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IDENTIFICATION<br />
this instance the reaction is used to dehmit a genus. Sometimes it is not con-<br />
sidered to indicate a difference of generic rank but is useful in distinguishing<br />
species. For example Amanita flavoconia and A. frostiana have been confused<br />
at times but they can readily be separated by this reaction since the spores of<br />
A. flavoconia are amyloid and those of A. frostiana are not.<br />
Notes should then be taken on the color and size of the fruit bodies,<br />
whether or not the surface is smooth, hairy, scaly, etc., and whether or not it is<br />
dry, viscid, or hygrophanous. This latter term describes a condition in which<br />
the flesh absorbs moisture and becomes darker, taking on a watery appear-<br />
ance, and then fades considerably on drying. It is often a useful field character<br />
when one has become famihar with the characteristic appearance. The odor<br />
and taste should be noted, although amanitas should not be tasted. If a juice<br />
or latex is present it should be tasted, and the color and any changes in color<br />
noted. It is especially important in Cortinarius to record the color of the young<br />
lamellae before the spores have matured. Features of the stipe that should be<br />
noted are the size, color, and consistency, whether or not there is an annulus or<br />
volva present, whether or not the surface is smooth, fibrillose, scaly, etc., or if<br />
it is viscid or dry.<br />
In short, the collection should be studied carefully and all the characters<br />
noted while the material is still fresh. Notes that are made in the form of a<br />
concise description are hkely to be better than those made by following a form<br />
or chart. Probably most people will make their final identifications from fresh<br />
material but if good notes are made on fresh specimens that are then carefully<br />
dried, it is often possible and even in some instances preferable, to make<br />
identifications from dried specimens.<br />
In preparing dried specimens it is important to dry them as quickly as<br />
possible without scorching or cooking them. A good free circulation of air is<br />
essential. Probably the best method is to spread the mushrooms on a screen or<br />
series of screens that can be suspended or placed in a frame over the source<br />
of heat.<br />
In this book relatively httle emphasis has been placed on the use of<br />
microscopic characters in the identification of species. However, for those who<br />
have a microscope, the size and shape of the spores have been given through-<br />
out, and in some cases also the cystidia are described.<br />
After the specimens have been studied and their characters noted one can<br />
then attempt to identify them by using the key. The key should be used as a<br />
guide only, and when a species keys out it should be checked carefully with the<br />
description and illustrations. Mushrooms are hving organisms and show<br />
variations between individuals and between collections that have grown under<br />
different environmental conditions. The descriptions in this book are based as<br />
far as possible on normal and typical specimens and they attempt to describe<br />
the range of variation ordinarily encountered. It should be kept in mind also<br />
that the descriptions of a great many species have, of necessity, been omitted<br />
and hence a specimen that keys out to a certain species but does not agree with<br />
the description of that species should not be so identified. The chances are good<br />
that it is a species not described in this book.<br />
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