Cap
 |
5 - 10 cm diameter; pure white without
marginal striations. The cap is initially egg-shaped and then
campanulate (bell shaped) or occasionally almost flat but with a broad
umbo, and is often tilted on the stipe.
Although some young caps carry white remains of the universal veil,
they soon wash off in wet weather and are rarely seen on mature caps. |
Gills
 |
White, free and crowded. |
Stipe
 |
9 - 15 cm tall and often
slightly curved; pure white and fibrous with an ungrooved, fragile ring
high up on the stipe.
The large, sack-like volva is usually buried deep in the soil. |
Spore print |
White. |
Odour/taste |
Slightly sickly and unpleasant odour; deadly
poisonous - must not be tasted. |
Habitat |
Often found at the edge of deciduous or
mixed woodland; more common at higher altitude. |
Season |
August to November. |
Occurrence |
Infrequent. |
Similar species |
- Amanita citrina var alba usually retains velar fragments
on the cap; it has the sharp smell of new potatoes rather than a
sweet odour.
- Young caps of Amanita virosa could be collected by accident when
gathering edible Agaricus species; gills of Amanita virosa are pure white, whereas the Agaricus species have gills that
are initially pink and later brown.
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