Toadstools, mushrooms, fungi, edible and poisonous; one thousand American fungi

dingy-reddish, becoming pale flesh-color, tan, scarcely pure, fleshy, convex, then plane, obtuse, moist but _not glutinous_ in rainy weather and opaque when dry, covered with unequal, soft, mealy, whitish, easily-separating warts, which are smaller, harder and more closely adherent in dry weather; margin even and, when old, slightly striate only in wet weather. =Flesh= commonly soft, white when fresh, _reddening when broken_. =Stem= 4–5 in. long, as much as 1 in. thick, stuffed, somewhat solid, though soft within, conico-attenuated from the thickened base, reddish-_scaled_, becoming red-white, and without a trace of a distinct volva at the base. =Ring= superior, large, membranaceous, soft, striate and white within. =Gills= reaching the stem in an attenuated manner, forming decurrent lines upon it, thin, crowded, soft, as much as ½ in. broad, shining white. Very changeable, but readily distinguished from all others of the same group _by the flesh being reddish when broken_; the stem and pileus are commonly spotted-red when wounded. In dry weather it is firmer, flesh reddening more slowly, warts minute. Odor scarcely any. There is a remarkable variety _circinata_, pileus becoming plane, umber-brown, warts adnate, crowded, roundish. A. circinatus Schum. _Stevenson._ =Spores= spheroid-ellipsoid, 7–8×6µ _K._; 8×6µ _W.G.S._; 7–9×6–8µ _B._; elliptical, 8–9µ long. _Peck._ Not reported west of the Mississippi river. Oak woods, borders and open places. July to September. Indiana, _H.I. Miller_; West Virginia, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, _McIlvaine_. It is quite common, often growing in large patches. Recent authors agree upon the edibility and deliciousness of this species. The author knows it to be one of the most plentiful, useful and delicious, after several years of pleasant experience with it. In July, 1899, at Mt. Gretna, I found, growing from the ground gregariously, a singular fungoid growth from 2–5 in. high; cap hemispherical, 1 in. in diameter, tightly fitting a solid stem of nearly the diameter of the cap. The whole was watery white, and evidently affected by a parasite. It was edible. September 1st Professor Peck wrote to me: “I think I have found the identity of the diseased Agaric, of which you sent me samples some time ago. I mean the one affected by _Hypomyces inæqualis_ Pk. The host is Amanita rubescens, at least sometimes, and probably always.” The plant is very heavy for its size. The lack of a volva, the dingy color and reddish stains distinctly separate this from any poisonous Amanita. =A. spis´sa= Fr.—compact, dense;—of the warts. =Pileus= umber, sooty or gray, fleshy, somewhat compact, convexo-plane, obtuse, smooth, even, but _marked with small, ash-colored, angular, adnate_ warts; margin even, but often torn into fibers. =Flesh= _firm, white, quite unchangeable_. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, as much as 1 in. thick, _solid, turnip-shaped at the base_, somewhat rooting with a globoso-depressed not marginate bulb, curt, firm, shining white, at length _squamulose with concentric cracks_. =Ring= superior, large. =Gills= reaching the stem, _slightly striato-decurrent_, broad, crowded, shining white. _Fries._ =Spores= 14µ _W.G.S._; subglobose, 8–10µ _C.B.P._; 6µ _W.P._; rather pear-shaped, 9–10×6µ _Massee_. =Cap= 2–3 in. across. =Stem= 2½-3 in. long, up to ¾ in. thick. New Jersey, oak woods, August and September. _McIlvaine._ A. spissa has been reported from but few localities. It is rare in the latitude of Philadelphia. Half a dozen specimens have been found in neighboring New Jersey. Taste and smell strong, but when cooked the dish is savory and not unlike one of A. rubescens. =A. as´pera= Fr.—_asper_, rough. =Pileus= 2–3 in. across. =Flesh= rather thick at the disk, whitish, white or reddish with tints of livid or gray, _reddish or brownish under the cuticle_; convex then plane, margin thin and even, rough with firmly adnate, minute, closely crowded, angular warts, reddish-brown or livid-brownish, not pure white, unchangeable. =Gills= free and rounded behind, not striately decurrent, ventricose, white. =Stem= stuffed, striate above the ring, short at first, ovate, then elongating to 2–3 in., attenuated upward from a wrinkled bulb, squamulose, white without and within. =Ring= superior, entire. =Spores= 8×6µ _Massee_; 8×6–7µ _W.G.S._ The flesh of stem and bulb when eaten by insects is reddish, the bulb when old is a reddish-brown. The large ring and stem become red when touched. In these particulars it resembles A. rubescens. In smell it is somewhat strong, not unlike A. strobiliformis, but not nearly so pungent. Cooked it is of excellent quality and flavor. I have eaten it since 1885. =A. abrup´ta= Pk.—abrupt, of the bulb. =Pileus= thin, broadly convex or nearly plane, covered with small angular or pyramidal, erect, somewhat evanescent warts, white, slightly striate on the margin. =Flesh= white. =Gills= moderately close, reaching the stem and sometimes terminating in slightly decurrent lines upon it, white. =Stem= slender, glabrous, solid, bulbous, white, the bulb abrupt, subglobose, often coated below by the white persistent mycelium, the ring membranous, persistent. =Spores= broadly elliptical or subglobose, 8–10×6–8µ. