The American lepiota belongs to the same genus as the parasol mushroom and the Smooth lepiota. It has one character in which it differs from all other species of Lepiota. The whole plant when fresh is white, except the umbo and the scales of the cap, but in drying it assumes a dull reddish or smoky-red color. By this character it is easily recognized. In the very young plant the cap is somewhat egg-shaped and nearly covered by the thin reddish-brown cuticle, but as the plant enlarges the cuticle separates and forms the scales that adorn the cap. On the central prominence or umbo, however, it usually remains entire. The margin of the cap is thin and is generally marked with short radiating lines or striations. The gills do not quite reach the stem and are, therefore, free from it. Sometimes they are connected with each other at or near their inner extremity by transverse branches. They are a little broader near the margin of the cap than at their inner extremity. The stem affords a peculiar feature. It is often enlarged towards the base and then abruptly narrowed below the enlargement, as in the Onion-stemmed lepiota. In some instances, however, the enlargement is not contracted below and then the stem gradually tapers from the base upward. The stem is hollow and usually furnished with a collar, but sometimes this is thin and may disappear with advancing age. Wounds or bruises are apt to assume brownish-red hues. The caps vary in width from 1–4 in.; the stems are from 3–5 in. long, and 2–5 lines thick. Sometimes plants attain even larger dimensions than these. The plants grow singly or in tufts in grassy ground or on old stumps. They may be found from July to October. [Illustration: Photographed by Dr. J.R. Weist. PLATE XV_a_. LEPIOTA AMERICANA. ] In flavor this species is not much inferior to the parasol mushroom, but when cooked in milk or cream it imparts its own reddish color to the material in which it is cooked. It is, however, a fine addition to our list of esculent species. _Peck_, 49th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. I found several on a decaying willow trunk, and on the ground beside it, in Philadelphia. In July, 1898, large quantities, often clustered, grew under the great, open auditorium of the Pennsylvania Chautauqua, at Mt. Gretna, Pa., from ground covered with crushed limestone. The caps are meaty and excellent in flavor. They should be broiled or fried. GRANULOSI. Pileus granular or warty. Stem sheathed, etc.