tenuated upward, clothed with fibres
pure white. The Smooth Lepiota is generally very regular in shape and of
a pure white color. The central part of the cap is sometimes tinged with
yellow or a smoky white hue. Its surface is nearly always very smooth
and even. The gills are somewhat narrower toward the stem than they are
in the middle. They are rounded and not attached to the stem.

Cap two to four inches broad; stem two to three inches long. It grows in
clean grassy places in lawn, pastures, and along roadsides. I have seen
the roadside white with this species around Sidney, Ohio. The specimens
represented in figure were found in Chillicothe, August to November.

This is one of the best mushrooms, not inferior to the meadow mushroom.
It has this advantage over the former that the gills retain their white
color and do not pass from a pink to a repulsive black. The halftone and
the description ought to make the plant known to the most casual reader.

_Lepiota americana. Pk._

THE AMERICAN LEPIOTA. EDIBLE.

[Illustration: Figure 34.--Lepiota americana. Center of disk red or
reddish-brown, stem frequently swollen. Plant turning red when drying.]

This plant is quite common about Chillicothe, especially upon sawdust
piles. It grows both singly and in clusters. The umbonate cap is adorned
with reddish or reddish-brown scales except on the center where the
color is uniformly reddish or reddish-brown because the surface is not
broken up into scales; gills close, free, white, ventricose; stem
smooth, enlarged at the base. In some plants the base of the stem is
abnormally large; ring white, inclined to be delicate.

Wounds and bruises are apt to assume brownish-red hues. Dr. Herbst says:
"This is truly an American plant, not being found in any other country.
This is the pride of the family. There is nothing more beautiful than a
cluster of this fungi. To look over the beautiful scaly pileus is a
sight equally as fascinating as a covey of quail."

Found in grassy lawns and on old sawdust piles, in common with Pluteus
cervinus. It is found almost all over the state. It is quite equal to
the Parasol mushroom in flavor. It has a tendency to turn the milk or
cream in which it is cooked to a reddish color. It is found from June to
October. Mr. Lloyd suggests the name Lepiota Bodhami. It is the same as
the European plant L. haematosperma. Bull.

_Lepiota Morgani. Pk._

IN HONOR OF PROF. MORGAN.

[Illustration: _Photo