numerous radiating fibres, and it is soft and yielding to the touch. The
=gills= are remote from the stem, broad and crowded. The =spores= are
long, elliptical, 12--17 mu long. The =stem= is cylindrical, hollow, or
stuffed, even, enlarged below into a prominent bulb, of the same color
as the pileus, though paler, especially above the annulus. The surface
is usually cracked into numerous small scales, the chinks between
showing the white inner portion of the stem. The =ring= is stout,
narrow, usually quite free from the stem, so that it can be moved up and
down on the stem, and is called a movable ring.

Figure 81 is from plants (No. 3842, C. U. herbarium) collected in a
garden at Blowing Rock, N. C., during September, 1899.

A closely related plant, _Lepiota rachodes_ Vitt., has smaller spores,
9--12 x 7--9 mu. It is also edible, and by some considered only a variety
of _L. procera_. It is rare in this country, but appears about Boston in
considerable quantities "in or near greenhouses or in enriched soil out
of doors," where it has the appearance of an introduced plant (Webster,
Rhodora, 1: 226, 1899). It is a much stouter plant than _L. procera_,
the pileus usually depressed, much more coarsely scaly, and usually
grows in dense clusters, while _L. procera_ usually occurs singly or
scattered, is more slender, often umbonate. _L. rachodes_ has a veil
with a double edge, the edges more or less fringed. The veil is fixed to
the stem until the plant is quite mature, when it becomes movable. The
flesh of the plant on exposure to the air becomes a brownish orange
tint.

[Illustration: FIGURE 82.--Lepiota americana. Scales and center of cap
reddish or reddish brown. Entire plant turns reddish on drying (natural
size). Copyright.]

=Lepiota morgani= Pk.--This plant occurs from Ohio, southward and west.
It grows in grassy places, especially in wet pastures. It is one of the
largest of the lepiotas, ranging from 20--40 cm. high, the cap 20--30
cm. broad, and the stem about 2 cm. in thickness. The =pileus=, when
fully expanded, is whitish, with large dark scales, especially toward
the center. The =ring= is large, sometimes movable, and the =gills= and
=spores= are greenish. Some report the plant as edible, while others say
illness results from eating it.

=Lepiota americana= Pk. =Edible.=--This plant is widely distributed in
the United States. The plants occur singly or are clustered, 6--12 cm.
high, the cap 4--10 cm. br