Irene,

The three names you cite were all applied to the type specimen of A. flavescens. Amanita adnata (often said to be a synonym of A. gemmata) was the first name applied to the original Swedish collections of what we now call A. flavescens. The latter epithet was first proposed at the rank of variety by Gilbert and Lundell and typified by the original Swedish collection. The raising of the variety to species rank is due to Dr. M. Contu (who probably misapplied the name to Italian material of A. subnudipes (syn. A. croceavar. subnudipes).

You have probably noticed that subnudipes, crocea, and flavescens are all treated in the key to which I called your attention in the last few days.

The upshot is that adnata sensu Lundell [nota bene], A. vaginata var. flavescens, and A. flavescens all are names that were/are applied to the same collection! Hence, they are all synonyms based on nomenclatural rules. I hope that clarifies (eliminates?) one little problem from the mycological world.

Very best,

Rod Tulloss

P.S. I regret the all the detail work for the Scandinavian Vaginatae presently under discussion on MO are still not on line. The data is embedded in papers written about 15 years ago. My discussion of A. nivalis anatomy is in the protologue of A. populiphila Tulloss & E. Moses (Mycotaxon). I believe that the type studies of A. mortenii and A. groenlandica are included in a paper by RET published in Mycotaxon in 1994. Full citations are to be found in the bibliography of the Amanita Studies site. – R