AMANITA EXCELSA var. SPISSA (Fr.) Neville & Poumerat.

Description:

Amanita spissa (Fr.) Kummer syn. Amanita excelsa new syn. Amanita excelsa var. spissa (Fr.) Kummer Grey Spotted Amanita, Amanite йpaisse, Grauer Wulstling Cap 6–10cm across, greyish or brownish, variable, covered in whitish grey hoary patches of volva, eventually losing these to become bare and smooth. Stem 60–120 x 15–25mm, white, lined above the large white ring which also shows strong line marks on its upper surface, covered in small scales below in a concentric pattern towards the swollen base which is deeply buried in the ground; the volva is hardly perceivable on the swollen base. Flesh white, firm; turning purple when treated with sulphuric acid. Smell slight but unpleasant. Gills with a slight decurrent tooth, crowded, white. Spore print white. Spores broadly ellipsoid, amyloid, 9–10 x 8–9µ. Habitat in deciduous or coniferous woodland. Season summer to autumn. Frequent. Said to be edible but best avoided since it can easily be confused with the poisonous A. pantherina. The two may be separated on the difference of the velar remnants, greyish in A. spissa, white in A. pantherina, and the presence of a distinct rim around the stem base of A. pantherina. Not edible -avoid many Amanitas contain toxins or deadly toxins.