Agaricus section Lepiota was originally published in 1797 by South African-born mycologist Christian Hendrik Persoon.

As originally conceived, the genus was a mix of agarics with rings on their stems, including species now placed in Armillaria, Cortinarius, and Pholiota.

[2] In 1822, however, the influential Swedish mycologist Elias Magnus Fries restricted Lepiota to white-spored, ringed agarics.

[4][5][6][7] The secotioid species Amogaster viridiglebus, described in 1996 and initially placed in the order Boletales,[8] was later determined to be a member of Lepiota, and officially transferred to the genus in 2013.

[9] Following some discussion over the type species,[10] Lepiota has now been conserved under the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants, typified by Agaricus colubrinus Pers.

The gills are covered by a partial veil when young, which typically ruptures to leave a cuff-like ring (sometimes ephemeral) often with additional scaly remains on the stem.

They typically occur in rich humus in broadleaf or conifer woodland, in northern Europe often among nettles (Urtica dioica) or dog's mercury (Mercurialis perennis).

In Europe, however, species of Lepiota were illustrated and described in a regional guide by Candusso & Lanzoni (1990)[4] and more briefly in descriptive keys by Bon (1993).