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Amanita calopus (Beeli) E.-J. Gilbert
"African Sister Ringless Amanita"

Technical description (t.b.d.)

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: This description is based on that of Beeli (1935) with additions from notes of recent collectors, etc.

The cap is 25 - 60 mm wide, convex to plano-concave, and rather thin. The context of the cap is firm and white. The cap margin is long-striate. The remains of the volva on the cap are friable and may be pyramidal to disordered.

The gills are free, attenuate at both ends, white, and 5 mm broad. The gills are not described. Beeli provided no information on the short gills.

The stem is 100- - 110 x 3 - 9 mm, cylindric or narrows slightly upward, and has a small bulb at the base. It is stuffed and its context is white. Its surface is fibrous to pulverulent, white at the apex and darkening through pale smokey gray to smokey gray at the base, and easily detached from the cap. There is no annulus, and the friable volva (white or light gray with a pale orangish where not long exposed to air and sunlight) is distributed in one or more complete or broken rings at the base of the stem, above the small cuplike volval part that appears to be a basal bulb. These ring remnants are finally, the same color as those on the cap.

The taste is bitter. The odor is not recorded.

The spores [of a small amount of recent material from Zambia] measure 7.8 - 13.6 (-15.1) x (5.5-) 6.0 - 8.8 (-9.0) µm and are ellipsoid to elongate and inamyloid.

Beeli reported the species as occurring under Gilbertiodendron (=Macrolobium) dewevrei.

This species was described from Congo and is known from central Africa.

For comparison to somewhat similar species from other regions, see A. ceciliae (Berk. & Broome) Bas and A. sororcula Tulloss, Ovrebo & Halling. Note however the ellipsoid to elongate spores of the African species easily separate it from the Northern Hemisphere Ringless Amanitas with friable, graying volvas. -- R. E. Tulloss

Photo: David Arora (Zambia (Copper Belt Prov.))

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Last changed 30 September 2009.
This page is maintained by R. E. Tulloss.
Copyright 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009 by Rodham E. Tulloss.
Photograph copyright 2003 by David Arora.