Universal veil
From Free net encyclopedia
The Universal veil is a mycological term to describe a "cup" like structure that appears in some gilled mushrooms. The young, developing button mushroom, which may resemble a puffball at this point, is protected by the veil. The veil will eventually become ruptured by the growing mushroom, but it will usually remain as a volva (mycology) at the bottom and as patches or warts on the cap. This macrofeature is important in identification as it is a characteristic of certain genera and species, such as the genus Amanita.