- Volva (mycology)
The volva is a mycological term to describe a cup-like structure at the base of a mushroom which is a remnant of the
Universal veil . This macrofeature is "very" important in wild mushroom identification due to it being an easily observed, taxonomically significant feature which almost always signifies a member ofAmanitaceae . This has particular importance due to the disproportionately high number of "deadly" poisonous species contained within that family.A mushroom's "volva" is often partially, or completely burried in the ground, and therefore care must be taken when removing the mushroom, if it resembles an "
Amanita ".
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