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad. =Stem= 2.5–4 in. long, 3–4 lines thick. The chief distinguishing mark of this species is the abrupt, nearly globose, bulbous base of the stem. This is somewhat flattened above and is sometimes longitudinally split on the sides. The small warts of the pileus are easily separable, and in mature specimens they have often wholly or partly disappeared. The remains of the volva are not present on the bulb in mature dried specimens, which indicates that the species should be placed in the same group with A. rubescens, A. spissa, etc. The latter species have the bulb of the stem similar to that of our plant, but the color of the pileus and other characters easily separate it. _Peck_, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 24, No. 3. Alabama, _Underwood_; New Jersey, Pennsylvania, _McIlvaine_. July to September. This species is edible and quite equal in quality to A. rubescens. Great care should be exercised in distinguishing it. =A. nit´ida= Fr.—_niteo_, to shine. =Pileus= when flattened 4 in. broad, whitish, fleshy, _somewhat compact_, at first hemispherical, wrapped up, the _thick volva_ forming a floccose crust, then _broken up into thick, remarkably angular, adhering warts, which become brownish_, dry, shining, without a glutinous pellicle, margin always even. =Flesh= _white, quite unchangeable_. =Stem= 3 in. long, 1 in. thick, solid, _firm_, conico-attenuated, _with a bulb-shaped base, squamulose_, white. =Ring= superior, thin, torn, slightly striate, white, villous beneath, at length disappearing. =Gills= _free_, crowded, _very broad_, as much as ½ in., ventricose, shining white. _Fries._ Menands. Albany county. Our plant is more slender than the typical form, and has smaller but more numerous warts, but in other respects it exhibits the characters of this species. _Peck_, 43d Rep. N.Y. State Bot. California, _H. and M._; Maryland. Common in nearly every woods in Maryland. _Banning._ From its likeness to poisonous species it should be suspected. =A. prairiic´ola= Pk—_prairie, colo_, to inhabit. =Pileus= thin, convex, slightly verrucose, white, more or less tinged with yellow, even on the margin. =Flesh= white. =Gills= rather broad, subdistant, reaching the stem, white. =Stem= equal or slightly tapering upward, somewhat squamose toward the base, white or whitish, the annulus persistent. =Spores= large, broadly elliptical, 12–14µ long, 7–9µ broad. =Pileus= 1.5–3 in. broad. =Stem= 2–2.5 in. long, 2–4 lines thick. Bare ground on open prairies. Kansas. September. _E. Bartholomew._ This species belongs to the same tribe as A. abrupta. The only evidence of the presence of a volva shown by the dried specimens is found in a few inconspicuous, but separable warts on the pileus. There is no well marked bulb to the stem and no evidence remains of a volva at its base. _Peck_, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, Vol. 24, No. 3. Reported from Kansas only. Qualities unknown. =A. monticulo´sa= Berk.—mountain, from the warts. =Pileus= 2.5–3 in. across, convex, areolate, with a wart in the center of each areola; those toward the margin consisting of soft threads meeting in a point, but sometimes simply flocculent, the central warts angular, pyramidal, truncate, discolored. =Stem= bulbous, scaly, flocculent, white. =Veil= thick, at length distant. =Gills= free, ventricose, remote, forming a well-defined area around the top of the stem. The warts are not hard and rigid as in A. nitida, and the free remote gills separate it from that and the neighboring species. _Berk._ North Carolina, sandy woods, common. _Curtis._ Properties not known. =A. dau´cipes= B. and M.—_daucum_, a carrot; _pes_, a foot. =Pileus= 2–5 in. broad, hemispherical, globose. =Flesh= white, soft, warts regular, pyramidal, saffron color. =Gills= narrow, reaching the stem, broadest in the middle. =Stem= 5–6 in. high, solid, base bulbous, with a restricted cortina above, squamulose downward. =Veil= fibrillose, extending from the margin of the pileus to the apex of the stem, fugacious. In cultivated fields. Ohio. _Sullivant._ Properties not given. =A. lenticular´is= Lasch.—resembling (the stem) a lentil. Fries places this species in Amanita, in which Stevenson follows him. Cooke and Massee place it in Lepiota, where it will be found. **** _Volva rudimentary, wholly disappearing._ =A. chlorinos´ma= Pk.—smelling like chlorine. (Plate VIII, fig. 1, p. 18.) =Pileus= convex or expanded, warty on the disk, covered on the even margin with a light powdery, at length evanescent substance, white. =Gills= white. =Stem= nearly cylindrical, stout, deeply penetrating the earth. =Spores= broadly elliptical, 7–10µ long. Odor distinct, chlorine-like. =Plant= 6–7 in. high. =Pileus= 4–6 in. broad. =Stem= 1–2 in. thick. _Peck_, Bot. Gaz., Vol. 4. Burnt ground in woods. August. Closter, N.J., _C.F. Austin_; Alabama, _U. and E._; West Virginia, _Nuttall_; New Jersey, _Ellis_; Mt. Gretna, Pa., July, in a cluster of a dozen individuals, and afterward until frost, strong smelling, warts brownish-white. _McIlvaine._ It is edible and equal to A. strobiliformis. =A. calyptra´ta= Pk. =Pileus= fleshy, thick, convex or nearly plane, centrally covered by a large irregular persistent grayish-white fragment of the