Lepiota clypeolaria (Bull.) Fr. Shield Lepiota. (Plate [II].) Pileus thin, soft, convex or subcampanulate, becoming nearly plane, obtuse or umbonate, squamose, whitish or yellowish, the center or umbo smooth, yellowish or brownish, the margin often appendiculate with fragments of the veil. Flesh white. Lamellæ thin, close, free, white. Stem slender, equal or slightly tapering upward, hollow, fragile, pallid, adorned with soft, loose, white or yellowish floccose scales or filaments. Spores oblong or subfusiform, 12–20µ long, 6–8µ broad.
The cap of the shield lepiota is at first somewhat ovate or bell-shaped, but with advancing age it becomes convex above or nearly flat. It is white or whitish, but spotted with numerous small scales of a yellowish or brownish-yellow color. These scales are the result of the breaking up of the thin cuticle that covers the very young plant, and they have the same color as it. A small space in the center is brown or yellowish-brown, or darker than the rest of the cap, because the cuticle covering it remains unbroken and retains its color. The center in some specimens is more prominent than in others, giving what is called an umbonate cap. The margin of the cap is sometimes shaggy, specially in young plants, by the adhering fragments of the whitish veil.
The gills are thin, closely placed side by side and rounded at the end next the stem, but they are not attached to the stem. They are white. The stem is rather long and slender, fragile and adorned with loose, soft fibrils or flocculent, cottony tufts, which give it a somewhat shaggy appearance, but it becomes smoother as the plant grows older.
The cap is usually from 1–2.5 inches broad, and the stem from 1.5–3 inches long and 1.5–3 lines thick. The plants grow in woods, specially in hilly and mountainous regions, and are generally solitary or few in a place, but in favorable seasons they are of frequent occurrence and may be found from July to October. Though small and thin, the caps are well flavored and make a desirable dish. L. metulaespora B. and Br. scarcely differs from this species, except in the striate margin of its cap. Peck, 54th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Lepiota naucinoides Pk. (See page [45].) This valuable food species is spreading and rapidly increasing in many of the states. Prof. Charles H. Peck, in 54th Annual Report of the New York State Museum, says of it: “It has shown considerable variability in some of its characters. Usually its pileus is very white and smooth, clean and attractive, but specimens have been found this year having the pileus dingy or smoky brown, others have been seen in which the cuticle of the pileus was cracked in such a way as to form minute squamules, and in one or two instances plants were observed having the surface of the pileus adorned with minute granules, a character attributed to L. naucina Fr. In such cases the importance of recognizing the spore characters is shown. By disregarding this character our plant has sometimes been referred to L. naucina and sometimes to Agaricus cretaceus Fr., both of which it closely resembles, and with which it appears to be confused by European mycologists, some referring it to one species and some to the other.”
The species named are equally excellent.
Clitocybe patuloides Pk.
About two-thirds nat. size. After Peck.
Clitocybe patuloides Pk. (Plate [III].) Pileus fleshy, firm, rather thick, convex, becoming nearly plane or somewhat centrally depressed, glabrous, even and white when young, with the margin incurved, becoming pale ochraceous with age and often squamose or rimosely areolate. Flesh white, taste mild, odor like that of mushrooms. Lamellæ thin, close, slightly or strongly decurrent, forked or anastomosing at the base, white. Stem usually short, equal or slightly tapering upward, solid, white. Spores broadly elliptic, 6–8µ long, 5µ broad.