Amanita echinocephala
Encyclopedia
Amanita echinocephala is a large, whitish or ivory-coloured mushroom
with a characteristic spiny, or warty-looking cap
. It lives on chalky soils with beech
trees, and appears earlier than most mushrooms of similar size in southern England
. It frequently occurs singly or in small groups, resulting in it being referred to as The Solitary Amanita or, more specifically, European Solitary Lepidella. It is very drought-tolerant. Amanita solitaria is a synonym
and opinions are divided as to which name takes precedence.
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, before being placed in Amanita
by Lucien Quélet
and hence receiving its current binomial name
. It derives its specific epithet echinocephala from the Greek
echino- "hedgehog" and kephale "head". It has been placed in the Lepidella section of the Amanitaceae by some authors, because of its lack of a well formed volva. Amanita solitaria (Bull.
:Fr.
) Fr. is considered a synonym here but according to many modern authors (subject specialists in Amanita, e.g., C. Bas or R.E. Tulloss) it is a valid name for this species.
can be up to 15 cm (6 in) in diameter, and is white to ivory, or silver-grey in colour. It is covered in raised pyramidal warts, that become less well defined, and less frequent towards the margin. These are remnants of the universal veil
which covers the mushroom in its earliest stages. The young buttons are darker, and sometimes shaped like a two tier loaf, with a ring of raised scales around the base. The white to ivory stipe
is 8–16 cm (3–6 in) high and 2–3 cm (0.8–1.2 in) wide, with several rings of upturned scales towards the bulbous base. It is fairly deeply rooted, often laterally below the surface. The ring
is thin and fragile, often adhering to the stipe. The gills are cream, but sometimes have a slight green tint.
They are largely free of the stipe, but sometimes have a small decurrent tooth. The flesh is white, and is said to have an unpleasant smell.
. It appears in Britain during summer, and early autumn. It grows in light, dry calcareous
soils with both broad leaved, (usually beech Fagus
) and coniferous trees
. It is quite drought-tolerant, giving rise to the suspicion that Southern England could be at the northern extent of its range. It occurs with hardwood
s on calcareous soils, often associated with Limes (Tilia
) in the Czech Republic, sometimes together with A. strobiliformis.
species. This mushroom is rare and protected. It is on the United Kingdom Red Data List. Newly, it was reported that this species hyperaccumulates
silver.
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
with a characteristic spiny, or warty-looking cap
Pileus (mycology)
The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...
. It lives on chalky soils with beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
trees, and appears earlier than most mushrooms of similar size in southern England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It frequently occurs singly or in small groups, resulting in it being referred to as The Solitary Amanita or, more specifically, European Solitary Lepidella. It is very drought-tolerant. Amanita solitaria is a synonym
Synonym (taxonomy)
In scientific nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that is or was used for a taxon of organisms that also goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnaeus was the first to give a scientific name to the Norway spruce, which he called Pinus abies...
and opinions are divided as to which name takes precedence.
Taxonomy
It was first described as Agaricus echinocephalus in 1835 by the Italian mycologist Carlo VittadiniCarlo Vittadini
Carlo Vittadini was an Italian doctor and mycologist.- Life :He studied in Milan and at the University of Pavia, where he attended the classes given by Giuseppe L. Moretti...
, before being placed in Amanita
Amanita
The genus Amanita contains about 600 species of agarics including some of the most toxic known mushrooms found worldwide. This genus is responsible for approximately 95% of the fatalities resulting from mushroom poisoning, with the death cap accounting for about 50% on its own...
by Lucien Quélet
Lucien Quélet
thumb|Lucien QuéletLucien Quélet was a French mycologist and naturalist who discovered several species and was the founder of the Société mycologique de France, a society devoted to mycological studies....
and hence receiving its current binomial name
Binomial nomenclature
Binomial nomenclature is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, although they can be based on words from other languages...
. It derives its specific epithet echinocephala from the Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
echino- "hedgehog" and kephale "head". It has been placed in the Lepidella section of the Amanitaceae by some authors, because of its lack of a well formed volva. Amanita solitaria (Bull.
Jean Baptiste François Pierre Bulliard
Jean Baptiste François Pierre Bulliard was a French physician and botanist....
:Fr.
Elias Magnus Fries
-External links:*, Authors of fungal names, Mushroom, the Journal of Wild Mushrooming.*...
) Fr. is considered a synonym here but according to many modern authors (subject specialists in Amanita, e.g., C. Bas or R.E. Tulloss) it is a valid name for this species.
