a few good specimens to be preserved. In three weeks the area will serve as site for a “mushroom walk” sponsored by our local Sierra Club. I probably will not return to this site until then.

The grayish color of the universal patch on the cap probably places this species in the group of taxa that have volval sacs that weaken with age and turn gray. This type of of volva is usually considered submembranous or “membranous becoming submembranous.” Very often the gills will also turn grayish as they age.

I’m fairly certain that the species is undescribed.

R.

reason why I’m not convinced this is a grisette is that the volval sac (assuming that’s what the tissue on the stalk is) was buried pretty deeply in the ground. Grisettes I have IDed generally show a sac attached at ground level.

I forgot to check to see if there was a veil or a ring. In the past, other very similar Amanitas found in the same area did show a veil over the gills. But the one pic does seem to show the remains of a volval sac, and it lloks like there’s no ring. So although I’m not used to finding grisettes that are this dark in color, that does sound like a good guess.

long cap striations(even when young), cap usu. in shades of gray or brown, no annulus, membranous volva… which grisette, tho….ah, there’s the rub!