as the cap expands
is worth a careful study. This is well shown in Figs. 75, 76, from
photographs of plants (No. 3731 C. U. herbarium) made at Blowing Rock,
N. C., during September, 1899.

During the latter part of August and the first three weeks of September
the plants were quite common in the mountain woods at Blowing Rock. In
certain features there was close agreement in the case of all the
specimens examined, especially in the long rooting character of the base
of the stem. The veil and annulus were also quite constant in their
characters, though sometimes a tendency was manifested to split up more
irregularly than at other times. In the character of the warts of the
pileus there was great variation, showing typical forms of _Amanita
solitaria_ and grading into forms which might be taken for typical
_Amanita strobiliformis_. Especially is this so in the case of some of
my specimens (No. 3733), where the scales are pyramidal, dark brown,
surrounded by a sordid buff or grayish area, and these latter areas
separated by narrow chinks whitish in color. The scales in this specimen
are fixed quite firmly to the surface of the pileus. In other specimens
(No. 3732) these hard scales remove quite easily, while in still another
the pileus is almost smooth, even the floccose scales having been
obliterated, while a very few of the hard angular warts are still
present. In another half expanded plant (of No. 3732) the warts are
pyramidal, 4--6 mm. long at the center of the pileus and rather closely
imbricated, hard, and firmly joined to the surface of the cap. In Nos.
3733 and 3731 the spores measure 7--9 x 4--6 mu. In 3732 they are longer,
varying from 7--11 mu.

The specimens with the long hard scales suggest _Amanita strobiliformis_
Vittad., but the long rooting base of the stem does not agree with the
description of that plant, but does clearly agree with _Amanita
solitaria_ Bull. A study of the variations in these plants suggests that
_Amanita solitaria_ and _strobiliformis_ Vittad., represent only
variations in a single species as Bulliard interpreted the species more
than a century ago. Forms of the plant are also found which suggest
that _A. polypyramis_ B. & C., collected in North Carolina, is but one
of the variations of _A. solitaria_.

Figures 75, 76 show well certain stages in the development of this
plant. The conical or pyramidal warts are formed in a very young stage
of the plant by the primary separation of