Description
The capPileus (mycology)
The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...
can be up to 15 cm (6 in) in diameter, and is white to ivory, or silver-grey in colour. It is covered in raised pyramidal warts, that become less well defined, and less frequent towards the margin. These are remnants of the universal veil
Universal veil
In mycology, a universal veil is a temporary membranous tissue that fully envelops immature fruiting bodies of certain gilled mushrooms. The developing Caesar's mushroom , for example, which may resemble a small white sphere at this point, is protected by this structure...
which covers the mushroom in its earliest stages. The young buttons are darker, and sometimes shaped like a two tier loaf, with a ring of raised scales around the base. The white to ivory stipe
Stipe (mycology)
thumb|150px|right|Diagram of a [[basidiomycete]] stipe with an [[annulus |annulus]] and [[volva |volva]]In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphal...
is 8–16 cm (3–6 in) high and 2–3 cm (0.8–1.2 in) wide, with several rings of upturned scales towards the bulbous base. It is fairly deeply rooted, often laterally below the surface. The ring
Annulus (mycology)
An annulus is the ring like structure sometimes found on the stipe of some species of mushrooms. The annulus represents the remaining part of the partial veil, after it has ruptured to expose the gills or other spore-producing surface. An annulus may be thick and membranous, or it may be cobweb-like...
is thin and fragile, often adhering to the stipe. The gills are cream, but sometimes have a slight green tint.
They are largely free of the stipe, but sometimes have a small decurrent tooth. The flesh is white, and is said to have an unpleasant smell.
Similar species
Because the two species often share the same growing ground, A. echinocephala, and A. strobiliformis have both been erroneously identified as Amanita solitaria in the past.- Amanita strobiliformisAmanita strobiliformisAmanita strobiliformis is a species of mushroom.-Description:The cap is 3 to 10 inches across, is rough with warts which sometimes fall away leaving the cap smooth, whitish, and sometimes has some brown. The gills are free and rounded behind. The veil is large and sometimes adhere to the margin of...
(Vittad.Carlo VittadiniCarlo Vittadini was an Italian doctor and mycologist.- Life :He studied in Milan and at the University of Pavia, where he attended the classes given by Giuseppe L. Moretti...
) Bertill. lives in the same locations, often at the same time. It is a more robust mushroom, with large thick; but flat patches on the cap, and typically has noticeable hanging veil remnants around the cap margin. With a delicate mealy ring. - Amanita vittadiniiAmanita vittadiniiAmanita vittadinii, commonly known as the Vittadini's Lepidella , is a European saprophyte mushroom of the Amanita genus. It is believed that it is also one of the most ancient ones. This species is known to occur without accompanying woody plant symbionts...
(Moretti) Vittadini has conical warts on the cap, and has recurved scales right to the underside of the ring. It is usually found on heavier soils.
Distribution and habitat
Amanita echinocephala occurs in Britain, Europe, Western Asia, and North AfricaNorth Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
. It appears in Britain during summer, and early autumn. It grows in light, dry calcareous
Calcareous
Calcareous is an adjective meaning mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate, in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines.-In zoology:...
soils with both broad leaved, (usually beech Fagus
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
) and coniferous trees
Pinophyta
The conifers, division Pinophyta, also known as division Coniferophyta or Coniferae, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. Pinophytes are gymnosperms. They are cone-bearing seed plants with vascular tissue; all extant conifers are woody plants, the great majority being...
. It is quite drought-tolerant, giving rise to the suspicion that Southern England could be at the northern extent of its range. It occurs with hardwood
Hardwood
Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood...
s on calcareous soils, often associated with Limes (Tilia
Tilia
Tilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The greatest species diversity is found in Asia, and the genus also occurs in Europe and eastern North America, but not western North America...
) in the Czech Republic, sometimes together with A. strobiliformis.
Edibility
Pronounced edible by some, but probably best avoided in case of confusion with other poisonous AmanitaAmanita
The genus Amanita contains about 600 species of agarics including some of the most toxic known mushrooms found worldwide. This genus is responsible for approximately 95% of the fatalities resulting from mushroom poisoning, with the death cap accounting for about 50% on its own...
species. This mushroom is rare and protected. It is on the United Kingdom Red Data List. Newly, it was reported that this species hyperaccumulates
Bioaccumulation
Bioaccumulation refers to the accumulation of substances, such as pesticides, or other organic chemicals in an organism. Bioaccumulation occurs when an organism absorbs a toxic substance at a rate greater than that at which the substance is lost...
silver.