| Amanita pseudospreta
Raithelh.
"Argentine False Hated Caesar" :: Technical description (t.b.d.) BRIEF DESCRIPTION: The current state of knowledge of this species is provided by Tulloss and Halling (1997). Amanita pseudospreta has a cap 30 - 45 mm wide that is pale gray with an ochraceous tint in the center. The cap is convex at first and becomes planar. The cap's flesh is white. The margin of the cap is short striate (about 0.3 of the radius in dried material). The volval remnants on the cap are thick gray warts. The gills of this species are free to adnexed, moderately close, and cream. Short gills were not described for this species, but may be present. The stem of A. pseudospreta is 60 - 85 x 6 - 12 mm, pallid and pruinose above and (possibly stained or bruised) pale reddish brown below (darker than the volva in dried material). The stipe's base was somewhat expanded in the dried specimens suggesting there may have been a basal bulb in fresh material. The flesh of the stem is white and stuffed at first, although later hollow. The annulus is small, superior to submedian, membranous, and whitish. The volva is saccate, pallid, (in dry material beige with a white base), membranous or submembranous, and eventually collapsing on the stipe. Amanita pseudospreta has no significant odor or taste. The spores of this species measure (8.2-) 9.0- 11.2 (-12.2) x (7.2-) 7.8 - 10.2 (-11.2) µm and are subglobose to broadly ellipsoid (or infrequently globose or ellipsoid) and inamyloid. Clamps are found at the bases of basidia. Amanita pseudospreta is found under Nothofagus in Argentina. If there is a very similar taxon (none are known, although perhaps A. lanivolva Bas is a candidate), that entity probably also occurs only in the Southern Hemisphere. The reason for comparison to A. lanivolva is that, as in the case of that species, A. pseudospreta seemed to have a bulb inside its saccate volva when the four dried specimens known to me were examined. A bulb in the sac was confirmed recently for A. lanivolva causing it to be reclassified in sect. Amanita (Simmons, Henkel and Bas, 2002). Such a reclassification of A. pseudospreta is a future possibility. -- R. E. Tulloss Photo: none available Return to Section Vaginatae page. Last changed 16 August
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