| Amanita pareparina G. S. Ridl. "Maori Palisade Lepidella" :: Technical description (t.b.d.) BRIEF DESCRIPTION: The following description is based on Ridley (1991). The cap of Amanita pareparina is 40 - 115 mm wide, convex to plano-convex, or flattened-conic, pale yellowish-ochraceous, occasionally with slight rosy buff tinge, dry, possibly subviscid when wet, with an appendiculate and decurved margin. The cap tends to split into large, fleshy squamules, conical to broadly conical warts that become smaller, subfelted crumbs towards the margin; these volval remnants are pale yellowish to ochraceous at the tip. The flesh is white to very pale buff and unchanging. Gills are crowded, free, smooth to slightly floccose, very pale buff; the short gills are attenuate.. Its stem is 50 - 120 × 10 - 18 mm, solid; flushed rosy buff, floccose, and striate above the ring, pale yellowish, fibrillose, and becoming finely scaled below the ring. The bulbous base is 28 - 42 mm wide. Upwards pointed scales becoming larger pro towards stem base. These scales suggest a palisade which gives the species its latinized Maori name. The ring is membranous, striate, tearing unevenly, pale yellowish. The flesh is white to very pale buff and unchanging. The spores measure 8 - 12 × (6.5-) 8 - 10.5 µm and are globose to broadly ellipsoid infrequently ellipsoid and are amyloid. Clamps are absent at bases of the basidia. Originally described from New Zealand, associated with Southern Beech (Nothofagus). It is known from the southern part of the North Island and the Northern part of the South Island. Ridley reports that the was unable to place A. pareparina within Bas' system. It is curious that the colors yellow and rosy buff appear on this mushroom as well as on A. mumura G. S. Ridl. Since Ridley clearly felt them to be completely unrelated taxa, the possibility that these colors are due to the presence of some "infecting agent" might be considered. -- R. E. Tulloss Return to Section Lepidella page. Last changed 26 May 2006. |