The Silky Rosegill (Volvariella bombycina) is one of Britain's most striking wood-rotting mushrooms. A large, pale cap covered in long silky fibres, growing from a wound or knot-hole high on a standing tree. The cap is egg-shaped at first and opens out to a broad bell, the free gills turn from white to pink as the spores mature, and the stem rises from a big, persistent, bag-like volva.
It is found on decaying broadleaf trees such as elm, beech, lime, horse chestnut and birch, from late spring into autumn, and is uncommon enough to be a notable find. The pink gills and pink spore print separate it from white-spored Amanitas such as the deadly Destroying Angel (Amanita virosa), and the Stubble Rosegill (Volvopluteus gloiocephalus) grows on the ground rather than on trees.
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Distribution
Widespread and locally frequent
Habitat
Usually on standing, decaying deciduous trees
Etymology
Volvariella is a diminutive of volva, Latin for 'wrapper', after the sac at the stem base. bombycina is Latin for 'silky', from bombyx, 'silkworm', after the silky cap.
Associates
Aesculus, Betula, Fagus, Tilia, Ulmus
Cap
The cap is 6-20 cm across, conical when young and expanding with age. The surface is white to pale yellow and covered in fine silky hairs, giving it a silky sheen.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Shape | Conical, Expanded |
| Surface | Fibrillose |
| Width | 6 - 20 cm |
Gills
Free and crowded, white at first and becoming pink as the spores mature.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Attachment | Free |
| Spacing | crowded |
Flesh
The flesh is white and fibrous. It has a sweet, aromatic smell and a mild taste that can be slightly radish-like (raphanoid).
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Odour | Sweet, aromatic |
| Taste | Mild to raphanoid |
Stem
The stem is white, 6-15 cm tall and 10-20 mm wide, clavate to cylindrical, and rises from a thick, persistent white-cream volva with brown scales. There is no ring, and the volva yellows then browns with age.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 - 15 cm |
| Width | 10 - 20 mm |
| Shape | Clavate, Cylindric, Volvate |
Spores
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Shape | Ellipsoid |
| Ornamentation | Smooth |
| Size | 7-10 x 4.5-6 μm |
Microscopic Features
| Cheilocystidia | Lageniform, Fusiform |
|---|
Classification
- ↳ Phylum: Basidiomycota
- ↳ Subphylum: Agaricomycotina
- ↳ Class: Agaricomycetes
- ↳ Subclass: Agaricomycetidae
- ↳ Order: Agaricales
- ↳ Family: Pluteaceae
- ↳ Genus: Volvariella
Synonyms
- Agaricus bombycina Schaeff. ex Fr.
- Agaricus bombycinus Schaeff.
- Volvaria bombycina (Schaeff. ex Fr.) Kummer
- Volvaria bombycina (Schaeff.) P. Kumm.
- Volvariella bombycina (Schaeff. ex Fr.) Singer
Reference Sources
S. Buczacki, C. Shields, D. Ovenden (2012) Collins Fungi Guide. HarperCollins.
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.
Genus Volvariella
No other species found in this genus.
