Volvariella

Volvariella is a genus of fungi with deep salmon pink gills and spore prints.

Description

The mushrooms lack a ring, and have an Amanita-like volva at the stem base. Some species of Amanita look similar, but Amanita has white spores and often have a ring. Since the gills of young Volvariella are white at first, they are more easily mistaken for Amanita. The genus is estimated to contain about 50 species.<ref name=Kirk2008/>

Taxonomy

Many sources list Volvariella as a member of the Pluteaceae family, but recent DNA studies have revealed that Pluteus and Volvariella evolved separately and have very different DNA. These studies show that Volvariella is very closely related to "schizophylloid" mushrooms like Schizophyllum commune.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Species

Image	Scientific name	Distribution
File:Volvariella bombycina (34728937460).jpg	Volvariella bombycina	Iran, China, India, Korea, and Pakistan
File:Volvariella caesiotincta 595531 crop.jpg	Volvariella caesiotincta	Europe
	Volvariella gloiocephala	Australia
File:Volvariella hypopithys 13064741.jpg	Volvariella hypopithys
	Volvariella indica	India<ref name="Kaur 2013"/>
	Volvariella iranica	Iran<ref name="fallahyan"/><ref name="Szczepka 2000"/>
	Volvariella jamaicensis
	Volvariella lepiotospora
	Volvariella leucocalix	Brazil<ref name="Sá"/>
File:Volvariella media (cropped).jpg	Volvariella media	Asia and Europe
	Volvariella peckii
File:Volvariella pusilla 130922wa.JPG	Volvariella pusilla	Asia and Europe, North America, Africa and Australia
	Volvariella sathei	India<ref name="Senthilarasu 2012"/>
File:Volvariella surrecta 54961968.jpg	Volvariella surrecta	North America north of Mexico, Northern Africa, Europe, New Zealand, and Asia
	Volvariella variicystidiosa	Pakistan<ref>Haqnawaz, M., Khan, Z., Niazi, A. R., & Khalid, A. N. (2023). Volvariella variicystidiosa sp. nov. (Agaricaceae, Basidiomycota) from Punjab, Pakistan. Phytotaxa, 578(2), 189-198. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.578.2.5</ref>
File:Volv volvacea yogya DSC 0969.jpg	Volvariella volvacea	East and Southeast Asia

Uses

Volvariella volvacea, well known as the "paddy straw mushroom", is cultured in rice straw in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. This species also favors wood chip piles. It is easy to confuse with Amanita species such as A. phalloides (the death cap). This mistake is the leading cause of lethal mushroom poisoning in the United States. Volvariella and Amanita cannot be distinguished in the early "button stage", that, for many, is considered the best stage to collect Volvariella for consumption.Template:Citation needed Like Amanita, the paddy straw mushroom has a volva, or universal veil, so called because it is a membrane that encapsulates the entire mushroom when it is young; this structure breaks apart as the mushroom expands, leaving parts that can be found at the base of the stalk as a cup-like structure.

Some species of Volvariella are popular edibles in Europe, accounting for 16% of total production of cultivated mushrooms in the world.Template:Citation needed

References

• Key to the genus Volvariella [1]

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