volva, glabrous elsewhere, striate on the margin, greenish-yellow or yellowish-brown tinged with green, the margin often a little paler or more yellow than the rest. =Lamellæ= close, nearly free, but reaching the stem and forming slight decurrent lines or striations on it, yellowish-white tinged with green. =Stem= stout, rather long, equal or slightly tapering upward, surrounded at the base by the remains of the ruptured volva, white or yellowish white with a faint greenish tint. =Spores= broadly elliptic, 10µ long, 6µ broad, usually containing a single large nucleus. =Pileus= 10–20 cm. broad. =Stem= 10–15 cm. long, 12–20 mm. thick. Rich ground in fir woods or their borders. Autumn. Oregon. _Dr. H. Lane._ This is a large and interesting species, well marked and easily recognized by its large size, by the greenish tint that pervades the pileus, lamellæ, annulus and stem, and especially by the large persistent patch of grayish-white felty material that covers the center of the pileus and sometimes extends nearly to the margin. This is in fact the upper part of the ruptured volva that is carried up by the growing plant, and is very suggestive of the specific name. In the young state the plant is entirely enveloped in the volva, which then is similar to a goose egg in size and shape, and its walls are one-fourth to one-half inch thick. So thick and firm are they that the young plant appears sometimes to be unable to break through and it decays in its infancy. Dr. Lane says that, having found that the Italians made use of this mushroom for food, he began eating it and introducing it to his friends, and he learned by personal trial that it is a thoroughly good and wholesome mushroom, which, when broiled with bacon, fried, baked or stewed, may be eaten with perfect safety and that it is a nutritious food. _Peck_, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, Vol. 27, January, 1900. =A. crenula´ta= Pk. =Pileus= thin, broadly ovate, becoming convex or nearly plane and somewhat striate on the margin, adorned with a few thin whitish floccose warts or with whitish flocculent patches, whitish or grayish, sometimes tinged with yellow. =Lamellæ= close, reaching the stem, and sometimes forming decurrent lines upon it, floccose crenulate on the edge, the short ones truncate at the inner extremity, white. =Stem= equal, bulbous, floccose mealy above, stuffed or hollow, white, the annulus slight, evanescent. =Spores= broadly elliptic or subglobose, 7.5–10µ long, nearly as broad, usually containing a single large nucleus. =Pileus= 2.5–5 cm. broad. =Stem= 2.5–5 cm. long, 6–8 mm. thick. Low ground, under trees. Eastern Massachusetts. September. _Mrs. E. Blackford_ and _George E. Morris_. The volva in this species must be very slight, as its remains quickly disappear from the bulb of the stem. The remains carried up by the pileus form slight warts or thin whitish areolate patches. The annulus is present in very young plants, but is often wanting in mature ones, in which state the plant might be mistaken for a species of Amanitopsis. Its true affinity is with the tribe to which A. rubescens belongs. As in that species, the bulb soon becomes naked and exhibits no remains of the volva. It is similar to A. farinosa also in this respect, but quite unlike it in color, in the adornments of the pileus and in the character of its margin, which is even in the young plant and but slightly striate in the mature state. Its dimensions are said sometimes to exceed those here given, and it is reported to have been eaten without harm and to be of an excellent flavor. I have had no opportunity to try. _Peck_, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, Vol. 27, January, 1900. =AMANITOP´SIS= Roze. _Amanita_; _opsis_, resembling. Having a universal veil at first completely enveloping the young plant, which soon bursts through, carrying particles of it on the pileus, where they appear as scattered warts readily brushed off; the remainder or volva closely enwraps the base of the stem. Ring absent. Spores white. This genus was formerly included in Amanita. It differs from Amanita in the absence of a ring or collar upon the stem and in the more sheathing volva. It differs from Lepiota in having a volva. Close observation is necessary in collecting Amanitopsis for the table. _It has no trace of ring or veil upon the stem._ So far as the species are known no poisonous one exists. But Amanita spreta Pk., which is deadly, so closely resembles forms of Amanitopsis that those confident of their knowledge will be deceived. The veil or traces of veil, which Amanita spreta always has, sometimes so adheres to and wraps the stem that it is not noticeable without close examination, thus giving to it every appearance of an Amanitopsis. The volva of A. spreta is attached for a considerable distance to the base of the tapering stem, and is not readily removed. This is a guide to detect it. It is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Amanitopsis corresponds to Volvaria in the pink-spored series, in which, as far as known, there is no poisonous species. All American species of Amanitopsis are given. Several have not been tested by the writer because of lack of opportunity. [Illustration: Grouped by F.D. Briscoe—Studies by C. McIlvaine. PLATE X.] FIG. PAGE. FIG. PAGE.