed with cottony 
H. LEPIOTA NAUCINA. 
Plants natural size in four stages, showing formation of annulus from veil. 
rotund. For this reason the plant in America has been 
called Lepiota naucinoides. After careful study and ob- 
servation of our plant, and by comparison with illustra- 
tions and descriptions of the European species, the con- 
clusion is irresistible that the two are identical. In 
order to have our plant compared with the European one 
the writer sent some specimens to Mr. George Massee, of 
the Kew Herbarium, London, England. The director of 
the Herbarium has kindly replied that our plant is 
"Lepiota naucina, typical." 
Amanita phalloides, Fr. 
{The deadly amanita}) 
The third and last plant described here is one of the 
"deadly" amanitas. the Amanita phalloides. It is men- 
tioned here not only because it is probably responsible 
for a majority of the deaths from eating mushrooms, 
but because by the novice it might well be taken for 
either the Agaricus campestris or Lepiota naucina, 
mycelial threads. The gills are usually pure white, even 
in age, and arc nearly free from the stem. When de- 
caying the plant emits a very disagreeable odor. 
Because this plant is sometimes found in lawns and 
in fields bordering on the woods great care should be 
exercised in the collection of the Agaricus campestris, 
and especially of the Lepiota naucina, to be certain that 
a volva is not present on the lower end of the stem. 
Until one is certain he knows the plant he is collecting, 
the plants should not be picked by simply taking hold 
of the pileus, but the stem should be carefully dug up. 
In the case of some plants of Amanita phalloides which 
I found in a lawn the stem was about 7 cm. (nearly 3in.) 
deep in the ground, so that by simply picking the plant 
by the cap, the most important character, the volva, 
would be lost, and by a novice the plant might be taken 
for the Lepiota naucina. Some of the specimens of 
Amanita phalloides which I have collected this summer 
might even be taken by a novice for the Agaricus cam- 
pestris if the volva were not obtained. In some of the 
young specimens the gills were decidedly pink, so much 
so that several persons who saw the plants remarked 
on the pink color of the gills, and they were not aware 
of the significance of this fact. It should be stated, 
however, that the pink color of the gills in these young 
specimens of Amanita phalloides is not nearly so deep 
as the pink color of the gills of Agaricus campestris. 
A pure white plant very closely related to this white 
form of Amanita phalloides, which occurs in the spring 
or early summer, is considered by some to be a distinct 
species, called Amanita verna. These pure white forms 
of some amanitas, because of their deadly poisonous 
property, are sometimes called the "destroying angel." 
Shortly after the pileus of these plants breaks through 
the volva, and the stem is elongating, they are very sen- 
sitive to the directive influence which the earth, or 
gravity, exerts on the growth of many plants. One of 
the reasons why the plant grows in an upright position 
is that this influence directs it away from the earth. 
This is easily observed in placing young and rapidly 
growing specimens in a horizontal position. In a few 
hours the stem end near the pileus begins to turn up- 
ward. A specimen used for illustration was lying on 
its side for only about one or two hours, and the stimu- 
lus which it received in this position during the short 
period caused it to turn after it had been stood up- 
right ap-ain. A view of the under side of this plant is 
shown in Fig. J. 
Other forms of the Amanita phalloides occur in which 
the pileus is yellow, or greenish, instead of white, and 
sometimes bits of the volva remain adherent to the sur- 
face of the pileus in the form of whitish patches. There 
are other species of the genus Amanita which cannot be 
discussed in this bulletin, but will be iUiistrated in a 
future one. 
Those who are not familiar with the three plants here 
illustrated, and who desire to be able to recognize them, 
are advised to search the pastures, etc., for the Agaricus 
campestris and Lepiota naucina, and also the damp 
woods for the Amanita phalloides, and to compare the 
plants found there with these descriptioris. In this way 
familiarity with the species may be acquired which will 
♦ Popularly termed th« "poison-cup," "death-cup," etc. 
LEPIOTA NAUCINA. 
View of gills on under surface of pileus. 
serve as a means of determining them in the future. 
The two former species often occur in such abundance 
during the autumn that baskets full of them can easily 
be gathered. 
Those who wish to preserve these plants in the her- 
barium, or for future determination if there is not an 
opportunity to determine them in the fresh state, should 
dry them carefully after first taking full notes on form, 
color, size, texture, position, etc., of the various parts 
of the plant. Full directions for taking careful notes 
or for drying cannot be given here, but may be at- 
tempted at some future time. The Agaricus campestris 
and Lepiota naucina can be dried in the sun, and may 
be kept in boxes. Or when moistened again a little by 
dew, may be pressed lightly between sheets of absorbent 
paper, and then glued to herbarium sheets or folded 
in paper packets. Specimens of Amanita phalloides con- 
tain proportionately more water and consequently 
shrivel more in drying. They are apt to decay before 
they can be dried in the sun, except in very bright 
weather. Artificial heat can be used, but this causes 
the plants to shrivel still more unless the process of dry- 
ing is very slowly accomplished. In this case they 
should be placed over the source of aeat where cur- 
rents of warm air are rising and then dried very slowly. 
In the case of the large and watery ones some cut the 
plants down into two halves through the stem, then 
cut out the inner fleshy part of the pileus and stem, and 
then placing the inner faces on an herbarium sheet, dry 
under pressure by hot driers which should be changed 
frequently. This process preserves well the external 
form and characters where properly done. If this rule 
is followed other plants should be preserved whole. In 
order to have a record of the characters, however, care- 
ful notes on all the characters should be taken while the 
plants are fresh, since so many of the important ones 
are evanescent and disappear in drying. 'The notes can 
be supplemented by pencil sketches or even by photo- 
graphs if the collector so desires. A spore print should 
also be preserved for a record of the color of the 
spores, since one cannot use the color of the gills in all 
cases to determine that of the spores, and a few spores 
under the microscope do not in many cases give the 
tint which a mass of spores show, and which is very 
important to know. Some hquid fixative like gum- 
arabic should be spread on the portion of the white 
paper covered by the pileus previous to taking the spore 
print so that the spores will adhere well to the paper; 
or they may be later fixed by using material like Rou- 
