A gray to grayish-brown Amanita with a deeply lined cap margin, no ring, and a loose white sack-like volva at the stem base. The name was described from Europe; in North America it is applied to a large complex of similar ringless species, many still unnamed. It grows in woods and in grassy places near trees from spring to fall.
Edibility disputed; not recommended. It has traditionally been described as edible only after thorough cooking (reported toxic raw), but most current authors advise against eating it. The deadly death cap (Amanita phalloides) and destroying angels (amatoxins) also have a white sack-like volva; their rings can be lost and their caps can be pale gray-brown or white, and a white grisette form (var. alba) exists. North American 'vaginata' covers many species whose identities are unresolved.
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Habitat
Ectomycorrhizal with oaks, other hardwoods and conifers. Singly or in groups in forests and in grassy woodland edges, parks, lawns and disturbed ground. Late spring to fall.
Distribution
Europe; the name is widely used across North America, but North American collections belong to a species complex (including named western species such as A. constricta and A. pachycolea, and dozens of unnamed vaginata-like taxa in Tulloss's keys) and most are probably not the European species. Also reported from the Azores, Iran and Australia.
Characteristics
Cap: 3-10 cm, oval becoming convex to nearly flat with a low umbo; sticky when wet; gray to grayish brown, sometimes with white to grayish veil patches; margin lined or grooved up to 1 cm or more. Gills: free or slightly attached, close to crowded, white, sometimes grayish. Stem: 7-22 cm long, 0.5-2 cm thick, white to grayish, bald or with a few gray scales; no ring. Volva: white, sack-like, loose, may discolor grayish or reddish brown. Flesh: white, not changing; odor not distinctive. Chemical reactions: KOH negative to yellowish on cap. Spore print: white. Spores: 8-12 um, subglobose, smooth, inamyloid.
