Amanita virosa

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.