The Snakeskin Grisette (Amanita ceciliae) is a large, ringless Amanita named for the grey zig-zag bands that pattern its stem. The broad, pale brown to olive-brown cap has a strongly grooved margin and carries loose grey patches of veil. At the base is a fragile volva that often breaks up into grey hoops and flaps, so it is easily missed unless the whole stem is dug out.
It grows with broadleaf trees in woodland, parks and woodland edges from summer into autumn, especially in southern Britain. Similar species include the Grisette (Amanita vaginata), which has a smooth stem and no cap patches, and the Tawny Grisette (Amanita fulva), with an orange-brown cap. Some sources report it as mildly poisonous, and like every Amanita it should never be collected to eat.
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Distribution
Widespread, especially in Southern Britain
Habitat
Occurs with broadleaf trees and in open parks or woodland edges
Etymology
Amanita is an old name of uncertain origin, often linked to Mount Amanus in present-day Turkey. ceciliae honours Cecilia Berkeley, wife of the Victorian mycologist Miles Joseph Berkeley.
Cap
Loose grey veil patches that wash off easily; darker at the centre, with a deeply grooved margin.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Shape | Campanulate, Flattened |
| Surface | Warty |
| Width | 7 - 15 cm |
| Margin | Striate, Sulcate |
Gills
Free and crowded, white at first and greying slightly with age.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Attachment | Free |
| Spacing | Crowded |
Flesh
White and fairly thin.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Odour | Not distinctive |
Stem
Stem 7-17 cm long and 10-20 mm wide, white to ash-grey and fibrillose, with grey zig-zag bands. There is no ring, but the base has one or two dark volval hoops and a pale cup like volval sheath.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Height | 7 - 17 cm |
| Width | 10 - 20 mm |
| Texture | Fibrillose |
| Shape | Volvate |
Spores
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Shape | Globose, Subglobose |
| Size | 10-15 x 9.5-14.5 μm |
Classification
- ↳ Phylum: Basidiomycota
- ↳ Subphylum: Agaricomycotina
- ↳ Class: Agaricomycetes
- ↳ Subclass: Agaricomycetidae
- ↳ Order: Agaricales
- ↳ Family: Amanitaceae
- ↳ Genus: Amanita
Synonyms
- Agaricus ceciliae Berk. & Broome
- Amanita ceciliae (Berk. & Br.) Bas
- Amanita inaurata Secr.
- Amanita inaurata Secr. ex Gillet
- Amanita strangulata sensu auct. mult.
- Amanitopsis inaurata (Secr. ex Gillet) Fayod
- Amanitopsis inaurata (Secr.) Boud.
Reference Sources
T. Læssøe, J. H. Peterson (2019) Fungi of Temperate Europe Vol. 1. Princeton University Press.
R. Phillips (2006) Mushrooms. Macmillan.
G. Kibby (2020) Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain & Europe Vol. 2. Geoffrey Kibby.
G. Kibby (2016) The Genus Amanita in Britain. Geoffrey Kibby.
