= soft, fleshy or nearly so,
usually soon decaying; dried plants do
not revive well when moistened. 1

=Plants= tough, either fleshy or
gelatinous, membranaceous, corky or
woody, persistent, reviving when
moistened. 13

=1=--=Gills= acute on the edge. 2

=Edge= of the gills obtuse, or gills
fold-like, or vein-like, but prominent. 12

=2=--=Trama= of the pileus of
interwoven threads, not vesiculose. 3

=Trama= of the pileus vesiculose, plants
rigid but quite fragile. 11

=3=--=Gills= thin, not much
broadened toward the pileus. 4

=Gills= broadened toward the pileus, of
waxy consistency. =Hygrophorus.= 110

=4=--=Stipe= central or sub-central.
(Some species of Pleurotus are
sub-central, but the gills are usually
not decurrent.) 5

=Stipe= on one side of the pileus, or
none, rarely with the stipe sub-central.
(Some species of Clitocybe are
sub-central.) =Pleurotus.= 102

=5=--=Stipe= fleshy, pileus easily separating
from the stipe, gills usually free. 6

=Stipe= fleshy or fibrous and elastic,
pileus confluent with the stipe and of
the same texture. 7

=Stipe= cartilaginous, pileus confluent
with the stipe, but of a different texture. 9

=6=--=Volva= and annulus present on the stipe. =Amanita.= 52

=Volva= present, annulus wanting. =Amanitopsis.= 74

=Volva= wanting, annulus present. =Lepiota.= 77

=7=--=Annulus= and volva wanting. 8

=Annulus= usually present (sometimes
vague), volva wanting, gills attached to
the stipe. =Armillaria.= 83

=8=--=Gills= sinuate. =Tricholoma.= 87

=Gills= decurrent, not sinuate. =Clitocybe.= 89

=9=--=Gills= decurrent, pileus umbilicate. =Omphalia.= 100

=Gills= not decurrent. 10

=10=--=Margin= of pileus at first involute,
pileus flat or nearly so, somewhat fleshy
(some plants rather tough and tending