The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise. Miron Elisha Hard

Chalymotta. Ring present Anellaria.

CHAPTER II.

       THE WHITE-SPORED AGARICS.

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      The species bearing the white spores seem to be higher in type than those producing colored spores. Most of the former are firmer, while the black spored specimens soon deliquesce. The white spores are usually oval, sometimes round, and in many cases quite spiny. All white-spored specimens will be found in clean places.

Amanita. Pers.

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      Amanita is supposed to be derived from Mount Amanus, an ancient name of a range separating Cilicia from Syria. It is supposed that Galen first brought specimens of this fungus from that region.

      The genus Amanita has both a volva and veil. The spores are white and the stem is readily separable from the cap. The volva is universal at first, enveloping the young plant, yet distinct and free from the cuticle of the pileus.

      This genus contains some of the most deadly poisonous mushrooms, although a few are known to be very good. There is a large number of species—about 75 being known, 42 of which have been found in this country—a few being quite common in this state. All the Amanita are terrestrial plants, mostly solitary in their habits, and chiefly found in the woods, or in well wooded grounds.

      In the button stage it resembles a small egg or puff-ball, as will be seen in Figure 6, page 11, and great care should be taken to distinguish it from the latter, if one is hunting puff-balls to eat; yet the danger is not great, since the volva usually breaks before the plant comes through the ground.

Amanita phalloides. Fr.

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      The Deadly Amanita.

      Figure 11.—Amanita phalloides. Fr. Showing volva at the base, cap dark.

      Figure 12.—Amanita phalloides. Fr. White form showing volva, scaly stem, ring.

      Phalloides means phallus-like. This plant and its related species are deadly poisonous. For this reason the plant should be carefully studied and thoroughly known by every mushroom hunter. In different localities, and sometimes in the same locality, the plant will appear in very different shades of color. There are also variations in the way in which the volva is ruptured, as well as in the character of the stem.

      The beginner will imagine he has a new species often, till he becomes thoroughly acquainted with all the idiosyncrasies of this plant.

      The pileus is smooth, even, viscid when young and moist, frequently adorned with a few fragments of the volva, white, grayish white, sometimes smoky-brown; whether the pileus be white, oyster-color or smoky-brown, the center of the cap will be several shades darker than the margin. The plant changes from a knob or egg-shape when young, to almost flat when fully expanded. Many plants have a marked umbo on the top of the cap and the rim of the cap may be slightly turned up.

      The gills are always white, wide, ventricose, rounded next to the stem, and free from it.

      The stem is smooth, white unless in cases where the cap is dark, then the stem of those plants are apt to be of the same color, tapering upward as in the specimen (Fig. 11); stuffed, then hollow, inclined to discolor when handled.

      The volva of this species is quite variable and more or less buried in the ground, where careful observation will reveal it.

      One need never confound this species with the meadow mushroom, for the spores of that are always purple-brown, while a spore-print of this will always reveal white spores. I have seen a slight tint of pink in the gills of the A. phalloides but the spores were always white. Until one knows thoroughly both Lepiota naucina and A. phalloides before eating the former he should always hunt carefully for the remains of a volva and a bulbous base in the soil.

      This plant is quite conspicuous and inviting in all of its various shades of color. It is found in woods, and along the margin of woods, and sometimes on lawns. It is from four to eight inches high and the pileus from three to five inches broad. There is a personality about the plant that renders it readily recognizable after it has once been learned. Found from August to October.

Amanita recutita. Fr.

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      The Fresh-skinned Amanita. Poisonous.

      Recutita, having a fresh or new skin. Pileus convex, then expanded, dry, smooth, often covered with small scales, fragments of the volva; margin almost even, gray or brownish.

      The gills forming lines down the stem.

      The stem stuffed, then hollow, attenuated upward, silky, white, ring distant, edge of volva not free, frequently obliterated.

      Rather common where there is much pine woods. August to October.

      This species differs from A. porphyria in ring not being brown or brownish.

Amanita virosa. Fr.

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      The Poisonous Amanita.

      Virosa, full of poison. The pileus is from four to five inches broad; the entire plant white, conical, then expanded; viscid when moist; margin often somewhat lobed, even.

      The gills are free, crowded.

      The stem is frequently six inches long, stuffed, round, with a bulbous base, attenuated upward, squamulose, ring near apex, volva large, lax.

      The spores are subglobose, 8–10µ. This is probably simply a form of A. phalloides. It is found in damp woods. August to October.

Amanita muscaria. Linn.

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      The Fly Amanita. Poisonous.

      Figure 13.—Amanita muscaria.—Linn. Cap reddish or orange, showing scales on the cap and at base of stem.

      Muscaria, from musca, a fly. The fly Amanita is a very conspicuous and handsome plant. It is so called because infusions of it are used to kill flies. I have frequently seen dead flies on the fully developed caps, where they had sipped of the dew upon the cap, and, like the Lotos-eaters of old, had forgotten to move away. It is a very abundant plant in the woods of Columbiana county, this state. It is also found frequently in many localities about Chillicothe. It is often a very handsome and attractive plant, because of the bright colors of the cap in contrast with the white stem and gills, as well as the white scales on the surface of the cap. These scales seem