The Solitary Amanita (Amanita echinocephala) is a large, pale Amanita of chalk and limestone, and a rare find in Britain. Its white to off-white cap is covered in small, pointed, pyramid-shaped warts, and the stout white stem carries a hanging ring and swells into a rooting, tapering base with rings of warts at the top. It has an unpleasant smell.
It grows mainly with beech on dry, calcareous soils, especially in southern England, fruiting in late summer and early autumn. The Warted Amanita (Amanita strobiliformis) has broad, flat patches rather than spiky warts. It is poisonous, and if the warts are lost it could be confused with the deadly Destroying Angel (Amanita virosa), so no white Amanita should ever be picked to eat.
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Distribution
Rare, mainly in southern England
Habitat
On calcareous soils in open areas or woodland edges with Fagus
Etymology
Amanita is an old name of uncertain origin, often linked to Mount Amanus in present-day Turkey. echinocephala is Greek for 'hedgehog-headed', from echinos and kephale, after its spiky cap.
Associates
Fagus
Cap
Covered in small, pointed, pyramid-shaped warts; the margin often hung with fragments of veil.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Shape | Convex, Flattened |
| Surface | Warty |
| Width | 6 - 15 cm |
| Margin | Erroded |
Gills
Free, crowded and white, sometimes with a faint greenish tint.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Attachment | Free |
| Spacing | Crowded |
Flesh
White and firm.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Odour | Unpleasant, like bleach |
| Taste | Unpleasant |
Stem
The stem is robust and white, 10-15 cm tall and 20-30 mm wide, with a rounded base and warts at the top of the bulb. It carries a pendant ring near the top, and the volva is reduced to friable remnants rather than a sac.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Height | 10 - 15 cm |
| Width | 20 - 30 mm |
| Texture | Warty |
| Shape | Bulbous, Volvate |
| Veil | Pendant |
| Veil position | Apical |
Spores
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Type | Amyloid |
| Shape | Ellipsoid |
| Size | 9-12 x 6-8 μm |
Classification
- ↳ Phylum: Basidiomycota
- ↳ Subphylum: Agaricomycotina
- ↳ Class: Agaricomycetes
- ↳ Subclass: Agaricomycetidae
- ↳ Order: Agaricales
- ↳ Family: Amanitaceae
- ↳ Genus: Amanita
Synonyms
- Amanita echinocephala (Vittad.) Gillet
Reference Sources
T. Læssøe, J. H. Peterson (2019) Fungi of Temperate Europe Vol. 1. Princeton University Press.
G. Kibby (2020) Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain & Europe Vol. 2. Geoffrey Kibby.
G. Kibby (2016) The Genus Amanita in Britain. Geoffrey Kibby.
