About Amanita ovoidea (Bull.) Link
This white to cream-colored mushroom can grow to very large sizes, typically over 15 centimeters (6 inches), and may exceed 30 centimeters in exceptional cases. Its cap is smooth, fleshy, and silky; it is hemispherical when young, and soon develops into a convex to shield-shaped form. The margin of the cap is usually covered with hanging, cottony remains of the partial veil. Its lamellae are thick, rounded, broad, and free from the stipe. The stipe is thick, cylindrical, and powdery, with a fragile, cottony ring, and a large, white to ochraceous-cream volva at its base. The mushroom's flesh is thick and white, and has a strong, unpleasant odor. It produces a white spore print, and its elliptical spores measure 10–12 × 6.5–8 μm. Native to Europe, Amanita ovoidea occurs on both plains and mountains in the Mediterranean region. It is a symbiotic fungus that forms mycorrhizal associations with pine trees, and both evergreen and deciduous oaks. It grows in coniferous forests, deciduous forests, coastal regions, mountains, roadsides, and grassy areas, on limy, sandy, and alkaline soils. It grows semi-buried in the ground, so collected specimens are often covered in sand.
