Cap
 |
5 - 10 cm diameter; grey, normally retaining
no velar remains. Initially egg-shaped, the cap expands to become
flat but always with a small raised central area (an umbo). The edge of
the cap is striated (with comb-like radial ridges). Below the pellicle
(skin of the cap) the flesh is white and firm. |
Gills
 |
White, adnexed and crowded. |
Stipe
 |
12 - 20 cm long and 1 - 1.5 cm
in diameter, tapering only slightly (narrower near the cap); white or
tinged with the cap colour. The stipe usually becomes hollow as the
fruit body matures. |
 |
There is no stem ring on this Amanita species; however, at the base of the stipe there is a large white
sack-like volva. |
Spore print |
White. |
Odour/taste |
Not distinctive. |
Habitat |
Found in deciduous forests and occasionally
in mixed woodland. |
Season |
July to October. |
Occurrence |
Infrequent. |
Similar species |
- Amanita caesarea (Caesar's Mushroom) is rarely if ever
found in southern Europe; its cap is brilliant orange with a
striated margin, and the stipe is yellow.
- Amanita crocea has a yellowish-orange cap with an apricot
tinge at the centre. It has cream rather than white gills ,and a
sweet smell and a nutty taste.
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