Mushrooms With White Colored Cap
Amanita Virosa = Poison — The Poisonous Amanita
Cap shining white, from 2½ to 4 inches broad, fleshy, at first conical and acute, afterward bell-shaped and expanded, viscous in wet weather, shining when dry, margin even, sometimes unequal, spreading and inflexed, flesh white. Stem 4 to 6 inches long, wholly stuffed, almost solid, split up into lengthwise fibrils, cylindrical from a bulbous base, surface torn into scales, springing from a loose, thick, wide volva which bursts open at apex. Ring large, loose, silky, splitting into pieces. Gills free, thin, a little broader toward margin, crowded, not decurrent, though the stem is sometimes striate. This is a poisonous species, but striking in appearance from the shining white of the whole fungus. Found in the woods in August.
Amanita Phalloides = Appearance, Phallus-Like — The Death Cup
This species is considered the most deadly of all the poisonous mushrooms, and yet it is one of the most beautiful. We place it in the section of white-colored mushrooms, though the cap is sometimes tinged with light yellow and delicate green. Cap 2 to 4 inches broad, ovate, campanulate, then spreading, obtuse, with a cuticle, sticky in moist weather, rarely sprinkled with one or two fragments of the volva, the margin regular, even. Stem 3 to 5 inches long, ½ inch thick, solid, bulbous and tapering upward, smooth, white. Ring superior, reflexed, slightly striate, swollen, white. Volva more or less buried in the ground, bursting open in a torn manner at the apex, with a loose border. Gills free, ventricose, 4 lines broad, shining white. This species, as well as A. virosa, has a fetid odor when kept. We found it oftener than any other species of Amanita.
Amanita Nitida = to Shine — The Shining Amanita
Cap whitish, 3 to 4 inches broad, somewhat compact, at first hemispherical, covered with angular, adhering warts, which become a dark color (fuscous.) It is dry, shining, the margin even; flesh white. Stem 3 inches long, 1 inch thick, solid, firm, with a bulb-shaped base, scaly, white. Ring superior, thin, torn, slightly striate, covered with soft weak hairs beneath, which at length disappear. Gills free, crowded, wide, nearly ½ inch broad, ventricose, shining white. This was also found in August. There is nothing more beautiful than these white poisonous Amanitas.
Lepiota Naucinoides = a Nut Shell — The Smooth Lepiota
Cap a clear white, with sometimes a brownish tint on the disc, 2 to 4 inches broad, smooth. Stem 1 to 3 inches long, ¼ to ⅓ inch thick, growing thicker toward the base, as if it had a bulb, white, hollow, but stuffed with a cottony pith. Gills white, when old they assume a pinkish-brownish hue. Ring has a thick, external edge, but its inner edge is so thin that it often breaks from the stem and becomes movable. It is found in the fields, by roadsides, or in the woods, from August to November. We have not seen a specimen of this mushroom, which is said to be nearly equal to the common mushroom in edible qualities. It is considered to resemble it also in appearance, but Professor Peck says the different color of the gills when the plants are both young will distinguish them, and the thin collar and stuffed stem of L. naucinoides is also different from thick-edged ring and hollow stem of A. campestris. (Psalliota.)
Lactarius Piperatus = Peppery — The Peppery Lactarius
Cap white, 4 to 9 inches broad, fleshy, rigid, depressed in centre when young, reflexed margin, at first involute, when full grown the surface becomes funnel-shaped and regular, even, smooth, without zones; flesh white. Stem 1 to 2 inches long, 1 to 2 inches thick, solid, obese, equal or obconical, slightly covered with powder (pruinose), white. Gills decurrent, crowded, narrow, scarcely broader than one line, obtuse at edge, regularly dividing by pairs from below upward (dichotomous), curved like a bow (arcuate), then all extended upward in a straight line, white, with occasional yellow spots. The milk white, unchangeable, plentiful, and acrid. This is common in woods. The cap in one of our specimens turned yellow when old, and was slightly striate at the margin; it was dry and thick and had no odor. The flesh had a whitish-brownish tinge where the cuticle was peeled off. Found it only in August.
Lactarius Vellereus = Fleece — The Fleecy Lactarius
Cap white, 5 to 7 inches broad, fleshy, compact, convex, saucer-shaped, the margin for a long time sloping downward, with short, downy hairs (pubescent), dry, zoneless. Stem 2 to 3 inches long, 1 to 1½ inch thick, stout, solid, equal, covered with innate, thin pubescence. Gills arcuate, adnato-decurrent, rather thick, acute at the edge, somewhat distant, rather broad, connected by branches, pallid, watery, white. Milk scanty, white, very bitter. It is not said to be edible. The cap tends to become a pallid, reddish tan. This description is partially taken from Stevenson. The specimen we found had the margin revolute, it was 2½ inches broad, and the stem 2 inches long. The flesh was white and the cap was turning a brownish color. The stem slightly tapered toward the base. The milk was scanty and peppery. Found in the beginning of August in the woods. It resembles L. piperatus.
Boletus Albus = White — The White Boletus
Cap white, from 1½ to 3 inches broad, convex, viscid when moist, flesh white or yellowish, tubes small, nearly round (subrotund), adnate, whitish, becoming ochraceous. Stem 1½ to 3 inches long, 3 to 5 lines thick, equal, white, sometimes tinged with pink near the base. We found only one specimen of the white Boletus in August. It grew in the woods. The flesh became yellow and the stem was 1¼ inch long, and it slightly tapered toward the base.
Pleurotus Ulmarius = Elm — The Elm Pleurotus
The word pleurotus is taken from two Greek words, meaning a side and an ear. It is given on account of the stem growing in a lateral or eccentric manner. The Elm Pleurotus, so called from growing on elm trees, is considered edible. Our specimen had the cap whitish, but stained in the centre with a rusty yellowish color, 3 to 5 inches broad, thick, firm, smooth, convex, then plane. The skin was cracked in a tessellated manner. Flesh was firm and white. Stem white, 2 to 4 inches long, 1½ to ¾ inch thick, firm, smooth, a little hairy at the base, and attached eccentrically to the cap. Gills white with a yellow hue, broad, rounded near the stem, slightly adnexed and not crowded. It was found in October, and is not common.
Pleurotus Sapidus = Agreeable to Taste — The Palatable Pleurotus
This species generally grows in clusters with the stem united at the base. Our specimen grew on a maple tree. The plants protruded from a large crack in the trunk of a tree, about four feet above the ground, and grew one above the other. They had not attained their full growth. During former seasons they had been seen of a large size. Pileus is from 2 to 5 inches broad, grayish-white, smooth. Caps often overlap one another. Flesh is white. Gills broad, whitish, decurrent, and often slightly connected by oblique branches. Stem is generally short and lateral. It grew in October. Professor Peck says that in edible qualities it resembles the oyster mushroom, P. ostreatus.